Carving path towards advocacy

Chinese American Parents Association creates change through building community

Photo taken from CAPA-NOVA Facebook

When the pandemic first hit the U.S., anti-Asian sentiment peaked with 69 offenses and then rose to record high levels of 145 offenses in March of 2021. In light of the rise in Asian hate beginning in 2020, CAPA-NOVA was founded. CAPA-NOVA is the northern Virginia branch of a Chinese-American nonprofit organization that aims to empower the Chinese-American community by promoting connection, education, equal rights and opportunities.

“During [the pandemic], there were a lot of anti Asian incidents and crimes, so the [founders] started the organization in hopes to promote rights for our Asian communities in the area,” CAPA-NOVA volunteer Lan Yue said.

In 2021, CAPA-NOVA held an Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Essay Contest. This allowed students to express their experiences as Asian Americans on an open platform, and it reflected the negative attitudes Asian Americans were subjected to during that period.

“When our volunteers read [the essays], it really jolted us. The stories these kids shared were just heartbreaking.” Yue said. “[Students] were called derogatory terms or [were told to] go back to [their] country, and people ridicule the kids' lunch because it’s different from American food.”

When the non-profit was first established, the volunteers concentrated their efforts on the school board in an attempt to transform parts of the education curriculum.

“In the beginning, we spent a lot of time communicating with the school board,” Yue said. “We felt [it’s important] to have Asian American history represented in the classroom, and have our struggles, achievements and contributions to this country to be included and celebrated in the curriculum.”

Although their initial goals have not yet materialized, their persistent efforts have led the state to organize a group of individuals to propose materials for the curriculum. In 2024, the HB 1353 bill was incorporated into Virginia legislation to advise the Board of Education on the implementation of Asian or Asian American and Pacific Islander content in school curriculum.

In recent years, Yue has been shifting her focus to the students within the community.

“[We’ve been doing a] series [where] students lead book discussions. We've [also] been inviting students who've done some very interesting extracurriculars, or who've been successful in a [field], to share with us their experience and resources,” Yue said. [We] hope [this] sheds some light for younger kids who want to pursue similar things.”

Going forward, the organization hopes to diversify the individuals invited to host seminars and inspire younger generations.

“We want to incorporate [more] young professionals to talk about their path,” Yue said. “Last month, we had some young professionals, Asian Americans in their 20s or late 20s, or maybe early 30s, to talk about [their experience].

In addition to volunteering with CAPA-NOVA, Yue believes there are other ways people can make a change in their community.

“Start from your community, start from your neighborhood,” Yue said. “If we don’t let our voice be heard, how can we be included in conversations? If more people can go to the table, we can bring results and move toward our goal.”