Interactive Gallery

Susan Ahn, born in Los Angeles in 1915, was part of the first generation of Koreans born on American soil. Though they lived all-American lives, Susan and her siblings had an unusual family background. Their father was an activist who led the movement for Korean independence from Japan. There was no doubt in the whole family's minds that they were loyal to the U.S. Both Susan and her older brother Philip took advantage of opportunities to do something for Korea, the country that their father and mother gave up their lives for.

Tereza Lee is the original "Dreamer" whose case inspired the first attempt in 2001 to protect undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as minors.

Vincent Chin was a Chinese-American draftsman who was beaten to death by two white men the night of his bachelor party in advance of his upcoming wedding. For Asian Americans, Vincent Chin's murder symbolized an extreme example of the kind of discrimination that they'd face and becomes a rallying point for Asian Americans to be able to say ‘that's me too.’

Larry Itliong was president of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee known as AWOC. In the summer of 1965 he began to talk about organizing, improving the working conditions and increasing the salaries. It was his will and determination that led to the Grape Strike.

Bruce Lee was an actor considered by commentators, critics, media, and other martial artists to be the most influential martial artist of all time and a pop culture icon of the 20th century, who bridged the gap between East and West. He is often credited with helping to change the way Asians were presented in American films.

Daniel Inouye, an outstanding war hero, was the first Japanese American ever elected to Congress. Hiram Fong, the son of Chinese immigrants, overcame poverty to become the first Asian-American ever elected to the Senate.

Building on Congressman Dalip Singh Saund's success, Asian Americans in Hawaii were then poised to elect a new generation of political leaders.

Patsy Mink emerged in the 1950s as a key political figure. She was a third generation Japanese American and served in the U.S. House of Representatives for a total of 12 terms, representing Hawaii's at-large and second congressional districts. She was the first woman of color and the first Asian American woman elected to Congress. She was also the first woman elected to Congress from the state of Hawaii, and became the first Asian-American to seek the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party in the 1972 election.

In 1952, Toy Len Goon, a Chinese-born widow, carrying on in her husband's place and bringing up eight children to be fine American citizens, was selected as U.S. Mother of the Year. As the first Asian ever to be selected in the nationwide contest, she was upheld as the symbol of motherhood and family, a pillar of American identity that even an Asian immigrant can represent.

Antero Cabrera was a 12-year-old orphan who set off from the Philippines in 1904 to see the land of riches he'd always heard about, arriving at the St. Louis World’s Fair. But the promised land was not what Antero expected. His home at the fair was a replica of an Igorot village, inside a living anthropological exhibit.

taru and Shizuko Ina were born in the United States, but partly educated in Japan. Nine months after marrying, they found themselves imprisoned, where they had two children inside detention camps. It was 1943 and they were required to answer what was called the loyalty questionnaire, asking them if they were one, willing to bear arms against the enemy. And two, if they would be willing to disavow any loyalty to the emperor, which they never had in the first place. Though the vast majority of inmates answered yes to both questions, Itaru and Shizuko answered no out of despair.

With dreams of owning his own business, Joseph Tape appeared to cut all ties to his family in China, including cutting his queue as if to symbolize his desire to be an American. Raised by the home of the Ladies Protection and Relief Society, Mary Tape effaced all of her Chinese-ness. Joseph and Mary got married and had an incredible life story together as one of the first Chinese American families.

Anna May Wong and Sessue Hayakawa dazzled Hollywood and projected an image to audiences who may never have met an Asian in real life. Anna May Wong’s first starring role was in “The Toll Of The Sea,” while Sessue Hayakawa starred in “The Cheat,” propelling him to superstardom where he became a matinee idol. He later went on to establish his own studio to take creative control of his career. Despite the bamboo ceiling, Anna May Wong continued to break barriers and challenged the conventions of race and gender against all odds throughout her 40-year career, working in all the mediums of her time: silent movies, talkies, the stage, television, and radio.

Vaishno Das Bagai was a South Asian American who brought his entire family to the United States because he believed that the United States, unlike India under British Colonial rule, was a place where his children could be free. However, because of the Supreme Court decision on race, Vaishno Das Bagai was denaturalized and his US citizenship was revoked. Since non-citizens were banned from owning property, he then lost his house and his store, and was stripped of his identity.

The case of Bhagat Singh Thind is a particularly important case in US legal history, US immigration history, and the history of how we understand race and citizenship in this country.