CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities

CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities is a New York City-based grassroots membership organization that organizes working-class Asian immigrants, tenants, and youth across neighborhoods on the frontlines of gentrification and predatory speculation. Founded in 1986 by Asian women as the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence, the group originally organized against rising police and white supremacist violence against Asian communities. Over time its analysis deepened and its work broadened to fighting institutional and systemic racism and violence in Asian immigrant communities, including organizing with cab drivers and homecare workers, coalition work opposing U.S. wars in the Middle East, and resistance to the post-9/11 crackdown on immigrant communities. The organization's stated purpose is to develop the leadership of working-class Asian immigrants to make a significant intervention in the gentrification of New York City by building neighborhood power in Chinatown and Astoria. Its strategy has three prongs: defend neighborhoods by fighting speculative development; fight for more preserved and deeply affordable housing for the working class; and build enough power to constrict the real estate industry, which CAAAV identifies as its primary opposition. A strategy process from 2019 to 2021 formalized the real estate industry as the central threat to its communities. CAAAV's base-building work is organized through tenant unions. The Chinatown Tenants Union (CTU) was founded in 2005 by Chinese tenants to address apartment neglect, landlord harassment, and displacement, and to develop the leadership of working-class Chinatown immigrant residents. In 2022, CAAAV replicated the CTU model to launch the Astoria Tenants Union (ATU), which organizes working-class Bangali immigrants across Queens. The organization describes its approach as intergenerational and multi-ethnic, developing Asian immigrant leaders to take back control over their homes and to steer the broader fight for a working-class New York. CAAAV operates as a nonprofit advocacy and community-organizing group rather than a commercial enterprise. It maintains offices in The Bronx and Chinatown, Manhattan, and reports a membership base of individual members and a broader constituency across New York City. It is known for its left-leaning political orientation and participation in protests against neoliberal globalization and war. Its public profile centers on tenant organizing, anti-displacement campaigns, and solidarity work within Asian immigrant communities.

CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities was founded in 1986 as the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence by Asian women in New York City. Its original mission was to build power in Asian communities against rising police and hate violence. In its early years, the organization focused on responding to violence against Asian Americans and organizing against white supremacist violence. Over time, CAAAV's analysis deepened and its work broadened to fighting institutional and systemic racism and violence in Asian immigrant communities. This included organizing with cab drivers and homecare workers, participating in coalitions opposing U.S. wars in the Middle East, and resisting the crackdown against immigrant communities after 9/11. The organization became known for its left-leaning political orientation and involvement in protests against neoliberal globalization and war. In 2005, Chinese tenants founded CAAAV's Chinatown Tenants Union (CTU) chapter to fight landlord neglect, harassment, and displacement. The CTU became a central vehicle for CAAAV's base-building work in Manhattan's Chinatown, developing the leadership of working-class Chinatown immigrant residents. In response to years of intensified real estate speculation and luxury development in its neighborhoods, CAAAV underwent a strategy process from 2019 to 2021 to identify the real estate industry as the primary threat to its communities. Following this process, the organization replicated the CTU model to build its Astoria Tenants Union (ATU), founded in 2022, which organizes working-class Bangali immigrants across Queens. Today, CAAAV describes its purpose as developing the leadership of working-class Asian immigrants to make a significant intervention in the gentrification of New York City by building neighborhood power in Chinatown and Astoria. Its strategy focuses on defending neighborhoods against speculative development, fighting for more preserved and deeply affordable housing for the working class, and building enough power to constrict the real estate industry. The organization maintains offices in The Bronx and Chinatown, Manhattan, and reports a membership base of individual members and a broader constituency across New York City.

• 2022

  Astoria Tenants Union (ATU) founded to organize working-class Bangali immigrants in Queens.

• 2021

  Concluded strategy process; real estate industry formally identified as primary opposition.

• 2019

  Began a strategy process (2019–2021) identifying the real estate industry as the primary threat.

• 2005

  Chinatown Tenants Union (CTU) founded by Chinese tenants.

• 1986

  Founded as the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence by Asian women in New York City.

Grassroots, membership-based Asian immigrant community organizing focused on tenant power and anti-gentrification in New York City.

Product categories. Tenant organizing · Community organizing · Leadership development · Housing advocacy · Anti-displacement campaigns

1. 1CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities – official websitecaaav.org
2. 2About – CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communitiescaaav.org
3. 3CAAAV – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence – Wikipedia (Dutch)nl.wikipedia.org