1882 Foundation
Due to space constraints in my book, I wasn’t able to fully include the good and important work of the 1882 Foundation which promotes public awareness of the history and continued impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
A wave of laws was enacted by Congress in 1882 to prohibit Chinese from immigrating to the United States. At present - the Chinese Exclusion Act, which was signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur, is the only congressional act of Congress that specifically mentions the exclusion of a race by name.
Subsequent laws included The Scott Act of 1888 which prohibited Chinese living in America from re-entering the United States after they had traveled outside the country. The Geary Act of 1902 required proof of documentation to remain in the United States, otherwise swift deportation or detention ensued.
The United States did not admit wrong nor condemn these laws until 2011 and 2012 when the successful passages of unanimous Senate and House resolutions were introduced by Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) and Representative Judy Chu (D- CA 28th district) and which set the stage for a Presidential Statement of Apology.
According to The Southern Poverty Law Center’s website (www.splcenter.org), our nation bore witness to a horrifying rise in incidents of violence, harassment, and intimidation against Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander people after some in positions of authority — including former President Donald Trump — weaponized the pandemic to escalate anti-Asian rhetoric and inflame racial divides. According to the FBI, from 2020 to 2021, hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) population increased to the highest level ever recorded.
It would not be until 2021 when the City of Antioch (California) became the first city in the United States to issue a public apology to the Chinese community for the torching of its Chinatown and the lynching of its citizens. Subsequent public apologies were issued by the Cities of Los Angeles, San Jose, and Denver.
The 1882 Foundation is committed to strengthening public education about the Chinese experiences in the United States. Through their conferences, historic preservation efforts, digital archives, Literature and Art programs, and the advocacy of state standards of learning to include core curricula on the topic of Chinese exclusion, I encourage you to learn more about this venerable organization as we continue the fight against Asian hate. https://1882foundation.org/