News & Media
Angela Lin and Consuela Hendricks, founders of People Matter.
Local organization to host free Covid testing in hard-hit communities
People Matter, a community-based organization whose mission is to uplift, unearth and untether people in different Chicago communities, has partnered with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to hold their very first three community Covid-19 testing sites, open to community members of Chinatown, Pilsen and Bronzeville.
The organization provides free testing services due to the impact of the pandemic on these communities because of the country’s long history of neglecting and sabotaging low-income communities of color, according to People Matter co-founder Angela Lin.
“The Black community and non-Black Latino communities have been disproportionately impacted by Covid-19 due to lack of investment in their health infrastructure and economies, while the Chinese immigrant community has been facing growing anti-Chinese sentiment, as well as lack of language access in most areas of life,” said Angela Lin, co-founder of People Matter . “In addition, communities of color — Black, nonBlack Latino, and Chinese alike — often have multi-generational families who live together in small spaces, with the primary providers unable to work safely from home.”
In some ways, Covid-19 has affected the way how People Matter operates. Lin said they have to be creative in the adjustment since most meetings and workshops have been transferred online.
Lin shared an example that their Community Language program, a social justice-themed Cantonese and English language class, was held online, so they couldn’t have field trips for students to practice their language skills in real-world settings. The difficult part for them is to simulate the real-world setting virtually.
The Killing Of Two Chinese Men Ignites Anti-Black Sentiment In Chinatown
Consuela Hendricks vividly remembers the day when, as a teenager, she volunteered at a Chinatown youth event six years ago.
A Chinese police officer spoke with a group of kids about public safety in the neighborhood. He warned the female students about kidnapping attempts in Chinatown.
“And he turns to me,” recalled Hendricks, who is black. “And he’s like, ‘Only Asian girls get kidnapped. You don’t have nothing to worry about. People don’t want black girls.’ ”
“And I remember it was really hard to process,” Hendricks said. “I was just like, ‘Why is he cool saying this to me? I’m this 17-, 16-year-old kid.’ ”
The experience was one of Hendricks’ early brushes with anti-black prejudice in Chinatown, where the Englewood-born activist spent much of her teen years. Her Chinese friends would often tell her she couldn’t be seen with them in the neighborhood. At restaurants, she would be the last to be served unless she was with an Asian friend. In stores, shopkeepers would watch her and follow her through the aisles.
"After the two murders, it was like an explosion," said Consuela Hendricks, right, one of the co-founders of People Matter, a new nonprofit that is tackling, in part, anti-black prejudice in Chinatown. Angela Lin, left, is the co-founder of the group. Esther Yoon-Ji Kang / WBEZ News
Angela Lin, right, and Consuela Hendricks, two organizers confronting anti-Blackness in various neighborhoods across the city including Chinatown, McKinley Park and Pilsen, near Washington Park in Chicago on July 26, 2020. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
Why a Chicago police officer’s accidental death struck a chord with Chinese Americans: ‘A lot of residents feel so vulnerable’
In a summer of pandemic and unrest, the accidental death of Chicago police Officer Xu Meng resonated deeply among those of Chinese descent here and across the country.
A hardworking father and husband. One of their own.
And a cop at a time when the community felt threatened by rising anti-Chinese hate and were depending more and more on officers such as Meng, even as police nationwide were being widely scrutinized for brutality.
A fundraiser for Meng’s family was carried widely on Chinese social media and has collected more than three times what was sought.
“Chinatown, because it’s so isolated, a lot of times people are more like, ‘We need to protect our own,’ ” community organizer Consuela Hendricks said. “A lot of residents feel so vulnerable.”
When Meng, 36, died in early June, the South Side neighborhood had suffered through months more of lost revenue than other business sectors, had grieved after two recent homicides, had faced racial backlash from the pandemic and was bracing for a summer of protests and possible looting.
Tackling Anti-Blackness in the Chinatown Community
Community members and advocates shared insights and pushed for conversations about tackling anti-blackness in the Chinatown community on Jan. 27. About 15 people met at the Chicago Public Library’s Chinatown branch for the first monthly community meetings.
The meeting was arranged by People Matter, an organization with a mission to uplift, unearth, and untether people everywhere. Angela Lin and Consuela Hendricks, co-funders of People Matter started the Tackling Anti-Blackness in the Chinatown Community (TACC) campaign.
“Anti-blackness is global as well as local, and does not just affect black people but Chinese people and everyone else.” Angela Lin said.
About 15 people met at the Chicago Public Library’s Chinatown branch for People Matter’s first monthly meeting.
As the coronavirus spreads, Asians become the target of racism. Photo courtesy of People Matter from Facebook
Growing Anti-Chinese Sentiment During the Time of the Coronavirus
CHICAGO - Anti-Chinese sentiment has grown significantly since President Donald Trump called COVID-19 the “Chinese Virus.” Locally, public virtual discussions have been held to analyze how the president’s choice words may have intensified a growing racist sentiment nationwide.
People Matter (PM), a community-based nonprofit organization aiming to provide direct service, political education, and issue advocacy in seven neighborhoods in Chicago, held a free online event “Let's Talk about Growing Anti-Chinese Sentiment During the Time of the Coronavirus” on April 1 for people to talk about their experiences and what they’ve heard and seen regarding anti-Chinese sentiment since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Consuela Hendricks and Angela Lin, the founders of People Matter, hosted this online event. They mentioned that over 650 racist acts against Asian Americans happened over the country and a Singaporean student in London encountered a violent attack because of a growing anti-Chinese sentiment.
The online conversation lasted an hour. Event organizers welcomed people from different backgrounds and all groups of color who care about the problems to discuss these issues and how people can deal with them in the upcoming months. More than 20 people participated in the conversation.