East Coast Coalition for Tolerance and Non-Discrimination

In March 2020, ECC launched Minority Defense Initiative to aid vulnerable minorities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. ECC partnered with Asia Society, a Rockefeller institution, to hold the "Stand Against Racism in the Time of COVID" forum that features Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Congressman Ted Lieu, CNN hosts Van Jones and Lisa Ling, renowned singer Wang Leehom, actor Tzi Ma, Governor of the Motion Pictures Academy Janet Yang, and ECC President Bincheng Mao.[17][18][19] In the following month, ECC was named a recipient of NYU Social Impact Grant and Annual Global Service Award for creating a global network in service of the vulnerable. [18][20]

From March to July 2020, ECC fundraised and donated $30,000 in personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontline hospitals serving vulnerable communities, such as Yale-New Haven Hospital, Italian Red Cross Society, Japanese Red Cross Society; Yale University website and NYU "On the Frontlines" featured this effort.[21][22] In May, ECC partnered with Asia Society and Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles to donate 1,000 surgical masks to Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital.[23]

In June 2020, ECC launched Repeal 50-a Campaign that successfully pushed for legislative reform to combat police brutality and systemic racism revealed in the killing of George Floyd, This campaign focused on promoting police transparency and accountability in New York State.[19]

This public pressure campaign mobilized nearly 3,000 members of ECC to advocate for the repeal of New York State law section 50-a, which was one of the strongest policy secrecy laws in the U.S. by "keeping police misconduct secret."[24] ECC members made over 4,000 phone calls, emails, letters to New York State legislators.[19]

On June 12, 2020, the New York State Legislature, in a historic vote, repealed section 50-a.[25] Governor Andrew Cuomo signed it into law and called this legislation "nation-leading."[26] ECC's Repeal 50-a Campaign was featured on the front page of the's official magazine of New York University.[27]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, ECC launched WeCare: Equitable Health Care Access for Minorities project that mobilized a network of 3,000 volunteers to serve disadvantaged minorities with language barriers in seeking medical attention. This project is selected by the Clinton Foundation as one of its 38 Global Awardees of the COVID-19 Action Fund.[28] Equitable Health Care Access for Minorities translated COVID-19 testing and treatment information into 6 languages, including Arabic, Japanese, to Mandarin, for minorities with English barriers in New York, Connecticut, Florida, and Illinois.[29][30] By December 1, 2020, information translated and published by ECC has received over 520,000 views.[31]

ECC founder with Chairman Brad Hoylman of NY Senate Judiciary Committee

On February 29, 2020, ECC, represented by its president Bincheng Mao, testified before the New York State Senate Annual Budget Forum to advocate for increased funding for the Civil Rights Bureau and the creation of initiatives that further diversify the teaching profession to better serve the needs of minority children in public schools.

ECC's testimony, published by the New York State Senate,[32] illustrated the positive impact on students' performance when teachers share their students' ethnic and cultural backgrounds and also noted, currently, "over 80% of public schools teachers were white" while "over 57% of students were people of color." Mao also illustrated the rationale for increased funding for the Civil Rights Bureau to support better enforcement of laws that protect individuals from discrimination "on the basis of race, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, differing abilities."[33]

ECC's members subsequently met with Senator Brad Hoylman, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to further discuss minority inclusion initiatives for public school children.