Abstract During the interview, David Chen discusses his experience as a Chinese American activist and director of the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), and his theory of activism. When Chen was younger, he rarely spoke. He would always wait for someone else to say the right thing, to which he would then agree. One time, as a younger student, he was forced to present a project because two of his partners did not show up. One of his classmates expressed how well-spoken he was and at that moment,...

Abstract In this interview, David Chen discusses his work at Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) as an activist in New York City's Chinatown. Chen is the director of CPC, a private organization started in 1965 serving the public and focusing on low-income immigrant families, mostly Chinese. Services offered include language classes, translations, daycare centers, job training for adults, senior citizen care, childcare, and Meals on Wheels. Prior to his work at CPC, Chen worked for the mayor in...

Abstract Doniyar Sobitov was raised in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and moved to Brooklyn, NY. He opened his Halal, Uzbek, Asian fusion restaurant called Café Kashkar. The restaurant is run by his family. Sobitov worked as a cook in China and learned techniques to bring back to his own restaurant. He is considering attending culinary school in China for the future. Café Kashkar’s food is based on the region Kashgar, which is located in China. He explains the importance of food to him and is family as a way...

Abstract Dr Ee Tay sits down with MOCA to discuss her childhood, upbringing, and influences in her personal life that made her decide to choose a career in medicine. She remembers her time spent in hospitals and nursing homes with her mother that influenced her to choose a career in medicine, specifically as a pediatrician. She has helped the underserved and underprivileged elders in her community through her various projects. She helped her hospitals overcome barriers of communication and distance...

Abstract In this interview, Edmundo Quinones discusses his life as a first-generation working-class Puerto Rican American. He reflects on the challenges he has faced as a Latino growing up in a White neighborhood; particularly discrimination, and strengthening his Latino identity while avoiding mainstream assimilation. He provides an overarching view on the American dream: class mobility (both upward and downward), ethnic relations, and neighborhood change. He describes the Brooklyn neighborhood of...

Abstract Frank Liu, former Director of Technology at MOCA, sits down with Tomie Arai to conduct an oral history recounting his experience growing up in Chinatown during the ‘90s and early 2000s. Liu discusses his family’s history and their experience immigrating to the U.S. from Fuzhou, Fujian when he was seventeen years old, in 1998. He discusses how his uncle was able to sponsor his family to come to the U.S. and how his family moved to Chinatown initially upon their arrival. He discusses how even...

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In this oral history interview, Genia Blaser shares her experience working as a staff attorney at the Immigrant Defense Project and how her work informs contemporary immigration laws and policies. She talks about how she is connected to the Golden Venture story and what must be done to bring about meaningful change to help at-risk immigrant communities in the United States today.

Abstract George Chew was born in 1950 and grew up in New York’s Chinatown. His family immigrated from Hainan, a province in Southern China. His father was not home often for work. He enjoyed his father’s cooking, and eventually learned to cook on his own. His skillset grew while he moved to Washington to study law. Now an immigration judge, Chew continues to cook and hold banquets. Of these gatherings, he cooks both western and Chinese food. Chew gets his influence from cook books and learns to adapt...

Abstract In this interview of Gilroy and Sally Chow (interviewed separately), the couple talk about their relationship with food throughout their live. As second or third generation immigrants of an ethnic Chinese background who grew up in the American South, their interview reveals the way that Chinese food is passed down through generations as a powerful component of culture and the way it morphs over time to become apart of the multifaceted lives of immigrant families. Gilroy and Sally express...

Abstract Grace Young is celebrated and award winning Chinese America chef and cookbook author. Born and raised in San Francisco, California with her brother and Cantonese parents, Young’s love of Cantonese cuisine began early in her childhood. She fondly recalls her mother’s home cooked meals made with authentic Chinese ingredients and cooking techniques. Young’s introduction to non-Chinese food came through Julia Child’s television show, which inspired Young to apprentice under French cooking...