The first-ever Mid-Autumn Festival Parade and Awards Ceremony in Brooklyn took place recently, attracting numerous elected officials and members of the Asian community. The event, organized by the Brooklyn Business Association (BBA), also marked the announcement of the next phase of the 8th Avenue Clean-Up initiative, aimed at encouraging community residents to get involved.

Over a hundred community members were invited to the dinner, including State Assemblymembers Maritza Davila and Yuh-Line Niou, City Councilmember Linda Lee, and a representative from Congressmember Max Rose’s office, Ling Xia Ye. Councilmember Lee expressed how the BBA has achieved remarkable changes in a short time and looks forward to further contributions to the community. Assemblymember Niou acknowledged the positive changes in the community, thanking the BBA for its efforts in uniting the Asian community.

On September 8, the BBA hosted its inaugural Mid-Autumn Asian Cultural Festival Parade, and this dinner served to thank community members who contributed to the parade while presenting awards to outstanding individuals from various fields, including education, healthcare, and business.

In his speech, BBA President Chih-Wang Huang emphasized that despite the organization’s recent establishment, the strong support from the community has been invaluable. He stated, “Community is not about one person; it takes the collective power of many to improve our neighborhood.” BBA’s Ling Fei added that the organization was founded with the mission to enhance the community, rallying under the slogan “This community is our home; beautification relies on everyone.”

The BBA also shared plans for upcoming clean-up activities along 8th Avenue, set to begin on October 28. Every weekend, two hired employees will clean from noon to 3 PM, while volunteers will assist on weekends. President Huang expressed hopes that community involvement will help change outsiders’ perceptions of the neighborhood as dirty.

To tackle the issue of illicit advertisements, the BBA will expand its efforts to cover areas up to 67th Street. Additionally, in partnership with the nonprofit organization ACE (Alliance for Community Employment), they will employ pressure washers to clean dirty streets and remove graffiti from walls and gates.

Moreover, to address the issue of cigarette butts, the BBA plans to collaborate with the City Health Department and local businesses to conduct educational workshops promoting the installation of designated ashtrays on 7th and 9th Avenues. They also plan to implement painting lines to define vendor areas per NYC regulations, improving the streetscape. Future collaborative efforts with the City Department of Transportation, Small Business Services (SBS), and the Health Department aim to beautify the streets along 7th and 9th Avenues by planting flowers under street trees and enlisting professional maintenance.