Stories of Shared Resilience: Exploring the history of New York City’s Chinatown
Stories of Shared Resilience
Sundays | 1:00–2:30 PM
July 26 – September 6 (No program on August 2)
9T | The Riverside Church
What happens when we stop studying communities in isolation and start listening to one another?
Join The Riverside Church for Stories of Shared Resilience, a six-week documentary and discussion series exploring the history of New York City’s Chinatown while uncovering the connections that unite communities across cultures and generations.
Featuring History of NYC’s Chinatown, a documentary series produced by NYC Media, each gathering combines film screenings with guided small-group conversations that invite participants to reflect on themes of migration, labor, resilience, identity, and belonging.
More than a look at one neighborhood’s history, this series offers an opportunity to discover how our stories intersect—and how understanding one another’s past can help shape a more connected future.
About the Documentary
History of NYC’s Chinatown, produced by NYC Media, explores how Southern Chinese immigrants—many of whom helped build America’s railroads—established a vibrant community in Lower Manhattan more than 150 years ago. Through personal stories and historical insight, the series reveals the enduring legacy of one of New York City’s oldest immigrant communities.
Weekly Schedule
July 26
Migration & Displacement
Exploring migration, identity, and the historical connections between Chinese, Indo-Caribbean, and Jamaican communities.
RSVP HERE
August 9
Labor in America
Examining work, immigration, and the contributions of immigrant communities to building America.
August 16
Organic & Organizational Resilience
How communities organize, adapt, and sustain one another through change.
August 23
Cultural Preservation & Community Building
The traditions, institutions, and relationships that keep communities connected across generations.
August 30
Connections & Shared Futures
Finding common ground across cultures and imagining a shared future together.
September 6
Family & Maintaining Connection
An intergenerational panel featuring children and elders, followed by a storytelling workshop exploring family, memory, and belonging.
Community Conversation
Following each screening, participants will join guided small-group conversations facilitated by Joy Lau and a team of community facilitators. These conversations are designed to create space for listening, sharing personal stories, and building meaningful connections across cultures and lived experiences.
About Joy Lau
Riverside member Joy Lau is an independent creative producer, architect, artist, facilitator, and educator. A New York Emmy Award–nominated filmmaker, her work centers on community storytelling and cultural memory, bringing diverse communities together through dialogue and shared experiences.
Joy has produced projects, taught, and spoken at institutions including the Queens Museum, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the New York City Department of Education, TEDx, and internationally in Hong Kong and Saint-Étienne, France. Born in Hong Kong and raised in the United States, her experience as a bilingual immigrant informs her commitment to building bridges through intergenerational, cross-cultural storytelling.