Wong's New Book Recounts Struggles, Successes of Early Chinese Americans

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Williamstown - K. Scott Wong's new book, "Americans First: Chinese Americans and the Second World War," focuses on Chinese Americans during the 1930s and through the Second World War and the different journeys second-generation Chinese Americans took in response to the conflicting pressures of American racism, American values, and America's developing relationship with China during the War. The book combines the personal accounts of more than 100 people as well as meticulous research of the Chinese American press during the second generation's growth. Beginning with the arrival of Chinese in the 1800s, Wong details the struggles they faced in developing a cultural and national identity in America. Strict immigration laws, calls for deportation, and exclusionary acts against the Chinese slowed the influx of Chinese Americans, preventing a full second generation from developing until the 1930s. This cohort, though mostly American-born, still faced social and economic boundaries associated with their grandparents. Most were denied jobs and forced to seek refuge from racial and language barriers in scattered Chinatowns, then the cultural and economic centers for Chinese Americans. Some considered returning to China, where economic prosperity might have been easier to come by for someone of Chinese descent. Yet, as Wong writes, Chinese Americans felt "the desire to claim a place in America," meaning "the choice between remaining in America and trying their luck in China was fraught with conflict and ambivalence." Inevitably, while some returned, the remaining Chinese American community strove to establish a place for themselves in the States. Although "many exhibited a strong identification with mainstream American youth culture" and "immigrants and their offspring had come to the point of strong identification with American society and culture," Wong writes that Chinese Americans ultimately made their ascension into American society during the War while riding the wave of anti-Japanese sentiment. The Chinese American press even encouraged people to make clear their Chinese descent to avoid being confused as Japanese. The result was the beginnings of Chinese Americans sculpting the image of the "good Asian" that remains in the American cultural mindset to this day. The book also details the efforts of prominent Chinese American military personnel in the American armed forces during World War II. Wong focuses particularly on the achievements of the Fourteenth Air Service Group, which eventually had the largest concentration of Chinese American personnel in the Armed Forces. In addition, he documents the contributions made by Chinese Americans, especially women, in the various defense industries on the homefront. Wong also charts the differences between how Chinese American communities developed during the War in both American Mainland and Hawaii. The war bred camaraderie and community among Chinese Americans that wrought kinship in postwar decades and instilled in many a greater confidence and self respect as they gained larger roles in American society. Though the Chinese still faced obstacles to complete acceptance in America, they were tied to the land through their contributions in the war, and in the end, this connection established them as true Americans. Wong is professor of history at Williams College. In addition to this book, Wong is co-editor of "Privileging Positions: The Sites of Asian American Studies" and "Claiming America: Constructing Chinese American Identities during the Exclusion Era." He is the author of more than a dozen articles on Chinese American history. His honors include the 2001 History and Social Sciences Book Award from the Association for Asian American Studies, support by the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Immigration History Society's Carlton Qualey Award for the "most outstanding article published in the Journal of American Ethnic History during a two year period." In addition to Williams, he has taught at Wesleyan University, Doshisha University in Kyoto Japan, and was a research fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu. He received his B.A. in Asian studies from Rutgers University in 1976 and his Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan in 1992.
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Pittsfield CPA Committee Funds Half of FY24 Requests

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A few projects are not getting funded by the Community Preservation Committee because of a tight budget.

The projects not making the cut were in the historic preservation and open space and recreation categories and though they were seen as interesting and valuable projects, the urgency was not prevalent enough for this cycle.

"It's a tough year," Chair Danielle Steinmann said.

The panel made its recommendations on Monday after several meetings of presentations from applications. They will advance to the City Council for final approval.  

Two cemetery projects were scored low by the committee and not funded: A $9,500 request from the city for fencing at the West Part Cemetery as outlined in a preservation plan created in 2021 and a $39,500 request from the St. Joseph Cemetery Commission for tombstone restorations.

"I feel personally that they could be pushed back a year," Elizabeth Herland said. "And I think they're both good projects but they don't have the urgency."

It was also decided that George B. Crane Memorial Center's $73,465 application for the creation of a recreational space would not be funded. Herland said the main reason she scored the project low was because it didn't appear to benefit the larger community as much as other projects do.

There was conversation about not funding The Christian Center's $34,100 request for heating system repairs but the committee ended up voting to give it $21,341 when monies were left over.

The total funding request was more than $1.6 million for FY24 and with a budget of $808,547, only about half could be funded. The panel allocated all of the available monies, breaking down into $107,206 for open space and recreation, $276,341 for historic preservation, and $425,000 for community housing.

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