Event Recap: The Summit Tunnel – Diversity and Pride in Building the American Nation

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On March 21st, 2023, the 1882 Foundation convened our first activation as a member of the Kennedy Center’s Culture Caucus. We gathered at the Kennedy Center REACH’s Justice Forum on a warm Tuesday evening for a film screening and reception event. The activation was centered on the Summit Tunnel, a historic part of the Transcontinental Railroad constructed by largely unrecognized Chinese laborers. Despite the site being over 2,000 miles away, the sights, sounds, and ambiance of the Summit Tunnel was cultivated through film, the passion of our presenters, and the exhibition space displaying the faces of the workers and descendants who bring the site to life.

Ted Gong (1882 Foundation) and Tres McMichaels (Kennedy Center Social Impact) opened our event with remarks about the 1882 Foundation, Culture Caucus, and the power of the arts to inspire and encourage outcomes in public history, storytelling, and historic preservation. As a member of the Culture Caucus, the 1882 Foundation will present four activations at the Kennedy Center REACH over the next two years. The Summit Tunnel – Diversity and Pride is our first event, and aims to bring attention to the multifaceted importance of the Summit Tunnel and recommends its designation as a National Historic Landmark.

Legacy gives an overview of the history of Summit Tunnel #6, the site in Donner, CA where Chinese laborers worked to blast through the unforgiving granite of the Sierra Nevada mountains as part of the Transcontinental Railroad, the first of its kind to join rail systems in the Eastern United States to tracks on the West Coast. Subject matter experts Ted Gong, Phil Sexton, and Sue Lee detailed the monumental undertaking that this task was at the time of its construction and the brutal conditions under which it was accomplished, leading to the death of many Chinese workers. Finally, the film hears testimony from several descendants of Chinese railroad workers as they explore their relationship to the Summit Tunnel as a key site of their family’s history in the United States, begging the question of how we might continue to memorialize the Summit Tunnel as an exceptional part of the Chinese American experience. Legacy is directed by Joe Flannery and was produced with support from the USDA and the US Forest Service.

Next, we heard from Pat Malberg, president of the Donner Summit Historical Society, who described her family’s ties to Donner and preservation work underway at the site to deter graffiti artists and urban explorers from damaging the site. Many of the techniques used to fight graffiti are effective, such as repainting, special slippery coatings, or sandblasting, but also incur negative outcomes. Vandals see the cleared rocks as a blank canvas to re-tag, the coatings are expensive, and sandblasting removes a layer of the rock underneath the paint, meaning that the actual rocks that laborers on the Transcontinental Railroad might have touched are irreparably changed. Lastly, she explored some of the possibilities that would further protect the Summit Tunnel site, such as historic designation and further placemaking work that would generate more visitation to the Summit Tunnel and increase its presence.

Tracing History gives an intimate look at a mother-daughter duo of Chinese railroad worker descendants who travel together to the Summit Tunnel to explore their roots. Traveling by foot and car across California, they explore and reflect on their own relationship as they walk the tunnels, find artifacts of rural Chinatowns, and enjoy the natural beauty of the site. Both the director and her mother, Jalena Keane-Lee and Miko Lee, in were in attendance, marking an especially meaningful screening and portraying an example of how Chinese American descendants engage with and come to understand the legacy of the Chinese workers of the Summit Tunnel. Tracing History is directed by Jalena Keane-Lee, Breaktide Productions. Its screening at the Justice Forum was its debut.

In the lobby between the Justice Forum and PT-109, Zhi Lin’s 2013 installation Chinaman’s Chance was screened to bridge the themes presented by our speakers to the reception. In the video of the installation, the famous joining of the trains at Promontory Point, Utah is recreated from the back view. Viewers see the progression of the famed moment throughout history from the rear, speaking to the theme of Chinese exclusion from the commemoration of their work. In front of the projection, hundreds of rocks from the site at scattered, bearing the names of workers who built the Summit Tunnel.

We moved into the exhibit and reception space, PT-109, where attendees could mingle with invited subject matter experts, enjoy light refreshments, and hear from several speakers. Angela Coleman, Associate Chief of the United States Forest Service, gave remarks on the importance of equity and inclusion of a diverse range of experiences in America’s natural sites. She recognized that the Summit Tunnel site is severely endangered as a historic site, and that interpretive work is key to continuing to honor its legacy. Krystal Ka’ai, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI), spoke on the importance of historic sites like the Summit Tunnel and public education on the Asian American experience on combating anti-Asian racism. Ka’ai also shared some exciting new appointments of Asian Americans to public office by President Biden. Lastly, Ted Gong read a statement provided by Congresswoman Judy Chu, who could not join us at the Kennedy Center but sent along remarks acknowledging her own ancestry among the Transcontinental Railroad laborers and commending the work of the 1882 Foundation.

Watch the entirety of the activation below. Special thanks to Douglas Ross and Jack Yan for their help in documenting our event.

https://1882foundation.orgyoutu.be/QwvNnQkM5dI

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Event Recap: 1882 Foundation at the Virginia Council for the Social Studies Conference 2023

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On the Education front:

The Virginia Council for the Social Studies held its first conference since the pandemic started in Richmond on March 24-25. The shared campus of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Virginia Museum of History and Culture provided a beautiful setting for the event. 450 teachers attended workshops and heard keynote addresses by noted authors and scholars Kwame Alexander, Hasan Kwame Jeffries, and Anna Edwatds. In partnership with Jen Goss of Echoes and Reflections (a Holocaust Education organization), Gabi Chu and Ting-Yi Oei presented  “Examining Assimilation: AAPI History and Je

wish Stories in America.” This was a topic the 1882 Foundation has explored on a couple of previous occasions, once in a webinar with Echoes and Reflections and another in collaboration with the American Jewish Archives. Our second presentation was with Chip Brady of the DBQ Project. We showcased the unit “The ChineseExclusion Act: What Lessons Can Be Learned?”that we collaborated on with the DBQ Project. Along with providing an overview of the unit and its 7 documents, teachers engaged with two of the documents in the way that students would analyze them. The documents studied were on Wong Kim Ark regarding the 14th Amendment and Birthright Citizenship, and an excerpt from the Meat vs. Rice booklet written by Samuel Gompers of the American Federation of Labor intended to gain support from Senators for the second renewal of the CEA in 1902. Both sessions were well attended and the participants expressed appreciation for what they learned and the resources they were given.

 

Gabi and Ting-Yi also had opportunities to attend other sessions. Ting-Yi joined other presentations, both by elementary teachers, to get some more insight on how to present ideas and topics in a way that gets the attention of young learners. One was on the ways to “commemorate” the Civil War for 6th graders in light of recent history and the coming down of the Confederate monuments in Richmond. The other featured a teacher whose “Choices” project allows 4th graders to pick their own subjects to study by justifying why it fits their course of study (and meets a standard). It was very encouraging to see these teachers successfully bringing out innovative approaches.

The leaders of the Conference were candid in their welcoming comments about the extraordinary challenges teachers face today. Yet the tone of the whole conference was very upbeat and hopeful especially in the face of a political environment that is often hostile to the telling of “hidden histories” or dealing with the teaching of “hard history.” The keynote speakers all addressed the importance of teaching the truth and not being afraid of the potential risks – after all, isn’t that how progress comes about? By the  enthusiastic reaction of the audience, their messages were received.

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Event Recap: Asian Americans in Washington DC Bus Tour – 1882 Foundation x Bryn Mawr Pensby Center

On March 4th, 2023, the 1882 Foundation and several collaborators hosted students from Bryn Mawr College for their second annual Unity Spring Break, where BIPOC students are invited to explore an element of ethnic American history. The 1882 Foundation administered a day-long bus tour themed around ‘Asian American and BIPOCs in DC’.

Beginning our day at the Congressional Cemetery, students visited Range 99, where over 100 early Chinese and Chinese Americans were buried and disinterred to be buried in ancestral homes in China. Students walked around the memorial and explored several other significant sites in the Cemetery, including the burial sites of prominent Native American, Black, and LGBT+ leaders. Our group proceeded to the Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II, where NJAMF director John Tobe gave a brief overview of Japanese incarceration in WWII, and led us around the memorial while explaining its significance. We ate lunch at Chinatown Garden while 1882 associate Rich Wong explained a quick organizational history of DC’s Chinatown and its governing bodies, before breaking into small groups and doing a tour rotation of several important sites in Chinatown, such as Wah Luck House, the Friendship Archway, and the On Leong Merchant’s Association. After a break, we met Tim of tour company Attucks Adams, who led our group through the U Street corridor and Howard Theater to discuss the historic Black Broadway and the history of Black music tradition in DC. We ended our day at Ben’s Chili Bowl, where we ate dinner and learned about the remaining Black businesses on U Street and their role in the resilient community. 

Special thanks to all those who assisted in administering this program. To learn more about Asian American bus tours in DC, contact gabriella@1882foundation.org.

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Event Recap: Flashback Chinatown DC: Film Screening and Director Talk

On Sunday, March 26th, 2023, community members, family, and friends gathered at the Chinese Community Church in DC’s Chinatown to watch Flashback Chinatown DC, a series of ten short films directed by Penny Lee, produced jointly with the 1882Foundation with the support of HumanitiesDC. Penny Lee chatted with audience members as they shared stories of their own experiences of Chinatown(s), growing up in the neighborhood, and the social and economic factors that shaped Chinatown as it is today.

Flashback Chinatown DC is available on the 1882 Foundation website for free. Thank you to all those who attended!

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Event Recap: December Talk Story – Motorcycles, Muscle Cars, and Tropical Fish

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On December 11th, the 1882 Foundation community gathered at the I Street Conference Center for our December Talk Story event, catchily titled ‘Motorcycles, Muscle Cars, and Tropical Fish’. Over Christmas cookies and holiday treats, the storytelling event saw Harry Chow, a former DC Chinatown resident and longtime contributor of stories, photographs, and archives, bringing together several generations of former DC Chinatown residents together to share stories of the youth culture of Chinatown from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. 

Old friends shared stories of owning and operating Chinatown Tropicals, an aquarium store based in Chinatown that saw massive success in the DMV area. They described riding motorcycles and classic American cars in DC and Northern Virginia and how these practices shaped the community and the lives of young people in a rapidly changing neighborhood. It was fantastic to see many generations of DMV-area Chinese Americans represented, including the extended family of our speakers. 

Many of these stories are recorded in our Flashback Chinatown DC short video series. Our December Talk Story also serves as a celebration of the work that the 1882 Foundation has been able to do over the last year thanks to our community. Ted Gong wrapped up the event by recapping some upcoming projects. Thank you to everyone who came out and shared stories. 

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Event Recap: The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF): Patsy Mink’s Legacy: Asian American Women in Government

The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) started a new series entitled “Conversation On Race & Gender” that covers different AAPI topics, from the AAPI Reproductive Justice Agenda to Asian American Women Writers. On May 21, 2021, NAPAWF presented a panel conversation on Asian American Women in Government. The panel speakers included four AAPI women participating and serving in different positions and levels of government across the US:

  • Grace Meng: U.S. Congresswoman representing New York’s Sixth Congressional District.
  • Khem Khoeun: Commissioner to the Skokie Park District Board in Illinois and the first Cambodian American woman to be elected to any public office in the United States.
  • Sima Ladjevardian: Served as a Senior Advisor and Finance Chair to Beto O’Rourke’s senate race and presidential run. Ran as the Democratic Nominee for Texas’ 2nd Congressional District in 2020.
  • Betty Yee: State Controller of California and the tenth woman in California history to be elected to statewide office. 

When asked about why they decided to run for office, all the panel speakers mentioned that a part of their motivation came from wanting to help create a space for AAPI women like themselves to speak up and have their voices heard. Grace Meng said that after she realized that there were no Asian American women serving at the Congressional level from New York State or from the East Coast in general, she decided that she wanted to take the first step and run for office herself. Khem Khoeun mentioned that her children’s reaction after the 2016 presidential election helped her make the decision to run, as her daughter was deeply affected by the election result. Khem wanted to set an example for her children and let them see that people like them have a voice in the community and in government. Sima Ladjevardian spoke about her upbringing as the daughter of immigrants from Iran and saw the need to represent her community in the US government and help connect different communities together. Betty Yee, having over 35 years of experience in the public service, shared her experiences from helping her family manage their laundry shop in to now helping to run the economy of the State of California. She said that one of the proudest moments during her career was being able to help more AAPI women enter the workforce at the US government and bring more divorcee voices to the table. 

In the end, each speaker was asked to give a piece of advice to  Asian American women thinking about running for office. Khem Khoeun said that it is very important to believe that all AAPI women belong at the table, and it is their responsibility to step up and advocate for the community when no one is there to represent the community’s voices. Sima Ladjevardian encouraged young AAPI women to not be afraid and just do it: “it is important that your voices are heard and you cannot be a silent participant of the world around you anymore, we cannot be bystanders and we just have to go ahead and do it.” Grace Meng added the importance of being authentic. She mentioned that in 2020 she spent a lot of time worrying about whether what she says, what she does, and what she looks like would appear “American” enough, but in the end when she tells her story people would feel the authenticity and relate to her personal stories. Betty Yee concluded the discussion by speaking about empowerment through telling your story, “There’s space for you, your voice is needed. I think part of the challenge but also the reward of campaigning is I can’t think of any other time in my life where I’ve taken stock of what my life has been about, and it’s rich. We all came from very, very rich backgrounds […] There’s something very powerful about our own stories because they are uniquely ours and nobody can take that away from us.”

Link of the event video: https://1882foundation.orgwww.youtube.com/watch?v=ad70JGonkjM&t=2753s

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