Even highly educated and respected Chinese immigrants were forced to navigate restrictive immigration laws during the era of Chinese Exclusion.
This 1937 radiogram references Mabel Ping-Hua Lee and her return permit while communicating with U.S. immigration authorities.
By then, Mabel was already a prominent educator, minister, and community leader in New York’s Chinatown. Yet her movements and legal status were still subject to scrutiny and documentation.
History is not only found in speeches and photographs.
Sometimes it lives in the paperwork people were forced to carry.
To learn more about Mabel Ping-Hua Lee and the mural honoring her legacy in Washington, DC’s Chinatown, visit the link in our bio.
#MabelPingHuaLee #ChineseExclusionAct #ChineseAmericanHistory #AAPIHistory
📖 Join us in Locke for a conversation with author Madelyn Postman!
We’ll be joined by Madelyn Postman to discuss her new book, Staring into the Sun. Madelyn is a descendant of Joe Shoong, the founder of the grocery chain National Dollar, and the first Chinese-American millionaire. Light refreshments will be provided!
📍 Sunday, May 31
🕠 12:30–3:30 PM
📍 Locke, CA
🎟️ Free admission — RSVP encouraged!
✨Introducing our new limited series! Our intern, Jake Somsel, has spent his internship researching Chinese American Veterans in order to shine light onto their history. 🪖
🇺🇲 Our first Chinese American veteran is Edward Day Cohota, who served as a soldier during the Civil War. However, despite his service and commitment to this country, he was still denied U.S.citizenship because of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act.
To learn more about Edward, check out our website! Link in the bio.
#1882Foundation #AAPIVoices #Veterans #AAPIVets #MemorialDay #History #MilitaryHistory #ChineseAmericanHistory
Few people know the story of Mabel Ping-Hua Lee.
At just 16 years old, she rode horseback in New York’s 1912 women’s suffrage parade — yet when women gained the legal right to vote in 1920, Mabel herself was still denied that right because of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
That did not stop her.
Mabel went on to become an educator, activist, and longtime leader in Manhattan’s Chinatown, where she helped create programs supporting Chinese immigrant communities during a time of exclusion and discrimination.
Swipe to learn more about this overlooked chapter of Chinatown history.
What other hidden histories in Chinatown deserve more attention?
/mabel
#MabelPingHuaLee #ChineseAmericanHistory #ChinatownNYC #AAPIHistory #HiddenHistory DCMabelMural 1882Foundation
✈️What started out as just a vacation…turned into a journey through family history. Journalist Ian Gill met traveled to Hong Kong to meet up with his mother, only to discover a whole other life she had led before becoming “Mom”.
Join us on May 23, at the Chinese American Museum (@camdc ) at 1:00PM to learn more about Billie’s remarkable journey. Get tickets with the link in our bio!
#1882Foundation #History #DC #Chinatown #WWII #China #ChineseAmericanHistory
In this short, created in partnership with VPM and Style Weekly, Henrico Country teachers Kathryn Musk and Kefu Huang share their perspectives on the fulfillment that comes with fostering opportunities for cultural exchange and understanding through literature and language.
In partnership with the Asian American Society of Central Virginia (AASoCV) and the 1882 Foundation, "Generations: Stories of Asian Americans in Richmond" shares stories of personal experience and cultural identity: how people found their way here and how they are now an integral part of our local community. "Generations" is on view at the Valentine through May 25, 2026. Come give us a visit before the end of the month!
🍀Last March, our Echoes and Futures Talk Story explored local Chinese American history through two iconic sites— Downtown Sacramento’s Confucius Temple and Locke’s Star Theater.
🗣️We were joined by 3 featured speakers- Brian Lee, Clarence Chu, and Willam Burg — who who shared the history, significance, and legacies of these sites. ⛩️
Thank you to everyone who joined us in this full-house event to learn, discuss, and envision the future of these historic buildings. Together, we can honor the legacies of these cultural sites through preservation, collaboration, and imagination!
Special thanks to Muzi Li Rowe for the photos !
#1882Foundation #California #Sacramento #AAPIVoices #Chinatown #Community
🤔Did you know? “Separate but equal” segregation applied to Chinese Americans too.
👉However, the definition of race and color as applied to Asian Americans often unclear and inconsistently enforced. Even after the Gong Lum v. Rice decision, not all white schools forced the Chinese students out. This shows that race was far more flexible — and selectively applied —than it is often presented.
Want to learn more about this case? Check out our Talk Story on this exact case on our Youtube channel! (what do you think about adding the youtube link)?
#1882Foundation #Immigration #History #SupremeCourt #DC #Chinatown #California #DMV #ChineseAmericanHistory
Mabel Ping-Hua Lee’s message is beginning to emerge on the wall in Washington, DC’s Chinatown.
“VOTE. IT’S YOUR VOICE.”
More than a century ago, Mabel Ping-Hua Lee marched for women’s suffrage in New York City — even though, because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, she herself was denied the right to vote.
Now her story is rising brick by brick as this mural continues to take shape.
We can’t wait to share more of the journey with you.
#MabelPingHuaLee #ChineseExclusionAct #ChineseAmericanHistory #AAPIHistory #ChinatownDC
Please join us for “Voices of the Valley,” a community movie night and panel discussion of three short films on Wednesday May 13th! 🍿🎬
📅 Wednesday May 13 | 5:30-8:00PM | Cruess Hall 1002
Free admission, RSVP at: 1882foundation.short.gy/Voices
Image descriptions
Slide 1: Flyer for film screening “Voices of the Valley” including three film posters and a red background. Two elderly people’s bodies cooking in a kitchen with text reading “CHICAGO CAFE.” The Sacramento Delta river lined with trees with text reading “Voices: Chinese Women of the Delta.” Black and white photograph of a two story building with a man with his bike and a man sitting on a bench with cursive text reading “Rising”.
Slide 2: Still from film of a small restaurant’s entrance with red signage reading “Chicago Cafe Chinese & American” An older man is walking in front of the window by the door.
Slide 3: Film photograph of three older Asian women smiling and embracing.
Slide 4: Modern photograph of a metal decorated fence with a black and white photo on top of a two story building with a man with his bike and a man sitting on a bench.
In recent years, Richmond’s Asian American communities have grown immensely and are now one of the region’s most quickly growing populations. In partnership with the Asian American Society of Central Virginia (AASoCV) and the 1882 Foundation, "Generations: Stories of Asian Americans in Richmond" shares stories of personal experience and cultural identity: how people found their way here and how they are now an integral part of our local community.
In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we'll be sharing shorts featuring exhibition participants. These videos were created in partnership with VPM and Style Weekly.
"Generations" is on view at the Valentine through May 25, 2026. Stop by this month to explore before it closes.
