The Chinese Exclusion Act Screening and Lecture Tuesday, June 19 at Southbury Public Library

The Chinese Exclusion Act Screening and Lecture on Tuesday, June 19 at 5pm in the Kingsley Room of the Southbury Public Library

Join us for this documentary screening and lecture examining a deeply American story-about immigration and national identity, civil rights, and human justice; about how we define who can be an American, and what being an American means.

The Chinese Exclusion Act: What does a little-known 1882 law have to do with American identity, democracy, and civil rights today? Through powerful and illuminating visuals, historical documents, testimonies, and insights of leading scholars and experts, The Chinese Exclusion Act documentary explores the history of Chinese immigration to the United States and its significance to issues of globalization, immigration, labor, and civil rights today. 35 minutes.

Understanding Asian American History: Immigration and Exclusion in the 19th and 20th Centuries: Tied in to the documentary, this 45 minute talk by Yale Historian Dr. Mary Lui will give a more expansive history of Chinese Exclusion and its impact on shaping broader additional immigration policies that ended Asian migration as well as limited naturalization and citizenship. 

About Dr. Mary Lui: A Professor of American Studies and History at Yale and a featured historian in The Chinese Exclusion Act, her primary research interests include Asian American history, urban history, women and gender studies, and public history. She is the author of The Chinatown Trunk Mystery: Murder, Miscegenation, and Other Dangerous Encounters in Turn-of-the-Century New York City, the 2007 co-winner of the best book prize for history from the Association of Asian American Studies. She is currently working on a new book that examines the history of Asian American and U.S. cultural diplomacy in Asia in the early years of the Cold War.

This program is the first of the Richard Bozzuto American Dream Series which was recently established in his memory by the Friends of the Southbury Public Library and to honor his daughter Chris Tolley, a long time officer and member of the friends. Like all our programs, this is free to attend and open to anyone regardless of town of residency. Please register by calling 203-262-0626 x130.