Friday, June 7, 2024 | 6pm to 7:30pm
25 West 43rd Street, 10th Floor, Room 1000
between 5th & 6th Avenues, Manhattan
Born 1941 in Oakland, California’s Chinatown, William Gee Wong is the only son of his father, known as Pop. Born in Guangdong Province, China, Pop emigrated to Oakland as a teenager during the Chinese Exclusion era in 1912 and entered the U.S. legally as the “son of a native,” despite having partially false papers. Sons of Chinatown is an evocative dual memoir of Wong and his father’s parallel experiences in America.
As Pop grappled with the systemic racism towards Asians during the exclusion era, Wong wistfully depicts Pop’s efforts to establish a family business and build a life for his family in segregated Oakland. As the exclusion law ended in 1943, young William assimilated into American life and developed his own path as a journalist, while also facing discrimination. Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Oakland Tribune, and Asian American periodicals, Wong chronicles Asian American experiences while honoring Chinese American history and identity.
Sons of Chinatown poignantly weaves the stories of father and son together with admiration and righteous anger. Through the mirrored lens of his father, Wong reflects on the hardships Asian Americans endured—and continue to face—with American exceptionalism. Wong’s inspiring memoir provides a personal history that also raises the question of whether America welcomes or repels immigrants.
William will be joined in conversation with Frank H. Wu, President of Queens College/CUNY.
Purchase Book: https://tupress.temple.edu/books/sons-of-chinatown
Co-Sponsor
Museum of Chinese in America
