People associate the Bay Area with technology and Silicon Valley. Asian Americans in the region are often thought of as engineers and software writers. But in the last century, agriculture was a major industry and employer of Asian Americans. A Stanford University project called Forgotten Flowers is uncovering the history of Asian American Flower Growers in the San Francisco Bay Area.
I grew up in the Bay Area, and some of my Asian American classmates’ families were in the flower business. Asian Americans farmers for a time could not legally own land. In that era, leasing a small farm and growing flowers was a way to make a living. University Archaeologist Laura Jones says that there is substantial literature about the history of Bay Area orchards but little about flowers. Forgotten Flowers aims to create an exhibit that allows users to explore a map of historical flower farm data, accompanied by family interviews.
This is very timely. My current ethnoburb in the Santa Clara Valley paved over former agricultural lands. When I first moved in during the 1990’s, I could choose between two long standing flower shops in the neighborhood. Chinese Americans ran one, and Japanese Americans ran the other. The Bay Area Chrysanthemum Growers Association Cooperative (sign above) had a warehouse and meeting space within walking distance. A few years ago, both flower shops closed. The Chrysanthemum Co-op building is now for lease, and the co-op has moved out to be closer to operating farms. I am happy that the project will preserve a unique piece of Asian American history.
Forgotten Flowers is part of Stanford’s Community Engagement Impact Projects.
