Code Switch

Exclusion, resilience and the Chinese American experience on 'Mott Street'

May 31, 2023
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ANECDOTE

Missing Faces

  • Ava Chin was shocked to find no Chinese faces in her American history textbook's Transcontinental Railroad photo.
  • This omission inspired her to become a writer and tell untold stories.
INSIGHT

Historical Fictions

  • Official historical records often contain fictions, fabrications, and omissions.
  • Ava Chin discovered this while researching her family history, finding inconsistencies between records and oral traditions.
ANECDOTE

Paper Identities

  • Ava Chin's grandfather used a "paper name," a false identity to circumvent the Chinese Exclusion Act.
  • His real uncle became his "paper father," creating a fictional family history in official documents.
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