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Chinatown Shows Up: Over 130 Residents Attend CASL-Led IL-07 Candidate Forum
CASL and PAVE organizations brought over 130 community members for Chinatown’s first congressional candidate forum to discuss immigrant safety, living costs, language barriers and more
Civic Engagement & Advocacy
At Chinatown’s first-ever congressional candidate forum, we heard from candidates running for Illinois’ 7th Congressional District (IL-07) in advance of the primary election on March 17th. Live, simultaneous interpretation in Cantonese, Mandarin, and Spanish was provided. The forum was hosted at Pui Tak Center. CASL led the planning and implementation with Chinatown and Pan Asian Voter Empowerment (PAVE) organizations.
Candidates Anthony Driver Jr., Dr. Thomas Fisher, Anabel Mendoza, and Reed Showalter responded to key issues that Asian American communities face, such as immigration, language access, healthcare, senior services, and affordability. Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial demographic in Illinois, and 80,000 Asian Americans reside in IL-07 alone.
CASL’s CEO Paul Luu co-moderated the forum, while Thy Nguyen and Lisa Wright of the Impact & Advocacy department helped facilitate the introductory and closing speeches.
The forum was well-attended with approximately 130-150 community members. By interacting with the candidates and listening to their talking points, attendees were able to make better-informed voting decisions for the March 17th Primary Election.
At the forum, four community members highlighted key challenges facing Asian Americans in Illinois’ 7th District, grounding the discussion in lived experiences.
Community Testimonies
Edison Li of CASL spoke to the fear and uncertainty many immigrant families face amid shifting immigration policies and rising anti-Asian sentiment, asking what concrete federal actions would protect these communities.
Jennifer Soung of the Midwest Asian Health Association emphasized the importance of safety net programs, noting that funding cuts threaten critical health services and food access for low-income, uninsured residents.
Kavion Turner-Winters of People Matter addressed the rising cost of living, sharing how families, seniors and small businesses are struggling to afford basic needs, and urged solutions to lower everyday costs.
Finally, longtime Chinatown resident Patti Leung highlighted persistent language barriers calling for stronger multilingual access across public services.
Together, their testimonies underscored a shared call for policies that ensure stability, accessibility and equity for the community.
With the primaries now behind us, the race moves toward the general election on November 3, 2026, when voters will ultimately decide who represents Illinois’ 7th Congressional District—making continued community engagement more important than ever.
For more information on Chicago voting, visit https://chicagoelections.gov.
This was an educational, non-partisan candidate forum. The sponsoring organizations are 501 (c) 3 organizations. Participating candidates raised at least $200,000.
