Arlington County Teachers Workshop

The Traveling Film Seminar began its road show in Arlington, Va. this past Tuesday, August 29, 2017. Forty teachers turned out for the workshop and proved to be a very engaged and appreciative audience. Made possible through a grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, the workshop, titled "Recruited, Excluded, and Sort of Included." featured two films, Through Chinatown's Eyes: April 1968 and Finding Cleveland. Presenters included filmmaker Larissa Lam (Finding Cleveland), Harry Chow (DC resident in 1968 and featured in Through Chinatown's Eyes...), Ting-Yi Oei, Education…

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1882 Foundation Event Review: Summer 2017 OCA Interns Visit

The 1882 Foundation hosted a presentation for the OCA - Asian Pacific Advocates summer 2017 interns class at the 1882 home office on July 7, 2017.   Each summer OCA brings in a group of college students and recent graduates for a ten week internship and places them at various locations in DC.  Each Friday afternoon the interns gather for a group session called Sama Sama to discuss issues that affect the AAPI community and to hear from one another. Our presentation for this Sama Sama…

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Weekly Office Hours – Open House

Join the 1882 Foundation for our weekly office hours from 11:30am to 4:30pm every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Members of the team will gather together to discuss opportunities for organizational development and community partnerships on Tuesday, curriculum development on Wednesday, and community art and literature discussions on Thursday. Please email us at info@1882foundation.org if you plan on dropping by! The 1882 Foundation office is located centrally in Chinatown in downtown D.C.: 508 I Street NW (ground level) Washington, DC 20001 We are within walking distance of the Metro…

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“April 1968: Through Chinatown’s Eyes” at GU

By Georgetown University's Political Awareness Committee of the Asian American Student Association On February 21, 2017, Georgetown University's Political Awareness Committee (PAC) of the Asian American Student Association (AASA) screened the 1882 Foundation documentary, "April 1968: Through Chinatown’s Eyes," to an audience of 80 Georgetown undergraduates from all cultural, racial and ethnical backgrounds. After the screening, the students engaged in an informative and captivating conversation with guest panelists. Ted Gong, the director of the 1882 Foundation, briefly introduced the documentary series project and described how…

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World Journal Report on Through Chinatown’s Eyes

Through Chinatown's Eyes: April 1968 by Feng Zhaoying, World Journal 透過中國城的眼睛 探討認同危機 記者馮兆音╱華府報導 May 2, 2015, 6:00 am 透過中國城的眼睛」採訪的歷史見證者在放映後舉辦討論會,討論多年來華裔的認同危機和華府中國城的歷史演變。(記者馮兆音/攝影) 紀錄片「透過中國城的眼睛」日前在中國城社區教堂公開放映,李劉曼斯(後右三)、毛遠珉(後右四)和與會者合影。(記者馮兆音/攝影) 巴爾的摩騷亂尚未平息,打砸搶燒的場景猶如1968年暴動歷史重演。美國民權運動領袖金恩(Martin Luther King)當年遇刺身亡,撼動全美,引爆華府在內的多個城市連日暴動。記錄這段歷史的資料浩如煙海,卻鮮有從華裔美國人的角度,以口述歷史方式呈現事件原貌。紀錄片「透過中國城的眼睛(Through Chinatown Eyes)」採訪十幾名當年親歷暴動的華人,日前在中國城社區教堂首次公開放映。影片製作團隊及多名歷史見證者,將在放映後舉辦討論會,討論多年來華裔的認同危機和華府中國城的歷史演變。 1968年4月4日金恩被刺,華府爆發長達五日暴動,波及中國城區域,有華人商鋪被打砸搶燒。片中描述,華裔家庭經營的商鋪暫時關門,因催淚彈煙霧瀰漫全街,全家只能躲在地下室豎起耳朵聽外面聲響,無法踏出店外。有的華人在店面玻璃窗上寫上支持非裔的「靈魂兄弟」(soul bros)字樣,躲過被砸被燒的大劫;有的卻沒那麼幸運,店鋪被破門而入、毀於一炬。這場暴動因而成為不少華人搬離華府、移居城郊的催化劑,是中國城演變的歷史轉捩點。   然而總的來說,68年暴動過後,華裔和非裔間的關係並未變得緊張,因不少華人子弟在非裔為主的學校上課,同為少數族裔的華人,也較能理解非裔的訴求。   導演李劉曼斯(Penny Lee)及編劇毛遠珉(Lisa Mao),以近半年的時間完成這部25分鐘的影片,其中不僅探討暴動本身,還觸及華人身分認同的議題。 紀錄上一個遷入華府的華裔居民,在1851年搬到賓州大道,即中國城發祥地。以台山人為主的華裔移民,在20世紀初陸續從西岸或太平洋彼岸搬到華府,中國城則因國家廣場建設,搬到如今的H街和第七街附近區域。雖然華裔居民漸漸增加,華府人口組成依以白人和非裔為主。1960年,拉丁裔、亞裔及其他種族人口,在華府只占2%。 卡在白人和非裔中間,華裔常有置身其外之感(the sense of otherness)。從60年代就住在華府的曹元超說,華裔當時是「少數族裔中的少數」,他小時候曾被白人和非裔開帶歧視性的玩笑。「那時寧願變成白人或黑人,背後能有強大的族群。」他認為,直到李小龍以功夫巨星之姿,在全美造成一股旋風,華裔得到的尊重才日漸提升。 近期佛格森、巴爾的摩騷亂,再次揭開美國族群分裂的傷疤,「透過中國城的眼睛」中記錄的歷史重演,該片團隊感歎,美國社會改變了許多,但又有許多從未變遷,黑白族群對立仍十分嚴重。 華府中國城的萎縮式微,也讓在場的中國城老居民不勝唏噓。曹元超擔憂地說:「家庭主營的中式小店,都被掛上中文招牌的連鎖快餐店取代,住在中國城低保房的華裔耆老,每個周末要租大巴專程去華人超市買菜。這個中國城,還跟中國有什麼關係?」 要保存華府中國城的「中國味」,傳承中華文化、凝聚華裔社區力量至關重要。以此為目標的口述歷史系列講座每月舉辦一次,並接受捐款支持,詳情可電郵主辦人江權活:tkgong@aol.com。  

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What Makes America Exceptional

What Makes America Exceptional by Ted Gong (first released in 9/2/2015) Love him or hate him, call him a frank-talking politician or a narcissistic celebrity, Donald Trump has pushed the immigration debate to its fringes.  And, Republican rivals, scrambling to be on his right, mean that extreme ideas will carry into the general elections.  Foremost among the extremely bad ideas is eliminating birthright citizenship. Though guaranteed under the 14th Amendment, critics believe a Supreme Court decision could overturn the guarantee.  To test the Court’s position,…

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