A joint project between California State University, Monterey Bay and the Asian Cultural Experience of Salinas (ACES), the Chinatown Renewal oral histories consist of interviews conducted by CSUMB students from 2007 to 2014. The interviews document the personal narratives of the Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, and Mexican communities who grew up in and around Salinas Chinatown, and offer a window into the area's rich history and cultural significance, as well as its decline during the latter half of the 20th century.
The interviews cover a broad range of topics, including agricultural labor and the farm workers movement; the Bracero Program, which permitted Mexican laborers to work in the United States on a temporary basis during and after World War II; the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II; discrimination; homelessness; gambling and nightlife; local organizations and their role in addressing community needs; and neighborhood revitalization. Many interviewees also reflect on the cultural traditions and values that shaped their upbringing, share their hopes for the future of Salinas Chinatown, and recount memories of the Republic Café, a Chinese restaurant that served as a vital social hub from the 1940s to the 1980s.
A selection of oral histories from the collection are available to view and download below. Students who conducted the interviews wrote the summaries of these conversations, while CSUMB Library provided the transcripts and additional metadata. For access to interviews not available through Digital Commons, please contact archives@csumb.edu.
To learn more about the Chinatown Renewal Project and the history of Salinas Chinatown, please visit the following links: Asian Cultural Experience of Salinas; Online Archive of Asian Cultural Experience of Salinas (ACES).
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Interview with Sonny Wun
Sonny Wun and California State University, Monterey Bay
Sonny Wun tells of how his parents came to the Salinas Valley before and after the World War II. He tells of how it was growing up in Chinatown on Soledad Street as a young boy and of some of his favorite memories as a little boy walking down the ... Read More
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Interview with Bill Young
Bill Young and California State University, Monterey Bay
The Interview starts with what Mr. Young knows about his family coming over from China where he is not fairly lucid of his early memories then jumps around to different points, such as his time working in the Salinas Drive-in market to when he was in the military, then back ... Read More