Kaia Chau
Kaia Chau is a graduating senior at Bryn Mawr College and is the co-founder of Students for the Preservation of Chinatown (SPOC). SPOC is a coalition of college students in the Philadelphia area fighting against the proposed construction of the new 76ers arena less than a block away from Chinatown. Kaia attended Folk Arts Cultural Treasures Charter School (FACTS) and grew up going to Chinatown almost every day. She was raised by organizers who dedicated their lives to fighting for the existence and preservation of Chinatown. At 6 years old, she watched her mother fight a proposed casino in Chinatown. Now 15 years later, as a college student and along with her fellow student organizers, she carries on the tradition of intergenerational Chinatown activism and organizing, mobilizing her peers to protect a beloved neighborhood and community. As the elders who came before them, Kaia recognizes that her generation has a responsibility to protect and preserve Philadelphia’s Chinatown.
Awarded Grants
2023
Media Artist + Activist Residency (MAR)
Related grantees
Overview
Kaia Chau and Sammy Weiner will collaborate with Asian Americans United to create media that reflects Chinatown’s resilience against predatory development such as the 76ers arena proposal. Through oral history, found object sculptures, public video projections, and apps, Kaia and Sammy will engage the community to create a culminating multi-media installation in a vacant storefront in Chinatown that will serve as a community gathering space, particularly for youth like themselves. With media arts, they plan to construct a damning narrative that this arena is an attempt at cultural genocide and community displacement and will fight for Chinatown’s right to self-determination and the freedom to decide what is best for their community.