Oregon Historical Society - “Portland’s Chinatowns” Book Talk

Description

Portland’s Chinatowns presents a vivid visual history, tracing the neighborhoods’ cultural legacy through photographs spanning from the mid-19th century to the present. What began in the 1850s grew into the nation’s second‑largest Chinatown by the early 1900s, surpassed only by San Francisco’s. Portland’s early Chinese residents faced exclusion, discrimination, and forced relocation — conditions that shaped what became the New Chinatown/Japantown Historic District. Photographs reveal their challenges, achievements, and lasting contributions, deepening our understanding of the American immigrant experience and honoring the resilience of a community that helped shape a vibrant, multicultural city.

Written in partnership with the Portland Chinatown Museum, this book features numerous images from the museum’s archive, with proceeds supporting its mission. It includes a foreword by historian Chuimei Ho, PhD, and is part of Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” series.

This event is free and open to the public and copies of the book will be available for sale and signing by the author.

For more events, visit https://www.ohs.org/events/