In 1969, Frank Chin started studying voter registration lists. A community activist, he had been appointed by Boston Mayor Kevin White to co-chair a grievance committee to address problems in Boston neighborhoods, and he wanted to see how many of Boston’s Chinese residents were able to vote. The numbers were not encouraging. “I looked at all the voter lists and there were only 300 registered Chinese voters,” Chin told the Boston Globe in 2007. Determined to change this, he and his brother, Billy Chin, launched a door-to-door voter registration drive. After a few years, there were 3,600 registered Chinese voters in Boston.

In 1971, Chin discussed the effort to get more Chinese Bostonians involved in politics. “We intend to register the young people. And after a while we’ll have Chinese running for office. We have to have political power.” This was a prescient statement. Though it would take over forty years, Bostonians elected the first Chinese person to serve on the Boston City Council, Michelle Wu, in 2013. Wu would go on to become the first Chinese-American Mayor of Boston in 2021, and she credited Chin with giving her support and guidance throughout her political career.

“Uncle Frank” passed away on October 9, 2023 at the age of 91, leaving a remarkable life and legacy that continues to shape Chinatown and Boston politics. Born in 1932 in Chinatown, he and his siblings moved to China when he was two years old and returned to Boston at the end of World War II. He was drafted into the Army after graduating high school and served at Fort Belvoir, Virginia during the Korean War. In the 1960s, Chin, along with his brother Billy and sister Amy, became involved in community activism, aiming to improve living conditions in Chinatown. He continued this mission until his death.

A perpetually active entrepreneur, Chin owned several restaurants, served as Purchasing Agent for the City of Boston through three mayoral administrations, and ran a company providing products to local restaurants and laundries. All the while, he worked to develop businesses and affordable housing, such as Tai Tung Village, in Chinatown, and supported numerous social services organizations, from the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association to our own Asian American Civic Association. Mayor Wu called him “the anchor of civic life in Chinatown.”

Through his activism, Chin convinced so many others to take up civic life. Thousands of people registered to vote and became involved in politics because of him. He was passionate about the idea of politics – of the art of community activism, compromise, and relationship-building, of restoring political power to its rightful owners, the people who make up our communities. Change for Chinatown would not come from the top down. “Politics. That is the only way my community will be able to get some benefits,” he told the Globe in 1993.

Chin’s role in bringing these benefits to Chinatown was recognized in 2019, when part of the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Chinatown was named for him and his wife Kathleen, who died in 2017. Kathleen was herself an entrepreneur and important community figure, running the Cathay Corner gift and antique shop in Chinatown. Today, you can walk through the Auntie Kay and Uncle Frank Chin Park right to the Chinatown Gate. Chin’s influence is everywhere in the area. Past the gate you walk by bakeries and restaurants, nonprofits and affordable housing units, many of which Frank Chin had a role in developing and supporting leaders.

“My heart aches for the entire Chin family and all who loved Uncle Frank. As he reunites with Auntie Kay, his memory, impact, and legacy will be cherished forever in Boston and beyond. Rest in peace, Uncle Frank.” – Mayor Michelle Wu

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Uncle Frank Chin. Uncle Frank was a longtime activist and respected figure in the Chinatown community, advocating for Boston’s Chinese and Asian community for over 50 years. He was a visionary and a firm champion for those who lived and worked in Chinatown…Today, we have Uncle Frank to thank for many of the programs and institutions we take for granted in the neighborhood.” – Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn

We will forever remember Frank Chin and what Frank did for Chinatown and its people. He leaves his sisters Amy and Rose, his son Mark, three grandchildren, and a number of nieces and nephews.

Memorial Events will be held at Wing Fook Funeral Home, 13 Gerard St, Boston, MA 02119. Visitation hours : Monday October 23rd 2023, 1:00pm- 8:00pm.

Funeral Services hours : Tuesday October 24th 2023, 9:00am -11:00am; the procession will leave at 11 am. Internment will be held at Forest Hills Cemetery, Boston.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to:

• Boston Asian Youth Essential Service, 199 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02111
• Kwong Kow Chinese School, 87 Tyler St., Boston, MA 02111
• South Cove Manor at Quincy Point, 288 Washington St., Quincy, MA 02169

Funeral Home:
Wing Fook Funeral Home
13 Gerard St, Boston, MA 02119
(617) 989-8833
http://www.wingfook.com