Today we launch a campaign to highlight the everyday heroes who do essential work. The essential workers campaign features authentic photos of New Yorkers who provide healthcare, teach our youth, deliver meals to our seniors, drive subway trains, keep our facilities running, and so much more.

Our first story focuses on Jeff Lau, who became the CPC Adult Literacy Director last year after six years working in the classroom as an instructor.

Below is a snippet of a recent conversation with Jeff:

Chris Kuo, Leadership Council: What’s your fondest memory from your years at CPC? 

Jeff Lau, Adult Literacy Director: I had a student tell me he was learning English so that he could set an example for his young son. The family had just immigrated to this country and were discouraged by the whole process of learning English, so he decided to learn alongside them to show them it could be done. Later, he went on to support us in advocacy and met with elected officials, including a City Council Member, which showed his son that there's power in learning a language.

One of the interview questions that we ask students is, “Why did you come to the US?” A common response is “freedom.” Well, what does freedom really mean? After students finish the program and tell me, “I finally learned English. I became a US citizen. Now I can vote,” I realize as someone who grew up here that we really take so much in our lives for granted. 

Read more from the conversation on our website here.

Please share Jeff's story using #EssentialWorkers and #AlwaysEssential.

Essential Worker Quick Facts

 Black, Latinx, and Asian people make up
more than 70% of the city’s essential workers.

Human services workers are essential workers.

New York City contracts have not set rates that accurately reflect 
human services workers' commitment to essential work.

All of CPC's staff are essential workers. 

Tweets You Can Use To Share #AlwaysEssential Posts:

Help me lift the voices of #EssentialWorkers. Like and share this post to stand in solidarity with human services workers. #AlwaysEssential bit.ly/cpc-always-essential

#EssentialWorkers risk their health and their families’ health to serve others through COVID-19. As New York begins to recover, orgs like @cpc-nyc will be among the ones helping the hardest hit New Yorkers put their lives back together. Support them here: bit.ly/cpc-covid-19-relief-fund #AlwaysEssential

About CPC
The Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) is the nation's largest Asian American social services organization. Founded in 1965, CPC aims to promote the social and economic empowerment of Chinese American, immigrant, and low-income communities of New York City.

華人策劃協會(華策會)是全美國最大的亞裔美國人及太平洋島民社區服務機構.成立於1965年,華策會專門為紐約市的華裔美國人,移民,和低收入民眾提供金融權力和社區服務.