New York, NY (February 8, 2022) — On February 8, 2021, Committee of 100 published a landmark study on the historic contributions of Chinese Americans to the fabric of American society. The study “From Foundations to Frontiers: Chinese American Contributions to the Fabric of America,” was commissioned by Committee of 100, produced by The Economist Intelligence Unit, and sponsored in part by Citi Private Bank. The 140-plus page study, along with seven vertical reports, examines the enduring contribution of Chinese Americans to America’s economic and cultural successes across nearly two centuries.
Committee of 100 is a non-profit leadership organization of Chinese Americans in business, government, academia, healthcare, and the arts. At a time of heightened xenophobia, hate and violence directed at the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, “From Foundations to Frontiers” serves to shed light on and celebrate the longstanding importance of Chinese Americans to America.
Since launching the landmark study one year ago, Committee of 100 has conducted guest lectures to more than 150 different groups, organizations and universities. These virtual talks are free to any individual interested in learning more about and discussing the history, challenges, and contributions of Chinese Americans.
“For centuries, Chinese Americans have made tremendous contributions to the growth and prosperity of the United States but have been excluded from the narrative – always seen as perpetual foreigners. It is more critical than ever to highlight the role Chinese Americans have played in the American story. From Foundations to Frontiers illuminates, through data and storytelling, how Chinese Americans have had a significant impact on American life as we know it,” said Zhengyu Huang, President of Committee of 100. “Along with other communities of color, Chinese Americans continue to face barriers to full inclusion in the form of systemic biases and entrenched stereotypes. America will reach its full potential only when all its citizens can access the same opportunity and representation.”
The website where the Foundations to Frontiers content is housed has had more than 17,890 total visits and 26,735 total page views, and was visited at least once by people from 85 different countries over the past year.
The full landmark study and any of the seven industry reports can be downloaded for free at https://fromfoundationstofrontiers.committee100.org/.
Committee of 100 will be conducting virtual talks throughout 2022. Please visit https://www.committee100.org/projects/committee-of-100-guest-lecture/ to review what other organizations, universities and groups have said about From Foundations to Frontiers and sign up for your own free guest lecture.
Feedback from groups, organizations, and universities over the past few months:
“The ‘From Foundations to Frontiers’study by Committee of 100 is a quintessential account of the Chinese American community’s history and trajectory. It demonstrates the remarkable struggles and triumphs of our forebearers. It is a rich tapestry of American culture, art, innovation, entrepreneurship, perseverance and integrity. Meanwhile, we are reminded that 140 years after the Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinese Americans continue to face prejudice and suspicion. I hope Committee of 100, together with other Chinese American leaders, will continue to advocate for the rights of our community, and empower more young Chinese Americans to join our country’s journey towards a more perfect union.” – Ge Yu, Executive Director, China General Chamber of Commerce-Washington DC
“The Chinese Historical Society of America welcomed this type of deeply researched and valuable data from Committee of 100. In a time of disinformation and a divided society, it is imperative that we, as a community of Chinese Americans within the larger community of Asian Americans, do all we can to continue to identify, document and celebrate the enduring contributions of our people to this great nation. ‘From Foundations to Frontiers’ provides needed information, and stories about how we can continue to shift the narrative about the role of people of color in refining and advancing the American dream.” – Justin Hoover, Executive Director, Chinese Historical Society of America
“As an American born Chinese, I have always felt that the little that was taught in schools about China or the Chinese in America was over simplified and often misunderstood and certainly too brief. From Foundations to Frontiers and the conversation hosted by Committee of 100 was so enlightening and inspiring. This history and the vital contributions by Americans of Chinese descent were all important to us as Americans and as Chinese. It helps to have the birds eye view with world history as the backdrop and get perspective of our experience as Chinese Americans. It helped to see how we fit into the big picture. It is my dream that this information will find its way into American textbooks.” – Greer Tan Swiston, 2021 Chairman of the Board, Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association
“The Committee of 100’s excellent ‘From Foundations to Frontiers’ presentation at Penn sparked a lively discussion on how members of the university can help to ensure that we benefit from the contributions of Chinese immigrants in the future as much as we have in the past. To do so we must all join together to push back against anti-Asian hate and against racial profiling in investigations of collaborations with researchers at Chinese institutions.” – Andrea J. Liu, Hepburn Professor of Physics, University of Pennsylvania
Connect with China General Chamber of Commerce at https://www.cgccusa.org/en/ or on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Youtube.
Connect with Chinese Historical Society of America at https://chsa.org/ or on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, or Instagram.
Connect with Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association at https://gbcca.org/ or on Facebook, or Twitter.
Connect with the Center for Soft and Living Matter at the University of Pennsylvania at https://web.sas.upenn.edu/slm/ or on Twitter.
About Committee of 100
Committee of 100 is a non-profit U.S. leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans in business, government, academia, healthcare, and the arts focused on public policy engagement, civic engagement, and philanthropy. For over 30 years, Committee of 100 has served as the preeminent organization committed to the dual missions of promoting the full participation of Chinese Americans in all aspects of American life and constructive relations between the United States and Greater China. Visit https://www.committee100.org/ or follow Committee of 100 on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more information.
# # #
Contacts:
Charles Zinkowski
Director of Communications
czinkowski@committee100.org
Emma Wu
Media and Social Media Manager
ewu@committe100.org
