JOINT PRESS RELEASE: WtC and UNGP Sign Partnership to Reopen Shuttered Uyghur Business in NYC

NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 21, 2023 – Welcome to Chinatown and the Uyghur NextGen Project, two NYC-based non-profit organizations, are partnering to support the reopening of Caravan Uyghur Cuisine. Run by Abdul Ahad Bakri, a first generation Uyghur immigrant, Caravan Uyghur Cuisine was one of Manhattan's first Uyghur restaurants before it was forced to close in August 2022 due to a landlord dispute. WtC and UNGP are now partnering to provide the logistical and financial support necessary to reopen the business. Together this partnership has already raised $30,000 to cover emergency financial aid for the Bakri family and the restaurant’s initial relocation costs. WtC and UNGP are proud to be fighting for the survival of an important Uyghur establishment in New York City.

As part of this effort, the Uyghur NextGen Project will be hosting a pop-up culinary event at 196 Stanton St. on February 25th from 1 to 5 pm. The event will feature Mr. Bakri’s classic Uyghur dishes. Attendees will also have a chance to learn more about Uyghur culture and discover other Uyghur-run businesses. All proceeds from the event will go to the Bakri family and the reopening of Caravan Uyghur Cuisine. 

“New York is a city whose very foundations were built by immigrants and we believe it can and should be a welcoming home for the Uyghur diaspora. We look forward to working with the Bakri family to ensure their business and the Uyghur community more broadly thrives in New York,” says Oliver Crane, Head of Operations at the Uyghur NextGen Project. 

“Welcome to Chinatown is thrilled the Uyghur NextGen Project has eagerly stepped in to support Caravan Uyghur Cuisine’s relocation. Mr. Bakri already has a passionate fanbase. The efforts of WtC and UNGP will help to grow it even further as we find a new home for Mr. Bakri to plant his roots and introduce Uyghur culture to a wider audience,” says Vic Lee, CEO of Welcome to Chinatown.

The Uyghur NextGen Project is a NYC-based 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to supporting the Uyghur diaspora in the face of religious and ethnic persecution. UNGP seeks to both raise awareness and support for the Uyghur people as well as foster a broader understanding of its language, history, and culture. To learn more please visit uyghurnextgen.org. 

Welcome to Chinatown, a non-profit organization amplifying and addressing the critical needs of the Chinatown community and its entrepreneurs, is a project of Players Philanthropy Fund, a Maryland charitable trust recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 

UNGP Press Contact: Oliver Crane – oliver.crane@uyghurnextgen.org
WtC Press Contact: Vic Lee – chinatown@welcometochinatown.com