Chinese American Women’s History Conference 2019

The 1882 Foundation and Chinese American Museum, DC 

Register for ALL Conference Programs Here
(or select a la carte items below)

The 1882 Foundation and Chinese American Museum DC are partnering to host the inaugural Chinese American Women in History Conference (CAWH), October 24–26, 2019 in Washington, DC.

The conference seeks to promote research and raise awareness of the contributions of Chinese American women in history. We seek to address gaps in the historical narrative of women in the Chinese American community before 1965, in addition to fostering inter-generational dialogue and understanding in contemporary Chinese America.

Through two days of a blend of academic research and individual storytelling, CAWH brings our focus to the underrepresented histories central to our community.

Day 1: Presentations (1875-1965)
October 25, 2019
9:00am - 5:00pm
Charles Sumner School1201 17th St NW, Washington, DC 20036

Day 1 of the conference on October 25 will focus on panels and lectures on historical persons and issues from the 1875 Page Act to 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act.  

Topics will range from: a historical discussion of the War Brides Act and its personal impact; the women behind desegregation activism in the Gong Lum vs. Rice case in the Jim Crow South;the spaces of commemorating Dr. Mabel Lee in NYC’s Chinatown; and multimedia storytelling in rural America.

Film Screening & Discussion
October 25, 2019
6:00pm - 8:30pm
University of California, Washington Center1608 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036

The evening of Friday, October 25, we are also hosting a public screening of Finding Kukan (2016) with filmmaker Robin Lung, and The Curse of Quan Gwon (1916) by Marion E. Wong, represented by her grandson Greg Mark.

Buy Screening Only Tickets Here

Day 2: Community Conversations
October 26, 2019
9:00am - 4:00pm
University of California, Washington Center
1608 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036

Talk Story! Day 2 will feature activities that highlight storytelling and preserving our families’ stories. The day will include sessions on written and oral story telling. Each session will include presentations by experts followed by participation by attendees.

To encourage participation by the community, all Day 2 sessions are free and open to the public.

RSVP for Community Conversations Talk Story Here

WRITERS’ WORKSHOP SESSION

After presentations by expert authors on topics focused on the writing of family stories, attendees will participate in small and then larger group discussions of their works-in-progress. The object of the session is to receive/give encouragement and critique to authors as they capture their stories in written form.   Inclusion of your own story is encouraged but voluntary.

Participants are encouraged to submit writings to womensconference@1882foundation.org by October 18, 2019. Please submit a maximum of 3 pages, 12 point font, double spaced. If your work is longer than 3 pages, please submit an excerpt. We will include your story in our post-conference proceedings unless you opt out.

OPEN MIC SESSION

Our day will include presentations by experts on oral history preservation and end with one of our popular Open-Mic sessions where presenters will have five minutes on stage to tell their story “live” to the audience of conference attendees.

To reserve a time slot, please submit a paragraph (less than one page double-spaced) describing your talk to womensconference@1882foundation.org by October 18, 2019. These talks will be videotaped unless the presenter opts out.