Asian-American groups band together for COVID relief

When business first began drying up Dun Huang Plaza, where Debbie Chen’s restaurant, Shabu House, is located, Chen didin’t understand what was happening.

She called other Chinatown business owners she knew. “Everyone saw their business go down about 50 to 90 percent,” she said. “It was literally an overnight drop. And it never really recovered.”

Then, Chen discovered the root of the problem: In late January, rumors circulated that an employee at Jusgo Supermarket had the coronavirus. It wasn’t true, but the gossip spread quickly on social media.

Before long, a major loss in business spread through Chinatown. Parking lots emptied, and doors closed — even before the city’s fist confirmed COVID-19 case.

“That created a very gloomy economic situation,” said Chi-mei Lin, CEO of the Chinese Community Center. “It was a very high concern.”

Lin began driving around various shopping centers to see if the reports of lost revenue were true. “It was not an understatement,” she said.

Still, even in the midst of this economic devastation, Houston’s Asian community rallied, and Asian-American organizations became some of the most generous donors to frontline workers and individuals in need. About 70 organizations united under the umbrella Asian Americans Salute Frontline Heroes, which has already given $3 million worth of personal protective equipment, nonperishable food and hot meals to Houstonians affected by COVID-19.

The collaboration also has an advocacy arm to address the ignorance and anti-Asian sentiment that shut Chinatown down in the first place.

The rumors were devastating on multiple levels, Chen said. “They weren’t just affecting Chinese businesses,” she said. “They were impacting the people who worked there, people who have to pay their bills. That’s been the biggest thing on my mind. We cannot go down; there are people who need us.”

In addition to business woes, this also had a psychological effect.

“Our community was getting nervous,” Lin said. “There was a lot of high anxiety about a growing anti-Asian sentiment.”

Many Houstonians also worried about family members in China, where the virus first appeared in December, said Alice Lee, executive director of the Southwest Management District.

“People with families in China were already starting to buy PPE to send back to China,” she said.

The curve flattened in China just as orders to stay at home hit the U.S. Instead of mailing masks away, Asian groups in Houston started to act locally, Lee said, distributing personal protective equipment, or PPE, to law enforcement and healthcare workers.

“Chinese American groups were the first to donate PPE, because they had already purchased them,” Lee said. “We had an early start.”

At the Chinese Community Center, Lin continued serving clients, giving out masks, helping disperse COVID-recovery funds and assisting families navigating unemployment.

“We’re busy — even though our front door is closed most of the time,” Lin said. “We do a lot of behind-the-scenes work to make sure our clients still feel connected.”

She noticed a lot of community members helped however they could: A pharmacy created its own hand sanitizer to give to the fire department. There were also groups like the Joint Chinese College Alumni Association, which raised $24,000 on its first day of fundraising alone.

Instead of working separately, in mid-April, several groups combined to create Asian Americans Salute Frontline Heroes. The steering committee included the OCA-Greater Houston, Southwest Management District, Asian Chamber of Commerce and Dr. Peter Chang at Hope Clinic. The International Management District also joined the collaboration.

Lin became the group’s treasurer and made it possible for donations, including more than 13,000 pre-packaged meals from struggling restaurants, to go through the Chinese Community Center.

“We wanted to show our appreciation and gratitude,” Lin said. “At the same time, we’re trying to bring business back to Chinatown. It was two-in-one.”

Already, the Asian Americans Salute Frontline Heroes collaboration has delivered 1.7 million pieces of personal protective equipment to frontline workers.

The advocacy arm of the organization has also been busy, working with the Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee to battle discrimination against Asian-Americans.

“At this time, any kind of racism, profiling or scapegoating is not acceptable,” Lin said. “This whole country needs peace. We have a challenge in front of us. We don’t need any more division.”

Honoring heroes who have fought discrimination is part of the mission. The Chinese Cultural Center is planning the inaugural Lily and Vincent Chin Advocacy Award, co-sponsored by the Asian Americans Salute Frontline Heroes, on June 22. The award is named for Vincent Chin who was fatally beaten by two white men in Detroit in 1982.

This first awardees are Zach Owen and Bernie Ramirez who came to the defense of Bawi Cung and his family when they were attacked at a Sam’s Club in March. The perpetrator blamed them for the coronavirus.

After the award presentation, the OCA-Greater Houston will host a virtual panel for bystander training. “People need to feel comfortable to speak up,” Chen said. “People need to feel they can step in and de-escalate a situation.”

Asian Americans Salute Front-line Heroes plans to hold additional programs to raise awareness and counter discrimination.

Asian Americans Salute Front-line Heroes members, like the OCA-Greater Houston, are also active, delivering faceshields, hosting food drives and bringing meals to essential workers. The group recently delivered 2,000 masks and gloves to the Black Lives Matter rally. In May, The Joint Chinese College Alumni Association gave $40,000 the Houston Food Bank.

“Sometimes, when humans are facing a trial, or trying times, it can bring out the best and the worst,” she said. “We need to show our best.”

For more information or to donate to the relief fund, visit ccchouston.org/asian-americanssalute-frontline-heroes.