Samuel Chu

Samuel Chu
朱牧民
Samuel Chu in 2022
Born
Samuel Chu Muk Man

(1978-01-03) 3 January 1978 (age 46)
Hong Kong
Nationality
  • British (Hong Kong) (1978–1996)
  • United States (1996–present)
Alma materUniversity of California, San Diego (BA)
Fuller Theological Seminary
OccupationCommunity organizer
FatherChu Yiu-ming
Chinese name
Chinese朱牧民
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhū Mùmín
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingzyu1 muk6 man4

Samuel Chu Muk Man (Chinese: 朱牧民; born 3 January 1978) is a Hong Kong-born American activist and community organizer. Chu is the founder and President of The Campaign for Hong Kong, a US-based nonpartisan organization whose mission is to advocate for American leadership and policies that advance human rights and democracy in Hong Kong.[1][2] He is also a founding member of the advisory board of the Axel Springer SE Freedom Foundation in Berlin (Germany),[3] a senior advisor to the president and CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, and a trainer for Midwest Academy, a training school for community organizers in the US.

Chu is also the founder of the Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC), launched in 2019,[4] and was its managing director until August 2021.[5] The success of HKDC and Chu in pushing for the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act and the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, and for economic sanctions and visa bans by the US on Chinese and Hong Kong officials it deemed responsible for the erosion of Hong Kong's basic freedoms and autonomy, led Hong Kong authorities to issue arrest warrants against Chu in July 2020, making him the first foreign citizen to be targeted under the Hong Kong National Security Law.[6][7]

Samuel is a frequent presenter and speaker at convenings, including Forum 2000,[8] Oslo Freedom Forum,[9] #RealCollege,[10] and RightsCon,[11] and for organizations such as Jewish World Watch, Pacific Council on International Policy, Freedom House, etc. He regularly testifies in front of the United States Congress and Parliaments across Europe.[12][13]

From 2011 to 2021, Chu served as the national organizer for MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger,[14] leading local and regional campaigns around issues of food insecurity and access in various states. He was a fellow at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at University of Southern California,[15] where he engages in research, writing and teaching around community organizing, public leadership, and the role of religious institutions in social change.

He served as chair and president of the board of directors of One LA[16][17]-Industrial Areas Foundation, one of the nation's largest community organizing networks and of 1010 Development Corporation,[18] a non-profit affordable housing developer in Los Angeles rooted in the United Methodist tradition.

He also directed special projects for Consumer Watchdog as well as the social justice program, Minyan Tzedek, at IKAR,[19] a Jewish spiritual community that stands at the intersection of spirituality and social justice in Los Angeles, CA, led by Rabbi Sharon Brous.

  1. ^ "The Campaign for Hong Kong". The Campaign for Hong Kong.
  2. ^ Tattersall, Amanda; ChangeMakers; Chu, Samuel (2020). "Changemaker Chat with Samuel Chu: Community Organising in the US for Hong Kong Democracy". Commons Social Change Library. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Axel Springer Freedom Foundation". Axel Springer Freedom Foundation.
  4. ^ "The voice for Hong Kong and Hong Kongers in the US". HKDC.
  5. ^ Cheng, Selina (24 August 2021). "Hong Kong pro-democracy lobbying group in Washington DC sees leadership depart". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  6. ^ Strumpf, Dan (7 August 2020). "Hong Kong's Exiled Dissidents Become Fugitives From China". The Wall Street Journal.
  7. ^ Chu, Samuel (10 August 2020). "Why Is China Coming After Americans Like Me in the U.S.?". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "Forum 2000". Forum 2000.
  9. ^ "Oslo Freedom Forum". Oslo Freedom Forum.
  10. ^ "The Hope Center | For College, Community, and Justice". The Hope Center.
  11. ^ "RightsCon". RightsCon. 24 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission: China and Human Rights in Hong Kong".
  13. ^ "2022 Pacific Council Annual Dinner: Freedom at Risk". 18 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Advocacy is the Cornerstone of Our Strategy". MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger.
  15. ^ "Samuel Chu". crcc.usc.edu.
  16. ^ "One LA-IAF". One LA-IAF.
  17. ^ "One LA activists show their clout – Bill Boyarsky".
  18. ^ "A Resounding "YES" we will work with ONE LA – From Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, LA County Dir. of Health Services Mitchell Katz and Assemblyman Mike Feuer". Archived from the original on 22 March 2012.
  19. ^ "IKAR". IKAR LA.