Henry Wong and You King Yee Memorial Gallery

A  river has its source; a tree has its roots.  The social status of Chinese Americans is rising every day.  These gains weren’t just bestowed upon us by those in power, and they didn’t fall like manna from heaven.  We got these rights because CPA worked hard to get us all united, got us all working together—that’s how we got them!

–You King Yee

The aim of the Chinese Progressive Association, as I see it, is to serve the community, and it also stands for the liberation of thought … I am happy to be able to do my share in the fight for racial equality.  Whether we succeed or not, everybody must do what you can!

–Henry You-Min Wong

Inspired by the rich experiences and activism of two of our elderly founding members, CPA launched a volunteer-based Oral History Project back in 1983, with the purpose of documenting the struggles of immigrant working people.  During intervals between intense organizing campaigns, we have recorded the struggles and perspectives of dozens of individuals who have stood up for their rights and for social change.

With the opening of CPA’s permanent home and organizing center at the Metropolitan on Parcel C, we launched the WY Gallery, the Henry Wong and You King Yee Memorial Gallery, a a 31-foot long display space for artistic exhibits that document and express community struggles.  The gallery houses rotating exhibits of documentary photographs as well as of individual artists of all ages or partnering community groups such as the Asian American Resource Workshop, Boston Progress, and the Chinese Historical Society of New England.  The W/Y Gallery Committee works to build connections between Asian American artists and activists.

Contact CPA for more information about participating in the W/Y Gallery Committee.  To find out more information about the W/Y Gallery and to propose an exhibit visit the W/Y Gallery Blog.

Some of our past exhibit titles:

  • 2 People, 1000 Lives, One Heart
  • Rhizomes: Thirty Years of Spreading Our Roots
  • Me/We
  • We Shall Not Be Moved!
  • The Garment Worker’s Story

News

January 16, 2019

CPA is Hiring!

CPA is hiring for three positions: Lead Organizer, Organizer and Services Administrator. Click here to read all the job postings.

April 22, 2016

Joint Statement on Peter Liang Sentencing

We are outraged that Peter Liang has escaped accountability for killing Akai Gurley. For more than a year, Akai Gurley’s family has been courageously speaking out to demand justice for their loved one. Judge Chun’s sentencing decision today is an insult to Akai Gurley, his family, and all victims of police violence. Any amount of jail/prison time is a brief snippet of time compared to the lifetime Akai Gurley’s young daughters will have to live without their father. The sentencing sends the message that it is okay to kill innocent and precious lives, as long as it is done by a police officer.

September 28, 2015

Chinatown Calls for Eviction Protections at R Visions Tour and Rally

The chants and drums resounded as the R Visions People’s Tour wound its way through the streets of Chinatown. About a hundred residents and community activists joined a march and rally today to call for increased action by city government to protect working class neighborhoods. Stopping at different sites marked by community art installations, community members spoke to the different strategies for stabilizing Chinatown’s future.