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
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“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
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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
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“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
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“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
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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
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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.
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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
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Asian American Commission (AAC) Unity Dinner
Friday, May 3rd, 6:00 – 9:30
Crowne Plaza Boston | 15 Middlesex Canal Park, Woburn
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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.
Chinese Historical Society of New England administrator
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