Join the Bay Area Chinese Genealogy Group (BACGG) and Chinese Historical and Cultural Project (CHCP) for a book reading by Ron Lee with L K Lennie Lee.
Rooted in the vivid recollections of L K Lennie Lee and expanded by her son, Ron Lee, and other descendants, this book blends oral history, myth, and archival research to reclaim erased narratives and honor the lives of “Joke Sings.”
Self-motivated, L K Lennie Lee wrote her stories to share with her family, however, her writings gathered in a binder were discovered by her nephew after her passing.
L K Lennie Lee amassed an extensive oral history of her people, as well as compiled narratives from young and old, to make observations of life in San Francisco’s and other Chinatowns, focusing on a narrative beyond the façade of tourism. L K Lennie Lee collected oral histories and transcribed conversations to document and bring to life histories of her times, which resulted in the production of Sojourners to Joke Sings: Tales of Chinatown & Beyond.
Born and raised in Chinatown, San Francisco, California, L K Lennie Lee and Ron Lee held careers as public school teachers, later becoming real estate investors. As leader activists in their communities, they fought for education and civil rights.
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Want to buy the book? Please wait till early January 2026, and we will communicate the link to purchase Ron Lee’s book. Books purchased through this link will benefit the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project.
