FRIENDS OF CHINATOWN GARDEN PROCESSION
MAY 30th, 2020
12pm – 6pm
222 Spadina – in the Courtyard
Join us for Tea Base’s second annual Friends of Chinatown Garden Procession that calls attention to Toronto’s rapid commercial real estate developments in West Chinatown that are driving up rent and forcing the relocation of local businesses and residents. Afterwards, the rest of the afternoon will be spent gardening in the courtyard of Chinatown Centre Mall while local artists perform on the stage.
Through volunteer efforts last year, the organizers were able to transform what was once a pile of dirt and rubble into a garden and community stage which would act as a catalyst and later form into Friends of Chinatown TO (FOCT), a grassroots organization comprised of artists, architects, writers, journalists, business owners, residents and community activists fighting for community-controlled affordable housing, economic and racial justice in Toronto’s West Chinatown.
This procession is part of the Coast to Coast Chinatowns Against Displacement week of action during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Coast to Coast Chinatowns Against Displacement is a coalition of Chinatowns across North America comprising of groups in Seattle, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Philadelphia, New York City, Montreal, Toronto, San Francisco, and Boston fighting against record levels of profit-driven development and gentrification accelerating the displacement of longtime residents who rely on Chinatowns for low-income housing, culturally-competent social services, and community.
” Tea Base is a speakeasy living room tucked away in the heart of Chinatown Centre (in the basement, behind the stage). This space is a physical manifestation of the politicized DIY community arts space we wished for our younger selves. We are a place for sharing; all in-between sips of tea. Driven by the need for accessible spaces for artists and young professionals, Tea Base promotes community engagement by hosting events, cultural programming, exhibitions, and workshops related to issues of displacement and healing for the East and South-East Asian diasporas. We are always in motion, always questioning what it means to imagine the greater unknown and how we can build it together. “
Accessibility info (if any): Tea Base is located in the basement of 222 Spadina Ave at Unit c-15 (there’s a sign that says “Xuan Huong”). Most of the entrances DO have several steps but there is one entrance door near the ‘Super 8’ that says “Chinatown centre” this entrance has no steps. There are two elevators that can take you downstairs to Tea base (behind the stage) Please contact us@tea.base or info@myteabase.com for more information!
