Episode 55:Tenzin Jamyang-Tibetan Alliance of Chicago

This week, on Inside the Skev, we sit down with Tenzin Jamyang from the Tibetan Alliance of Chicago which is located in Evanston. Tenzin was born and raised in Dharamsala, India. He came to the United States after winning the lottery for an immigration visa under the Tibetan Resettlement Project. Tibetan Alliance of Chicago (“TAC”) is a registered 501 3(c) not-for-profit organization seeking to preserve Tibetan heritage and serving the needs of the Tibetan community in Chicago. 

Tenzin first came to the United States in 1993 and worked as a busboy, doorman, and banquet server. In 1995 he participated in an indefinite hunger strike in front of the United Nations building in New York. From 2005 to 2010 he walked around 1080 miles in Indiana, Chicago, and Taipei, along with the nephew of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Jigme Norbu who passed away in 2011. In 2009 he served as the President of the Tibetan Alliance of Chicago and has served as Vice President twice. He now lives in the Chicagoland suburbs with his wife and 4 children.

TAC was established in March 1992, initially as Tibetan Resettlement Project of Chicago, to resettle 100 Tibetans in Chicago who came from various parts of India and Nepal. For background, the invasion of Tibet by the People’s Republic of China beginning in 1949 displaced nearly 100,000 Tibetans who followed His Holiness the Dalai Lama into exile in 1959, predominantly settling in India and Nepal.  The passing of the Immigration Act of 1990 resulted in the US government issuing 1,000 visas to Tibetans in exile to resettle in various US cities and towns.  Tibetan Resettlement Project of Chicago resettled 100 Tibetans between 1992-1993 and currently, we have about 300 Tibetans residing in Chicago. TAC remains indebted to the original founders and supporters of the Tibetan Resettlement Project of Chicago. TAC is located at 2422 Dempster Street Evanston, Illinois 60202 and be found online at https://www.tibetan-alliance.org/

Inside the Skev is a one stop shop for all things Skokie and Evanston hosted by Aaron Masliansky. Be the first to know about local events, new podcast episodes, real estate and the latest stories about the great people in these towns by going to http://www.skevanston.com. Make sure to sign up for the newsletter and reach out to Aaron at aaron@skevanston.com with any questions or suggestions.