Building Community in California: The Chinese American Experience

This weeklong workshop for K-12 teachers, will explore historic sites in Donner Summit, the town of Locke, and San Francisco, to ground our understanding of Chinese immigration and contributions from the Gold Rush through the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 and their lasting impacts. These events bookend our study, as do the common perceptions of “yellow peril” and “model minority” associated with the two eras. The Chinese American experience serves as a case study of the dynamics of immigration and the contributions and experiences of those who came to and built community in Northern California and across the country.