Like many of you, I am still in disbelief that Jay Chen had actually left us. We took Jay and his Asian Fortune for granted because they have become part of who we are as a community.

Jay was a visionary who saw the need for a publication like Asian Fortune when many of us were still struggling to find our footing in life and career. From major national issues such as the 1882 Project about the historical injustice of the Chinese Exclusion Act, to the BP oil spill’s impact on the Vietnamese fishermen in the Gulf region; from the Lunar New Year celebrations to Diwali celebrations, and from federal government appointments to local community events, Asian Fortune has become our community’s voice and conscience.

It is a story book that chronicles the struggles and success of our people; an institution that has become a staple of the capital region, and a bridge that connects us with ourselves across ethnicities and jurisdictions and with the larger communities. Jay’s vision inspired me to write this column, Qulture Matters, to connect communities and share cultural perspectives to help advance social integration.

Jay was a pioneer and entrepreneur. Ethnic-focused newspapers in this region have proliferated in the past two decades, but there is only one Asian Fortune. To this day, Asian Fortune remains the only English newspaper in Greater Washington area that covers all Asian ethnicities.

When I first met Jay about 10 years ago, I was surprised that this English newspaper’s founder and publisher was a non-native English speaker from Mainland China, just like me. I can only imagine the great lengths he had to go through to start and keep this free publication going even during challenging economic times, when ad revenues are hard to get by and print media in general is losing readership to online media. Thanks to his perseverance, we have a gem in our community that fills an important void and a great opportunity for the larger community to understand and reach us.

Like his newspaper, Jay became a great connector and a friend to many. He struck me as easy-going, warm and always genuine and thoughtful in his dealings with others. Both in my capacity as the president of OCA-DC chapter and later as Asian and Middle Eastern Liaison for Montgomery County, I benefited greatly from Jay’s advice and insights.

As soon as I sent out the email announcement about Jay’s passing and the memorial service, about 20 people emailed me back expressing shock and grief, each referring to him as a good friend and recounting their special connections with him.

Jay pushed many in our community to the frontline and in recommending many for opportunities. There is no dearth of accomplished individuals in our community. What we need are people like Jay who would selflessly elevate others so the community as a whole would have greater visibility, influence and success.

We will miss Jay’s towering figure, broad smile and a big voice at many of our community’s events and milestones, but we are comforted that his legacy will live on thanks to his family and the dedicated Asian Fortune team, who have decided to keep this community treasure going. You can contribute to this legacy with a charitable contribution to the Asian Fortune Foundation at 15050 Medinah Ct., Haymarket, VA 20169.

Rest in peace, Jay, you left our community stronger than when you found it. And thank you, Jay – from all of us.

(Lily Qi is the Vice Chair of Maryland Governor’s Commission on Asian American Affairs. She can be reached at qulturematters@gmail.com. You can post comments on her blog, www.qulturematters.com.)