Parallax Fall 2024 Issue Part 1 by Asian Pacific Americans for Action

LetterFromtheEditor

Dear Readers,

In this Fall 2024 issue, we center on Radical AAPI Activism a tribute to the power, resilience, and revolutionary spirit that has defined Asian American and Pacific Islander struggles for justice across generations. From organizing labor movements in the early 20th century to standing at the forefront of today’s movements for social justice, AAPI communities have continually challenged systems of oppression.

However, here on Cornell’s campus, that spirit faces significant challenges. This issue is special because it marks the magazine’s first post-pandemic publication, and through it, Asian Pacific Americans for Action (APAA) is determined to reignite this energy of activism and spirit of collective action on campus.

The theme of radical activism is deeply important to all of us in APAA, especially in a time where many of us are grappling with a mountain of political apathy and disconnection. Our cover, adorned with a phoenix, symbolizes renewal a revival of strength, hope, and passion within the Asian American community. In this political climate, where solidarity and active resistance matter now more than ever, this symbol is a reminder that we can rise from the ashes.

As we continue to confront a rising culture of apathy, we invite you to engage with the work and stories of those who refuse to accept the status quo. The articles, essays, and creative works in this issue aim not only to inform but to inspire to remind us that radical change is necessary for our collective survival. I hope this issue sparks a desire in you to enact change in your own circles, rally others toward action, and break down the barriers that divide us.

I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to everyone in APAA, to all the contributors of Parallax, and to all those who have supported us throughout this journey. Thank you for your unwavering commitment and passion.

I hope you enjoy reading this magazine as much as we enjoyed creating it. I am excited to see what the future holds for our campus community.

Sincerely

, Grace Nivera Editor-in-Chief

InthisEdition

by Taryn Chung

by Allie Pallota

by Serena Wu

by Brittany Sun

by Alice He

by Joaquin Rivera by Eirian

I am angry that I I am angry that I keep stubbing my keep stubbing my toe on the toe on the curved base of curved base of the anti-suicide the anti-suicide desk chair in my desk chair in my dorm room. dorm room.

Becomes Us

By Taryn Chung

Oh, I am angry. I am angry that I keep stubbing my toe on the curved base of the anti-suicide desk chair in my dorm room. I am angry that I was asked if I ate dogs in fifth grade and I am angry that a white girl lectured me that keeping my grandparents safe was not a valid justification for getting a Covid-19 vaccine I am angry that the first time I got cat-called by a group of men, they repeatedly called me “Chinita” when I walked past their car. And I am angry that in a drunken stupor, I thanked a man after he touched me without my consent. Oh, and I am especially angry that a few weeks ago at a dining hall, I overheard a white boy proclaim that he would “never date an Asian,” while his friends all uncomfortably laughed while darting their eyes at us. Not only were my friends and I all Asian, but we happened to be the student staff members of the Cornell Asian and Asian American Center celebrating our first dinner together of the school year. And I did not say a thing But after leaving the situation and processing that it happened, I started verbalizing how I felt I felt sad, I felt shame, I felt regret, I felt rage My overblown reaction to the off-hand joke made by some stranger led my friends to retort in awe that they have “never seen [me] this angry before.” They had never seen me angry before, period. I had only very recently learned I could get angry.

It all began eight months earlier with the realization that maybe some of my anxious habits were not just funny bits but actually stemmed from traumatic experiences. My body was responding to triggers and trying to protect me from places of repeated hurt before my mind could even fathom that I was not as untouchable and self-aware as I thought I was I am a feminist and I am privileged in many respects I know -isms (racism, ableism, etc ) are bad and that we live in a heteronormative patriarchal society. I know that I have to love myself and I do, I really do. But what I realize now is that knowing these things are not enough, because knowing these things without any emotional output does more harm than good. Mind without matter is at best, complacency and ignorance. At worst, it can make you internalize and perpetuate victim blaming. Another stranger on the street harassed you and you are physically shaking? You are a feminist, you know that cat-calling is bad, just let it go. But the thing was, as much as I was blocking it out in my head, my body was storing these traumas, adding them up, until they would emerge as “unwarranted” panic attacks and “random” mood swings

When I realized that intellectual critiques of power structures did not protect me from falling victim and being a bystander to them, I did not have the words or emotional tools to describe what I was feeling I turned to the feminist literature section at the library for the answer I consumed A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf, The Vagina Monologues by V, All About Love by bell hooks, Feminist City by Leslie Kern, Riot Grrrl zines, and Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity by Robert Jensen. However, nothing quite affected me like Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger by Soraya Chemaly. Essentially, it is 364 pages of shouting that the suppression and invalidation of women’s emotions is the bedrock of patriarchal capitalism and the liberation of women can start with just getting angry. Wow, what a diagnosis! When I told my therapist about how I am single-handedly healing myself by consuming radical thought, she gently reminded me that “you can’t read yourself out of trauma ” How was I supposed to actualize theory when I did not know what that looked like in practice? How was I supposed to liberate myself from oppressive structures when I didn't even know what anger was?

That was the wrong question, though. I did know what anger was and what made me angry; I just was not sure I was allowed to, and if I was, how I could feel and display that anger. I blame Western hegemony The stereotypes of Asian Americans and Asians in America, like all racist dialogue, stem from a nativist political and exploitative economic agenda The helpless, effeminate Asian man; the submissive, hyper-sexual Asian woman; the quiet Asian nerd; the Tiger parents; the dirty immigrant. Stereotypes stem from structural oppression, evolve through media representation, and are reinforced until they become woven into the cultural fabric of our nation. With large waves of Asian immigrants after the Immigration Act of 1964, it was up to them, like with all immigrant groups, to humanize themselves, to be the least burdensome to the gracious lands they are occupying, to not cause any social waves that would call attention from the dominating group

For Asian Americans in particular, this can be seen in the emergence of the Model Minority Myth, a stereotype that Asians are a “good” minority because they are hard-working and do not want problems This is harmful for many reasons Glorifying proximity to whiteness pits minority groups against each other to distract them from the main oppressor: white supremacy. Additionally, generalizing descendants and residents of the largest continent on Earth erases nuances between groups, exacerbating inequalities and invalidating any concerns that do not align with the dominating narrative. One of the byproducts of the Model Minority Myth and other social discrimination can be poor mental health due to a reluctance to seek help to save “face” or not be burdensome, the misconception that mental illness is the result of not working harder or being selfish, and the lack of support infrastructure due to the illusion of no demand or need Asian Americans are supposed to keep their heads down, Asian women are meant to serve others with no limits, and women exist as an entity upon which masculinity and misogyny can be projected. All these social rules have been repeated explicitly and implicitly to me since I could understand words. Before I could spell “e-d-u-c-a-t-i-o-n,” I was taught that I should swallow my emotions, especially the “bad ones,” because I was making the adults uncomfortable. Repressing emotionality does not get rid of them, it just makes them emerge in harmful ways. Despite my desire to be angry at all the things that made me angry, it came down to the simple fact that I did not know how to be angry

Punching a wall or yelling seemed like it could help, but would t b t i bl i mechanisms

In order to save myself, I had to unlearn all that I had been taught: my feelings are valid, my body is strong, I could reach out to others for help, I could cry, and I could acknowledge what made me angry

This is a call-to-action for radical activism within the self to acknowledge emotions, allow yourself to feel them, and express them in a healthy way. Being angry is a direct way to resist a system that exists and profits off of the emotional and material invalidation of minority groups. This is not to say that Asian people are inherently passive or silent, or if they chose to be, that that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This is more so a direct acknowledgement about how rage suppression in my life stems from a wider cultural and historical context. Moreover, other marginalized groups have stereotypes associated with anger, such as the “angry Black woman,” so it is critical to approach anger and emotionality not from a place of racial association but from humanity To be human is to feel a full range of emotions

To be radical is to allow yourself to be human

Is This My Fight? Adoptees and Activism in the APIDA Community

By Allie Pallota

On September 6, 2024, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the end of its international adoption program, which began in 1992 in response to the historic One-Child Policy. According to China’s Children International (CCI), since the program’s inception, more than 160,000 Chinese children have been adopted globally, with approximately 82,000 adopted to the U.S. While the end of the three decades-long program has been met with ambivalence from adoptees and other members of the adoption community, it has prompted many questions and concerns about these programs’ practices and intentions

A few weeks after China discontinued its international adoption program, the Associated Press released an article after an investigation into South Korea’s adoption program. According to AP, “South Korea’s government, Western countries and adoption agencies worked in tandem to supply some 200,000 Korean children to parents overseas, despite years of evidence they were being procured through questionable or downright unscrupulous means” (Tong-Hyung and Galoforo 2024). For children that have been adopted across racial, national, and cultural lines, not only do these shocking announcements call attention to international adoption, but they also raise important issues surrounding one of the most underrepresented groups in the AAPI community: young transcultural adoptees.

One of the biggest concerns that arises in a transracial household is the child’s relationship with their culture and the formation of their identity. While some transracial adoptive parents make an effort to encourage ties between their adopted child and the child’s culture, many also utilize a “colorblind” approach in an attempt to make their child feel like they belong more However, this approach can complicate an adoptee’s understanding of their identity and certain struggles that impact the race and culture they come from. In an article published by Time Magazine, author Nicole Chung, who identifies as a Korean American adoptee, reflects on conversations, or lack thereof, surrounding anti-Asian racism while being raised by white parents. She recalls, “So we never talked explicitly about race when I was younger, even though I was usually the only Asian kid in every room; the closest they came were statements such as ‘we would have adopted you if you were Black, white or polka-dotted’ and ‘we’re all the same on the inside’” (Chung 2021) While seemingly well-intentioned, Chung’s recollection of these words highlights a casual dismissal of race that ignores problems regarding discrimination, potentially hindering productive discourse on them. Failing to address the adoptees’ unique cultural and racial identities can make an adoptee feel even more alienated and leave them unequipped to navigate a society enrooted by the impact of race.

“Not only does this impact adoptees’ personal development, but it can also impede participation in movements that address the very issues their community faces. Following the COVID-19 pandemic and the Atlanta spa shootings, and as the Stop Anti-Asian Hate movement gained momentum, several adoptees voiced their concerns pertaining to anti-Asian violence and questioned their ties to the community. For example, Hing Potter, a Cambodian adoptee who was adopted by a white family, said, “Am I Asian enough to have this conversation with other Asian people? Other Asian Americans in the community?” (Westerman 2021). Additionally, adoptees have also expressed difficulties in conversing abou these experiences with their families. Emma LeMay, an adoptee from Chongqing, China explains that when she spoke to her parents about the Atlanta spa shootings, “their reaction was based more on the situation ‘rather than how [she] was feeling’” (Westerman 2021). Hing’s and Emma’s experiences ultimately illustrate the tension of a “cultural in-betweenness” in both the environments and communities they grew up with and their racial and cultura identities, which can exacerbate feelings of dispossession and displacement As a result, this lack of support can sideline and silence adoptees in racial discourse and can perpetuate their exclusion from activist spaces.

So this begs the question: How can we begin to reconcile these problems of displacement, both within adoptees’ senses of their identities and the APIDA community? Where do adoptees fit into Asian activism? To start, it is important to recognize that the APIDA community is made up of individuals from different generations, places, and cultures Asian adoptees’ experiences, perspectives, and struggles still contribute to the broader narrative of what it means to be Asian. By creating visibility and fostering spaces for adoptees’ voices to be heard, we can begin to examine and raise awareness of the institutions that have created this group. One such way of looking at these systems is through the “adoptee consciousness model,” as proposed by InterCountry Adoptee Voices, a network of intercountry adoptees dedicated to advocating on behalf of other intercountry adoptees.

Maoming Social Welfare Institute, an orphanage in China

The model seeks to deconstruct and disrupt the framing of adoption and move adoptees’ consciousness toward acknowledging any trauma or injustices inherent in the system so they can be more connected to their identities

Once these factors have been realized and brought into conversation, we can open up new avenues of inclusion for adoptees

As for the question of Asian activism, some adoptees have turned to advocacy to express and reconnect with their identities. For example, Nellie Sung, a Korean adoptee who grew up in a white family, became a development director at Korean American Story, “a nonprofit that interviews Korean immigrants and shares their stories” (Mitchell 2021). Adoptees have also been able to show their experiences in media, such as actress Sam Futerman, who produced and co-directed the 2015 film Twinsters to document her discovery and reunion with her twin sister (Mitchell 2021) As more adoptees come forward to share their stories and journeys, we can ultimately develop a better understanding and empathy for them and further enfold them into the Asian American community.

Adoptee-Consciousness-Model Pdf,intercountryadopteevoices com/wpcontent/uploads/2022/06/adoptee-consciousness-model pdf

“Adoption Fraud Was Widespread for Many South Koreans Adopted into Western Countries, AP

Finds ” NBCNews Com, NBCUniversal News Group, 24 Sept 2024, www nbcnews com/news/asian-america/korean-adoptees-adoption-fraudrcna172247

Foster mothers at Maoming meeting the children

Chung, Nicole “What Would My White Family Think about Anti-Asian Racism?” Time, Time, 22 Mar 2021, time com/5948949/anti-asian-racism-white-adoptive-family/ Westerman Ashley “‘am I Asian Enough?’ Adoptees Struggle to Make Sense of Spike in Anti-Asian Violence ” NPR, NPR, 27 Mar 2021, www npr org/2021/03/27/981269559/am-i-asian-enough-adoptees-struggle-to-makesense-of-spike-in-anti-asian-violenc “Who We Are ” China’s Children International, chinaschildreninternational org/who-weare Im Not Allowed to Feel Those Things: How Adoptees Experience Anti-Asian Hate Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr 2021, www latimes com/business/story/202104-16/asian-adoptees-and-their-experiences#: :te xt Questions%20of%20identity%20make%20it,hurtful%20mean%20comments%20can%20 be

Whisper Shouting: Elaine Chao, Donald Trump,

and Addressing Xenophobia

By Serena Wu

Our world is a chaotic, loud mess of people trying to amplify their voice, to make their opinion known. There is strength in numbers and power through platforms, making protests and idolized individuals especially helpful for spotlighting a cause. Unfortunately, in a landscape as riddled with division and social justice issues as the United States, movements must be especially widespread and loud to catch attention and gain traction. The fight against asian hate experienced a brief moment in the spotlight following an uptick in AntiAAPI violence in the pandemic, but its social presence has faded since surges of activism in 2020 and 2021.1

I was young, some people deliberately misspelled or mispronounced my name. Asian Americans have worked hard to change that experience for the next generation… [Trump] doesn’t seem to understand that, which says a whole lot more about him than it will ever say about Asian Americans.

Unfortunately, social relevance is not an indicator of the prevalence of racism, and while public awareness may have dwindled, the struggle for Asian Americans continues. Xenophobia has been on the rise since the pandemic and exacerbated by former president Trump dubbing coronavirus the “China virus” or the “Kung Flu”,2 and more recently in 2023 degrading his former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, a Taiwanese immigrant, calling her slurs and criticizing her work after she resigned from his Cabinet following the January 6th riots. When asked if she would publicly answer the aggression, Chao deflected, saying a potential response just ”creates another news cycle” and “it would be very helpful if the media does not just repeat that racist tweet”. Trump slandered Chao and husband Mitch McConnell writing “Does Coco Chow [sic] have anything to do with Joe Biden’s Classified Documents being sent and stored in Chinatown? … Her husband, the Old Broken Crow, is VERY close to Biden, the Democrats, and, of course, China.” He also referred to her as McConnell’s “China-loving wife, Coco Chow.”3

It was only after three highly publicized shootings dubbed the “Lunar New Year shootings” that targeted Asian Americans where Chao gave a rare response to the attack, saying “When I was young, some people deliberately misspelled or mispronounced my name Asian Americans have worked hard to change that experience for the next generation [Trump] doesn’t seem to understand that, which says a whole lot more about him than it will ever say about Asian Americans.”4

But what else comes of these transgressions? Right-wing politicians expressed disapproval with Trump’s opinions,5 but where was the public outcry? Why did Chao stand alone against the insults, opting to ignore the comment, then choose a benevolent and indirect reply to vicious and targeted rhetoric?

The lack of public support may be attributed to other aspects of Chao’s identity as a Republican, married to the controversial Mitch McConnell, but it is worth questioning her initial unwillingness and the overall absence of equally hostile retaliation in the face of personal, mocking insults.

The avoidant strategies may be the product of both the designation of Asians as a “model minority“ and cultural values that emphasize obedience. Asian Americans are perceived to have achieved success and high socioeconomic status through the American dream, building stereotypes that all Asians are innately gifted, particularly in academics and music.6 This grouping is harmful through its disregard of specific ethnicities within the monolith, the nuanced economic disparities between them, and discrediting genuine hard work However, the stereotype associates Asians with positive attributes, and why question a harmless assumption?

The stereotype is reinforced through high achievement of some subgroups of Asian Americans, including a 28% higher acceptance rate into selective American colleges than even White candidates, given similar academic standings.7 This puts Asians at a disadvantage when it comes to affirmative action laws, policies ironically designed to help minority groups Also, these high-achieving Asian Americans are by no means representative of the whole Asian American population. In fact, in 2023, about one in ten Asian Americans lived in poverty Reality is hidden behind a simple and generalized narrative that places the success stories on a pedestal.

This creates a confusing blend of identities: broad positive stereotypes paint Asian minorities favorably, but separate them from other minority groups in levels of privilege How do these upper-class Asians grapple with the appreciation for a country that has enabled their mobility while also enduring xenophobic treatment?

They, like so many groups before, have been subjected to ostracization and violence, a continuous realIty that maintains a typically fleeting presence in the public eye. Like all tragedies, these instances of racially motivated violence and rhetoric are followed by grief, but in the case of AAPI hate, are not instigators for widespread protest. How come the virality of #StopAAPIHate flares up but then dies down so quickly after violent transgressions?

Because the movement works quietly. The leading social justice organization Stop AAPI Hate encourages methods of advocacy outside of the radical forms of headlining, assertive rallies or scathing statements made to the media. In their 2023 report, they spotlight their pushes towards anti-discriminatory legislation and education. After a stabbing of a student at Indiana University, Stop AAPI Hate stepped in and “coordinated a media training workshop for students, connected them with bystander training, provided data and assistance for advocacy, and helped craft messaging for calls to action against anti-Asian hate.” They also advocated for California’s Public Transit for All bill, which “requires the state’s top 10 public transit systems to hear from riders about their experiences with harassment through surveys and outreach” in an attempt to raise awareness of hate experienced on public transportation.9

Stop AAPI Hate is by no means the only organization working towards reducing hate, and although their success is not well known, they have been effective with their efforts. However, this change could be more widely publicized to increase support for the movement. The organization has taken efficient routes that avoid making big, messy fusses, but louder demonstrations and publicity may empower supporters to speak out and draw more attention to the movement. Even outside of participating in the organization’s workshops, making donations, or engaging with pushes for legislation, there are ways to participate in small acts of advocacy: voicing discomfort in the face of discrimination, remaining mindful of biases, keeping up with news and local politics, and above all, practicing compassion to begin envisioning the changes necessary for a more safe, inclusive, and equitable future.

As Yuri Kochiyama, an Asian American civil rights activist, once said: “Remember that consciousness is power. Consciousness is education and knowledge. Consciousness is becoming aware It is the perfect vehicle for students Consciousness-raising is pertinent for power, and be sure that power will not be abusively used, but used for building trust and goodwill domestically and internationally. Tomorrow’s world is yours to build.”10 With this, I urge you to engage in selfreflection, gain consciousness, and use your voice to join the calls for reform: although the movement may work in the background, it is strong and waiting for courageous voices to further the cause. Radical action is not necessarily dramatic: it can be aided through even the quietest whispers.

1 Moynihan, D , & Porumbescu, G (2020, September 16) Trump’s ‘Chinese virus’ slur makes some people blame Chinese Americans. But others blame Trump. The Washington Post https://www washingtonpost com/politics/2020/09/16/trumps-chinesevirus-slur-makes-some-people-blame-chinese-americans-others-blametrump/

Zhou, L (2022, March 15) The Stop Asian Hate movement is at a crossroads Vox https://www vox com/22820364/stop-asian-hate-movement-atlantashootings

2 Concepcion, S (2023, January 26) Elaine Chao issues rare rebuke of Trump over his racist attacks on her NBC News https://www nbcnews com/politics/politics-news/elaine-chao-issues-rarerebuke-trump-racist-attacks-rcna67605

McGraw, M (2023, January 25) The private angst over Donald Trump’s racist attacks on Elaine Chao goes public POLITICO https://www politico com/news/2023/01/25/elaine-chao-donald-trumpracist-attacks-00079478

4 Nzanga, M (2022, October 3) Trump’s racist comment on Elaine Chao, McConnell’s wife, draws criticism from the right USA Today https://www usatoday com/story/news/politics/2022/10/03/trumpscomments-elaine-chao-mitch-mcconnell-draw-fierce-criticism/8166330001/ 5 Blackburn, S -S (2019, March 21) What Is the Model Minority Myth? Learning for Justice. https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/what-is-themodel-minority-myth

7 Ruiz, N G , Tian, Z , & Greenwood, S (2024, March 17) The Hardships and Dreams of Asian Americans Living in Poverty Pew Research Center https://www pewresearch org/race-and-ethnicity/2024/03/27/the-hardshipsand-dreams-of-asian-americans-living-in-poverty/

Spitalniak, L (2013, August 8) Asian American students face tougher admissions odds than their White peers, study says Higher Ed Dive https://www highereddive com/news/asian-american-students-admissionsdisadvantage-white-students/690152/

8 Stop AAPI Hate (2024, March 19) 2023 Impact Report Stop AAPI Hate https://stopaapihate org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2023-ImpactReport pdf

McCarthy, J (2016, May 19) 7 inspiring quotes from the great peace activist Yuri Kochiyama Global Citizen https://www globalcitizen org/en/content/googleyuri-kochiyama-doodle-peace-activist/

The Evolution of Chinatowns

By Brittany Sun

In the late 19th century, imperial powers invaded China, exploiting its resources and throwing the country into a period known as the “Century of Humiliation ” Faced with economic crises and social instability, many native Chinese people sought a new life overseas. During that time, the discovery of gold on the Pacific Coast drew attention worldwide. Waves of Chinese immigrants arrived in California, hoping to escape hardship and find wealth and opportunity abroad.

Instead of the prosperity they envisioned, these immigrants were met with harsh realities: economic challenges, legal discrimination, and social exclusion. In response, many gathered in tight-knit communities, giving rise to what we now call Chinatowns. These neighborhoods weren’t just refuges. They became bastions of Chinese resilience and cultural preservation. Today, the story of these enclaves is one of solidarity, community, and the fight to maintain identity in the face of constant change.

The Early Days of Chinatown

When Chinese immigrants first arrived in San Francisco, which they called “Old Gold Mountain,” they brought more than just their labor and determination for a better life They brought their traditions, hopes, cultural practices, and resilience They helped fuel economic growth through hard labor on the railroads, mines, and farms This diligence resulted in many Americans seeing them as competitors in an already tight job market,

eading to acts of violence and discrimination The United States government formalized this exclusion with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This act severely limited immigration from China, allowing only certain individuals, such as diplomats, merchants, and their families, to enter the United States.

Despite these challenges, Chinese immigrants leaned on each other, creating self-sufficient communities. After the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake, which destroyed many of the city’s vital records, a loophole emerged.

Symbols of Cultural Solidarity

Despite exclusionary laws and rising antiimmigrant sentiment, Chinese communities began to spread beyond the West Coast, establishing Chinatowns in cities like New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. These neighborhoods

became vibrant centers of culture and commerce, with family-owned businesses such as tea shops, dim sum restaurants, and street markets selling fresh produce. Similarly to today’s Flushing Chinatown in New York City, a walk through Main Street is filled with the inviting aroma of food carts and local vendors Streets intertwine with alleys and in brief moments, the tapestry of intermingling dialects is intercepted by snippets of conversations from passersby.

The expansion of Chinatowns across the country was a testament to the power of unity. These neighborhoods became places where dialects like Cantonese and Shanghainese were spoken, family-style dishes like dumplings, congee, and roasted pork were shared, and community gatherings often took place in teahouses and locally-owned eateries. “Sitting down for a shared meal wasn’t just about food–it was about a sense of togetherness, a taste of home,” historian Milton Valencia notes in his research on Chinatowns. These meals embodied resilience, each gathering a quiet resistance to erasure, “reinforcing ties to home and community” even in the face of exclusionary policies (Li, 2005) Chinatowns transformed into more than mere locations– they evolved into homes of belonging, sources of strength, and nurturing environments where resilience blossomed.

From Past to Present

Today, Chinatowns are still essential cultural landmarks, but they face new pressures. Gentrification, rising real estate costs, and the influx of upscale businesses threaten the small family-owned shops that have long been central to these neighborhoods. The economic accessibility that once allowed immigrant families to start businesses and sustain themselves is shrinking, and as a result, Chinatowns are at risk of losing their cultural identity.

In cities like Philadelphia and Boston, community leaders are standing up to these threats opposing development projects that could displace residents and erase the unique character of these neighborhoods Manhattan’s Chinatown, for example, is battling government proposals for a new jail, which many fear would disrupt the neighborhood’s delicate cultural and economic balance. Local resident and activist Grace Lee

highlighted the community's concerns during a recent rally, asking, “Don’t the people of Chinatown have a right to breathe clean air and live in safe places?” This sentiment echoes the worries of many who feel that the jail project symbolizes a broader trend of gentrification that has already led to significant displacement within the community. These struggles point to a larger issue: the need to preserve spaces where cultural histories can continue to thrive and evolve

Looking Forward

The story of Chinatowns is about the power of solidarity and community resilience. As we face modern challenges like gentrification and systemic exclusionary sentiments, the history of these neighborhoods reminds us of the importance of unity. Chinatowns represent more than a geographic location. Rather, they symbolize generations of Chinese Americans who fought for their place in society and our place in the ongoing narrative of Asian American identity.

Moving forward, we must actively engage with these histories: supporting local businesses, encouraging cultural events, and advocating for policies that protect these spaces Our

commitment to solidarity shouldn’t stop there. The values that have sustained Chinatowns over the years–mutual support, cultural preservation, and resistance to injustice–extend beyond the Asian American community. Chinatowns have not only been testaments to Asian solidarity but have also commenced grassroots movements like the Asian American Political Alliance, which was established in 1968 at UC Berkeley during a period of intense activism, unifying various Asian ethnic groups to advocate for political representation and social justice. Likewise, contemporary initiatives like #StopAsianHate demonstrate the continued relevance of Chinatowns in advocating for justice and solidarity among all marginalized communities.

This is a call to action, a reminder that the fight for cultural preservation and justice transcends borders and identities, but for all groups striving for a world where every person in every community has a better chance

Acolin, Arthur and Domenic Vitiello “Who Owns Chinatown: Neighbourhood Preservation and Change in Boston and Philadelphia ” Urban Studies, June 2018 https://journals sagepub com/doi/full/10 1177/0042098017699366

“History of San Francisco’s Chinatown ” History com A&E Television Networks, May 25, 2017 https://www history com/topics/immigration/san-franciscochinatown

Hsieh, S (2022, March 24) The new mega jail coming to NYC’s Chinatown is a physical reminder of anti-Asian hate Prism Reports

https://prismreports org/2022/03/24/the-new-mega-jail-coming-to-nycschinatown-is-a-physical-reminder-of-anti-asian-hate/ Li, Wei “Beyond Chinatown, Beyond Enclave: Reconceptualizing Contemporary Chinese Settlements in the United States ” GeoJournal 64, no 1 (2005): 31–40

doi:https://doi org/10 1007/s10708-005-3921-6

https://www proquest com/scholarly-journals/beyond-chinatown-enclavereconceptualizing/docview/223667129/se-2?accountid 51599

McKeown, Adam “Ritualization of Regulation: The Enforcement of Chinese Exclusion in the United States and China.” The American Historical Review 108, no 2 (2003): 377–403 https://doi org/10 1086/533239

Valencia, Milton J “Ethnic Enclave, Endangered: Rising Rents and New Condos Are Driving Chinese Out of Chinatown ” Boston Globe, Dec 01, 2019

Terrell, Ellen “Chinese Americans and the Gold Rush ” Inside Adams: Science, Technology & Business, January 28, 2021

Wilson, Kathryn E “From Bachelor Enclave to Urban Village: The Evolution of Early Chinatown ” Pennsylvania Legacies 12, no 1 (2012): 12–17

https://doi org/10 5215/pennlega 12 1 0012

“The values that have The values that have sustained Chinatowns sustained Chinatowns over the years– over the years–mutual support, mutual support, cultural cultural reservation, reservation, and resistance to and resistance to injustice–extend injustice–extend beyond the Asian beyond the Asian American community. American community.

T h e K o r e a n

A m e r i c a n

E x p e r i e n c e

“Tradition” Oil on Canvas, 20" by 20"

Traditional Korean stoneware-making

“Kim” Digital Art

A South Korean immigrant family’s life, through photographs in a scrapbook

B y M e l i s s a M o o n