The Chinese of California: A Struggle for Community Exhibit is now open at the California Historical Society.
02/07/2008 [Thurs] - 08/30/2008 [Sat]


Through a unique collection of artifacts, images, documents, and personal stories, The Chinese of California explores the complex history and unique challenges of Chinese Americans in their fight for civil rights. As legislation exemplified by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 removed the constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the law for people of Chinese descent, discrimination and violent attacks intensified against them, leaving Chinese Californians to fight for basic human rights—and for the very existence of their communities.

A first-ever collaboration of The Bancroft Library of the University of California at Berkeley, California Historical Society, and Chinese Historical Society of America, The Chinese of California. will challenge preconceptions about the Chinese immigrant experience by telling the story through the voices of Chinese Californians themselves.

Featuring a range of original materials from these three leading institutions rarely seen by the public, The Chinese of California includes photographs, political cartoons, illustrations, letters, business records, and legal papers, to share these stories:

· In Our Own Words: California's Chinese American Press

· Redefining American Immigration: The Chinese Exclusion Act and the Struggle for Equal Protection under the Law

· Expulsions and Alliances: Forging community in Heinlenville, a San Jose Chinatown, 1887-1930s

· Creating Community: the Chinatowns of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Jose

Beyond San Francisco, from the Sacramento River Delta to San Jose's Heinlenville, down to Los Angeles and other communities throughout the state, The Chinese of California reveals experiences of Chinese Californians as they join countless other immigrants in defining what it means to be a Californian and an American. The Chinese of California: A Struggle For Community will be open to the public through August 30, 2008. The California Historical Society Gallery is located at 678 Mission Street, San Francisco. Hours: Wednesday through Saturday 12 noon to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.californiahistoricalsociety.org
http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org