This past Saturday, May 6th marked the 135th anniversary of the signing of the Chinese Exclusion Act:
“The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers. The act followed the Angell Treaty of 1880, a set of revisions to the US–China Burlingame Treaty of 1868 that allowed the US to suspend Chinese immigration. The act was initially intended to last for 10 years, but was renewed in 1892 with the Geary Act and made permanent in 1902. The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first law implemented to prevent a specific ethnic group from immigrating to the United States. It was repealed by the Magnuson Act on December 17, 1943.”
No More Exclusion! (a coalition of community organizations and individuals united to affirm our shared values for inclusion, justice, community safety and keeping our families together) organized a “Rally for Inclusion: 135th Anniversary of Chinese Exclusion” in Chinatown in San Francisco on the anniversary event – as a reminder that history can often repeat itself:
“Experts point to the parallels between the political climate of the exclusion era and today: a close and contentious presidential election that stirred anti-immigrant sentiment; the growing economic anxiety of white Americans; and policies that would drastically shape the country’s immigration laws.”
This is especially true with the Trump administration’s Muslim ban. It was heartening to see the turnout and protest signs in solidarity with other more recent immigrant groups. Chinese Americans, especially in the San Francisco area, are the oldest Asian American ethnic group to have settled in the United States – and were the first to face discrimination.
Speakers and Performers Include:
- Charlie Chin
Seniors for Justice, community historian, storyteller, musicianChito Cuellar
Unite Here! Local 2Dr. Satsuki Ina
Former Tule Lake incarceree, pscyotherapist, filmmakerRev. Norman Fong
Chinatown Community Development CenterRabbi Lynn Gottlieb
Jewish Voice for PeaceLion Dance ME
Lion dance performers groupHong Mei Pang
Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA)Jean Teodoro & Caitlyn Clark
Youth SpeaksMabel Teng
Chinese Culture Center of San FranciscoSameena Usman
CAIR – San Francisco Bay AreaEddy Zheng
Asian Prisoner Support CommitteeHelen Zia
Activist, author of Asian American Dreams
Additional photos from the event:
