NYCHA’s Chinese-American Association Celebrates Lunar New Year

NYCHA’s Chinese-American Association (CAA) marked this year’s Lunar New Year celebration with all the customary fun, energy, and community spirit it does every year. But this year’s gathering carried added significance: it was also the moment of the Association’s presidential transition, as longtime CAA leader Linda Zhang passed the role to her successor, incoming President Julie Zhu — only the third holder of the honor in the organization’s history.

For Ms. Zhang, who has led the CAA for 14 years, the day was both meaningful and one she had been anticipating with high hopes.

Julie Zhu’s path to CAA leadership began years ago, and her involvement has
steadily broadened over time. She became the third president in the association’s history on April 1st.

“I’ve been hoping to find just the right person to replace me,” Ms. Zhang said. “The first time I met Julie, I could see how enthusiastic and how helpful she was, very naturally and from the very first moment. She worked to help in any way she could.  Seeing that in her certainly made an impression.”

Ms. Zhu’s path to CAA leadership began years before: she joined the association nearly 20 years ago – at first volunteering her time to support language translation and to assist at events – and her involvement steadily broadened over time.

This year’s Lunar New Year celebration was thus both a culmination and a new beginning — a moment where the CAA’s past and future leadership came together at a single celebration. In addition to Ms. Zhang and Ms. Zhu, the CAA’s founding president, Nancy Lam, was also present for the transition, marking the very first time all three presidents had been together at one event.

This year’s Lunar New Year celebration was both a culmination, a moment to take pride in what the CAA has accomplished,
and a new beginning as well — and all three presidents it its history were present to help kick off the new era. 

“It was so wonderful!” Ms. Zhu said. “To have both of my predecessors there – these two great women who made the group what it is today — and then everyone else celebrating too? It was just wonderful.”

That sense of continuity was visible from the earliest moments of the day.

“We started decorating at 10 o’clock in the morning,” Ms. Zhu said. “Everyone was there, including our retirees. We decorated the hallway and the room, and it was just so much fun.”

“Even after we had cleaned up, our members stuck together,” she added. “The retirees who came then went out together afterward, to continue celebrating!”

Now, as Ms. Zhu steps more completely into her new role, that legacy will be both an inheritance and a responsibility.

“This is a big moment,” she acknowledged. “We intend to keep making our membership – and everyone at NYCHA who we’re so glad are eager to join us for these celebrations – happy to come and taken part. We will continue this tradition – you can count on that!”