Samuel Chu
Samuel Chu Muk Man (; born 3 January 1978) is a Hong Kong-born American activist and community organizer. Chu is the founder and President of The Campaign for Hong Kong, a US-based nonpartisan organization whose mission is to advocate for American leadership and policies that advance human rights and democracy in Hong Kong. He is also a founding member of the advisory board of the Axel Springer SE Freedom Foundation in Berlin (Germany), a Senior Advisor to the President and CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, and a trainer for Midwest Academy, a training school for community organizers in the US. Chu is also the founder of the Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC), launched in 2019, and was its managing director until August 2021. The success of HKDC and Chu in pushing for the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act and the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, and for economic sanctions and visa bans by the US on Chinese and Hong Kong officials it deemed responsible for the erosion of Hong Kong's basic freedoms and autonomy, led Hong Kong authorities to issue arrest warrants against Chu in July 2020, making him the first foreign citizen to be targeted under the Hong Kong National Security Law. Samuel is a frequent presenter and speaker at convenings, including Forum 2000, Oslo Freedom Forum, #RealCollege, and RightsCon, and for organizations such as Jewish World Watch, Pacific Council on International Policy, Freedom House, etc. He regularly testifies in front of the United States Congress and Parliaments across Europe. From 2011 to 2021, Chu served as the national organizer for MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, leading local and regional campaigns around issues of food insecurity and access in various states. He was a fellow at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at University of Southern California, where he engages in research, writing and teaching around community organizing, public leadership, and the role of religious institutions in social change. He served as chair and president of the board of directors of One LA-Industrial Areas Foundation, one of the nation's largest community organizing networks and of 1010 Development Corporation, a non-profit affordable housing developer in Los Angeles rooted in the United Methodist tradition. He also directed special projects for Consumer Watchdog as well as the social justice program, Minyan Tzedek, at IKAR, a Jewish spiritual community that stands at the intersection of spirituality and social justice in Los Angeles, CA, led by Rabbi Sharon Brous. Early life Chu was born on 3 January 1978 in Hong Kong. He grew up in a Southern Baptist household. Chu graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 2000, majoring in political science. He completed his studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in 2002. Career He pastored at Immanuel Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian Church USA) in Los Angeles, CA from 2002 to 2009., a multi-cultural, social justice congregation on Wilshire Boulevard. He also served on the board of directors of various other organizations such as the California Council of