“We Are Chinatown” Mural Unveiling & Community Day

Save Chinatown Solidarity Network and Chinatown Art Studio invite you to join DC Chinatown neighbors and friends for the unveiling and the celebration of the ‘We Are Chinatown’ mural this Saturday, November 23.

The creation of this mural, led by local artist Shani Shih, has been a deeply collaborative process, with input from community members, youth, and advocates. Youth artists of Chinatown Art Studio, volunteers, and professional DMV artists supported with painting and installation. With references to Eastern Wind’s 1976 Chinatown mural, ongoing lion dance traditions, the Lee Family Association, and portraits of youth, residents, and community leaders from the Museum Square and Wah Luck House Tenants Associations, this public artwork draws a line of continuity between Chinatown’s past and the voices of those who fight for its future.

Come view DC Chinatown’s first large scale mural in almost 40 years and meet people featured in its design and those who have contributed to its installation. During this community day, community members may participate in interactive art activities related to the mural. Attendees will also have the opportunity to reflect on the mural’s message and its call for the Chinatown/Gallery Place Task Force and DC policymakers to take bold action for preservation and anti-displacement.

Next month, Monument Realty will begin construction of luxury housing at the parcels located at 615 H Street NW and 620 I St NW in DC’s Chinatown. This development will replace historic row houses on Eye Street, making way for over 200 luxury units, and will eventually cover up this community mural.

“We are Chinatown” speaks to all who live, work, and love this neighborhood—a place where cultures, identities, and histories intersect, where community leaders rise up, and where the spirit of resilience will always shine through. It is a declaration of belonging, pride, and unity, as well as solidarity between its long-term Asian and Black working class residents in the face of gentrification and displacement. It asserts that poor and working class people have a right to live in Chinatown, downtown, and DC at large–and calls on any forces looking to alter DC’s communities to put people and community first.