Dear Mission Local Editors,

We are writing in response to your recent piece covering the annual dinner of our club, The Chinese American Democratic Club (CADC), that took place on June 1st.  As one of the oldest political clubs in the United States to fight for civil rights and anti-discrimination for Chinese Americans, we condemn the tone of the Mission Local piece that negatively portrays CADC and its contribution to empower and uplift the Chinese American and immigrant communities in San Francisco.

Since 1958, CADC has fought against racial segregation in public schools and successfully advocated for language access and quality education in SFUSD.  CADC has been at the forefront against the recent Anti-Asian Hate Crimes, by advocating for strong public safety while giving offenders second chances for rehabilitation. 

CADC disapproves Mission Local’s divisive tactic in singling out our club and dwelling in the past. We believe in inclusion and tolerance. We believe in education and second chances, and that people can learn, grow and strive for improvement. We have seen our president Josephine Zhao immersed in multiple year-long leadership training and has emerged as an impactful leader that can build bridges and bring people together.

Unlike Mission Local’s approach of labeling people and excluding voices, CADC encourages and engages in public discourse. While Democracy is under attack nationally, we upload democracy locally by putting aside empty labels and building a big umbrella in order to  welcome everyone across the political spectrum to work together. We listen to each other and to everyday people to provide solutions and effect changes.

As a club of 66 years of history, CADC is solely focused on continuing our work of activating the Chinese community in participating in the democratic process, by registering to vote, voting and freely speaking our truth in city politics. . 

Sincerely,

Chinese American Democratic Club