Museum of Chinese in America Launches Oneworld Covid-19 Collection

New York — To counter the hate that has surfaced against Asian American Pacific Islanders due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) announces the establishment of the MOCA OneWorld COVID-19 Special Collection (“OneWorld Collection”) documenting the proactive steps and incredible acts of generosity and support exhibited by the Chinese in America and the Chinese diaspora during this challenging time.

As MOCA joins alongside AAPI organizations to document all reported acts of discrimination against Asian American Pacific Islanders due to COVID-19, the Museum's OneWorld Collection will document the efforts of those who are raising money, procuring or donating personal protective equipment (PPE), and making efforts to reinforce the importance of one world.

The OneWorld Collection will feature acquisitions of a wide range of artifacts, including but not limited to photographs, letters, articles, journals, messages, notes, certificates, medical records, videos, and oral histories of Chinese Americans during this time. This collection will not only feature stories of community efforts but also highlight experiences of individuals and families during these unprecedented times.

"MOCA stands against racism in the classroom, on the streets, in all places. MOCA knows that the history of racism against Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, and those mistaken for these groups is largely missing in textbooks. These omissions are unacceptable," said Nancy Yao Maasbach, President of the Museum of Chinese in America. "MOCA works tirelessly to share these painful episodes and document the occurrences, and now through its OneWorld Collection it will celebrate resilience and perseverance."

MOCA is inviting the public to send a write-up and photos to oneworld@mocanyc.org, with the subject line Submission for MOCA OneWorld COVID-19 Special Collection, to share a story that they believe should be recorded and documented. Participants will be asked to tell us how they, their association, or their community group organized to help during the current crisis.

As MOCA's main exhibition space at 215 Centre Street is temporarily closed to encourage social distancing amid COVID-19, the Museum is currently accepting only digital images or scans of artifacts and is asking the public to not send physical artifacts to the Museum at this time. MOCA will accept physical artifacts when such items can be safely added to the MOCA OneWorld COVID-19 Special Collection.

MOCA is eager to share our first two stories from the OneWorld Collection: Joanne Kwong of Pearl River Mart and Martin Lau of Tencent.

Pearl River Mart Uses Sourcing Capability to Give Back
As a family-owned business in New York City's Chinatown since 1971, Joanne Kwong had to temporarily close Pearl River Mart’s three stores, including the MOCA Shop by Pearl River at the Museum. Shortly after, Joanne and her parents-in-law Mr. and Mrs. Chen joined many Asian American community members to tap into their contacts, source masks, and other PPE. Early in the outbreak in NYC, Pearl River Mart made a substantial donation of KN95s to Elmhurst Hospital and then a second donation to Charles B. Wang Community Health Center. Pearl River Mart was supported by fellow NYC small businesses such as Nom Wah, Fat Witch Bakery, and BLACKBARN Shop. Joanne and Pearl River Mart are currently in the process of procuring a larger shipment of 30,000 KN95s.

Martin Lau and Tencent Partner with New England Patriots to Quickly Source and Supply PPE
In a similar spirit, Martin Lau, President of Tencent, organized a 12-member Tencent team to ensure a seamless handoff of PPE to the New England Patriots football team on its brief layover in Shenzhen, China. Assisted by Charlie Baker, Governor of Massachusetts, and Robert Kraft, CEO of the New England Patriots, Martin and Tencent provided 1.2 million N95s for delivery to Boston and New York City. When the New England Patriots were restricted to a quarantine waiver of three hours in Shenzhen, Tencent's crew ensured that all the respirator masks would be ready at the airport, securely passed through customs, and safely guarded prior to the plane's arrival. Martin, a graduate of the University of Michigan and Stanford University, also announced Tencent's US$100 million Global Anti-Pandemic Fund to support international efforts against COVID-19, which would initially focus on the sourcing and donation of medical supplies for hospitals and front-line healthcare workers.

Look for more extraordinary stories from the MOCA OneWorld COVID-19 Special Collection. Stories and photographs should be submitted to oneworld@mocanyc.org.

Although MOCA is temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you can still experience the best of our content digitally and online through Digital Tours and Audio Guides, the Oral History Archive featuring video interviews from MOCA's Journey Wall collection, Collections Online with 35,000 digitized images from MOCA's archives, digital learning resources such as our new MOCA Heroes magazines, the My MOCA Story social media video series, MOCA Talks webcasts, and Listen With MOCA, our new website that tells the history of the Chinese in America through music, sound, playlists and virtual cassettes.

For the latest news and updates, go to MOCA’s website at www.mocanyc.org or follow MOCA on Instagram and Twitter at @mocanyc, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mocanyc and on WeChat at MOCANYC_USA.