Organization Highlight: Save Chinatown Solidarity Network
- DVRP Admin
- Oct 8
- 2 min read
We are thrilled to highlight an incredible community organization: Save Chinatown Solidarity Network!
This past August we made the difficult decision to cancel our 2nd annual Healing Justice Summit, “Radiant Roots,” to prioritize the safety of our community during this period of heightened state violence. Radiant Roots was grounded in the framework of “Healing Justice” developed by Kindred Southern Healing Justice Collective, which calls for healing to be central to our liberation struggles.
In honoring this focus, one of the workshops planned for the summit was a linocut workshop for community resilience facilitated by folks from Save Chinatown Solidarity Network (SCSN). Since we were unable to have this workshop in-person, we’re coming to you with a highlight of Save Chinatown Solidarity Network to uplift their work to preserve this intergenerational community.
What is Save Chinatown Solidarity Network?
SCSN is a grassroots network of A/PI folks supporting anti-displacement and anti-gentrification efforts in Chinatown DC with the goal of uplifting Chinatown’s working class residents and small businesses. As members of the A/PI community, SCSN honors the elders that have helped to build a physical space and community for culture to thrive.
SCSN’s Mid-Autumn Festival
Most recently, SCSN hosted a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, celebrating the full moon and harvest. Many similar festivals are celebrated across
East and Southeast Asia. Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for the community to come together on the day when it’s believed that the moon is roundest and brightest. Despite displacement efforts in Chinatown and increased militarization across DC, SCSN’s Mid-Autumn Festival was a space that celebrated the intergenerational community in Chinatown through food, community, and art.
SCSN and DVRP: Arts-Based and Ancestral Healing Practices
Central to both SCSN and DVRP are arts-based and ancestral healing practices. In a world where healing is viewed as an individual process, both DVRP and SCSN challenge this by centering arts-based practices that show us healing happens in community. From SCSN’s “We Are Chinatown” community mural to tai chi lessons at the Mid-Autumn Festival celebration, they are weaving art and ancestral healing to be used as a conduit for healing, connection, and resistance.
Get Involved: SCSN’s Recent Campaigns
Plug in to Save Chinatown Solidarity Networks campaigns or learn more at https://www.savechinatowndc.org/ and find them on Instagram @savechinatowndc
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