New York City Council member Margaret S. Chin was elected in January 2010 to represent District 1 in Lower Manhattan; which includes Soho, City Hall, Financial District, and World Trade Center Site. Council member Chin is the first Asian American woman to be elected to the City Council and the first Chinese-American to represent Chinatown.

Before assuming office, Margaret was heavily involved in public service and is a long-time advocate for the Asian American community. She was a founding member of Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), an organization dedicated to empowering the Asian community. While at AAFE, Margaret fought for the preservation and building of affordable housing as well as better access to government services, equal opportunity, and fair treatment for immigrants, low-income, and working families.

Born in Hong Kong, Margaret immigrated to the US when she was nine and grew up in Chinatown. She worked in education for 14 years at LaGuardia Community College’s Division of Adult and Continuing Education helping immigrant adults get a college education. Margaret has also served as Chairperson of the NY Immigration Coalition (NYIC) and board member of the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD). Additionally, Margaret served as chair of the Census Bureau’s Race and Ethnicity Advisory Committee on the Asian and Pacific Islander Population for Census 2000. In 1986 to 1990 Margaret was elected to the Democratic State Committee for two terms where she fought to attain bilingual ballots for the Asian community.
As a member of the City Council, Margaret is a member of the Progressive Caucus, Women’s Caucus and an Executive Member of the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus. Margaret is Chair of the Lower Manhattan Redevelopment Committee and a member of the Committees on Education, Civil Rights, Women’s Issues, Public Housing, Aging, and Small Business.

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