Asian Pacific Americans in St Louis: A Living History

我們出席一項目：亞洲美國人在 St Louis 的歷史。
Steve and I went to the "Asian Pacific Americans in St Louis: A Living History" event yesterday.

"Explore the history of Asian Pacific Americans in St. Louis, the challenges they’ve faced over the years, and the many contributions they’ve made to our region during an evening filled with food, art, performances, and speakers. Attendees will also be invited to bring the past into the present by sharing their own histories. Visit mohistory.org for program details."

The four panelists: Neelu Panth (from Nepal), Dick Henmi (from Japan), Mai Lee (from Vietnam) and Don Ko is Chinese. They were sharing their stories.

The event included an art display about life in the old St. Louis Chinatown.  Hop Alley was between Market St. and Walnut St., from the late-1800's until it was demolished to make way for Busch Stadium in the 1960's.

Caption: "...starting from 1890 Chinese laundries suddenly disappeared from the directory.  Started to reappear in GOULD'S STL DIRECTORY from 1911 and they continued to be the primary occupation of Chinese."  "Hop Alley" was bound by 7th & 8th and Market & Walnut Streets though Chinese lived and worked all throughout downtown.  Some sources say it was named for "hop heads" opium addicts.  The master plan for downtown "the recommended land..(unreadable)".

Caption: You all lived together in boarding houses and above shops...with communal dinners like back home.  They called you "blight", they called it "slum clearance".

Caption: In 1875 they passed the Page Law, targeting "undesirables".  To the law, Chinese women & sex workers were one and the same.  You were considered "undesirable"

Caption: You were yellow peril.  The police called you "highbinders" and arrested those without papers.  In the early 20th Century, the whole country launched a crusade against Asian communities. White journalists strolled down your streets. They wrote that you were "peculiar creatures" and called your children "oblique eyed babies".

Caption: "The police raided your homes, your businesses, your neighborhood"

  

Caption: "You worked long days, getting up early to starch collars and  iron other peoples shirts.  Yours was the cheapest in the city.  Your whole family lived in the back of the laundry."

從那些圖畫展，可以看出當時，從中國來的黄皮膚人，在這兒的生活過得多麼苦，受到的歧視更甚於黑人。這只是美國一個城市的小角落。
據說在一、二世界大戰時期，很多中國人在美國被安排去造鐵軌道路時，死傷不計其數。