May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM), a time that brings national awareness to the cultural and historic contributions of Asian Pacific Americans.
APALA is proud to add to the conversation by sharing the stories of Asian and Pacific Islander workers and immigrants and the many contributions they have made to the fight for better wages and working conditions. Too many of these stories are long forgotten, but they all remind us that many have paved the way for the labor movement we have today.
Like many immigrants coming to the U.S., Asians and Pacific Islanders often came here to escape poverty, famine, disease, or war. They sought the same things we all seek – safety and opportunity for themselves and their families. Immigrants from the east and the west were met with the brutal exploitation of unchecked capitalism which had no interest in the well-being of immigrants. Instead, they faced rampant exploitation with scant legal or social protections.
Their stories diverge, however, as 19th century Asian immigrants were also confronted with the harsh reality of bigotry and laws designed to deny them basic rights. The notorious Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 banned Chinese laborers from immigrating to the U.S., for example. It also made existing immigrants ineligible for naturalization. The law has the ugly distinction of being the first and only major federal legislation to explicitly suspend immigration for a specific nationality. Other states passed laws to deny property ownership or the right to marry U.S. citizens. In addition, organized violence against Asian immigrants was growing and these immigrants soon found themselves further isolated and unsupported in their communities.
Against this backdrop, they began to organize. They often had no support from their communities, the press or organized labor, but the will to build solidarity with one another could not be suppressed. In 1867, 5000 Chinese workers on the Transcontinental Railroad held an eight-day strike, a full 25 years before the Homestead Strike and 27 years before the Pullman Strike. In California and Hawaii, Native Hawaiian and Asian workers built cross-racial coalitions with other exploited workers to demand better wages and working conditions. In the 1990’s, mostly South Asian taxi cab drivers in New York City organized a strike where 24,000 yellow cab drivers parked their cars and 2000 yellow cabs lined up 14th Street and Avenue D to demonstrate their solidarity. Each story adds to the fabric and strength of the labor movement. Each story deserves recognition as an important part of everyone’s labor history.
APALA is proud to celebrate APAHM in May and pledges to uplift the legacy of our past all year round.
APALA is proud to add to the conversation by sharing the stories of Asian and Pacific Islander workers and immigrants and the many contributions they have made to the fight for better wages and working conditions. Too many of these stories are long forgotten, but they all remind us that many have paved the way for the labor movement we have today.
Like many immigrants coming to the U.S., Asians and Pacific Islanders often came here to escape poverty, famine, disease, or war. They sought the same things we all seek – safety and opportunity for themselves and their families. Immigrants from the east and the west were met with the brutal exploitation of unchecked capitalism which had no interest in the well-being of immigrants. Instead, they faced rampant exploitation with scant legal or social protections.
Their stories diverge, however, as 19th century Asian immigrants were also confronted with the harsh reality of bigotry and laws designed to deny them basic rights. The notorious Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 banned Chinese laborers from immigrating to the U.S., for example. It also made existing immigrants ineligible for naturalization. The law has the ugly distinction of being the first and only major federal legislation to explicitly suspend immigration for a specific nationality. Other states passed laws to deny property ownership or the right to marry U.S. citizens. In addition, organized violence against Asian immigrants was growing and these immigrants soon found themselves further isolated and unsupported in their communities.
Against this backdrop, they began to organize. They often had no support from their communities, the press or organized labor, but the will to build solidarity with one another could not be suppressed. In 1867, 5000 Chinese workers on the Transcontinental Railroad held an eight-day strike, a full 25 years before the Homestead Strike and 27 years before the Pullman Strike. In California and Hawaii, Native Hawaiian and Asian workers built cross-racial coalitions with other exploited workers to demand better wages and working conditions. In the 1990’s, mostly South Asian taxi cab drivers in New York City organized a strike where 24,000 yellow cab drivers parked their cars and 2000 yellow cabs lined up 14th Street and Avenue D to demonstrate their solidarity. Each story adds to the fabric and strength of the labor movement. Each story deserves recognition as an important part of everyone’s labor history.
APALA is proud to celebrate APAHM in May and pledges to uplift the legacy of our past all year round.
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