A whimsical illustration of a mermaid with human upper body and fish tail, playing a red violin, with flowing hair and a happy expression.

About The W.O.W. Project

Strengthening Chinatown’s community with arts and activism

Cartoon of a person on roller skates holding a large yellow coin with the word "wow" written on it.

We envision a Chinatown led by women, non-binary, queer, and trans people, fostering intergenerational understanding through youth programs and public events to build solidarity against displacement. Using art, W.O.W. connects Chinatown's history with its future through communal practices.

Meet Our Team

  • A woman with dark hair, smiling with eyes closed, stands indoors near a wooden display cabinet with Asian figurines and ceramics. She is wearing a black shirt, jewelry, and a colorful keychain. A man is partially visible on the left. The background includes a white wall, air conditioning unit, and warm lighting.

    Mei Lum

    Executive Director & Founder

    Mei Lum founded the W.O.W. Project in 2016 as a response to the gentrification and displacement threatening Manhattan's Chinatown. As the fifth-generation owner of Wing on Wo & Co., the oldest operating store in Chinatown, Lum sought to preserve her family's legacy while addressing broader community challenges. Her leadership has earned her NBC Asian America’s Emerging Voice Award in 2017 and the Community Builder Award from OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates in 2019.

  • A woman with short black hair and a big smile, wearing a black lace top and gold earrings, standing outdoors with a red background.

    Di Wang

    Deputy Director

    Di leads development and communications, where she collaborates across teams to mobilize resources and tell the stories of W.O.W.’s work and Chinatown community. A feminist researcher and community organizer, Di has worked in program design, donor advocacy and participatory research to move resources to the frontlines of social change. She holds a PhD in Sociology at the University of Wisconsin−Madison. Her research focuses on how LGBTQ and feminist activists mobilize art, cultural lineage and family discourse to sustain social movement.

  • A person standing in front of a large red and gold zodiac sign display with Chinese characters and images, with cartoon lion illustrations at the top corners and a prominent yellow 'ZODIAC' sign above.

    Jade Levine

    Youth Programs Director

    Jade oversees youth and public programs at W.O.W. A former intern and founding board member who served as Secretary and Chair (2020–2024), Jade brings youth work experience from NYC's girls rock camp movement and is inspired by intergenerational connection in social movements.

  • Smiling woman with glasses and a gray scarf near a harbor with colorful buildings and boats in the background.

    Yuki Haraguchi

    Programs Manager

    Yuki first joined W.O.W. in 2018 as a public programs intern, later serving as Managing Intern and part-time worker before becoming Program Director. She now oversees youth and artist programs, previously working as a Nonprofit Management Fellow at Phillips Brooks House Association.

  • A young woman with glasses, septum piercing, and earrings, smiling in front of a blue background.

    Tiffany Wang

    Marketing & Communications Coordinator

    Tiffany joined W.O.W. as an intern in 2022 and now serves as their Marketing & Social Media Coordinator. She is curious about the intersections of art and activism, as well as how design can be utilized as a tool for social change. Currently, she is pursuing a BFA in Advertising & Digital Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Our history

  • Three women in white dresses dancing on an outdoor stage in a city, with one woman kneeling and holding a shoe, and a colorful balloon arch in the background.

    2016

    W.O.W. Project is founded by Mei Lum and begins running programming addressing gentrification and neighborhood change in Chinatown.

  • A group of women standing in line at a workshop, with a wall behind them decorated with large, colorful letters spelling 'ROOTWORK'. A table in front has snacks, drinks, and papers.

    2017

    We launch our first youth cohort program, Resist, Recycle, Regenerate.

  • A man playing a traditional wooden flute, wearing a blue cap, at a cultural event with others in the background.

    2020

    W.O.W. shifts to virtual programming to address COVID-19 in Chinatown and provide mutual aid for small businesses.

  • A group of nine young women standing outdoors in a grassy area with a chain-link fence behind them. They are smiling and posing with colorful paper lanterns, including a large tail-shaped lantern and a white umbrella, during a celebration or gathering in the evening.

    2023

    We work with five artists as part of the Creatives Rebuild New York fellowship to run public programming addressing the proposed construction of a megajail in Chinatown.

  • Four young women smiling and holding blue fabric with white designs outdoors in front of a black metal fence with hanging blue fabric. Behind them is a green sign with Chinese characters and a parking lot.

    2025

    We begin to expand our youth program offerings for high schoolers.

A group of seven people sitting around a rectangular table in a small room, facing a woman who is standing with her back to the camera. The room is decorated with art supplies, posters, and clothing hanging on a string. The table has blue mats, and the woman is wearing a colorful floral shirt.

In the News

  • People celebrating on a city street, some wearing traditional Chinese costumes, with colorful confetti and a man holding a pole with lettuce on it, in front of a restaurant with neon signs and hanging lights.

    Community Care Through Art in Chinatown

    Hyperallergic (2025)

    In an already trying year, the art in From Chinatown, With Love is a reminder that community will help us get through the tremendous challenges.

    Read
  • People participating in a protest march, holding a large banner that reads 'Chinatown is a site of resistance', while wearing face masks. Some participants are dressed in colorful outfits, and one is holding a dragon puppet. The background shows construction equipment and tall buildings.

    “It's about stamina and the belief that we will win”

    Prism (2025)

    Organizers with Chinatown Art Brigade and the W.O.W. Project spoke to Prism about why the city’s plan to replace Rikers Island with four borough-based jails is a dangerous continuation of the carceral system

    Read
  • A woman with short black hair wearing a teal blazer and white blouse, standing outside a restaurant with a sign that says "Wing," gesturing with arms outstretched.

    The Hard-Won Beauty of Staying Put

    Mellon Foundation (2025)

    Out of a historic storefront, with arts as their armor, Mei Lum and the W.O.W. Project are fighting forces of unwanted change in Manhattan’s Chinatown.

    Read
  • Three women standing together in front of a store with Chinese decorations, smiling at the camera, with lanterns and ornaments displayed in the window.

    “Our Resistance Is in Being Here”: Q&A with Mei Lum

    LISC (2020)

    Mei Lum, a 2020 Rubinger Fellow, talks with LISC about fighting gentrification—and facing a pandemic and its social and economic fallout—from a historic Chinatown storefront that has been in her family for generations.

    Read
  • A person playing a card game with a deck of cards on a table. Text overlay says 'HOW WE STAY'.

    How We Stay

    All Arts (video, 2020)

    Placekeeping can take many forms. For the young organizers of New York's Chinatown community, it's an act of resistance. As higher rents and unfamiliar businesses made their way into their neighborhood, locals turned to community gatherings, art and education in a shared solidarity to stay. "How We Stay" sees this change through the lens of Wing on Wo & Co and the Chinatown Art Brigade.

    Watch
  • A woman in a red jacket holding a large burgundy banner with white text during a street protest. The crowd is surrounded by confetti and streamers, with buildings and a cloudy sky in the background.

    Arts Project Mixes Old and New in Chinatown

    Next City (2018)

    Chinatown isn’t Chinatown because of the buildings, it’s because of of the people.

    Read
  • Storefront window display with various decorative items, plants, and colorful umbrellas hanging inside.

    Chinatown Shop Talk

    Urban Omnibus (2017)

    When Diane Wong sat down to interview Mei Lum as part of her research on gentrification in Chinatowns, Mei’s family was about to sell the building and business they’ve run on Mott Street since 1925. Instead, their conversation about neighborhood change led to a series of interviews with neighbors and a year of community dialogue at the W.O.W. Project. 

    Read
Collage of four photos with a yellow background, including a woman in a traditional dress and a man in costume, a woman at a market stand, a group of people holding items indoors, and a man standing outside a restaurant with a sign that says "Nha Trang".

Annual Report

View our community initiatives, achievements, and financials as we work to preserve cultural heritage through arts and activism. Download our 2023 and 2024 Annual Report to see your support in action.

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