- Growing up in Memphis as a Chinese American I felt like I didn't have a place I didn't have a future in this city I realize now that it was because of a lack of knowledge and understanding about the history of Chinese Americans in Memphis.

The history was very much about racial oppression and finding a way in that racial oppression.

But without having any visibility of Chinese people in this history.

It was very unclear how I was supposed to look at my future and the way that I wanted to make change in my community.

I believe that we cannot move forward until we have acknowledged our past.

[somber music] [birds chirping.

[wind chimes] [rustling paper] I'm Emmi Dunn.

I'm an independent researcher, and I have been researching the history of the Chinese in Memphis for the last seven, eight years.

The early Chinese settlers came with the hope of making money to send back to their families in China.

The economic conditions in China was in bad shape.

The men who were here knew that, and they persevered and suffered to earn the money for their families back home.

I wanted to find the early Chinese settlers.

I began this research by going to the Memphis Public Library to ask for any information on the history of the Chinese in Memphis.

The clerk brought out two manila folders.

I thought this could be all there was.

We've been so long without any history.

To me, it was just.

Extremely.

Difficult.

At that point, I decided to do something about it.

And I thought, “oh, this is going to be easy.” The Elmwood Cemetery has a Chinese section, and I thought I'd just go out there and photograph some headstones and make my list.

Just run my list through Ancestry.com.

There it be.

My name is Anna Cai, I am an artist, designer, and storyteller from Memphis, Tennessee.

I was living abroad and returned to the U.S.

during the pandemic.

At that time, I was feeling really lost about my identity and I had a deep desire to reconnect with who I am.

I started working with the Chinese Historical Society, and that's where I met Emmi.

I started working with Emmi on a mapping project.

This mapping project was about Chinese businesses in downtown Memphis in the early 1900s.

Downtown Memphis had many Chinese businesses on Beale Street.

Main Street, second street.

I would go to her house and watch her sift through binders and binders of information that she's collected over the years.

I had this growing feeling that this was something much bigger than what we were working on.

This history needed to be shared.

Come in.

Hi, Emmi Hey, how are you?

How are you doing?

Good to see you.

Would you like some tea?

Yes I would.

Okay.

Hello.

Hi.

What do you two have in common?

I would say we both.

We both grew up in Memphis.

But because of the experiences we had growing up in this city, we both felt like we had to leave in order to become who we needed to be.

Would you agree?

When people ask me where I'm from, I usually say that I'm from Memphis.

Which usually, elicits surprise reactions.

When people ask me, I say, I'm from Memphis, too.

And then I get a puzzled look.

And then I have to say, “oh, you know, Elvis Presley.” So.

So my mother's recipe is.

Which I tried to make.

they're so beautiful.

The taste is almost the same.

Oh, they are really good.

Yeah.

Yeah, they're not bad.

The bottom burnt.

But it's okay.

I kind of like it [giggles] The culture of Chinese people in Memphis has mostly been a culture of survival.

We've kept silent about a lot of our experiences.

And that silence has led to an invisibility.

In the Chinese culture, I think you want to save face, but with the newer generation, it's different.

The kinds of challenges that the older generation had to overcome.

I think sometimes it's easy to take those things for granted.

Look at your little shoes, your Mary Jane's.

I remember posing for that.

Is your hair naturally that curly?

My mother loved to perm my hair so it would be curly.

Oh, okay.

The word assimilation can mean many things.

Does it mean that I wear American clothes and not Chinese dress?

I speak English.

I feel more American, but I would like to say that I am Chinese American.

Assimilation is something that a lot of my elders were struggling with.

They wanted to preserve their culture, but at the same time, they wanted their kids to blend in at school.

They didn't want to make waves.

The history that is uniquely us is our story of immigrating to the US while also learning the culture of the South.

“Assimilate, assimilate” is kind of how we were brought up.

You know, you try not to be too Asian.

“You're lucky your name doesn't sound Asian.

It's Dunn.” That was just kind of how the 80s were.

You know, you enjoy the food, but you, you know, we weren't really taught Chinese.

You know, it was kind of purposeful.

Being Chinese put me in the category of other, because the conversation here is still very much Black versus white.

Growing up, I felt stuck in between that.

So people didn't know what to think about me.

They're like, “you're not Black, but you're also not white.” You're always a minority at work.

You know, you're always a minority--whether you were from business standpoint, where you lived, or where you went to school.

You're always part of a minority and never felt that you fit in any one particular world.

You were aware of the fact that you're a Chinese, and you're aware of the fact that you lived in an African-American neighborhood, but you went to school in a predominantly white type of school.

People, when they are confronted with something they're not familiar with, their response is often to be afraid or to express that fear in unpleasant ways.

So that came across in the form of bullying or, being ostracized in certain ways.

People see you completely as Chinese, but yet you're not brought up that way.

So it was a very, like, weird tension.

Why do people see me differently than how I feel?

I mean, I just feel like a person.

It wasn't easy at the time, I think.

And that led to me really hating being Chinese, because for me, that was the one part that created the biggest difference from my surroundings.

Today, a lot of us have to play with that tension of am I Chinese or am I American?

Now we have an opportunity to reflect, examine and think about who do we want to be moving forward?

Emmi?

Yes.

Where are you?

Here.

It's very hot up here now.

[gasps] Move that out.

Wow, I love it in here.

These are from Greenville, Mississippi.

There is a huge divide in the Chinese-American community in Memphis.

We have Mandarin-speaking families who immigrated here in the 60s and thereafter up until now.

And we have the Cantonese-speaking families who immigrated here, who came here because of hardship, because of famine, political conflict, whose families have really laid the groundwork for all Chinese-Americans to exist in Memphis.

And it's up to us to really acknowledge what they went through and to honor that.

There's often a lack of understanding or knowledge about the other group.

That bridge is really important to to create.

Without them, we wouldn't be here.

They were pioneers through their e ntrepreneurship and resilience.

They helped shape Memphis into what it is today.

Their story deserves to be told.

Many Chinese immigrants arrived in the U.S.

by way of the California Gold Rush.

Railroad work brought laborers to the Midwest in the South, and in 1869, 500 businessmen and large landowners from across the Mississippi Delta met in Memphis for the Chinese Labor Convention, which opened the way for plantation owners to hire cheap labor.

Although the convention voted against it.

Laborers worked at plantations in Arkansas and Mississippi, and after fulfilling their contracts, many sought ways to start their own businesses, beginning with laundries and later restaurants and grocery stores.

With the influx of this new Chinese workforce, white workers became fearful of losing their jobs, so they helped push new legislation to protect their self-interests.

The Chinese Exclusion Act was a United States federal law which prohibited all immigration of Chinese laborers for ten years.

It was the only immigration law in the U.S.

that targeted a specific nationality group.

The law did, however, have some exceptions for teachers, students, diplomats, and merchants.

The Chinese Exclusion Act complicated life for many Chinese laborers and families.

But some business owners were able to continue through the merchant exemption.

Many Chinese immigrated to the U.S.

with the intention of bringing their wives or children over once they were established and naturalized, but the act prevented workers families from entering the U.S., and there was no guarantee they'd be able to return if they left.

It meant that many of these men had to watch their families grow up from afar.

Due to the immigration laws.

Many families suffered.

If you can imagine.

The pain of loneliness and.

You know.

And even dying alone.

Many people don't know that downtown Memphis used to be the home of many Chinese businesses.

The first known evidence of a Chinese business in Memphis was a laundry business in 1873.

The first restaurant business began in 1894.

From then on, the restaurant businesses gained popularity and success.

And grocery stores started appearing more frequently throughout the city.

We saw the beginning of business owners becoming leaders in the community.

In the late 1930s, Lam Soon was the owner and chef of The Mandarin Inn in Memphis.

His establishment developed a reputation for fine cuisine and outstanding entertainment.

The dance floor was one of the most popular spots in town with a live band and entertainment.

Not only was he a business owner, but he was also a prominent community leader.

He was dedicated to setting a positive example for other young Chinese and actively supported causes like the Red Cross and the United China Relief Fund.

He would operate his business in the afternoon through most of the night, snatch an hour or two of sleep before canvasing people across the Mid-South on behalf of the fund.

It was on one of these runs that he lost his life after falling asleep at the wheel.

Wong Kop was the owner of the Shanghai Inn, a popular restaurant among Chinese and non-Chinese.

Like Lam, he was a recognized leader in the community.

Wong was very active in a local charity called the Good Fellows, and every Christmas season, the restaurant owner collected large sums of money to buy food and gifts for the poor.

Jack Wong was the owner of Joy Young, a higher class Chinese restaurant with white tablecloths and private booths.

He was a constant innovator.

He was the first to implement drive thru Chinese food.

He grew rare ingredients and managed to invent a new method of growing bean sprouts in his attic.

My dad was about 12 years old when he came over to the United States.

My dad never wanted to go into the restaurant business because it was hard work.

You know, he said that you would get a whole crate of, like, bok choy, and you were given like ten minutes to not only, you know prep, chop and clean the whole crate.

You know, you didn't have much time.

And whereas, you know, you're always running.

It's always busy.

You're always at your feet and things.

So it was very difficult work.

My dad, after he met my mom, he decided he wanted to open a grocery store.

Many Chinese immigrants found sustainable life through the grocery store business.

They came to Memphis because of family or friends and decided to settle here.

The concentration of laundries began in downtown Memphis on streets like Beale, South Third, Poplar, and Lauderdale.

When those faded out, grocery stores started spreading out to other areas of Memphis in the 40s and 50s, like South Memphis and North Memphis.

They weren't just places of work.

They were also places of dwelling.

Most Chinese families started off living in the back of the store.

The height of the Chinese store ownership occurred in the 50s and 60s.

About 1957.

I was about six eight years old.

That's when I started going to first grade.

By then, my dad had gotten a bit more money, and he always wanted to build its own store, but he wanted the entire store built in redwood because he wanted it to last.

We were all in a Black neighborhood, you know, our first store as well as our second store.

So we had a good Black clientele and, you know, so we got to know everybody in the neighborhood.

Often these grocery stores were located in predominantly Black neighborhoods, and the clientele were mostly Black.

After a certain number of years, the family would seek a house somewhere in the suburbs, preferably near other Chinese.

In 1960, my parents moved from Pace and bought a store in North Memphis that had living quarters in the back and an upstairs apartment.

The 1882 Exclusion Act was renewed every ten years, with each renewal introducing more conditions for Chinese people's presence in the country.

Despite these restrictions, some businesses were able to continue operating.

But just as many were finding their footing in Memphis, the drums of war were beating across the ocean.

No matter how long it may take us, the American people in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory.

China became an ally of the U.S.

in World War Two.

Chinese men registered for the military even when they were not a citizen.

Many applied to join, including my father.

With the onset of World War Two.

Many Chinese who did not enlist rallied together to respond to various causes overseas.

During this time, people must have experienced many complex feelings about the changes that were happening in the country.

It must have been difficult that many people's lives were directed by these policies that did not guarantee their place in this country.

Even though life was challenging and residency was so conditional, life in China was oppressive--so much so that their families up and left to a country they knew barely anything about.

During World War Two, the US felt increasing pressure and global scrutiny for their stance on Chinese exclusion.

And by 1943, the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed, paving a way forward for a future in America.

[sound of wind chimes] After World War Two, the Chinese veterans came home.

They were interested in finding a bride and starting a family.

Before World War Two, Chinese women only made up 2% of the population of Chinese in the US.

The lack of Chinese women and the unfair immigration laws that made it hard to visit China led to interracial marriages.

The War Brides Act allowed Chinese men to go to Hong Kong, find a bride, and return to the U.S.

without applying for a visa for their wife.

The Chinese in Memphis began to embrace America as their own.

Adopting mainstream culture while forgoing some aspects of their own culture.

But while they were accepting America as their home, public perceptions of Chinese had barely shifted.

We were still seen as either untrustworthy foreigners or were treated as a punchline.

But when it came to our survival in Memphis, it didn't really matter whether they saw us as outsiders or jokes.

What mattered is we weren't seen as a threat to the establishment because although the rules weren't fair, many felt it was in their best interest to play by them.

Between 1940 and 1950, the population of Chinese in the South more than doubled from almost 5000 people to over 10,000 people.

And over the course of the next decade, Chinese store ownership was on the rise in Memphis, with 62 stores.

During the same time period, the Black population only grew by 3.2% in the South.

Hate crimes and discrimination towards Black people had only increased in the wake of slavery.

Jim Crow laws continued to put restrictions on all minorities from attaining equal treatment under the law.

But that didn't mean that all minorities were equal to each other.

By 1954, a new fight for freedom began, and the threat it posed to the establishment was clear.

The fight for civil rights grew across the nation, between Black and white communities.

And in the shadow of slavery and the Civil War, the South became particularly volatile.

It became a focus for civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr who campaigned for the rights of the marginalized throughout the South and specifically Memphis.

I don't know what will happen now.

We've got some difficult days ahead.

I've seen the Promised Land.

I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land.

Against this backdrop, conflict for the Chinese American community was felt on every side.

Memphis remained a battleground for the white and Black communities, laying the groundwork for a tragedy that would change Memphis and the nation forever.

Good evening.

Doctor Martin Luther King, the apostle of nonviolence in the civil rights movement, has been shot to death in Memphis, Tennessee.

Following the assassination of Martin Luther King, several businesses were targeted.

Most of the Chinese businesses were located in Black neighborhoods.

The grocery stores in the Black neighborhoods were looted.

Firebombed.

Or armed robbery.

Sometimes robbery resulted in murder.

I think that most of what they experienced was an apprehension or a feeling that their survival was at stake.

There was huge concern for their livelihood.

Should they stay in business?

Should they close?

And I think in the end, most of the Chinese businesses did continue hoping to ride out the storm.

The history of the city of Memphis is deeply intertwined with the history of race in our country, and that history is around a binary of Black versus white.

Older generations did not think of that time as a moment of conflict for Chinese Americans.

I think many people were just trying to survive and trying to sustain life, and so they kept their heads down.

They didn't make waves.

People still experienced the fear and the pain, but I don't think that people felt like they had a place to speak on those experiences.

That time was a time of terror because there was lots and lots of firebombs, looting, robberies, murders and things, as well.

That's your store, your whole life and your livelihood.

And you lose it all.

One night.

One night of riots and you lose everything.

Our grocery store actually got looted twice, broken into, and burglarized.

We had three large picture windows that were like six feet by eight feet.

And, they broke two of them.

I was quite young.

Eleven, twelve.

The family near our store--he was firebombed about five times, and it got to the point where he couldn't get any insurance.

Why did they pick on his store?

Because our store was just a block away.

And there was another Chinese store up the street from his store.

One of our good friends was was killed in a robbery during that time.

I was probably 25 years old at the time.

My father-in-law was robbed, and the robber took him to the back room and had his wife and him lay down on the bed, And he took a pillow to muffle the shot.

They shot and killed my father-in-law.

I was so scared, so frightened.

The Chinese were well-aware of the danger.

We were well-aware of the prejudice against the Blacks.

We were also well-aware of the prejudice against the Chinese.

Because of the Chinese stores located in poor or Black neighborhoods, I think it was an easy target for the Blacks to vent their anger.

on the Chinese.

I think it was not vengeful against the Chinese people themselves, but it was just an easy target to pick on a store.

That's when my dad decided it was just really too dangerous for us to stay there.

And he had said it was time to get out the grocery business.

It's because of what they experienced that now we can ask different questions about that time and our relationship to that history.

To be Chinese in Memphis is to acknowledge that we have benefited from systems of oppression, while also making space for the challenges that we've experienced.

Chinese families and businesses in Memphis faced many challenges during this time: crime, language-learning, finding housing, establishing livelihood, and preserving their culture.

But their commitment to solidarity was strong.

One of the first mutual aid organizations that offered all of these things came about with the Lung Kong Tin Yee (LKTY) Association.

The Lung Kong Tin Yee Association was a national organization open to four families: the Lu's, the Quon's, the Young's, and the Chu's.

It was a way to continuously draw from family support and help for nonmembers.

The Chinese Business Association was formalized on February 22nd, 1968.

Their goals went beyond just economic well-being, but the general welfare of the Chinese-Americans through legal and social functions, educational, cultural, civic and social programs, as well as the building of a language school and a community center.

There was a place for young people to have a voice too: Young Orientals United or Y.O.U.

was organized in 1975 under the MSCA.

The purpose of Y.O.U.

was to promote friendship, leadership, Asian-American culture, and most importantly, opportunities to socialize and share their common heritage.

And while most of these organizations have cycled out, it's extremely affirming to learn about all the ways Chinese people have come together in Memphis over the years.

I think we can get caught up in the individualism of the experience of immigrating.

But we've always been a culture that has been about the collective and about collective wellness and well-being.

The ability of Chinese people to come together to share culture and knowledge.

This is part of our DNA.

From the moment that they arrived in this city, they have been helping one another and trying to make life easier together.

In this work, Emmi has also shown me images of people not just surviving, but thriving.

Experiencing joy, just making the most of life.

These are from Greenville, Mississippi.

“Dearest darling.

Love.

Gosh.

Exclamation point.

Everything is so strange without you.” “Miss you very much.

Got everything arranged for a quick getaway.” Oh my gosh!

They're going to run away together.

“See you soon.

I love you, I love you.

We love you.

Miss you.

--OT” Isn't that cute?

That's so cute.

Oh, my gosh, there's such a cute couple.

Despite our long history, the people of this country may still see us as strangers.

But what I learned through this work is that I was a stranger to my own heritage.

Is there a problem with assimilation?

Do you feel that there's a problem?

I think for a lot of us, assimilation means that we have to let go of some of our cultural values and traditions.

I understand why it exists, but I think about the way that I grew up, not knowing that history in Memphis, and that's something that I don't want anyone else to experience.

After collecting dozens of oral histories and learning so much about my community, I didn't feel as much of a stranger in this unique group of people in Memphis.

What do we lose by not sharing our stories?

The aggression against Asian Americans is on the rise.

You so Asian!

Anti-Asian hate.

To me, it's terrorism.

Asian piece of s***.

It's definitely something that is on the back of my mind whenever I'm out.

Go back to whatever f****** Asian country you belong!

Covid-19 changed a lot in the US.

There was a huge rise in reported hate crimes against Asian Americans.

Instead of being invisible, we were cast under this harsh light.

We've become silent on a lot of issues that are happening in our community.

I did not think I was going to cry today.

Now we have people outside of our community telling our stories, telling us what to feel.

Dismissing our voices and making decisions for us.

But our narrative belongs to us.

We decide what our future looks like.

I have always been against hate, and I want everyone to work together to improve our society.

We've positively contributed to all Americans' experience.

To push us as people away as a forever foreigner is incredibly unacceptable.

[crowd chanting] Stop Asian Hate!

Stop Asian Hate!

You talk about assimilation.

So there's this young man in Greenville, and he is very smart, tops in this class.

And they said to him, “You may be smart, but you're still a Chinaman.” I mean, yeah!

What more do you want?

I mean, I think we have to stop asking them.

Yes, but you--.

[pause] I think there's still this struggle.

Even if you try, you're the best collected person.

Even if you're the best three-time-gold-medal winner, you're still not recognized.

I think for my generation though, we're starting to realize that we don't care.

That that is probably the key.

You've gone a different way.

What we were trying to do is join the mainstream at that time.

This this idea of.

Not really caring what someone else thinks about you.

The newer generation.

It's different.

The times have changed.

I want people to band together.

People of color.

We want respect.

That's all we want.

We want to be acknowledged as another human being.

Not any different.

Just wanting to live our lives.

I think especially in the older generations, they wouldn't necessarily look down upon the heritage, but they would kind of want to hide away their heritage.

Maybe in fear that, you know, of judgment and trying to fit in to the American culture more.

As a young child, I, I wish my my parents would have instilled in to me to embrace more.

You know, until we know where we came from, you don't know where you're heading.

So it's important to preserve our past history.

The work and foundation that that previous generations did to get us where we are today.

You should be proud and you should learn about your history and should most definitely not cut off from your history because it's just wonderful.

I mean, it's the food is just--the music, the way you communicate.

Everyone does it so differently, but so wonderfully.

It's all about embracing the good with the bad.

And you learn.

You learn what you can keep and you learn what you can throw away.

And that just makes you better.

You can deconstruct what you have and reconstruct into something else.

Hopefully my children can, continue their their Chinese heritage, you know, because they need to know their background.

I hope the younger generations of Chinese American can be not as defensive about their identities and also not be afraid.

And to be able to express themselves a bit differently.

We do have more freedoms to say what we think and to express the lives that we want.

That's what Chinese American is.

Knowing who you are.

You came from, you know, the A.B.C.

father.

You came from a Taiwanese mother.

But you're here in America, right?

You're an American.

I would also hope that we can use our privilege in a way that is helpful for other people as well.

In some cases, you know, being Chinese-American is a very complicated thing because we're both a majority and a minority.

We do have the experiences of being on the receiving end of prejudice.

But I do think in some cases it's on the other end.

There is something of this in-between space that we occupy.

I just hope that people and I think, think we're getting there--where people just see each other as humans.

My relationship with Emmi has taught me a lot of things.

It has taught me to work with people who don't necessarily see what I see, or believe in the same things that I do.

It's important to listen and to be patient.

It's okay to accept the truths of others.

Our relationship I felt from the beginning was very natural.

I didn't feel that there was a generation gap.

It was very refreshing to me that the Anna was willing to listen and to give their feedback.

We both really believe in creating more visibility and more empowerment for people who look like us.

In many, many ways.

I'm proud that I'm Chinese.

For me.

You know, I feel like the Chinese have always had a heritage of hard work, family fidelity, and deeply rooted culture.

The thing about the Chinese community is that it's very tightly knit.

I think that's the response to how the racial tensions are in this part of the US.

The difference between people is felt a bit more strongly.

So people tend to hold on to each other a bit tighter.

That resulted in the Chinese culture, I think, flourishing in a way that doesn't necessarily happen in the same way in other cities.

Those things I feel like have always been in me.

That still plays a huge role in my identity.

The newer generation has a better chance of becoming more empowered because people's attitudes have changed.

Someone has to carry the torch.

I think the older generations' concerns were really different.

I think they were worried about sustaining a life in a new country, educating their young people and preserving their culture.

Until we can really hold that in its fullness.

There's no way that we can move forward.

I personally don't believe what the media is saying about us as Chinese people.

But I also think that that is a huge opportunity for us to turn these narratives around.

Sometimes the more outrageous the stereotype is, the bigger the stakes are and the bigger the opportunity is to change that.

I don't think we know what the answer is to finding our true path, but that all starts from learning about this history.

Our story in Memphis is one of survival.

It's a story of adapting.

We found roots in Memphis not in spite of our heritage, but because of it.

As an older generation or the newer generation, we share a history that is still in progress, that is still in the making.

We have to create that history together.

Then anything can happen.

I don't know what.

What more there is.

♪ Saw you in a fever dream.

♪ ♪ You had your grandma's eyes.

♪ ♪ Everything was cold and clean.

♪ ♪ I didn't recognize til ♪ ♪ I heard you start to ♪ ♪ sing.

♪ ♪ Speaking in the Devil's tongue.

♪ ♪ What did all the struggle bring?

♪ ♪ What did we become?

♪ ♪ Between all of the living.

♪ ♪ And the ghosts we cannot see.

♪ ♪ Between the ones we left behind.

♪ ♪ And the ones we'll never meet.

♪ ♪ Between the hidden alleys ♪ ♪ and the streets of the American dream.

♪ ♪ We walk in the spaces ♪ ♪ between.

♪ ♪ Cities full of hungry ghosts.

♪ ♪ Fighting for a tiny place.

♪ ♪ All the streets are lined with gold.

♪ ♪ Now the lines scar my face.

♪ ♪ Will we ever make it home?

♪ ♪ Will we ever take up space?

♪ ♪ Between all of the living.

♪ ♪ And the ghosts we cannot see.

♪ ♪ Between the ones we left behind.

♪ ♪ And the ones we'll never meet.

♪ ♪ Between the hidden alleys ♪ ♪ and the streets of the American dream.

♪ ♪ We walk ♪ ♪ in the spaces between ♪