Wong Kim Ark mural “I Am an American” created by Twin Walls Mural Company and Vogue
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Honoring a Chinatown native whose legacy established the principle for birthright citizenship in the U.S..
ABOUT WONG KIM ARK
Wong Kim Ark was an American-born Chinese laborer whose legal battle established the foundational principle of birthright citizenship in the United States. He was born in San Francisco in 1873 to Chinese immigrants who ran a merchant business in Chinatown and were legal residents in the U.S.
In 1889, his parents returned to China amid the rise of anti-Chinese sentiment in the U.S. Wong joined them only briefly and returned to California in 1890 to work as a cook. Years later, he returned to China for a more extended period and when he returned to the U.S. in 1895, Wong was detained on a steamship in San Francisco Bay. Immigration officials argued he was not a citizen because his parents were “subjects of the Emperor of China.”
ABOUT UNITED STATES V. WONG KIM ARK
Despite having notarized papers from white witnesses confirming his birth in San Francisco, customs officials denied him entry, claiming he was a “Chinese subject” and not a U.S. citizen. He was detained for approximately six months on steamships in the San Francisco Bay while his case moved through the courts. Supported by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, his case reached the Supreme Court. In a 6-2 decision, the Court ruled that the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause guaranteed citizenship to all born on U.S. soil, regardless of race or their parents’ status.
"I Am an American"
The mural, titled “I am an American,” elevates the story of Wong Kim Ark and his fight for citizenship. It depicts a portrait of Wong surrounded by images of historic Chinese immigrants from the 1800s and early depictions of San Francisco’s Chinatown and the San Francisco Bay. The mural located at the corner of Sacramento Street and Grant Avenue includes historic representations of the members of the Six Companies CCBA, the organization that helped pay for Wong’s legal representation during his historic court cases in the late 1800s.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Norman “Vogue” Chuck has been painting with aerosol for more than 35 years as a graffiti pioneer innovating spray can techniques. Vogue started as a youth painting Oakland’s train yards, learning to manipulate letter structures and styles. Today, he continues to evolve, blending dynamic color choices and mirrored reflections of the environment in his murals. Vogue’s work has been featured from Hawaii to Dubai, with clients such as Netflix, Red Bull, Converse, and the Golden State Warriors.
Marina Perez-Wong has worked as a muralist and teaching artist throughout the Bay Area and New York City. Marina has created and collaborated on murals for a variety of communities and clients, including the San Francisco Giants, the Asian Art Museum, Google, Chase Stadium (for the Golden State Warriors), the San Francisco Arts Commission, and more. Her work is rooted in empowering communities and fostering creativity through vibrant and meaningful art.
Elaine Chu was born and raised in San Francisco. She graduated from the School of the Arts High School and continued to study drawing, painting, and art history at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. She is also the co-founder of the mural collaborative Twin Walls Mural Company alongside Marina Perez-Wong. Since 2013, they have painted over 30 murals together with various communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, including murals at SFMOMA, the Asian Art Museum, Chinese Historical Society of America, and Twitter HQ. Elaine’s murals are brightly colored and semi-realistic, using symbology related to nature, women, spirituality, justice, and community to manifest changes she wishes to see in the world.
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Learning from Wong Kim Ark’s Story
These classroom materials provide information for elementary school, middle school, and high school educators who are teaching about immigration policies, birthright citizenship and the 14th Amendment, and Wong Kim Ark.
This classroom material guide spotlights the “I Am an American” mural and its contents:
- Wong Kim Ark
- The Exclusion Period (from 1882-1943)
- Frederick Douglass
- Angel Island Immigration Station
- Anti-Asian sentiment in America
Important reflective takeaways include:
- What does it mean to be an American?
- What does it mean to be “free?”
- How does Wong Kim Ark’s story impact your view of civil rights?