CPA was founded in 1977 out of a series of community organizing campaigns around issues such as Chinese parents' input into the Boston school desegregation process and organizing for community control over land development in Chinatown. Our membership is made up predominantly of Chinese immigrants and the Chinese-speaking; most are workers in low wage industries, working families, or low-income elderly. CPA has no single issue focus because we believe that people have many concerns–jobs, education, freedom from discrimination, a clean and safe living environment. We have seen that once people achieve their rights in one aspect of their lives, they will be more likely to actively participate in solving other community problems.