Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Washington, D.C.

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About Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Washington, D.C.

Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Washington, DC was founded in the 1940s and formally registered in 1952. It is comprised of 30 prestigious groups that we call the Overseas Delegation. Members of each delegation will send two representatives to participate in activities and vote in monthly meetings. In the 1990s, CCBA became a financially sound, non-profit organization with the help of the Elders.

The mission of CCBA is to help Chinese immigrants. We aid in various facets of immigrant life such as: providing meals, shelter, and medical assistance in times of unemployment or hardship as well as provide a unified voice for the local Chinese population. We also serve as an objective intermediary authority, resolving individual and group disputes within the community, as well as helping with funeral arrangements for underprivileged families and those who do not have families in the area. Times have changed since and the needs of the immigrants new and old alike changed also. Today, immigrants need help in learning English, finding health care, reporting taxes, applying for social security benefit and naturalization. The CCBA continue to aid immigrants with their current obstacles and needs.

To protect and further the welfare of the Chinese Americans, all CCBA in America joined together to form the “National Chinese Welfare Council” which was originally found in 1957 in Washington DC. The council worked zealously and tirelessly with the White House, State Department, Congress, Immigration Department, and News Media. After many months of hard work and many setbacks, we succeeded to raise the immigration quota from 200 per year to 40,000 per year, almost all Chinese immigrants after 1977 are the beneficiary of this great feat.

In the 1970s, the city’s plans to build a new convention center on H Street between 8th and 11th Streets required the demolition of several Chinese-occupied apartment buildings. The CCBA represented the Chinese community in negotiations with Mayor Washington. The Chinatown community’s first-generation elderly, many of whom lived alone, would have been severely displaced by the construction and demolition. As a result of the CCBA’s negotiations, the Mayor agreed to build a low-income housing building at the corner of 6th and H Streets for the community. Under the CCBA’s leadership and funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, we were able to secure and construct the Wah-Luck House (House of happiness for Chinese), that included 153 apartments. Today, the Wah Luck House continues to provide subsidized Section 8 housing for elderly and low to moderate-income residents.

In addition to the Wah Luck House, the CCBA of Washington DC has done many things to help its less fortunate members. The CCBA has sponsored regular free clinics. The clinics were able to provide free blood testing, free flu shots for the uninsured and elderly, free Income Tax filing for the low-income families, and a bus service that can transport residents once a month to go grocery shopping in the suburbs. Chinatown does not have an Asian grocery store.

When impoverished immigrants feared they could not afford decent burials so far away from their homeland, the CCBA of Washington DC provided free burial sites at Cider Hill, Fort Lincoln, George Washington and Washington National cemeteries so that even the poorest could die with dignity.

While the prevalence of chronic Hepatitis B infection in Chinese individuals is at least 8 to 20% in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, most of the patients did not know they were infected. The CCBA provided free regular Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C screenings for Chinese immigrants and free Hepatitis B vaccination if needed. We encouraged patients to seek early treatment to reduce the risk of cirrhosis, liver cancer and eventually liver failure and death.

CCBA will continue to march on providing assistance to those who in need and stand up for the rights of Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans in Washington DC.