In Washington DC, Talk Story Events are monthly community gatherings usually held in DC Chinatown. Join our mail list at http://1882foundation.orgbit.ly/TalkStoryList.

Event Recap: Lunar New Year Dessert Swap

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On January 29, 2025, the 1882 Foundation held its Lunar New Year Dessert Swap at its Washington DC office, welcoming 48 attendees to celebrate the Lunar New Year. This vibrant gathering fostered community connections as guests shared an exciting variety of desserts—from cherished family recipes to innovative fusion creations. 

The evening was marked by meaningful conversations and a shared appreciation for culture. Many attendees contributed homemade desserts, deepening the personal touch of the event. The Foundation’s thoughtful outreach efforts played a pivotal role in the event’s success, with participants discovering the swap through engaging Instagram campaigns, such as local Instagram influencer, ClockoutDC posts, and referrals from friends and partner organizations like OCA and JACL. 

The high turnout reflected the enthusiasm and careful planning behind the event. While most guests stayed throughout, a few arrived earlier than expected, showcasing their eagerness to partake in the celebration. 

During the evening, the team took note of ways to enhance future events. Suggestions included clearer registration instructions, incorporating QR codes and slides to share more about the 1882 Foundation’s mission, and fostering early interactions between partner organizations. Additionally, introducing structured activities, such as guided games or small group discussions, could further encourage deeper engagement among attendees. 

The 2025 Lunar New Year Dessert Swap was a tremendous success, bringing people together to celebrate tradition, share desserts, and build lasting connections. As we embark on this New Year, let us carry forward the warmth, joy, and unity shared during this special evening. May the Year of the Snake bring prosperity, health, and happiness to all, and may we continue to honor and celebrate the rich tapestry of our shared heritage. 

Here’s to many more inspiring moments together in the year ahead!

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Event Recap: Voices of Chinatown – Intern Talk Story

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On December 4, 2024, 1882 hosted its Intern Talk Story project, a required assignment for every intern cohort. Interns present the work they have done during their internship, showcasing their individual contributions.

For Fall 2024, 1882 had four interns present their work. Anika Tsai, a student at Georgetown University, presented first. Anika completed a dual internship with 1882 and the U.S. Forest Service. Her project involved conducting interviews with Asian Americans to explore their perceptions of the label “Asian American” and its meaning to them. Focusing on conservation, Anika aimed to understand which places Gen Z Asian Americans believe should be preserved and how.

Next, Izzy Liu, Estella Ye, and Jenny Gong, three interns from the UCDC program, presented their work together. They interviewed Miao Yu, the new owner of JF Books in Dupont Circle, DC. Their presentation began with a brief history of Chinese exclusion laws in America, followed by an exploration of the types of businesses that originally founded DC’s Chinatown. They concluded with a six-minute interview with Miao, filmed and edited by Estella.

The event was attended by a total of 25 people, both online and in person. We would like to thank everyone who attended, and express our gratitude to the interns for their hard work over the past few months!

 

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Event Recap: On the Front Lines of Democracy

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On Sunday, November 3, 2024, the 1882 Foundation hosted a conversation on Zoom with Jackie Wu to discuss her book, On the Frontlines of Democracy: An Election Official’s Story of Protecting the Vote in 2020. In her book, Jackie reflected on her work as a Community Outreach Manager for the Orange County Registrar of Voters during the 2020 presidential election. Through her book, Jackie sought to illuminate the role of election officials and their commitment to protecting voters’ rights.  

During this event, Jackie discussed personal experience growing up as a daughter of Chinese Vietnamese refugees, which contributed to her passion for public service. She described her work to increase accessibility to elections by overseeing the translation of election materials into 9 different languages and organizing language assistance services to voters. Jackie also shared experiences she featured in her book, highlighting the numerous challenges her team faced during the 2020 presidential election. Some of these challenges included pivoting to high volumes of mail-in ballots due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring voting access despite wildfires, active shooter threats, and bomb threats. 

Special thanks to OCA for connecting the 1882 Foundation with this opportunity; to Jackie Wu for her vulnerability, encouragement, and insights during a tense presidential election year; and to Talk Story director Stan Lou and programs manager Mia Owens for leading this conversation!

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Event Recap: Talk Story! From Memories to Memoir

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The 1882 Foundation hosted a memoir writing presentation and workshop at the I Street Conference Center on Sunday, June 11. The speakers were Veronica Li, a writer of fiction and nonfiction who published a memoir about her mother called Journey Across the Four Seas; Sverrir Sigurdsson, a retired architect who recently published his memoir Viking Voyager with his wife Veronica; and Sabrina Hsu, Head of Collections Services Section of the Asian Division, Library of Congress. 

Stan Lou, Talk Story Director, said that Veronica is “the epitome of Asian American memoir writing. Her writing speaks to our community and our experiences.”

The speakers shared tips and essential elements of writing a memoir, including the historical context, plot, and descriptions of physical settings. They recommended that future memoir writers first identify major turning points in their lives, then decide which key events they want to write about. Consider the backstory, the turning point itself, and the aftermath. Memoir writing requires introspection and reflection. Memoir writers can also use creative license, adding embellishments to bring out the truth rather than distort it. 

According to Veronica, “One of the most important aspects of writing a memoir is detailing one’s emotional journey, as well as physical, to the reader.”

Sabrina shared resources to research family history that are available at the Library of Congress. Researchers ages 16 and over can get a Reader Identification Card, which grants access to the Library of Congress reading rooms and the ability to request materials from collections via the Library of Congress Online Catalog. The Library of Congress has thousands of American and international genealogical and local historical publications, as well as access to My China Roots, a database of overseas Chinese records.

The event ended with a Q&A moderated by Veronica and Sverrir about the memoir writing process and advice for aspiring memoir writers. The entire event recording is available below:

https://1882foundation.orgyoutu.be/FQZvXAEp4v8

Special thanks to Veronica Li, Sverrir Sigurdsson, and Sabrina Hsu, 1882 Foundation summer 2023 interns Alina Lee and Amanda Young for photo and video support, and I St Conference Center staff.

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Event Recap: Exploring Asian American History in DC — Washington DC Asian American Context Study Celebration

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On June 3rd, we gathered at the Chinese Community Church in DC’s Chinatown for a lightning round presentation community event with food, friends, and education. The event celebrated the near-completion of the first historic context study on Asian Americans ever published in DC, a comprehensive look at Chinese American and Korean American history in DC.

Ted Gong opened our event with a welcome and a special thank you to the late Franklin Odo, whose pioneering work on Asian American context studies paved the way for the style and methodology that the DC context study follows. Michelle Magalong of Asian Pacifica Islander Americans in Historic Preservation introduced the concept and importance of context studies in preservation work.

In this commemoration, the context study team presented on a variety of subjects that their research had explored over the last several years, such as traditional Chinese medicine practices in DC, the origins of the Chinese Community Church, and the Korean Independence Movement in DC. These lightning-round presentations touched on the depth of material to be included in the context study and displayed the diversity of topics of study included. In addition to the context study team’s research, community partners from a number of different cultural institutions in DC were invited to present, whose tireless work on Asian American public history and heritage enhances the lives of AAPIs in the DMV. These presentations offer a promising window into future research and avenues for collaboration. The commemoration closed with Q&A moderated by context study advisor Tony Sarmiento.

The entire event recording is available below:

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

Special thanks to moderators Mia Owens, Sojin Kim, Michelle Magalong, A/V support Brandon On, and CCC site support staff.

 

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Event Recap: Chinatown futures: cultivating urban, cultural landscapes

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On May 3rd, we gathered at the American Society of Landscape Architects National Headquarters for a conversation on Chinatowns, past, present, and future. Convened by Jenn Low, longtime partner of the 1882 Foundation, this conversation aimed to explore the multitude of ways that Chinatowns can be shaped and fostered by community organizing, public arts, and reclamation.

Ernie Wong, founding principal of site design group, introduced his work in Chicago’s Chinatown advocating for public art, green spaces, and anti-gentrification. Yin Kong of Think!Chinatown gave an overview of the organization’s capacity and work in Manhattan’s Chinatown, activating Chinese businesses through COVID and fostering intergenerational exchange. Lastly, artist and architect Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong shared some of her public art installations in Chinatowns, both urban and suburban, across the nation, and the explorative potential for public art to encourage community, conversation, and togetherness.

A full video recording of the event is available below.

https://1882foundation.orgyoutu.be/vj8GlRm2KRs

Special thanks to our friends at ASLA National Headquarters, A/V and security support staff at ASLA National Headquarters for helping this event come together.

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