Saint Louis History Museum: 1904 World's Fair

If you have not read any accounts of the magnificent 1904 World's Fair held in Saint Louis, then you must visit the Missouri History Museum. I went to see the exhibition and it was fascinating. I wish I had been there at that time to witness what humanity deemed to be the splendors of progress and innovation.

At the old historic courthouse

Yesterday, I got the chance to visit the historic courthouse in downtown St.Louis where in 1846 Dred Scott and his wife, Harriett, sued their owner Irene for freedom from slavery. It is impossible to describe the feelings that rushed through me as I walked the halls and climbed the stairs and sat in the rooms of that courthouse. This was the exact building, changed so very little, where those two individuals had to stand trial, waiting and expecting for a verdict regarding the state of their humanity. Hearing the details of and reading the information about that infamous case scared me, and saddened me -- how could such a thing happen, I wondered. Human beings considered as chattel, as property to be carried from city to city, from town to town as if they were a piece of luggage. It hurt my chest just thinking about it -- I couldn't help but think that we might be in danger of regressing back into that time and place and mindset once again...

Ironic, isn't it, that less than a mile way stands a 630 feet arch built as a "gateway" symbolize America's westward expansion, to represent our nation's forward-thinking development, a veritable symbol of our progression toward the west, a reminder of our strength, courage, and endurance as a nation of diversity and resilience.

How sad that the little courthouse stands, to this day, as a historic landmark of our infamy, our narrow-mindedness, our arrogance, our greed, our pride, our disrepect of and disregard for our fellow human beings.

May we learn our lessons well, and may we never, ever forget them.

Bolinao 52

Last Thursday, we went to see the documentary film Bolinao 52. This is what I remember:

They were a group 110. They were picked up by the captain, and the boat left Ben Tre, south Viet Nam, heading out to the South China Sea. A storm took over. The boat engine died. They drifted away from land.

Boats came and left, never picking up a single passenger. A ship flying a Japanese ship was seen in the distance, but left. People started to jump off the boat in different waves. Some clung to rafts and drifted away. Some were beat back to the sides of hte boat. Strong men swam to the ships and got lost in the blue sea.

The children thirsted for sweet water. Little brothers chewed on big brother's arms.

On Day 19, the USS Duboque approached. The captain refused to pick up any survivors. Several men from the Viet boat swam to the carrier. Sailors brushed them off the monkey line. Life preservers were given, with instructions to go back to the damned boat. Some swimmers too weak to return to the boat drowned. Photos were taken by sailors on the Duboque. Men with gaunt faces and bony arms flailing in the water, clinging to life rings.

Two days' supply of food was given to the little boat. The carrier left. Resolute, unbending human will. Impassiveness in response to human suffering, death. No compassion for human life.

Day 20-something. No more food, no more water. Cannibalism. Human flesh cut from the bones. Unwilling survivors are forced fed to stay alive. The taste of human flesh. Bitter anger over inhumanity in the face of suffering and death.

Day 37. Philippino fishing boats pass by. Carlos the fisherman stops to check out the lonely boat in the water. See the survivors who've chewed their clothes and eaten their fellow passengers, and are awaiting death.

Carlos brings back 6 or 7 fishing boats. 52 survivors are taken to the island of Bolinao of the Philippines. Refugee camps, everyone of them.

Their story is only beginning to unravel.

Chinh noi ay...

Hai hom truoc, Ba cua minh dem ra cho ca nha nghe mot cuon bang audio tape. Chacha da phai cuc kho de kiem cach sang cuon bang nay ra nhieu lan de cho ca nha co the nghe duoc, va cung co y de luu lai mot vat ky niem cua thoi tho au. Cuon bang la cua lan dau tien gd cua minh buoc chan len dat My. Chi mot vai hom sau khi doan tu gia dinh tai San Diego, CA, vao nam 1986, gd cua minh da tu hop lai de thau nhung loi nhan nhu, cam tuong, va de ghi nho these momentous occasions.

Khong nhung co nhung bai hat cua ba dua, MA, HA, va TA, ma co luon nhung tieng dan piano ton ten... nhung giong hat nho be duoc cat len mot cach that manh dan, khong co mot chut e then hoac ngai ngung. Va trong giong hat cua tung dua phat ra tu may cassette player, minh nhan ra cai ve "ngay tho" cua thoi do, cua cai thoi ma minh con tho ngay "mieng con hoi sua", chang biet doi la gi. Nhung tieng noi, tung not nhac vang len mang nang cai "hoi" cua que huong, cua dat nuoc "me" ma minh da roi khoi may thang truoc.

Luc do, gd cua minh chang biet tuong lai nhu the nao, chang biet minh se lam gi, se lon len trong hoang canh nao, se thich nghi voi xa hoi duoc hay khong. Nhung, trong loi cuon cassette tape, minh biet chac rang dua be "HAT" thoi xua da vung long tin, va da khong so hai hoac ngai ngung khi nham mat va hat len nhung loi "chinh noi ay, xoa tan moi phien dau..."

Called by a different name

California Constitution Article XIX (1879):

SECTION 1. The Legislature shall prescribe all necessary regulations for the protection of the State, and the counties, cities, and towns thereof, from the burdens and evils arising from the presence of aliens who are or may become vagrants, paupers, mendicants, criminals, or invalids [...] and from aliens otherwise dangerous or detrimental to the well-being or peace of the State...

SECTION 2. No corporations now existing or hereafter formed under the laws of this State, shall, after the adoption of this Constitution, employ directly or indirectly, in any capacity, any Chinese or Mongolian.

SECTION 3. No Chinese shall be employed on any State, country, municipal, or other publi work, except in punishment for crime.

SECTION 4. The presence of foreigners ineligible to become citizens of the United States is declared to be dangerous to the well-being of the State, and the Legislature shall discourage their immigration by all the means within its power.

We were sitting in a roundtable formation, in a group of about 15 or so, talking about essays and craft and pedagogy. We were a small class and I wasn't too brave about speaking up. That is, until the professor turned to me and asked me how to pronounce the name of this particular writer we were discussing. I don't remember what the name was but I remember thinking it was something very Swedish looking, which made it quite impossible for me to even guess what the name sounded like (even IF I summoned enough courage to speak). But, what really made me tongue-tied was not the fact it was neither in Vietnamese nor in English, but because I was completely astounded by the professor's request. She thought that since my name is also "foreign" perhaps I might know how to pronounce the name.

I think that as a word, "foreigners" is so quickly defined, redefined, and applied then re-applied that we too easily become inured to who and how we label "foreign". Within a group of my peers, in a group with which I felt comfortable enough to blend in (already beginning to sound problematic, yes?), I was set apart simply by the use of the term. I don't believe there are any malicious motivations behind much of our common usage of the word, and that is probably where our problem lies.

And when such terminology is used, it becomes too easy to fall prey to certain fears that lead to the exclusion, isolation, and ostracizing of certain groups. Which of course leads to other more dangerous desires?

Today, our church celebrated its 120th anniversary. 120 years in the heart of Oakland Chinatown. 120 years as a major community center. 120 years of faith narratives. 120 years of cultural heritage. An entire community of peoples who began their lives as an immigrants of one sort or another. This is a community built upon historical narratives embedded with cultural, political, social, economic, and religious marginalization. As the church continues to grow, it carries these loaded histories onward for the future generations. I know how difficult it is to live in the past, but it is one of the most fascinating aspects of living in this present church community.

In preparation for the 120th, we did a lot of digging. In our research into the histories of the church, we re-encountered the atrocious Chinese Exclusion Acts. Sadly, the texts of these old pieces of legislation are not that different from what we are hearing and seeing today. What we have now don't necessarily isolate the Chinese, but there are also a lot of other groups being excluded, isolated, marginalized, terrorized. We call them by a different name.

Back in the late 1800s, California "led the way in anti-Chinese nativism." It even became a partisan political issue. In the face of current events and in light of our advancements, I sincerely hope that Californians will continue upholding the title of "first" and "leader" by exemplifying how we should respect and value all human life as well as foster dialogue in global community.