Talk Story 2018 Season Finale: Wong Chin Foo and “The Chinese Exclusion Act”

Our event sought to raise awareness of this history and make connections to the contemporary debates over immigration still defining our national narrative. The event opened with a welcome and introduction from our host, Xfinity, and then transitioned to Executive Director Ted Gong providing a review of all that this year of Talk Story events had accomplished. We then welcomed local author and Chinese American history expert Scott Seligman, who shared the complex history of Wong Chin Foo, the first recorded Chinese immigrant to pen the term “Chinese American,” with his New York-based newspaper, The Chinese American (美華新報). Scott presented the nuance of Wong’s character and the strategies he employed to spread awareness of Chinese culture in the United States and speak out against The Chinese Exclusion Act. Wong was one example of many cases where the Chinese American community fought back and resisted the racist policies enacted against the Chinese. In my opinion, Scott’s remarks and the community discussion that followed, however, also identified the need to examine the flaws of activism of the time that specifically left out women and sought advancements often at the expense of African Americans. While these gaps are in line with the 19th century reality, the language and action of the protest provides valuable lessons on intersectionality and activism today.