Highlighting Hogan’s Alley Society and hua foundation

Hogan’s Alley Society (HAS) and hua foundation are British Columbia-based organizations that work to build cross‑community solidarity rooted in relationships, learning and shared purpose. HAS advances the wellbeing of Black communities across Metro Vancouver through culturally informed housing, community spaces and development programs. Hua foundation strengthens capacity among Asian diasporic youth through community‑based research, public programming and anti‑racism initiatives.

In partnership, these two organizations spent 2025 building what they describe as a co‑share community, grounded in a foundation of trust, shared power and deep relationship‑building across their teams. This included everything from sharing office space and professional development to hosting social gatherings and creating joint opportunities for learning. “We believe relationships developed in a multi‑faceted fashion will become the resilient foundation needed in the next phase of our work,” explain Djaka Blais, Executive Director of HAS, and Kevin Huang, Executive Director of hua foundation.

One initiative emerging from this partnership is a joint walking tour of Vancouver’s Chinatown and Hogan’s Alley, the historic heart of the city’s Black community. Developed alongside historians and social justice experts, the tour weaves together stories from both communities. It also examines overlapping forces that have shaped both histories, such as displacement, racism and resilience.

Working so closely has not been without challenges. “We did not foresee the level of complexity that arises from working so collaboratively,” note Blais and Huang. Over time, this challenge became one of their greatest learnings: that trust takes time and intentionality. “Without the active nurturing of relationships between our teams, we would not be as confident in developing the next phase of work,” add the two leaders.