Asian American Center for Health and Affirmative Action

Project Description:

For my capstone project, I wanted to focus on what’s been affecting my community, increasingly within the past year. East and Southeast Asian families have been targeted and blamed relentlessly for the COVID-19 pandemic. Hearing about violent attacks occur mostly in “so-called progressive cities” like New York and San Francisco makes it even more upsetting. So in response to increased anti-Asian violence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I propose a safe haven for all Asians, both citizens and immigrants alike. It is also a place of resistance, where the community can address and discuss the histories and present concerns of Asians in the US.

Cultural Research:

The site is set in Woodside, Queens, along the 7 train and adjacent to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The block is bounded by Roosevelt Ave on the south, 65th St to the West, 37th Ave to the north, and 69th St to the east.

On site, we have The Universal Church, several multi-family and single family residences, and retail services along Roosevelt Avenue, as well as the 69th Street train station. The neighborhood is home to Chinese, Korean, Thai, Filipino, Pakistani, Indian, Irish, Peruvian, and Ecuadorian communities. It is important to note that most services on this site are multilingual, since more than half of the community is composed of immigrants.

For my research, I conducted a survey within my own community. First, I began with personal questions about discrimination and other racist encounters, such as how old people first experienced racism (answers varied from childhood to adulthood, depending on where people came from). Then I led into what we, as a community, can do in response to the increased anti-Asian attacks, since the majority of survey takers believe our current system will continue to fail us, as we constantly see in the media. Lastly, I address the mental health stigma in Asian cultures and the inaccessibility of mental health services. If mental health services were more affordable, culturally sensitive, and accessible, more survey takers would take the opportunity to use them.

Drawings of the Asian American Center: