On May 10, 2019, CHSA Board Emeritus, historian and railroad worker descendant Connie Young Yu represented CHSA at the Spike 150 celebration. Her speech opened the event at Promontory Point, Utah, celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the U.S. Transcontinental Railroad. Connie’s speech paid homage to Chinese railroad workers and called for the reclaiming of immigrants’ rightful place in history. Her presence also fulfills a mission begun 50 years ago by CHSA President Phil Choy at the Centennial. Below we’ve rounded up press coverage of this historic event: NBC News: “Thousands gather to reclaim Chinese railroad workers’ place in history” by … [read more →]
Spike 150: Thousands travel from around the country and world … (Deseret News)
By Lauren Bennett Published: May 10, 2019 6:04 pm PROMONTORY SUMMIT, Box Elder — People from all walks of life came together Friday morning for the inaugural day of the three-day celebration marking the 150th anniversary of the driving of the golden spike. ….To kick off the ceremony, elementary-age children performed the “Chinese Lion Dance: Good Luck and Happiness,” which was met with cheers from the crowd. Connie Young Yu, author, historian, lecturer on Chinese American issues and Chinese railroad worker descendent, opened the speech portion of the ceremony, noting the erasure of an estimated 15,000 to 25,000 Chinese railroad … [read more →]
Chinese-American pride celebrated in 150th anniversary of Transcontinental Railroad (WKZO.com)
Thursday, May 09, 2019 By Terray Sylvester PROMONTORY, Utah (Reuters) – Connie Young Yu says that when her parents joined a delegation of fellow Chinese-Americans attending a 1969 event commemorating the centennial of the first U.S. Transcontinental Railroad, they were snubbed, upstaged by Hollywood star John Wayne. Now 50 years later, she and others descended from Chinese immigrants who built much of the cross-country rail line are looking forward to the 150th “Golden Spike” anniversary in Utah for rightful recognition they say is long overdue. “It’s our connection to and participation in American society,” Yu, 77, a board member of … [read more →]
Recovering an erased history: The Chinese railroad workers who helped connect the country (NBCNews)
Published April 22, 2019, 8:26 AM PDT By Chris Fuchs They thought this was their chance. May 10, 1969, marked 100 years since the golden spike was hammered in at Promontory, Utah, signifying the completion of America’s first transcontinental railroad — a monumental engineering feat that linked together the nation’s coasts. A ceremony commemorating the anniversary drew a crowd of around 20,000. Among the attendees were Philip P. Choy, president of the San Francisco-based Chinese Historical Society of America, and Thomas W. Chinn, one of its founders. Centennial officials had agreed to set aside five minutes of the ceremony for … [read more →]
SF Examiner: Officials seek to rename Julius Kahn Playground over history of anti-Asian racism
On April 30, 2018, CHSA hosted a press conference where a coalition of city officials and advocates called for the renaming of Julius Kahn Playground, due to the anti-Asian policies and rhetoric of the U.S. congressman after which it is named. “The fact is, history matters,” said Hoyt Zia, president of the Chinese Historical Society of America’s Board of Directors. “The names of places should reflect The City as it is now.” Congressman Kahn represented San Francisco from 1899-1903 & 1905-1924. The Chinese Exclusion Act was first signed into law in 1882, but as it was set to sunset Kahn … [read more →]
TechSoup & CHSA in conversation on Facebook Live
TechSoup’s Lewis Haidt and Molly Bacon visited CHSA on February 22, 2017 as part of their Community Broadcast series of conversations with non-profits. The Facebook Live broadcast featured interviews with Amy Lam, Communications Manager and Pam Wong, Deputy Director with discussions about CHSA’s exhibitions, marketing and outreach strategies, and re-imagining historical societies for the future. TechSoup Facebook Live video >
CHSA in “Rainy Day Survival Guide to SF” by Gourmet Globetrotter
Many thanks to Phil Zimmerman of Gourmet Globetrotter for including CHSA in his “Rainy Day Survival Guide to San Francisco.” Read it here: http://www.gourmetglobetrotter.com/2017/02/13/rainy-day-survival-guide-to-san-francisco/
CHSA shares history of the SF Chinese New Year Parade with KTVU
“The Parade is a manifestation of the community’s desire to be a part of American society,” CHSA Executive Director Sue Lee tells KTVU reporter Jana Katsuyama, while sharing CHSA’s archives to uncover the history of the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade. Former Parade Directors Wayne Hu and David Lei and current Parade hosts Ben Fong-Torres and Julie Heiner are also interviewed. Watch the segment on KTVU’s website: San Francisco Chinese New Year parade, now grand, had humble start
