Help Support the Detroit Chinatown Block Party (7-26-25)

My name is Lisa Yee-Litzenberg and I am a member of the Detroit Chinatown Vision Committee and we are working to revitalize Detroit's historic Chinatown. I started this Go Fund Me to raise funds for our First Annual Detroit Chinatown Block Party on Saturday, July 26th (12-8pm) on Peterboro and Cass.

Everyone is invited! And we are proud to make the event free to attend. However, there are many costs associated with putting on this event and we need your help.

We have already raised around $12K in corporate, community partner organization, and individual donations but we need to raise an additional $8-10K to cover various costs such as renting equipment (tents, tables, chairs, a/v equipment, generators), event insurance and permits, entertainment, volunteer meals, advertising, printing, garbage and recycling services, event security, and many other costs.

If you would like to see Detroit's Chinatown revitalized and want to support our First Annual Detroit Chinatown Block Party on July 26th, we encourage you make a donation to our Go Fund Me here.

A Little Bit About Me

My name is Lisa Yee-Litzenberg and I grew up working in my dad's Chinese restaurants in the Detroit area--including the Forbidden City which stood at 3148 Second Avenue in Detroit's second Chinatown. My dad, (the late) Henry Yee served as the unofficial Mayor of Detroit's Chinatown for many years.

I am proud to be following in my dad's footsteps by serving on the Detroit Chinatown Vision Committee which is working to revitalize Detroit's historic Chinatown into a broader Pan-Asian business and community center in partnership with many local businesses and community groups in the area.

The Vision Committee will be hosting several events to advance our mission to revitalize Detroit's Chinatown including the First Annual Detroit Chinatown Block Party which will be held on Saturday, July 26, 2025, from 12-8pm at Peterboro and Cass in the previous location of Detroit's second Chinatown.

What's the Detroit Chinatown Block Party All About?

We are excited to be collaborating with many of the local businesses in the area (and many of them will be open for the Block Party) and we will also feature many other delicious food and other vendors.

Additionally, we will have DJs and other entertainment (including lion dances and a book reading and signing event by Curtis Chin , author of "Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant." The book highlights his experience growing up and working at Chung's restaurant, the last Chinese restaurant in Detroit's second Chinatown which closed its doors in 2000).

The purpose of the Detroit Chinatown Block Party is to generate excitement and support for our revitalization efforts, provide opportunities to learn about the history and future of Detroit's Chinatown, to celebrate local businesses in the area, and to attract future Asian-themed restaurants and businesses to the area.

A Couple Recent Successes of the Detroit Chinatown Vision Committee:

We recently secured $1M from the state of Michigan to improve Detroit Chinatown's streetscape. In the next year, you will start to see many streetscape improvements. A few ideas that are being considered include a Chinatown archway, Asian-inspired lighting elements, and expanded outdoor eating spaces.

We were also successful in collaborating with other community groups to secure a secondary street designation at Peterboro and Cass, in honor of the late Vincent Chin, a Chinese-American whose tragic death launched the Asian American civil rights movement and the formation of the American Citizens for Justice.

We are excited to host this event and everyone is invited to attend for free!

Thank you so much for your consideration! And please share our GoFundMe Page: https://gofund.me/a11e9c53 with others that you think would like to support our efforts to revitalize Detroit's Chinatown and to support our event.