This paper tells the heroic yet little known stories of some Chinese women who served in the US army during WWII and after.
Historical Record of Chinese Americans | Chinese American Servicewomen in World War II Read More »
In 1884, Mamie, then eight years old, was denied admission to the Spring Valley School, because of her Chinese ancestry. Her parents sued the San Francisco Board of Education. On January 9, 1885, Supreme Court Justice McGuire handed down the decision in favor of the Tapes. After the decision, the San Francisco school board established a separate school system for Chinese and other “Mongolian” children. Only 69 years later in 1954, racially segregated public schools were ruled out by the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education.
Lau Sing Kee (1896-1967), a World War One hero who served in the 77th Division of US Army, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the French Croix de Guerre. Although he was the first Chinese American to be decorated for his bravery in war, Lau Sing Kee is not even well-known in Chinese American Communities. Stevie Wonder, however, has immortalized him in his song “Black Man.” The lyrics are, “Who was the soldier of Company G who won high honors for his courage and heroism in World War 1? Sing Kee – a yellow man.”
Wah’s story not only reflects the struggles, contributions and achievements of female Chinese immigrants of her generation, but also it reflects the acceptance and the support from her kind-hearted community. Gue Gim Wah made the Prince-Castleton area her home; she was and still is the pride of that community.
In 1994, a lawsuit was filed by the Asian American Legal Foundation against the San Francisco Unified School District (Ho v. San Francisco Unified School District), challenging the use of a “racial quota” to restrict the school admission of Chinese Americans. This case successfully ended the practice of applying a “racial quota” in student admissions to K-12 schools. In accordance with this ruling, the San Francisco Unified School District adopted the “diversity index” instead of the “racial quota” in 2001.
In the National Mall, there are eleven national museums and art galleries. They stand tall, burly and solemn on either side of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in their own unique style. There are 6 museums and the National Zoo in other places in Washington, D.C. So, can there be an Asian American museum added to the National Mall?
The Vision of the Asian American Museum Read More »
Donaldina Cameron (July 26, 1869-January 4, 1968) was a Presbyterian missionary in San Francisco’s Chinatown, who rescued more than 3,000 Chinese immigrant girls and women from indentured servitude. She was known as the “Angry Angel of Chinatown.”
Historical Record of Chinese Americans | Angel of San Francisco’s Chinatown Read More »
Chinese women in the 19th century were a special group in American Chinese communities. Some of them were babysitters, laundry workers, or gold diggers. This group of people formed the first batch of families in the Chinese community. Prostitution was quite common among many ethnic groups in the western United States, and many Chinese women were also prostitutes. The U.S. legislative system passed the Page Act, prohibiting so-called cheap labor and immoral Asian women from entering the United States. Their excuse for discriminating against Chinese women was their image of prostitution, spreading sexually transmitted diseases, and subverting American marriage ethics. With restrictions on female immigration, the federal government successfully prevented the growth of the Chinese population.
While many people believe that Feng Ru was the father of modern Chinese aviation, there were many other people who had also made outstanding contributions to the aviation industry in China. Wong Tsu, for instance, was one of the talented students who had been sent by the Beiyang Government to MIT and was praised as “the first and best engineer” of the Boeing Company.
