1882 FOUNDATION
American Civil Rights & the Chinese Exclusion Laws
Uncovering, Understanding and Sharing Our American Story
Sunday, January 24 | 2PM EST
Stay updated with our events!
The 1882 Foundation seeks to broaden public awareness of the history and continuing significance of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act through three initiatives:




Encouraging Collaboration
We organize an annual 1882 Symposium in Washington D.C. to build connections among educators and public & private agencies.





Uncovering & Preserving Our Stories
We collect oral histories and preserve story sites through monthly Talk Story Events. Talk Story encourages individuals to reveal their stories and share them with others.



Strengthening Public Education
We aim to promote the inclusion of Chinese and Asian American experiences in our core curricula through curriculum content and resources and teacher workshops.

ABOUT
Learn about the 1882 Foundation's mission and meet the team!

TALK STORY
Find out what our monthly Talk Story events are all about.

EDUCATION
Find our lesson plans on topics like the 14th Amendment and the Transcontinental Railroad.

CONFERENCES
Read about the Chinese American Women in History Conference, held last October!

LITERATURE AND ARTS
Join us for weekly Book Chats!

COLLABORATIONS
Walk the footsteps of Chinese railroad workers on the Return to Gold Mountain Tour.
Messages from the Exec's Desk
Black Lives Matter
At this perilous time for our American republic –facing a relentless pandemic that has seen over 100,000 American lives lost, an economic disaster that has more Americans unemployed since the Great Depression, and violence throughout the country that exceeds the aftermath of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination and the LA riots–individuals and organizations throughout the country are calling for solidarity. Police brutality and systemic racism cannot continue. We must collectively take action as called for by the Chinese American Citizens Alliance in the message below.
For us, at the 1882 Foundation, I want to pause briefly and remember George Floyd as an individual whose life was lost and the personal pain of his grieving family and friends. My heart goes to them in prayer. I want to say to them that it would be naïve for us (an educational body that documents America’s recurring history of racism and violence to Chinese Americans) to think that our joining the many calls for solidarity today will ensure that George’s death will not be in vain, that his killing will be the last as our solidarity leads to political action that deals finally with racial profiling, unequal access to health care and housing. However, I can say that Mr. Floyd’s killing has reinforced our commitment at the Foundation to tell the Chinese American story in ways that remind us of our solidarity, that our lives are intertwined in struggles to complete the American story, and that armed with knowledge of our history and the memory of Mr. Floyd and so many others we can together bend the arch of justice a little further. That I can promise.