We preserve, promote, and enrich the history and multicultural identity of Salinas Chinatown
Did you see the article in the Monterey County Weekly?
“With Two Property Acquisitions, Salinas Starts the Engine to Revitalize Chinatown Neighborhood.” We hope you will JOIN ACE and DONATE to help revitalize Salinas Chinatown!
Stay tuned for revitalization developments.
ACE has been accepted into the MCGives! Campaign, which kicked off today, Nov. 12, and runs to Dec. 31st 2020. Our goal is to raise $50,000 to complete interior construction of ACE’s office/gallery space on Soledad and Lake Streets at Moon Gate Plaza by early 2021.
Regular staff hours in a stable office space will enable ACE to apply for larger grants that will have more impact for the Chinatown community as part of the ongoing Chinatown Revitalization. Go to montereycountygives.com, click on “Meet Our Nonprofits,” then go to the Arts & Culture category and the Asian Cultural Experience page, to donate to our campaign. At this point, we have received $6,500 (thank you!) towards our goal!
Imagine historical and cultural exhibits inside our new space and visible in window displays; imagine lectures, programs, and activities for local kids and families, as well as for visitors and students. We also plan to incorporate a small, historical-themed library where people can learn more about the neighborhood and immigrant history.
Completion of the ACE office/gallery construction will help to activate Soledad St. alongside our neighbors on the bottom floor of Moon Gate, which include: the Red Artichoke Café, CSUMB Health Services, the Community Policing office, Urban Arts Collaborative, and Public Space’s art studios and gallery. The residential area of Moon Gate has already reached full occupancy, and residents there will also benefit from these organizations and services.
Eventually (after renovating the Republic Cafe building down the street), we plan to shift headquarters to the future Republic Cafe Cultural Center & Museum (we will be fundraising for purchase of that building with a deadline of Dec. 2021), and when that building has been completed, ACE will move, and Suite A will be available for another worthy business/organization.
We hope you will consider donating to MCGives! for completion of the ACE office/gallery space!
This has been a time of great change and uncertainty for all of us. In January 2020 we were ready to forge ahead with new programs, and to continue plans for revitalization of Chinatown.
We partnered with Dorothy’s Place and the Victory Mission to clean the front wall and sidewalk area of the Republic Café and repair the front doors. We also made plans to move into our new office/gallery space in Moon Gate Plaza this summer.
Our future office/gallery space at Moon Gate Plaza. Photo: J. Vengua, 2019.
However, as news of the pandemic spread in late February and March, we sadly realized we would have to cancel the 2020 Asian Festival and all events except those we could do online.
We are now using ZOOM for meetings and working on infrastructure projects: creating a solid membership database, working on fund and grant development, communicating with members through social media, and we recently mailed out our first newsletter.
Most importantly, we all look forward to taking up where we left off: creating new historical and educational programs, lectures, and exhibits with our valued partner organizations. Look for our next newsletter in September.
Join ACE!
If you are not currently a member of ACE, we would like you to join us. We appreciate any support you’ve given, and hope you consider supporting (and helping to shape) our current goals. We want to improve our process of informing you about membership status. Going forward, membership will be on a calendar-year basis, with dues notification going out at the beginning of the year.
ACE has accomplished much toward its vision of preserving the Asian culture and history of Salinas Chinatown; for example, the Asian Festival (salinasasianfestival.com), “Stories of Chinatown,” an educational exhibition, and many outreach opportunities about Salinas Chinatown history. Read our blog archives or the ACE Walking Tour site to learn about some of ACE’s major accomplishments and milestones.
Your membership in ACE supports and advances our vision of Salinas Chinatown. As a member, we will keep you informed of our activities by sending you our quarterly newsletter, monthly meeting reports, Asian Festival booklets, and invitations to all ACE activities, especially the Asian Festival.
You can join or donate to ACE by going to our website and clicking on DONATE/JOIN in our menu, or download and fill out the ACE membership form (see red link below) and mail it. You can also contact us by email at acesalinas2014@gmail.com. In addition to Membership, we have Volunteer and Sponsorship Opportunities for those who wish to do even more for ACE. Help us plan for the future of Salinas Chinatown’s diverse community!
Photo: Ahtye Family Collection
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