“WHO IS AMERICAN?”: COMMUNITY AND EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAM

The Center for Asian American Media's (CAAM new community and educational outreach program “Who is American?” Immigration, Exclusion, & the American Dream will foster greater public understanding and dialogue about the history and impact of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, a landmark, little known piece of federal legislation that reshaped American law, foreign policy and civic life. Through the program, CAAM will distribute free educational resources and host community screenings to reach thousands of students, teachers, and community members in support of the film THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT.

Get Educational Resources or Request a Screening of the Film

Free educational materials are available from CAAM by clicking here and filling out the form at the bottom of the page. You can use the same form to organize a screening and share the story of the Chinese Exclusion Act with your community.

CAAM's Bay Area Educational curriculum

CAAM is working with a group of educators in the Bay Area who are developing curriculum around the Chinese Exclusion Act and will use scenes from the documentary as part of the lesson sets. Their curriculum is tentatively titled “Teaching Against Exclusion.”

Young Whan Choi, Manager of Performance Assessments for the Oakland Unified School District, Elizabeth Humphries, High School History Specialist for the Oakland Unified School District, and Rachel B. Reinhard, Director of UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project are bringing together a group of high school history and humanities teachers in the Oakland Unified School District to learn about the historical context of the Chinese Exclusion Act.

For more info visit CAAM's website by clicking here.

Facing History and Ourselves Educational Resources and Activities

How has the history of Chinese exclusion shaped enduring attitudes about difference, citizenship, and American identity?

This month marks the 136th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first law to restrict US immigration on the basis of race. The activities found at the link here engage students in an exploration of the historical context and consequences of the 1882 legislation, drawing connections between the exclusion era and today. They also invite students to analyze a letter of protest from Chinese immigrant Saum Song Bo and consider how immigrants themselves played a role in shaping notions of democracy and citizenship within a polity that excluded them.