The 1882 Foundation hosted its monthly Talk Story event on July 29, 2018 at the Chinatown I Street Conferencing Center. The event featured Ted Gong, the Executive Director of the 1882 Foundation, sharing his thoughts about the legacy of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and why it remains relevant today in current immigration debates. To supplement the conversation, the space included traveling exhibitions from the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA), “Remembering 1882: Civil Rights under the Shadow of the Chinese Exclusion Act” and a panel display on the contributions of Chinese workers in the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad, as well as some political cartoons and flyers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries illustrating anti-Chinese public sentiment during Exclusion. We also had a staff from the DC Public Library with books related to U.S. Immigration Policy and the Chinese Exclusion Act for participants to borrow.
Stan Lou, the Talk Story DirectorTed Gong addressing the “Chinese question”
Stan Lou, the Talk Story Director and OCA officer, kicked off the event by introducing two books related to Chinese American experience, “Crazy, Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan and “Number One Chinese Restaurant” by Lillian Li, both available at the DC Public Library. Ted then started his speech by raising the question of “what is the Chinese question.” He briefly introduced the history of anti-Chinese movement leading up to and during the era of Chinese Exclusion and related it to immigration issues in general. To break down the question raised in the beginning, Ted detailed three main issues: birthright citizenship, the roles of federal vs. local government in the enforcement of immigration laws, as well as how immigration laws are enacted. In the end, he concluded that the Chinese question is really about who and what can become American. This speech raised audience’s awareness of the fact that immigration laws actually affect all Americans. The following discussion was very active and enlightening. It particularly emphasized the parallels of past and present in the question of the democratic process in racist and unjust policies.
Audience members listening to Stan’s introduction
The event can be viewed in our Facebook live history if you are interested in learning more. This event is part of our monthly Talk Story series in DC Chinatown, rooted in the idea that the strength of our community is in the power of our stories told and shared. Please visit our website to learn more about our monthly discussion on Chinese and Asian American experiences. Share your stories and get inspired!
On Saturday, July 21st, I had the opportunity to attend the OCA national convention to specifically observe the Your Story, Our Story session hosted by Ali Smith and Ted Gong of the 1882 Foundation. From the standpoint of an 1882 Foundation intern, it was amazing to see the enthusiasm that many in the audience had for this project. When Ted and Ali read aloud some of the stories already submitted to the Tenement/1882 Project page, some were touching and others playful. The sentimental ones inspired murmurs and sounds of compassion while the playful roused appreciative chuckles. The audience was automatically drawn in by these stories sourced from the lineage of everyday Chinese-Americans, exemplifying the power of storytelling.
Through this experience, I have discovered that stories are a fundamental link amongst members of a community. They can be universal and are always interesting; within the Chinese-American community, there might be some elements of others’ heritage that we recognize in our own, but their specific, unique stories are theirs alone to tell. From telling our stories, we spread our stories and thus ensure that our histories are remembered. From listening to others’ stories, we can understand not just our own personal Chinese-American identity, but use these additional perspectives to shape and build onto a broader, multifaceted Chinese-American identity. For the 1882 Foundation, I think this more personal approach of focusing on the individuals in a community could be very effective for future projects and collaborations, and I look forward to hearing the stories and experiences of more Chinese-Americans.
Sunday, July 22, 2018 — Despite the perpetually cloudy sky and the occasional torrential rainfall, Ali, Russell, Margo, Linda, and I entered New York City on with a bright attitude toward the conversations to come—I was eager to meet with several of our NYC-based collaborators, professionals from different areas of expertise, yet who all shared similar goals of illustrating and advocating for Asian American experiences.
“Made w/ MSG” stickers
The afternoon of our arrival, we met with Megan Elevado, design and culture historian and part-time faculty member at Parsons The New School for Design, as well as Kevin Chao and Kenneth Lian, the creators of MSG, a fashion brand focused on celebrating Asian American identity and subverting misconceptions of Asian motifs that are typically seen through an unfavorable lens (i.e. the preservative MSG, the “Made in China” label), achieved through their distinctive clothing style.
The next day, we headed to the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) headquarters to see Chief Strategy Officer Simon Chiew and Strategic Associate Brenda Choy. The CPC is dedicated to providing services for low-income families and recent immigrants in Chinatown. As Simon and Brenda relayed the CPC’s efforts to expand their reach to include a more diverse range of clients in the midst of Chinatown NYC’s changing population, we noted the steps they took to adapt their branding and objectives to fit their new target audience—such as accepting other ethnic groups that reside within Chinatown or displaying support for LGBTQ+ members of the community. The CPC’s strategy serves as a model of flexibility and inclusivity that 1882 can hopefully emulate as we recraft our mission and reconsider our outreach.
After our meeting with Simon and Brenda at CPCMuseum of Chinese in America
After, we made our way to the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) to discuss the future of our collaboration with Tenement Museum through the Your Story, Our Story (YSOS) project and the 50 Objects initiative, as well as facilitating connections between Tenement Museum and MOCA. I was particularly interested by the discussion of not only maintaining a space for digital representations of stories online, but also remaining rooted in and enhancing physical sites of storytelling in museums and exhibits. Listening to the members of our meeting exchange thoughts and build off of each other’s ideas, I could see how a collaborative space of interested individuals can generate novel ideas that advance each of our objectives.
We explored Chinatown for a bit before settling in a bakery for our meeting with Think!Chinatown’s founder, Yin Kong, who aims to support, connect, and tell the stories of small businesses and organizations in NYC Chinatown through design and community engagement. It was especially helpful to compare the Chinatown NYC and Chinatown DC and hear about Yin’s grassroots efforts in Chinatown NYC to strategize how 1882 can better engage with Chinatown DC.
These conversations inspired me, both in terms of envisioning how the 1882 Foundation can proceed with collaborators in our collective efforts and visualizing how I can contribute to 1882’s objectives while shaping my own trajectory and developing my own interests.
As collaboration is such a central element of the 1882 Foundation’s mission, it was exciting to see our collaborative efforts in action—from discussing the inclusivity of the Asian American identity with MSG, to asking about CPC’s handling of sensitive political topics, to swapping ideas for YSOS with Tenement Museum and MOCA. After these meetings, my mind buzzed with the potential projects and initiatives that the 1882 Foundation could pursue in partnership, perhaps drawing from MSG’s design endeavors or creating an physical and interactive YSOS exhibit enhanced by digital technology with MOCA and Tenement Museum.
Looking up from a street in Chinatown NYCA lively street in central Chinatown NYC
From a personal standpoint, I was grateful to hear from these professionals—especially creatives like MSG, Megan, and Yin, given my interest in pursuing design/art in the future—and the journeys that led them to their current careers. What struck me the most was the unexpectedness of their paths; despite the twists and turns and detours, they seemed content with their current situations and appreciative of their previous experiences, whether or not these experiences were related to what they are pursuing now. A career, as I’m starting to understand, is an organic, spontaneous progression. It doesn’t have to be limited to one interest and it doesn’t have to be permanent; it stays true your passions, even if those passions lead you in wildly different directions.
Around four o’clock, we said goodbye to the bustling streets of Chinatown right as the sun peeked from behind the clouds and cast light onto the overcast afternoon—emblematic of the enlightening discussions from our trip and an encouraging omen for our future collaborations. The time we spent in New York, while brief, was immersive, constructive, and eye-opening—I hope to see more of the city and the valuable experiences it has to offer.
https://1882foundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/DSC00760.jpg398859831882 Foundation/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/1882logo-light-01.png1882 Foundation2018-08-04 15:11:022018-08-24 01:00:47Program Review: Two Days of Conversation & Collaboration in NYC
Jennifer is a rising second-year student at Georgetown University. She is planning on majoring in History with a minor in Biology and is on the pre-medical track. On campus, she is the newest co-chair of the Asian American Student Association (AASA), Political Awareness Committee (PAC). Through PAC, Jennifer became acquainted with the 1882 Foundation’s work and made critical contributions to the 1882 Foundation’s programming as our first intern, maintaining our new office, providing multimedia and event support, and formalizing internal processes. Thank you, Jennifer!
My summer with 1882 began right after I moved out of my Georgetown University freshman dorm room. My first official event as an intern, 1882’s Annual Symposium, unexpectedly shaped my whole summer and changed my perspective on Asian American activism and politics. Alan Spears from the National Parks Conservation Association spoke about historic preservation as a core civil right, as the absence of people from a landscape becomes a civil rights issue. While I had never heard of such a perspective, I quickly began to see how it applied to the 1882 Foundation’s work – not only as a historic preservation organization, but also as an important player in preserving DC Chinatown’s community and status as a cultural touchstone. Working with the 1882 Foundation was an eye-opening experience into nonprofit work, ranging from storytelling and literature-related programming to education outreach and collaboration development. I am incredibly humbled to have met many incredibly knowledgeable, passionate team members and community partners whom I not only learned from, but am excited to work with again in the future. I know my experience will help develop even better PAC and AASA programming as we continue to explore our goals, our role as an Asian American organization, and our identities.
https://1882foundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/1882logo-03.png84028231882 Foundation/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/1882logo-light-01.png1882 Foundation2017-08-30 14:35:502019-01-11 21:41:03Reflections from Jennifer Sugijanto
