Category Archives: History

Sawtelle Japantown vs Little Tokyo

Sawtelle Japantown, Los Angeles – a quaint neighborhood in West LA just as big as its downtown counterpart. Born from its historical Japanese population in the early–mid 20th century, Sawtelle Japantown is a cornerstone of Japanese American history and culture, … Continue reading

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Little Tokyo – Small Corner, Big Place

Little Tokyo, Los Angeles – the largest official Japantown in the US and a bustling center of activity in the heart of LA. With strong connections to Japanese culture, cuisine, and media, Little Tokyo is one of the most popular … Continue reading

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Koreatown – Trendy Nightlife or Neighborhood in Decline?

Koreatown, LA – a vibrant and bustling place, especially during the night. Full of bars, restaurants, shops, and nightclubs, the area attracts many young adults and teenagers in the LA region. As the densest neighborhood in LA County, totaling at … Continue reading

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Remembering Asian American Veterans: Florence Finch gets a Coast Guard vessel named after her

You may not have heard of WWII veteran Florence Finch, but her actions during WWII has inspired the US Coast Guard to name a ship after her, which was recently launched.  Florence was born in the Philippines to an American … Continue reading

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The “Other” Chinatown

In contrast to the broken down, struggling Chinatown of Los Angeles, the original and oldest Chinatown in the US located in San Francisco is a hustling and bustling center of activity in the Bay Area. Established in the early 1850s … Continue reading

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Why Stockton for Asian Americans?

Stockton – a mid sized city in California’s Central Valley known for being one of the poorest, most dangerous cities on the West Coast. Whenever the name is mentioned, there is a negative connotation associated with it; being one of … Continue reading

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The Men who Fed America: A StoryCorps Animation about Larry Itliong

We have talked previously about Johnny Itliong’s StoryCorp recording about his father, the labor leader Larry Itliong, but I thought that the best way to mark the start of Filipino American History Month would be to share this new StoryCorps … Continue reading

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Where’s Chinatown?

Chinatown, Los Angeles. Walking through there, it’s obvious that the neighborhood is struggling. With broken sidewalks, empty and abandoned stores, widespread vandalism, and a lack of commercial activity, it’s no wonder that hardly anyone walks through these streets. Though there … Continue reading

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Historic Japanese American Farm to become Silicon Valley Housing

Five days a week, I drove past the patch of land owned by the Sakauye family and worked by the Tsukuda family when going to work at my tech job. When I was doing that commute along Montague Expressway in … Continue reading

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The History of Chinese Immigrant Workers and Labor Unions in America

Introduction The history of Chinese immigrant laborers began with the California Gold Rush, where thousands of hopeful workers migrated to the US in hopes of attaining wealth and being able to send some of that wealth back home to their … Continue reading

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ESPN’s 30 for 30: ‘American Son’ – Tennis Great Michael Chang – Premieres July 29 7 ET

Before there was Jeremy Lin, there was Taiwanese American tennis great Michael Chang. Probably most 8Asians readers don’t remember or even know the name, but he is a tennis and Asian American legend as upcoming ESPN documentary notes: ““American Son” … Continue reading

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Exploitasian: The Story of Chinese Workers in Gold-Rush America

China’s rise to economic dominance in the late 1900s largely came from its massive population and the cheap labor that it provided to foreign corporations, with “companies like Nike, Apple and Walmart relying on Chinese workers to manufacture their products”. … Continue reading

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