08/03/2026
August 2nd, 2026 marks the 31st anniversary of the landmark human rights case, the El Monte Thai Garment Slavery Case, in which the Thai Community Development Center (Thai CDC) played a pivotal role in the liberation of the enslaved Thai workers and their pursuit for justice. To commemorate the case, Thai CDC will be presenting the Faces of Fabric 2: A Textile Exhibition of the El Monte Thai Garment Slavery Case by artist, Chancee June.
For one day only, the exhibit will be open on Tuesday, August 4th, 2026 from 3pm to 7pm at the Beacon Rotunda of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Long Beach, to honor survivors from the case. The exhibit is part of the 2026 Building CAPACD Convention organized by the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD) in which Thai CDC is a founding member.
Since 1999, National CAPACD has served as the nation’s leading organization in advancing community development and advocating against gentrification and displacement of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities. It represents and supports more than 150 community-based organizations in driving their local strategies, and it backs their efforts by advancing progressive national policies.
Throughout the convention between August 3rd and 5th, Thai CDC Executive Director, Chancee Martorell and her namesake, exhibit creator, Chancee June, whose mother was one of the survivors from the case, will continue to be followed by a film crew from NPR and LAist as part of a segment called, "Inheriting," which is on life-changing historical events in California that have impacted Asian American families living here and how that event has had reverberations within those families. The segment explores the event which, in this case, is the El Monte Thai Garment Slavery Case, and its impact through conversations. The interviews of both Chancees started in April of this year at various locations and will continue at the convention. The segment will air sometime in January.
