Join Philadelphia Legal Assistance's Emerging Leaders and Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation for a happy hour and panel discussion on how infrastructure impacts community. This event will take place on the rooftop of Far East Descendant in Chinatown. Your reservation comes with 2 complimentary drink tickets and light food.

P?anelists:

Jasper Katz is a staff attorney at Philadelphia Legal Assistance in the Consumer Housing Unit. Their current work focuses on helping low-income homeowners obtain titles to their homes so that they can access the full range of benefits and protections available to them. As part of that work, they also sometimes help clients deal with mortgage and tax foreclosures. Jasper graduated from Temple Law in 2019.

Caroline Aung is a Neighborhood Planning and Development Associate at the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC), where she manages the organization’s neighborhood planning and development projects. Before working at PCDC, she worked primarily in public health settings focused on addressing racial health inequities. She has a BA in Anthropology from Stanford University and a MS in City Design and Social Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Wei Chen is Asian American United’s (AAU) Civic Engagement Director and former youth programs coordinator. Wei immigrated from China at 16 years old. After experiencing bias, bullying, violence and harassment as a recent immigrant student at South Philadelphia high, Wei emerged as a youth leader and helped to file AAU’s case with the Department of Justice. This case moved the Philadelphia School District to establish safe schools free of bias as a right for all students. Wei was nationally awarded a Peace First Prize fellowship to continue his organizing work in peace studies and addressing bias harassment. In 2014, as an organizer for AAU, Wei began Chinatown Vote which has registered hundreds of voters and supported thousands of Asian voters in Philadelphia. In 2020, Wei co-founded Pennsylvania's first Asian-focused 501(c)(4) organization, Asian Pacific Islanders Political Alliance (API PA). In this July, Wei was appointed by Governor Shapiro as Chairperson of Governor's Advisory Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Affairs.

Co-Hosting Organizations:

Philadelphia Legal Assistance (PLA) is a nonprofit organization that provides free, high-quality legal assistance to low-income Philadelphians. Established in 1996, PLA helps thousands of Philadelphians stay in their homes, leave unsafe relationships, and secure income to put food on the table each year. PLA's Emerging Leaders program brings young Philadelphians from across fields together to meet like-minded peers, develop leadership skills, and collaborate to advance social justice efforts in Philadelphia. Learn more at https://philalegal.org/just-philly.

Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC) is a nonprofit organization that preserves, protects, and promotes Chinatown as a viable ethnic, residential, and business community. Established in 1966, PCDC is the only institution in Chinatown that addresses the needs of urban renewal and affordable housing development. PCDC provides a comprehensive approach to meet the need for cultural and economic development of the Chinatown commercial corridor and advocates for the 37,000 Chinese Americans in Philadelphia. Learn more at https://chinatown-pcdc.org/.