MinKwon Center for Community Action- Press Profile
2010 Union Square Award Recipient
136-19 41st Avenue
Flushing, NY 11355
www.minkwon.org
Media Contact: Steven Choi, Executive Director
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| (718) 460-5600
The MinKwon Center for Community Action (MinKwon Center 민권) believes that social justice is deeply rooted in grassroots community work and that collaboration is critical to lasting and fundamental change. Formerly the Young Korean American Service and Education Center, it changed its name in 2009 to emphasize renewed commitments and direction. The word, "MinKwon" (민권), means “civil rights” in Korean, and “Center for Community Action” embodies the idea of a movement that values grassroots organizing as a means to strengthen the community. Based in Flushing, Queens, MinKwon aims to build an informed, active Korean and Asian American base through advocacy and organizing campaigns, and provides an array of legal and social services, youth leadership initiatives, and civic engagement programs.
Organizing and Advocacy Campaigns. MinKwon organizes community members to advocate for immigrants’, workers’, and housing rights to bring about meaningful social change. As a leading member of the 12% and Growing Coalition, the organization collected 3,300 postcards to persuade policymakers to fix the disparity in government resources and preserve needed services for Asian Americans. To expand civic participation efforts, MinKwon launched a coalition to increase Asian American and immigrant voter representation in the City.
Legal and Social Services. MinKwon is a leading Asian American organization in New York City that serves as a single-stop site providing public benefits, low-income tax assistance, and legal representation on immigration, labor, and housing issues. In 2009, it provided free assistance to 3,700 community members.
Youth Empowerment Project. MinKwon’s Youth Empowerment Project engages Asian American high school students in education, organizing, and grassroots advocacy. Participants mobilized for student metro cards in a successful citywide campaign, executed a groundbreaking community needs assessment, and organized a Flushing youth conference on the DREAM Act.