Author Reveals the Forgotten History of Chinese Americans in Southern California In Honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

In observance of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, award-winning author Icy Smith (Sui Bing Tang) will present a slide show lecture on the forgotten history of Chinese Americans in Southern California at San Marino Public Library, Torrance Public Library and the West Coast Literacy Conference in May. A book signing will follow the presentation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE            
April 28, 2003                        
Icy Smith
East West Discovery Press
(310) 532-1115   
      

Author Reveals the Forgotten History of Chinese Americans in Southern California
In Honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

(Los Angeles, CA) -- In observance of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, award-winning author Icy Smith (Sui Bing Tang) will present a slide show lecture on the forgotten history of Chinese Americans in Southern California at San Marino Public Library, Torrance Public Library and the West Coast Literacy Conference in May. A book signing will follow the presentation.

Chinese Americans are the only ethnic group in the U.S. to have ever been barred from entering the country by a federal immigration law lasting 61 years. During the Chinese Exclusion Act years, Chinese Americans were made scapegoats for perceived economic problems. They were denied basic privileges, including the right to testify in court against Caucasians, to own land, to join American social clubs, to perform many occupations, and to become citizens. It was difficult for Chinese to live outside Chinatown unless they lived inside laundries or as live-in servants. The gradual attainment of civil rights took nearly a century," said Icy Smith, author of The Lonely Queue: The forgotten history of the courageous Chinese Americans in Los Angeles.

Despite the hardships and racial victimization, Chinese Americans were the principal labor force in the vegetable produce and citrus industries for almost half a century in Southern California. Thousands of Chinese migrant laborers worked as pickers and packers. They were engaged in fruit and tree plantings, truck farming, and all types of year-round activity. Chinese workers picked up to 1,000 pounds of grapes a day for a wage of 90 cents. Most of the vegetables consumed in Los Angeles were grown by Chinese Americans from the turn of the century to 1940s. It was their knowledge of farming in China which assisted California in becoming one of the leading agricultural states.

In 1930s, hundreds of Chinese Americans were hired in Hollywood motion pictures. About one out of every 14 Chinese in Los Angeles had worked in the movie industry. Chinese workers in China City were often called upon to act in moving picture roles. China City, located near where the Olvera Street stands today, was called the Chinese Movie Land.

The Lonely Queue was chosen as the 2002 Clarion Award winner in the non-fiction book category. The Los Angeles Times described it as a bilingual book that celebrates the Chinese American community of Southern California ...with the intimacy of a family album and the authority of a historical monograph."

Admission to the program is FREE to the public. The event schedule is as follow:
Saturday, May 3, 2003
1 p.m. -- 3 p.m.
San Marino Public Library
1890 Huntington Drive, San Marino, CA 91108

Saturday, May 10, 2003
1 p.m. -- 3 p.m.
Torrance Public Library
3301 Torrance Blvd.,
Torrance, CA 90503

Saturday, May 17, 2003
1:15 p.m. -- 2:30 p.m.
West Coast Literacy Conference
Anaheim Hilton
777 Convention Way
Anaheim, CA

For press information or author interview, please contact East West Discovery Press at 310-532-1115, or Irwin Zucker at 323-461-3921. East West Discovery Press is a publisher of an eclectic mixture of educational and teaching resource books with an emphasis on cultural diversity and understanding. Its web site is found at www.eastwestdiscovery.com.

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