This past Lunar New Year, a U.S. postal office in Boston was renamed after the late Chinatown activist Caroline Chang.
The Caroline Chang Post Office marks the first federal building in Massachusetts named after an individual from the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, according to Sampan.
“Caroline made history, even though she never set out to do it. She was just doing the work of advancing civil rights and public health and equity. But she made history. And so now today, and honoring her, we’re making history with the dedication of this post office building,” Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley told Sampan.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill honoring Chang last February and former President Joe Biden signed it into law in November.
Born in Chinatown in 1940, Chang dedicated her life towards advocacy of Chinatown residents, founding several organizations and was appointed as the manager of Chinatown’s Little City Hall in 1970.
Chang also served as the New England Regional Manager for the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services for more than 30 years. At the time, she was the highest ranking Asian American in federal government, Sampan reported.
“There has been a deficit of parity when it comes to the naming of buildings that represent leaders in the AAPI community. So this is a historic step forward. I hope it will be precedent-setting,” Pressley said. “It is such a testament to the work and the contributions of Caroline both in advancing civil rights in public health, her historic representation, and high-ranking public service on the federal level.”
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