In a program titled “Journey to Gold Mountain: Chinese and the Gold Rush,” author and historian Connie Young Yu talked about the life and times of early Chinese in California and the racial discrimination they faced. Connie is a member of CHCP's Advisory Board. The talk was hosted by Los Altos History Museum (LAHM).

The following statement was issued today by Zheng Yu Huang, President of Committee of 100 (C100), in regards to the state of Illinois passing a new law requiring Asian American history to be taught in public schools:

“Committee of 100 congratulates Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and the state of Illinois for signing the Teaching Equitable Asian American History Act into law, requiring that Asian American history be taught in all public schools. For centuries, Chinese Americans and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have made tremendous contributions to the growth and development of the United States. Now more than ever, it is critical to discuss the contributions - and challenges - the AAPI community faces. Our hope is that government and education leaders in the other 49 states follow in the footsteps of Illinois with their own laws and requirements that Chinese American and AAPI history be taught in all public schools across the United States.”

On 3/7/21, CHCP hosted a webinar titled "From Foundations to Frontiers," which covered a landmark study commissioned by the Committee of 100 on the enduring contributions of Chinese Americans to American society over the past 175 years. Access the webinar recording here.

The Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) co-produced PBS documentary series Asian Americans is one of the first winners announced by the 2021 Peabody Awards, one of the most prestigious honors in broadcast journalism.

The expansive five-part series chronicles over 250 years of Asian American experiences, which are deeply intertwined with United States history at large. The five-hour documentary includes the role of Asian Americans who did the most dangerous work of tunneling through the Sierras to build the Transcontinental Railroad, petitioned the Supreme Court to grant birthright citizenship, and challenged racial school segregation. And this history continued through the 20th century and into the 21st century.

For more information:

• View the recording of CHCP's 05/14/20 Speaker Series Webinar on the Asian Americans documentary.
• View CAAM's 06/23/21 Peabody Award announcement.
• View all five episodes of Asian Americans at the PBS website.

Watch Sandra Oh present Asian Americans with the Peabody Documentary Award:

Mayor Lamar Thorpe, right, and Andrew Li, president of the Contra Costa community college board, holding a proclamation apologizing for the city of Antioch’s early treatment of its Chinese residents (Credit: KTVU).

The following is an excerpt from the 05/20/21 New York Times:

By Johnny Diaz, NY Times

A California city has apologized for its treatment of Chinese immigrants who came to the city during the state’s gold rush, atoning for its past as a “sundown town” where the Chinese were barred from the streets after dark.

During a special meeting this week, the Antioch City Council unanimously adopted the resolution to issue a formal apology to early Chinese immigrants.

The mayor of Antioch, Calif., said the city was going to designate the site of its former Chinatown as a historic district.

For more information:  Read the full 05/20/21 NY Times article.

By Allan Low and Debbie Gong-Guy, 2021 Scholarship Committee Co-Chairs

For the seventh year, the Chinese Historical & Cultural Project (CHCP) is honored to recognize the recipients of the Lillian Gong-Guy Memorial Scholarship (LGGMS) on Sunday, May 16th, during a virtual Awards Ceremony held on Zoom.

The Lillian Gong-Guy Memorial Scholarship was established in 2014 in tribute to CHCPʼs late co-founder, Lillian Gong-Guy, to recognize exemplary seniors who have demonstrated academic achievement balanced with strong community service and involvement. Our six scholarship award recipients this year truly represent the future leaders of our community.

Our scholarship winners are:

• Kylie Sullivan of Ann Sobrato High School
• Christina Yao of Evergreen Valley High School
• Cindy Chen of Lynbrook High School
• Mingyuan Song of Branham High School
• Isaac Sun of Saratoga High School
• Catherine Tong of Notre Dame High School

In addition to the Co-Chairs, Allan Low and Debbie Gong-Guy, this yearʼs Scholarship Committee members are Anita Wong Kwock, Bozena Teo, Brenda Wong, Judy Wong, and Karyn Wong.

Thanks to all the donors to the LGGMS program for their continued generosity and support. For more information, please contact us at scholarship@chcp.org.

View the recording of the CHCP Speaker Series webinar: "Pre-WWII Poetry of Chinese, Japanese, & Korean Immigrants with Comparison," a lecture and Q&A with Dr. Charles Egan, Professor and Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, San Francisco State University.  He is the author of "Voices of Angel Island: Inscriptions and Immigrant Poetry, 1910-1945," a historical and literary anthology of the writings of immigrants detained at Angel Island.

Chinese American Heritage Foundation (CAHF)’s Book Talk Series: “Chinese Genealogy with David Lei” event was held on 24 Apr 2021 via Zoom. The event was sponsored by CAHF and the San Antonio Chinese American Citizens Alliance.

The Opera Costume Display, part of Poppy Jasper International Film Festival's China Day, featured CHCP members modeling beautiful, ornate Chinese opera costumes.

By Brenda Hee Wong, 2021 CHCP Director

CHCP Student Docent Cultural Ambassador Program (SDCAP) families were happy to help the City of San Jose with the assembly of  "Protect SJ" kits to help protect members of the Yu-Ai Kai Senior Center, a fellow Asian service group.

Hidden Histories of San Jose Japantown presented the hidden histories of gambling in the Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino communities of San Jose Japantown in this Zoom/Facebook event. CHCP Advisory Board Member and Historian Connie Young Yu presented the history of gambling in the Chinese community, Heinlenville Chinatown. The show also featured a special guest, Ted Ramos, author of “San Jose Gambling” and a San Jose Police Department officer.