CTA at 30: POWER in UNITY 逆風無畏
CTA at 30: Power in Unity Exhibition Celebrates CTA’s 30 Years of
Fighting Eviction and Advocating for Affordable Housing
41 ROSS EXHIBITION DATES
August 3, 2017 – September 10, 2017
Community Tenants Association (CTA) has become a leader in San Francisco’s housing advocate community with its roots firmly established in fighting unjust evictions and advocating for those in need. The exhibit CTA at 30: Power in Unity celebrates the 30 years of CTA’s members, actions, and role in the community through short videos by filmmaker James Q. Chan, stories, photos, and timeline of the efforts of its 1600 members.
Founded in 1987, CTA is the largest community based tenant group that organizes to defend the rights of low-income residents throughout San Francisco. CTA advocates for the interests of the poor and fosters immigrant leadership to address citywide issues impacting tenants.
CTA President Mr. Leung said, “This exhibition is a tribute to Community Tenants Association - thousand members strong, unwavering in the fight for grassroots advocacy and tenant rights.”
Supervisor Aaron Peskin said, 'I don’t have words enough to express how incredible, effective, compassionate and empowering CTA’s work has been for tens of thousands of tenants in San Francisco. Happy 30th and may there be 30 more.'
Executive Director of Chinatown CDC, Norman Fong said, 'CTA has been the voice of grassroots leadership in Chinatown for 3 decades. They are my heroes for the community!'
For Chinatown residents -- many who are immigrants, monolingual Chinese speaking, and low-income -- affordable housing in the neighborhood is essential to their livelihoods. Evictions and the threat of evictions put great burden and stress on vulnerable seniors and families. CTA has played a key role in organizing efforts, galvanizing and uniting the tenants to fight evictions, and keeping hope alive. Many tenants join CTA after they seek assistance and support in fight their own evictions. Members recognize that many tenants are also facing displacements and evictions in the Chinatown community and they collective work to ensure the future of affordable housing in Chinatown.
TIMELINE
Photos from the exhibit
ABOUT THE ARTIST
James Q. Chan (Filmmaker): James Q. Chan is a San Francisco-based filmmaker who has collaborated on Emmy- and Grammy-winning projects. James received his film training through the mentorship from two-time Academy Award winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. From 2000-2011, James managed the day-to-day operations of Telling Pictures, Epstein and Friedman's San Francisco Production office. Prior to independent films, James worked as a SAG/AFTRA union Talent Agent in San Francisco. His successful track records for identifying and nurturing emerging actors elevated JE Talent Agency (formerly Mitchell Agency) to become one of the top three talent agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area.