As many of you know, more
than 12,000 workers from southern China were hired by the Central Pacific
Railroad to build the western portion of the Transcontinental Railroad. They
made up the overwhelming majority (as much as 80%) of Central Pacific's
workforce.The symbolic hammering of a golden spike at Promontory Summit, Utah, on May 10, 1869 completed the connection between the country's two coasts and shortened a cross-country trip of more than six months down to a week.
Over the years, one photograph in particular from Promontory Summit has taken root in U.S. history. It's a black-and-white, very historic-looking photo, the iconic image shows a crowd of men swarmed around two locomotives. In the middle are the two engineers shaking hands, above them are workers hoisting champagne bottles. The bubbly marked the long-awaited completion of the Gateway to the American West, nearly 2,000 miles of iron rail that crossed the Rockies and Sierra Nevada. But the portrait wasn't perfect. Much of the building was done by the over 12,000 laborers brought in from China, but their faces were left out of photographs taken on that momentous day. History — at least photographically — says that the Chinese were not present. 13 years later, US Congress passed the “Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882”.
On Saturday, August 19, 2017 we have an opportunity to start the process to “right an old wrong” to bring honor and justice to our Chinese pioneers. Come join members and friends of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance Boston Lodge and the Chinese Historical Society of New England at our “Town Hall Meeting” from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm at Sackler Auditorium, Tufts University Medical Campus, 145 Harrison Avenue, Boston, Chinatown.
Utah State Representative Karen Kwan(關玉嬚) was appointed by Utah Governor Gary Herbert to visit Chinese American communities around the country to rally support and share with us some of their plans for the 150th Anniversary Celebration of the Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad - Golden Spike Ceremony which will take place on Friday, May 10, 2019 in Utah.
More importantly we would like to hear about your suggestions and concerns so that Karen can bring your ideals and feedback to Governor Herbert and the Utah State Legislature.
As part of the “Town Hall Meeting” we will also show a 30 minute film screening of "Canton Army in the High Sierras”. https://le.utah.gov/~2017/bills/sbillint/SCR010.htm
We will also display “The Chinese and the Iron Road: Building the Transcontinental” a new portable exhibit providing an 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 written by Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University (CRRW).
https://chsa.org/2015/06/the-chinese-and-the-iron-road-building-the-transcontinental/
Please see flyer with
details.
We will create a
registration link and send out to all by this weekend.
Regards,
Wilson
Wilson
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