Transcontinental Railroad 150th Anniversary
Boston’s Chinese community will celebrate the Transcontinental Railroad’s 150th “Golden Spike” Anniversary with a traveling exhibition which tells the story of the Chinese laborers who made up 90% of the Central Pacific Railroad’s workforce. This seven-panel exhibition will on public view at various locations throughout Greater Boston during the months of May and June 2019.
Traveling Exhibition Panels
The Chinese and the Iron Road: Building the Transcontinental provides a historical overview of the Chinese railroad workers who were instrumental in building the United States’ first Transcontinental Railroad. Utilizing graphic panels, the exhibit features historical and contemporary photos, illustrations, stories of descendants of the workers, and bilingual Chinese/English text.
Past Events
“Chinese Americans, the Chinese Exclusion Act, and the Ongoing Question of Who Gets to be an American”
Wednesday, June 26th, 7:00 – 8:30
Leominster Public Library | 30 West St, Leominster
Lecture by Fitchburg State University Professor Benjamin Railton
More information
“The Chinese Question in the Afterlife of Slavery”
Wednesday, June 17th, 7:00 – 8:30
Leominster Public Library | 30 West St, Leominster
Lecture by Caroline H. Yang
More information
150th Anniversary of the Transcontiental Railroad
Monday, June 17th, 1:00 – 3:00
Massachusetts State House | 24 Beacon St, Boston
Program by the Asian Community Development Corporation featuring UMass Boston Professor Denise Khor, Trisha Obsequio, Harvard Director of Inclusion Programs Kimberly Truong, and descendants of Chinese railroad workers.
“Debunking Myths About the Chinese Railroad Workers”
Wednesday, June 12th, 3:00 – 4:30
Leominster Public Library | 30 West St, Leominster
Lecture by Richard Cheu
More information
“Being Asian American”
Friday, June 7th, 3:00 – 5:00
Harvard Commons at the Smith Campus Center | 1350 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge
Interactive Panel Discussion & Commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontiental Railroad
More information
“Early Chinese Migrants in Massachusetts”
Wednesday, June 5th, 7:00 – 8:30
Leominster Public Library | 30 West St, Leominster
Lecture by Mount Holyoke Professor Anthony W. Lee
More information
Building Towards the Golden Spike: 150th Anniversary
Saturday, May 18th, 1:00
Paramount Theatre | 599 Washington St, Boston
Screening of Loni Ding’s short documentary “Canton Army in the High Sierras: Chinese Workers Build America’s First Transcontiental Railroad” with lecture by UMass Boston Professor Denise Khor
More information
WGBH Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration
Thursday, May 9th, 6:00 -9:00
WGBH | 1 Guest St, Boston
Featuring the first-ever Asian American US Cabinet Secretary, Norman Mineta, a dinner reception and a performance by Wah Lum Kung Fu and Tai Chi Academy
Livestream of the panel discussion with Norman Mineta
“Beyond Fortune Cookies: Confronting Asian American Stereotypes”
Wednesday, May 8th, 6:00 – 9:00
Beebe School | 401 Pleasant St, Malden
Join a group of distinguished panelists for a discussion of Asian-American stereotypes and the experience of being Asian American today.
More information
Boston Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration
Tuesday, May 7th, 11:30 – 1:30
Boston City Hall | 1 City Hall Square, Boston
Join Mayor Walsh in celebrating APA Heritage month with live music, cultural activities, and refreshments
More information
Asian American Commission (AAC) Unity Dinner
Friday, May 3rd, 6:00 – 9:30
Crowne Plaza Boston | 15 Middlesex Canal Park, Woburn
More information
Press
“Chinese Workers Remembered at 150th Transcontiental Railroad Ceremony,” Sampan Newspaper, June 18, 2019
“Norman Mineta Reflects on Identity at WGBH,” Sampan Newspaper, May 10, 2019
“Unity Dinner Gathers Asian American Community in New England, ” Sampan Newspaper, May 8, 2019
“Boston’s Chinatown to Honor Transcontinental Railroad Workers,” Sampan Newspaper, May 3, 2019
The Chinese and the Iron Road was organized by the Chinese Historical Society of America (CSHA) and the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University.
This program is funded in part by Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
A special thank you to all of the organizations that worked to make these events possible:
Top image: “Across the Continent. The snow sheds on the Central Pacific Railroad in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. From a sketch by Joesph Becker.” Originally printed in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, Vol. 29, February 6, 1870, p. 346.
CHSNE’s Online Bookstore
CHSNE’s bookstore is now online! Check out our collection of Chinese-American titles, including our own “Chinese in Boston: 1870 -1965.” All proceeds go directly to supporting CHSNE’s programs and operations.
Celebrating the Life of Caroline Chang
CHSNE honors the memory of one of our co-founders, Caroline Chang, who passed away on April 21st. Caroline Chang was awarded CHSNE’s Sojourner Award in 2017 for her efforts in representing and preserving the many stories of Boston’s Chinatown.
Caroline Chang grew up in Chinatown, on the historic Hudson Street. Chang dedicated her life to community causes as a founder of CHSNE and as a founding Board Member and President of the Asian Community Development Corporation. She also served as the Manager of Chinatown’s Little City Hall for the Mayor’s Office of Public Service in the 70s, and as Regional Manager for Office for Civil Rights for the US Department of Health and Human Services for over 20 years. You can read more about her life achievements in CHSNE’s 2017 Chronicle.
Caroline’s family has requested that in lieu of flowers, in her memory/honor you may consider donating to community agencies of which she has made ground breaking contributions, including CHSNE.
Caroline and brother Reggie play and pose in front of the tenements of Hudson Street in the 1940s.
Memorial Service
Saturday, July 14th, 11:00 a.m.
Josiah Quincy Elementary School Auditorium
885 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111
Master of Ceremonies/Host:
Peter Chan
Speakers:
Stephen Tang- South Cove Community Health Center
Stuart Graham-U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare & later Department of Health & Human Services
Paul Lee- Asian American Lawyers Association
Frederick Dow- Harry Dow Foundation
Jacquie Kay- Asian Community Development Corporation
Peter Kiang- Chinese Historical Society of New England
Paul Chan – Life in Chinatown with Caroline
Deanna Wong- Memories of Caroline
After Sharing:
Family invites all to lunch at School Cafeteria
Caroline (center), then 1st woman Secretary of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England at the Ground Breaking Ceremony of Tai Tung Village in the early 1970s.
Chinatown Mural Tour
Ever pondered the who, what, how of Chinatown’s many public murals? Wonder no more! In honor of ArtWeek Boston, join the Chinese Historical Society of New England (CHSNE) for a 60-min walking tour of public murals in Chinatown, revealing the stories and history behind them. Don’t miss this exclusive offering, available only for ArtWeek!
Dates: Saturday, April 28th @ 10:30am, and Tuesday, May 1st @ 5:30pm. General Admission: $15; CHSNE Member: $12. Space is limited, registration in advance is highly recommended.
The tour will begin at the China Trade Building at 2 Boylston Street, on the lower atrium level in front of the CHSNE office and the Chinatown branch of the Boston Public Library. We are a short walk from the Chinatown and Boylston MBTA stops.
This event will be an outdoor walking tour, please dress appropriately. CHSNE reserves the right to cancel and refund the tour in the case of extreme weather conditions.
New videos from the Boston Chinatown Heritage Project
CHSNE and CSTO created videos documenting local history
Chinese American Experiences: Mass. Memories Road Show
CHSNE partnered with UMass Boston to hold a Mass. Memories Road Show one June 2nd
Who Is American?: Chinese Exclusion, Japanese Internment, and Today
Screening, Reading and Discussion
Thursday, December 7th at 6:30pm
Old South Meeting House, 310 Washington St, Boston, MA 02108
How have politics shaped our perceptions of Americanness throughout U.S. history? And how do today’s conversations on immigration and exclusion compare with political, legal, and cultural scenarios from our past? On the 76th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, join this dynamic conversation about the ongoing struggle to define who is American. View an excerpt of The Chinese Exclusion Act, a documentary on the United States’ first significant immigration restriction law, passed in 1882. Then hear director Benny Sato Ambush read an excerpt from the acclaimed play Hold These Truths, based on the true story of Japanese-American Gordon Hirabayashi, who resisted internment during WWII. Paul Watanabe, Director of the Institute for Asian American Studies, will remark on connections between Chinese exclusion, Japanese internment, and today’s immigration issues. A panel discussion and community conversation will conclude the event.
Click here to reserve your FREE seats
This program is made possible with support from the Lowell Institute, Tufts Medical Center, and South Cove Community Health Center
Co-presented by CHSNE and Old South Meeting House with support from Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Institute for Asian American Studies at UMass Boston, Japanese American Citizens League-New England, ArtsEmerson, and Boston Asian American Film Festival
CHSNE’s 25th Anniversary Banquet
Friday, September 29th, 6:00-9:00pm
Hei La Moon
88 Beach Street
Boston, Massachusetts
Please join us in celebrating:
Sojourner Awardees
The early Chinese immigrant pioneers were typically sojourners–workers looking for a piece of the Gold Mountain to take back to China to help their families. Many faced conditions of racism, exclusion and economic exploitation, even as they helped build and transform America. Our place today in this society rests, in part, on their legacy. It is in memory of their unrecognized struggles and profound contributions that CHSNE presents the Sojourner Award.
Caroline Chang
Caroline Chang grew up in Chinatown, on the historic Hudson Street. Chang dedicated her life to community causes as a founder of CHSNE and as a founding Board Member and President of the Asian Community Development Corporation. She also served as the Manager of Chinatown’s Little City Hall for the Mayor’s Office of Public Service in the 70s, and as Regional Manager for Office for Civil Rights for the US Department of Health and Human Services for over 20 years.
American Legion Boston Chinatown Post 328
The American Legion formed in 1919 to provide services to veterans, service members and communities, and has evolved from a group of war-weary veterans of World War I into one of the most influential nonprofit groups in the United States. Over the years, the Legion has influenced considerable social change in America, won hundreds of benefits for veterans and produced many important programs for children and youth. Post 328 members are mindful of the American Legion creed of “For God and Country” and continue to uphold its tradition for the love of duty, honor, God, country, and community.
With special presentations on:
Old Quincy School
CHSNE partnered with Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) and the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England (CCBA) to register the first site for its connection to Chinese in Boston to the National Register of Historic Places. Over the past year, consultants wrote the nomination for CCBA’s Old Quincy School building, and an overview document about the Chinese in Boston. These two documents are now public record, allowing future researchers/generations the opportunity to know about the experience of our ancestors and community.
Chinatown Atlas
The Boston Chinatown Atlas is a collaborative project led by MIT Professor Emeritus Tunney Lee, in collaboration with CHSNE and many community members, students, and organizations. The project documents and explores Chinatown’s growth and change through time as told by personal stories, photos, maps, and interactive features on the website.
Please consider sponsoring CHSNE’s 25th anniversary banquet or purchasing a greeting in the program book. Click here for sponsor information.
25th Anniversary Sponsors
2017 Banquet Sponsors
Gold Sponsor
John & Stephanie Fan
Silver Sponsor
Eastern Bank
Bronze Sponsors
Cambridge Savings Bank
Peter & Laura Chan
Thomas & May Chin
Karyn Wong Ching
Paul Lee
Peter Ng
Table Hosts
American Legion Boston Chinatown – Post 328
Bridgewater State University
Caroline Chang
Helen Chin Schlichte
Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of New England
Selina Chow
Stephanie Fan
Gee How Oak Tin Association of New England
South Cove Manor
Suffolk University
Banquet Panning Committee
Jessica Wong Camhi
Carmen Chan
Susan Chinsen
Sherry Dong
Stephanie Fan
Christine Nguyen
Peter Tam
Nancy Wong
Yolanda Zhang
