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Stories and Voices from L.A. Chinatown

The unique history, special character, and contemporary challenges of Los Angeles's Chinatown neighborhood are the subject of this exhibit, which combines oral history from community members with archival documents, photographs, and maps. The exhibit is organized into the themes Opportunity, Vision, Exclusion, Resilience, Community, and Tradition, which appear as clickable tiles toward the bottom of the page linked above. For each theme, there is a video showcasing interviews with community members, as well as written quotes and historical documents. For example, the "Opportunity" page explores entrepreneurship through 1940s restaurant menus, while the "Exclusion" page features a 1921 identity certificate used for tracking Chinese Americans and a 1940s map showing buildings slated for demolition to make way for a freeway. Displacement is a key theme of the exhibit and continues to be relevant today, as Chinatown has become a pressure point for gentrification debates in the city. Viewers can navigate to the "Contributors" page to learn more about the community members featured and their relationship to Chinatown. The exhibit can be explored in either English or Chinese by toggling in the top left corner of the landing page (videos are available in English with Chinese subtitles). Stories and Voices from L.A. Chinatown is the first exhibit in the Archive Alive series, a collaboration between The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens; the Library Foundation of Los Angeles; and the Los Angeles Public Library (previously featured in the 11-08-2013 Scout Report).
Alternate Title
Stories and Voices from Los Angeles Chinatown
Archived Scout Publication URL
Scout Publication
Language
Date of Scout Publication
September 24th, 2021
Date Of Record Creation
August 31st, 2021 at 9:41am
Date Of Record Release
September 7th, 2021 at 2:19pm
Resource URL Clicks
64
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