Related Organizations
U.S. Chinese Welfare Association of Los Angeles
US Chinese Welfare Association of Los Angeles
The Chinese Welfare Association was established in Washington DC in 1957. The Association has ten districts in the United States, including all 50 states. It is the only national organization among Chinese organizations in the United States. The purpose of its establishment is to "unify the will of Chinese Americans, concentrate the strength of Chinese Americans, resolve the difficulties of Chinese Americans, and enhance the welfare of Chinese Americans."
The establishment of the Welfare Association can be related to as "born in distress." Because in 1956, when Eisenhower was the United States President, the San Francisco Immigration Bureau conducted a large-scale investigation, and the grand jury issued a subpoena to investigate and interrogate the host of various Chinese Associations. Membership roster was ordered to be provided so that the U.S. Government would search for the identities of the Chinese at any time, thus causing panic. With the Chinese staying home, the restaurant had few people patronized. Business in Chinatown was sluggish and causing chaos. This problem showed a trend of expanding from the West coast to the East coast. The Overseas Chinese was alarmed, and stirred up the fight for civil rights. As a result, New York’s Liang Sheng Tai, Chicago’s Liang Jin Yuan and San Francisco’s Huang Ren Jun led the formation of the "US Chinese Welfare Association."
Initially, the Association had three branches in the East, Central and West in the United States. Los Angeles was organized and led by Zhu Ji Huo and Huang Yao Wen. They went to San Francisco to fight for the independence, not willing to be under the jurisdiction of the US West and pronounced itself to be the Association. Los Angeles past chairmen were: Zhu Ji Huo, Huang Guo Ru (10 consecutive years), Huang Zhong Hui, Zhao Di Pei, Liu Zi Zhen, Zhou Hong Yan, Guan Xun Xi, Guan Liang Chi, Lin Yin Pu, Huang Yuan Sheng, Deng Bing Quan, Zhou Tian Jun, Zhao Shang Xian, Chen Zi Ru , Liu Guo Hao, Li Rong Jie, Ma Shu Rong.
The Welfare Association and Los Angeles District Branch jointly engaged in the following five tasks during the early days of establishment:
1. Strive for the stability of the Chinese identity in the United States and promote the legal residence of illegal immigrants.
2. Strive for relaxing restriction on immigration quotas.
3. Encourage relatives of mainland Chinese to come to the United States for reunion.
4. Promote the improvement of Chinese political and social status in the United States.
5. Promote the prosperity and stability of Overseas Chinese communities in the United States.
The above tasks have been resolved through the efforts of the Welfare Association, thanks to the cooperation of the Overseas Chinese in the United States and the assistance of various folks in China and the United States sectors. The 2nd and 5th tasks prioritized the immigration quotas, thereby increasing the Hong Kong immigration quota from 600 to 5,000. This opened up investment quotas for the immigrants and amnesty for illegal immigrants. This not only played a great role in the family reunion, but also benefitted the future generations.
US Chinese Welfare Association's General Assembly
The US Chinese Welfare Association's General Assembly is the highest authority of the Association. It meets every three years. Representatives of the assembly are selected by each branch. At the General Assembly, the current urgent Chinese welfare issues are discussed. The date and location of the General Assembly are being determined by the previous General Assembly. The chairman at the location where the General Assembly is to be held will be the chairman of that General Assembly. The most successful one was the 4th US Chinese Welfare Association held at Honolulu in 1963. With the help of Senator Kwong You Liang, the Association was allowed to participate in the U.S. Congress and can make a statement in writing. Congress recognized proposals made by the US Chinese Welfare Association would be included in the Congressional minutes.
In 1993, the 14th Congress of the US Chinese Welfare Association elected Huang Zhen Hua as the chairman. The office of the Welfare Association was located in Los Angeles Chinatown. The Los Angeles branch communicated closely with the Association due to their close proximity. Since Huang Zhen Hua became the chairman of the Association and members of the Los Angeles branch were all Directors and Supervisors from the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA), this made the relationship between the Association and CCBA even closer.
Into the 21st century, society has been stabilized and past problem of refugees have not reappeared. Chinese-American elected officials have emerged as well as formation of many Chinese associations. The role of the US Chinese Welfare Association is not important anymore. After the death Huang Zhen Hua in 2001, the US Chinese Welfare Association needs someone to carry it forward.
After Liu Guo Hao took over as the chairman for the Los Angeles branch in 2004, he immediately invited officials from the US Immigration Service to CCBA and hosted an immigration seminar to help new immigrants resolve various immigration problems. It was welcomed by the Chinese community. Later, he became the CCBA President. He made a lot of contributions, and organized activities, such as co-hosting retirement planning lectures with the CCBA Welfare Association. Experts were invited to provide advice on handling of money, which included planning for children’s university funds, as well as retirement and pension plan.