Dozens of volunteers donning masks and gloves turned out to Boston’s Chinatown for a socially-distant community cleanup on Saturday as part of the recently launched “We Love Boston Chinatown” campaign.
The campaign is a partnership of community organizations, businesses and residents who have come together to help revitalize the neighborhood.
The Clean-Up day was organized by the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Chinatown Main Street and the city’s Love Your Block program.
Participants gathered at the iconic Chinatown gate and deployed to more than a dozen neighborhood locations to pick up trash, sweep, weed, and beautify.
It comes as neighborhood leaders say area businesses are struggling amid the pandemic, and residents are suffering an increase in anti-Asian racism.
“The We Love Boston Chinatown campaign represents the resiliency of Chinatown and the wider API and immigrant community," said Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center CEO Ben Hires. "I'm overwhelmed by the wide community support for the neighborhood and local businesses following the impact of COVID-19 and increased xenophobia.”
Debbie Ho, Executive Director of Chinatown Mainstreet, added, “Chinatown businesses are hurting financially….businesses need to survive.”
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As for the importance of preserving the neighborhood, Ho said, “Chinatown is the core of our culture... as a community, everyone is important and we care.”
