ORANGE COUNTY, N.Y.—Pang Jin, event organizer at New Century, became the first Asian American honored at the annual Women’s History Month observance in the Town of Wallkill.
George Serrano, the town supervisor, awarded Pang at the March 27 town board meeting for her work in building bridges between Eastern and Western cultures in local communities.
“Her dedication, creativity, and impact on the community make her a true inspiration.”
Serrano started the annual tradition of recognizing women in local communities during Women’s History Month when he was first elected to office three years ago.
Five other women were honored along with Pang, including Lori Rivenburgh, director of Boys and Girls Clubs of Town of Wallkill; Franqui Feliciano, pastor of Soul Purpose Evangelical Church; and Janet Sutherland, an Orange County legislator.
“I am very humbled to be recognized with this award,” Pang, a first-generation immigrant to the United States from China, said. “Orange County is our home. We wanted to work with everyone in the community to build a stronger, happier, safer, and more prosperous community.”
In an interview with The Epoch Times, Pang recalled her journey from Shandong Province to Orange County, which started when she left her home country to pursue a master’s degree in business at Missouri State University almost 20 years ago.
However, shortly after her arrival in the United States, her mother was arrested and sentenced to six years in prison in China for practicing Falun Gong.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a Buddhist spiritual discipline based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. Its followers have faced brutal persecution under the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Pang, also a Falun Gong practitioner, sprang into action. She conducted petition drives, got on the local radio station, and penned op-eds to tell her mother’s story and raise awareness about the persecution in China.
“The American people, with their sympathy, compassion, and kindness ... that was the first time I learned why America is a great country,” Pang said.
Because of her advocacy, the local police in China threatened to arrest her as soon as she set foot back there. Pang had no choice but to apply for political asylum in the United States.
“I was very grateful,” Pang said. “When you can stay in this country, your freedom is protected, and your faith is protected.”
While working as a marketing and sales professional in New York City, Pang got married, bought a property in the Town of Deerpark, and became a Hudson Valley commuter in 2015.
In the past decades, the rural town at the western edge of Orange County has seen a growing number of Chinese residents, many of whom, like Pang and her mother, are Falun Gong practitioners who have escaped persecution in communist China.
Pang, out of an eagerness to share her cultural heritage with her new neighbors, began volunteering for the annual Moon Festival and eventually took on the head event organizer role at New Century, a 40-acre venue property in the Town of Deerpark.
“I feel that we should build bridges in the community, introducing who we are, why we came here, and what we are bringing to the community,” Pang said. “We drink the same water, we breathe the same air, and we should work together to build a better community.”
As she reached out to neighbors and local organizations, many of whose families have lived in the area for generations and hold onto traditional American values, she also learned from them.
“America has become our new home country. We want to extend our gratitude to the American people and appreciate the American values here,” Pang said, adding that it is the support of volunteers and community members that makes events successful.
