May 20, 2024
PAUL LUU
MEMBER, CIVIC FEDERATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Number of years with the Federation: 2
Day job: Chief Executive Officer, Chinese American Service League
Paul Luu is Chief Executive Officer of the Chinese American Service League (CASL). He has been part of CASL’s mission to catalyze the transformation of individuals, families, and the community for an equitable future since 2017. He is a nonprofit advocate committed to building organizational capacity for Mutual Assistance Associations (MAA) in the greater Chicagoland area.
Paul works to strengthen organizations’ resources and development, board governance and development, and strategic planning to better serve the greater Chicagoland area. He brings a diverse range of approaches to the nonprofit field, drawing from 20 years of nonprofit management and leadership, organizational practices and trainings, and nonprofit best practices.
Prior to the Chinese American Service League (CASL), Paul revitalized the Vietnamese Association of Illinois (VAI) by instilling a strong board of governance, operations, resource and development, and extending the organizational footprint in a neighboring county. He spent a decade with the Boys & Girls Clubs in many different leadership capacities from programs, operations, resource and development, annual campaign, and Board governance. He worked with various Chicago community neighborhoods to help build and restore Clubs to serve thousands of underprivileged youth. In the City of Chicago, Paul spent five years opening Clubs in the West Garfield Park, Roseland, West Pullman, Morgan Park, and South Deering communities. In Champaign County, he helped spearhead new Clubs in the Champaign and Urbana School Districts, faith-based organizations, the park district, and in underserved communities in Champaign.
Paul holds a B.S. from Illinois State University and lives in Chicago with his wife and two children.
Tell us about the communities the Chinese American Service League services.
The Chinese American Service League (CASL) works primarily with clients in the Armour Square, Bridgeport, and McKinley Park areas, which have a high immigrant population and a high percentage of foreign-born Asians. We also provide services to Chinese Americans throughout Chicago and the state of Illinois, and we have recently begun to serve clients from other immigrant and ethnic backgrounds as well. Approximately 190,000 Asian people, primarily Chinese, live in Chicago. The total Asian population in Chicago increased by 31 percent from 2010 to 2020 and now makes up seven percent (7%) of the city's 2.7 million residents.
According to the U.S. Census, 57% of residents of Armour Square were foreign-born. Over 61% speak Chinese at home, and 50% have limited English proficiency. Twenty- eight percent of the population lives below poverty level income in Armour Square, including more than 8% in extreme poverty and nearly 31% of children. More than 33% of adults do not have a high school diploma. Nearly a quarter of the population is age 65 or older. About 7% of residents aged 16+ are unemployed, but more than 48% of young people aged 20 to 24 are unemployed. More than 43% have a rent burden of 30% or greater. The hardship index averages six indicators (unemployment, education, per capita income, poverty, crowded housing, and dependency) to provide a more comprehensive view of economic hardship than single indicators, with a higher number indicating a worse economic situation. Armour Square has one of the highest hardship indices (almost 63) in the city.
Nearly 15% of households and 15% of children in Bridgeport live below the poverty level (Heartland Alliance Chicago Data Dashboard, 2020). Nearly 20% have no high school diploma. About 6% of residents aged 16+ are unemployed, but more than 14% of young people aged 20 to 24 are unemployed. More than 43% have a rent burden of 30% or greater. More than 53% speak a language other than English at home, and 28% have limited English proficiency. The hardship index is 43%, compared with wealthier community areas with indices of 3% in the Loop, 7% in Near South Side, and 2% in Lincoln Park.
Many families in our target community live in multi-generational households, providing a built-in support system for older adults but increasing pandemic-related risks. A Pew Research Center study indicates that 28% of Asians live with at least two adult generations under the same roof, twice the rate of whites. U.S. Asians also have a strong sense of filial respect. Studies have indicated that AAPI immigrant families identify family support, contextual support from friends and community, spiritual well-being, and balancing host and heritage cultures as strengths of their community. In one study, immigrants expressed they had achieved a new understanding of what their family meant to them after they arrived in the US and began to deal with immigrant challenges. Families, including extended family, become crucial social units, offering help, reassurance, encouragement, and support, prioritizing caring for elderly family members.
What distinguishes Chicago’s Chinatown from other major city counterparts around the country?
Chicago's Chinatown originally was located downtown in the early 1870s. Historians say early Chicago Chinese immigrants moved to its current South Side location in 1912 after being forced out by rising rent and, at the time, anti-Chinese sentiment. A century later, Chinatowns across the U.S. are still strongholds for cultural attractions. But even before the pandemic, the Asian American Legal Defense reported a drop in the Asian populations in Chinatowns across the country, except Chicago.
Due to its geographical location, just south of the South Loop and parallel to the interstate, Chicago’s Chinatown has many different avenues to healthy arteries of economic opportunities. Chinatown’s proximity to downtown creates a natural barrier compared to the rapid gentrification expansion in Chinatowns across the country. Many other Chinatowns are in the heart of metropolitan downtowns, where many are impacted by the changing economic landscapes. Additionally, Chicago’s Chinatown local business leaders continue to work together to create new opportunities for the next generations of business leaders by creating new business sectors and associations. Many new businesses helped increase the Chinatown population and enhance the population stability within the community. The U.S. Census Bureau's most recent report shows the Asian American population in Greater Chinatown more than doubled in three decades.
Tell us about a hidden gem in Chinatown that you think all Chicagoans should know about.
Our community dreamed of a new and beautiful library that would stand as a beacon of knowledge and culture for generations to come. For years, the residents of Chinatown had longed for a library that would reflect our rich heritage and serve as a hub for learning and community gatherings.
Undeterred by setbacks and obstacles, the community banded together, their voices rising in solidarity as they fought tirelessly for their vision. Our community’s perseverance paid off when plans for the new Chinatown library were unveiled—a stunning architectural marvel conceived by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in collaboration with AEC firm Wight & Co. Drawing inspiration from the intimate courtyard buildings of East Asia, the design seamlessly blended modern functionality with traditional Chinese aesthetics.
Inside, the library has a marvel of light and space, with a gently curving perimeter wall entirely faced with glass, flooding the interior with natural light. The flexible layout, with unenclosed floors and direct visual connections between reading rooms, lounges, and event spaces, invited exploration and collaboration.
But it was not just the architecture that captivated me; it was the thoughtful details that celebrated Chinatown's vibrant culture. On the top floor, a magnificent mural by the talented painter C.J. Hungerman adorned the walls, its lotus motifs and vibrant colors weaving a tapestry of heritage and identity.
How can civic and business groups such as the Civic Federation better support and advance the work of the communities served by CASL?
CASL’s Center for Social Impact (CSI) administers and reports on annual Social Determinants of Health assessments to better understand our clients’ everyday needs, identify barriers to health equity, and define solutions to eliminate these barriers. CSI also administers a quarterly World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment to better understand both the extent and frequency clients are affected by their cultural, social and environmental contexts.
These reports are available on the CASL website (https://caslservice.org/csi-reports) and can help guide civic and philanthropic responses to the needs within our communities. For example, fewer adult participants reported speaking English “well” or “very well” in our second survey, and fewer participants (54.5%) reported feeling safe in their communities. More participants (approximately 30%) reported being unemployed.
In addition to providing direct financial support for CASL and its programs, civic and business groups can better support and advance the work of the communities that CASL serves by providing a platform for the dissemination of AANHPI reports and data to raise awareness and leverage financial support for programs that meet the needs identified by CSI.
What is a current example of the impact and reach of CASL's work and your leadership?
One of CASL's major initiatives began over five years ago with a heavy investment in a Salesforce data-informed practice that transformed into the Center for Social Impact (CSI). CSI designs systems to collect, analyze and distribute data findings, and to inform future social policy for the AAPI sector. We created internal impact models, focusing the program logic models into five general SDoH impact statements. All logic models, SDoH assessments, and Chicago Health Atlas data were programmed into Einstein analytics, giving us the capability to compare data sets between CASL clients and citywide health outcomes. CSI's growth led to the birth of Change InSight due to the drastic increase in AANHPI hate crimes during the pandemic.
Describe your vision of the role of data collection and transparency in CASL's work and in achieving the mission objectives of the Change InSight initiative.
Change InSight is poised to be a game-changer in how we approach supporting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities across the nation. My vision for Change InSight is not just a data platform—it's a catalyst for change and a force for equity and justice.
Change InSight is bold and ambitious as we want to revolutionize how data is collected and analyzed, and leverage AANHPI data from nonprofits to enhance support for organizations and communities nationwide. By harnessing the power of data, we aim to uncover the unique issues facing AANHPI communities, advocate for change and drive meaningful action.
At the core of Change InSight's mission is a commitment to partnership and collaboration. We recognize the invaluable role that community-based social service organizations play in addressing the needs of AANHPI communities. That's why we've forged partnerships with these organizations, offering them access to our platform at no cost.
As partners, these organizations gain access to evaluated data and reports, along with the expertise of our professional policy and research staff. Together, we work hand in hand to identify and define disparities specific to their clients and communities, empowering them to advocate for change and apply for grants to fund solutions. But Change InSight is more than just a data platform—it's a catalyst for ending disparities in funding and action for AANHPI communities. By shining a spotlight on social and health issues that often go unnoticed by current data collection efforts, such as the U.S. Census, we aim to ensure that no AANHPI subgroup is left behind. Together with our partners, Change InSight is poised to make a lasting impact, driving equity, justice and opportunity for AANHPI communities nationwide.