Marlene Clemente (284) and Amelia Nelson (284)

Over the past two and half years, the plans for the 76ers’ Market East arena have filled many with fear and uncertainty about the vibrant culture of Chinatown’s fate against the hands of gentrification. But young, resilient fighters have also emerged out of that fear. Organizations like Central’s Asian & Pacific Islanders Union (APIU), the Students Against Sixers Arena (SASA) youth organization, and the Ginger Arts Center (GAC) that nurture and inspire young leaders illustrate that there is immense power in community, education, and the future of activism.

“Rewarding” is the word that APIU co-president and SASA co-founder Erica Zhong (284) uses to describe the entire experience. “Not easy though,” she quickly adds. After leading a series of arena-centered workshops within Central’s APIU at the end of her sophomore year, Erica and other APIU members realized that they would need to expand in order to continue their fight for Chinatown’s community. 

The issue? All of the organizations that existed were geared toward college students and other adults. This meant an entire demographic –anyone below 18– was underrepresented in a fight that was still just as important to them. Thus, SASA, the high-school-oriented youth organization, was born. To gain power, SASA needed a large and diverse community, and to build that community Erica and her co-founders needed to find a way to join several existing communities together. With help from Asian Americans United, Erica began networking with other high school groups, emphasizing that activism was (and is) open to everyone. SASA has helped Erica find a voice both “in and out of school.” 

“Youth are the future,” says Faye Liu (284), Erica’s fellow APIU co-president and active leader at GAC, the youth-led and -oriented organization located on the north side of Chinatown. Created amidst the “No Arena” fights, GAC serves as a sanctuary and “third space” for youth, providing community and access to free emotional and mental support, all of these vital for growth. GAC fosters youth creativity and education through various workshops and opportunities for community engagement in order to help the next generation become guiding, compassionate activists “who will [one day] inherit the world.” 

Through over two years of bridging, building, and fighting for community, Erica shares, “We grew, we learned… if you told me two years ago we would do all of this, I wouldn’t believe it.” Youth activists like Erica and Faye play an important role in inspiring others to speak out against injustice and play a role in shaping the world for the future. 

Although the ultimate decision to abandon the Arena plans wasn’t the product of students alone but rather the “collective solidarity between Philadelphia communities,” according to Liu, it begs the question, how can youth activism best be supported and promoted?

One of APIU’s sponsors, Mr. Hung, shared, “Students are powerful, and their drive deserves to be highlighted.” Hesitant to be interviewed because he wanted to make sure enough focus was directed at students, Mr. Hung believes his role as the APIU sponsor is to facilitate the voices students already have. Through education and giving students the confidence and platform to find their voice, adults can be vital in nourishing young activists. 

Both Faye and Erica believe that, with dream, drive, and support, activists of any age can create positive change; Erica encourages any students who want to learn more about activism and its role in the Asian-American community to join APIU! Faye encourages anyone who wants to become an activist to “definitely do it. It’s better to try it out than not.”

 With a future bound to be full of more uncertainty and challenge, there will also be plenty of opportunities for activism– and hopefully, more opportunities for youth activists to find their strong, courageous voices and immense power.