On Tuesday, April 21, students from the Asian Student Alliance went on a field trip to Philadelphia’s Chinatown to learn about its history and challenges and gain insight into the culturally-rich community.
The students started their trip at the Ginger Arts Center. Tour guides from Asian Americans United (AAU), an organization formed in 1985 by a group of volunteers to combat the rising anti-Asian issues in Philadelphia, gave an overview of the purpose of their efforts and what was to come on the tour.
Afterwards, the students split into two groups to complete the tour. As they walked around Chinatown, they were met with a bustling community. They stopped by the Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School (FACTS) to talk about AAU’s opportunities, and learned about Chinatown’s protests and fights to protect their community. Additionally, the students visited the “Our Chinatown” signs by Little Saigon Cafe as well as the originally proposed site of the Philadelphia 76ers’ stadium.
The groups passed the Chinatown gate and visited the location of a laundromat, the first-ever business in Chinatown. Finally, the students stopped at the You&Me grocery store to shop for Asian snacks. They headed back to the Ginger Arts Center to eat lunch and prepare to return back to school.
Check out some photos from the event below!
Corey Han can be reached at [email protected].
Charlotte Liao can be reached at [email protected].
