Abstract Daniel Chu was born in Kohanaiki, Hawaii in 1914, the tenth child in a large family of eight boys and four girls. His father’s parents were Hakka and had first migrated to Trinidad or Jamaica in the 1870s to work on rice or sugar plantations. After their contracts ended, they sent his father, who was eight years old at the time, back to their home village in Guangdong Province. When he was eighteen, they sent for him to join them where they had settled in Honolulu, Hawaii. Daniel’s mother...

Abstract In this oral history Don Kao discusses his life living in Chinatown along with his involvement in Asian American and gay rights activism organizations. Kao first discusses his family background along with the professions his parents had. He compares the different cities he grew up in along with the schools he went to during his childhood. The interview continues as Kao comments on the racism in the community he grew up in along with meeting other Chinese Americans. His experiences during the...

Abstract This interview with Dr. Paul Chu (b. 1925) was conducted by an NYU graduate student who was working with the Chinatown History Project (now MOCA) to collect stories for a workshop on earlier generations of Italian American and Chinese American students at PS 23 (Public School 23). Paul, a dentist and longtime resident of Chinatown, grew up in Oakland’s Chinatown and moved to New York in the 1930s with his parents at the age of 8 or 9. His grandfather, a merchant in San Francisco, was the...

Abstract In this interview, Dr. Sun-Hoo Foo discusses his profession as a doctor in Chinatown as well as his personal family background. Dr. Sun-Hoo Foo talks about his cultural roots, his training, his specialty as the director of neurology, and the aftermath of 9/11 and how 9/11 impacted his patients. Dr. Sun-Hoo Foo He mentions how there are multiple outreach organizations throughout America and Canada that help Chinese immigrants who are sick. He mentions the differences between Western and...

Abstract Elizabeth Ng talks about growing up in Depression Era New York City living in a big family and participating in the neighborhood church. She speaks about her brothers going to war and her parents’ relationship and histories. Growing up she went to Washington Irving high School and then Hunter College. She also reflects upon her sister dancing in the World’s Fair in Queens. After college with a degree in teaching she became a teacher in New York City. She discusses her relationships with the...

Abstract In this interview, Guillermo and Norma Wong discuss their unique situation as a Chinese-Peruvian family living in a Chinese-Latino section of the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn; facing anti-Chinese slurs made by Latino residents, for example. They describe the ethnic makeup of their neighborhood, the politics of ethnic identity, racism, and discrimination. The Wongs recall the challenges of making it in America; finding housing, learning English, finding a job, and understanding...

Abstract Herbert Leung speaks about his childhood growing up in a Chinese American family in the Chinatown neighborhood of New York City. He speaks about his elementary school and teen years regarding what he liked to do (watch movies and play sports) and how participating in sports gave him a chance to travel around the country. He also reflects upon the generational differences between him and his parents as well as him and his own children. He is asked of his sister’s performances at the China...

Abstract Jack Tchen along with Charlie Lai are founders of the Chinatown History Project, which has gone on to become the Museum of Chinese in America. In this multiple part interview Tchen discusses growing up in Wisconsin and his family’s ties to China. He then recounts his time at Madison college and how he got more involved in activism and Asian American studies. Next he discusses his time working at Basement workshop, how he met Charlie and working on exhibitions. He left Basement workshop with...

Abstract Jeanie Chin has been a resident of Park Row for over twenty years. Her parents were from Toisan, China. Her mother was the main caretaker and a garment factory worker in Chinatown, while her father is a World War 2 veteran who returned to work as laundry worker, restaurant owner and landowner. Jeanie recalls her childhood living in the Bronx and spending time in Chinatown during the sixties and seventies and describes Chinatown as smaller and populated mainly by people from Toisan and...