2024 Unstoppable Voters Fellow Caroline Scown
Caroline Scown (she/her) is on a mission to build Asian-American community power in New York, one voter at a time. She currently serves as the Civic Engagement and Training Manager at the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), a social services agency dedicated to advancing and transforming Chinese-American, low-income, and immigrant communities.
At CPC, Caroline spearheads community organizing and cross-cultural training programs to empower community members to make their voices heard through elections and legislative advocacy. Many community members are hesitant to speak up because of immigration enforcement fears, cultural norms, and language barriers. Caroline utilizes the trusted relationships between our staff and community members, the multi-lingual talents of our community, and creative training strategies to turn those fears into empowerment.
Caroline has felt compelled by social change work since childhood, inspired by passionate teachers. After earning a degree in B.A. in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania, Caroline taught English for a year in Taiwan. She started teaching English to adult learners in New York at CPC, where she also began recruiting and training her students and coworkers to participate in advocacy efforts. These years of teaching showed her that thoughtful community education is crucial to lasting social change. In 2022, she transitioned into her current role to work on community organizing and education full-time.
Caroline is mixed Filipina and American, grew up in Hong Kong, and now lives in New York with her partner Sean.
About the Chinese-American Planning Council
The Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) promotes the social and economic empowerment of Chinese-American, low-income, and immigrant communities in New York City. CPC was founded in 1965 as a grassroots, community-based organization in response to the passing of the Immigration Reform Act of 1965, which brought waves of Asian immigrants to New York City. CPC is now the largest social service agency for Asian Americans in the country, serving over 80,000 New Yorkers each year. Alongside social services, CPC empowers New Yorkers to make their voices heard through voting and advocacy efforts demanding fair investment in Asian and immigrant communities.
Caroline on being an Unstoppable Voters Fellow
“I am thrilled to be working with C4AA to empower Asian-American voters to make their voices heard with outreach that is cutting-edge, culturally meaningful, and joyful. Asian-Americans deserve civic engagement and education that reflects the incredibly diversity and the rich history of our community.”
– Caroline Scown, Civic Engagement and Training Manager, Chinese-American Planning Council
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