Pacific Grove is on the cusp of approving a formal apology to the Chinese American community for the ongoing racism that has been experienced in the town. These two article discuss that process.
https://www.montereycountyweekly.com/news/local_news/pacific-grove-is-on-the-cusp-of-issuing-a-formal-apology-for-the-burning-of/article_04b4918a-c65d-11ec-aea6-ab30e4ee27ea.html?utm_source=Monterey%20County%20Weekly%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=bd84bee622-MCNOW_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_73ff5a7fa1-bd84bee622-425122266&fbclid=IwAR2oDHHwE4bkY4tvFT_jE7GCjCjNJf7DfjE8VXbW7MsCvFLLWLcb3umg0uM
https://www.montereyherald.com/2022/04/26/pacific-grove-to-consider-apology-for-mistreatment-of-chinese-community/?fbclid=IwAR0zF_moAJzDnOp7iuHdH0uOVi8GBH3hc-niJz13PWh0aoydXEqLRpTrjr4
The old feast of lanterns board of directors has rebranded the event as the “Youth Ambassadors of Pacific Grove” and they are asking the City of PG to still permit a series of events. We continue to put pressure on Mayor Bill Peake, the city council, Ben Harvey (city manager) and the Recreation Board to refuse to permit any events associated with this organization. The FOL board has not changed the legal name of the non-profit or made any real attempt to engage our community in discussions around healing and reconciliation. The did submit an inadequate apology via facebook (this apology was not given by the board president Christine Gruber but by a regular board member) and also voted to dissolve the event. Now they are trying to still have the feast under another title showing that they lack insight into the depth of this situation. Please contact the city of Pacific Grove leadership and the Youth Ambassadors of Pacific Grove (YAOPG aka the old feast of lanterns) to express your concerns about permitting an event that is simply a more whitewashed version of the old racists feast of lanterns.
Here are the emails:
City of Pacific Grove
Mayor Bill Peake - bpeake@cityofpacificgrove.org
PG City Council Members
Joe Amelio jamelio@cityofpacificgrove.org
Luke Coletti lcoletti@cityofpacificgrove.org
Jenny McAdams jmcadams@cityofpacificgrove.org
Chaps Poduri cpoduri@cityofpacificgrove.org
Nick Smith nsmith@cityofpacificgrove.org
Amy Tomlinson atomlinson@cityofpacificgrove.org
City Manager Ben Harvey - citymanager@cityofpacificgrove.org
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force
dei@cityofpacificgrove.org
Youth Ambassadors of Pacific Grove – aka the old feast of lanterns
Christine Gruber – President
yaopgpresident@gmail.com
SAVE THE DATE
Walk of Remembrance 2022
Program and Schedule
Saturday May 14, 2022, 1:00 - 4:30 pm
“Walk of Remembrance”
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History and Stanford Hopkins Marine Station
Honoring the life and legacy of Gerry Low-Sabado, a descendant of Quock Mui and Quock Tuck Lee of the Chinese fishing village at Point Alones, for her work to bring recognition of Chinese contributions to Pacific Grove and achieve “Change with Kindness." Performance by Monterey Bay Lion Dance Team.
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
165 Forest Avenue
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
The Walk begins at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History (corner of Forest Avenue and Central Avenue) with a proclamation and proceeds one mile along the recreation trail led by a Monterey Bay Lion Dance Team. There will be an additional presentation on the Chinese village at the Stanford Hopkins Marine station. This is the location where the fishing village once stood, and it is marked by a commemorative boulder at the gate of the marine station.
“The Quock Family of the Point Alones Chinese Fishing Village”
Julia Cain and Donald G. Kohrs
Julie Cain is a historian and the Historic Preservation Planner for Heritage Services at Stanford University. She is particularly interested in 19th-century California history with an emphasis on the history of San Francisco, the role of Chinese immigrants within the state, the development of estate homes on the San Francisco peninsula and the history of Stanford University.
Donald Kohrs is the branch library specialist at the Harold A. Miller Library of Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove. His current research areas include the history of Pacific Grove’s Chautauqua Program, Stanford University’s Hopkins Seaside Laboratory, the Hopkins Marine Station, Edward F. Ricketts, Jack Calvin, and the Steinbeck and Hamilton families.
Hopkins Marine Station
DeNault Family Research Laboratory
120 Ocean View Blvd
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Additional events!
Please consider joining us for all the events to deepen your understanding of our local history.
Saturday April 15, 2022, to Saturday May 14, 2022
“Remembering 1882“ The date of the enactment of the Chinese Exclusion Act, prohibiting Chinese immigration to the U.S. Exhibit from the Chinese Historical Museum in San Francisco to be on display at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History.
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
165 Forest Avenue
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Friday May 13, 2022, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
“They Came Across the Sundown Sea: Honoring the Chinese pioneers and their inspiration and legacies on the shores of Monterey Bay”
Sandy Lydon is a writer, teacher, and historian who has published several books on local history. For a short time he was also a weather man on KCBA. He wrote the book Chinese Gold the best history of Chinese in California. He continues to teach classes on local history through Cabrillo College.
Chautauqua Hall
16th Street & Central Ave.
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Saturday May 14, 2022, 11:00 am till 12:00 pm
Abalone! By Bowen Lee
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
165 Forest Avenue
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Abalone! is a story of the history of the many cultures for whom abalone have been an important source of food and commerce here in the Monterey Bay. This mollusk with the beautiful shell has been valued by Native, Chinese, Japanese, and European Americans for centuries. In bringing this treasured shellfish back from near extinction, scientists are looking to the past at the sustainable harvesting of Native peoples and Chinese fishers. Listen to the stories of this celebrated sea snail with the rainbow shell.
Bowen Lyam Lee lives in the Monterey Bay area. She is a fifth generation Chinese American of Gold Rush ancestry. Her great grandmother, Wong Choy Kiu, was born in 1877, at the Chinese fishing village at Pt. Alones, where Hopkins Marine Station is now situated. Bowen was a natural science illustrator and writer before becoming a public school teacher. She has been a teacher for 36 years, incorporating storytelling into all aspects of teaching, and is lately conducting workshops on storytelling to teach educational content in national and regional education conferences.