July 23, 2008 by Chinatown Blogger.

Updated 7-24-08: Made minor edits.

The first post on the Chinatown Unity Mural explained the dynamic forces that led to the creation of the mural. The dynamic forces can be summarized as:

- The Chinatown community’s resistance to continued institutional expansion and the desire to preserve Parcel C site for future community use.

- New England Medical Center and Tufts University’s desire to build a garage to serve their needs.

- The City of Boston and the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s shifting stances on how to develop the Parcel C site. In 1988, the BRA sided with the community but changed their position in 1993 on a revised New England Medical Center proposal.

After the mural was demolished to pave the way for the 23-story Metropolitan, a replica was created and stored on the ground floor of the Metropolitan in 38 Ash Street. The images in the mural were meant to tell a story about the history of the community. This blog re-tells the same story the Chinatown Blogger once heard. (Note: One of the 2 artists for the project, David Fichter, has a personal website with photos of the Unity Mural.)

1. Chinatown Unity Mural (replica) -  The mural included images that were meant to represent the journey of the Chinese American experience.  The theme is woven together into a cloth by the seamstress in middle with the sewing machine. The seamstress is weaving the history of the Chinatown community.

2. Laundry men and Telephone Workers - The top portion of the mural tells the history of the Chinatown community. The first large group of Chinese workers came to Boston from North Adams, MA and supposedly lived in tents on Ping On Alley (ping on = peace). Ping On Alley still exists to this day. These early pioneers, all men, later worked on building telephone poles (upper right hand corner), as laundrymen, and restaurants. The elevated train tracks can be seen in picture. The elevated tracks at one time ran along Beach Street until they were tore down.

3. Urban Renewal - Changes in U.S. policies regarding redevelopment of urban centers had a profound impact on Chinatown. Chinatown was considered “urban blight” and major sections of the community were tore down to make way for institutional expansion of New England Medical Center and Tufts University. The construction of I-93 and I-90 also took away significant portions of the community. Chinatown lost between one-third to half of its land during this period. The mural symbolizes this loss with images of the crane with wrecking ball and the highway in the background

4. The Seamstresses - There was debate on what the central theme or image in the mural should be.The image of the seamstress was selected because women were were critical to the survival and continuation of the community. After passage by Congress of the Chinese Exlcusion Act in 1882 and subsequent laws,  limits were placed on the migration of Chinese to the U.S. In particular, women were denied entry to prevent the continuation of Chinese communities in the U.S. The male bachelor Chinatown population was slowly aging and dying. The War Brides Act in 1945 allowed Chinese American servicemen to marry Chinese women from overseas and start families here in Boston. Later bills relaxed the strict immigration quotas and the community was able to persevere. At one time, the garment industry was thriving and many factories employed Chinese women  as seamstresses. In the image, the seamstresses weaving the cloth are the central figures in the muralin terms of size and location.

5. Newcomers to Chinatown - In the right hand corner is a small image of a boat navigating through the storm. Somtimes referred as the “boat people”, the the boat people were refugees from Southeast Asia. Some of the refugees were Vietnamese who were of ethnic Chinese ancestry, but also included Cambodians and Laotians. Many shops and businesses in Chinatown (and Dorchester) today are owned by Vietnamese entrepreneurs.

6. Civil Rights Movement - Inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, a younger generation of Chinese Americans advocated for equal rights for Chinatown and Chinese Americans. These young activists went on to form organizations to provide basic services that the community needed, worked to save Chinatown from urban renewal and institutional expansion, and adovcated for justice. The mural image of the sign that says: “JUSTICE FOR ASIANS” was based on an actual event. In 1986, an elderly Chinese man, Mr. Huang who did not speak English, was beaten by an undercover officer and suffered injuries. The police filed assault and battery charges on Mr. Huang.  The community united to protest this incident because they felt this was an extreme example of injustice and discrimination towards Chinese Americans.

7. Blue Van - The blue van is a Chinatown phenomena. As Chinese businesses and restaurants expanded outside to suburban communities, vans came into Chinatown to pick-up workers and transport them to the restaurants.  These vans were an important means of transportation for the workers. The image also shows students learning in school and the diversity of the community. Chinatown had come a long way when the first settlers lived in tents!

8. Community Gardening and Doctor - Many Chinese had strong ties to the earth and many residents planted gardens if they could find the space. Chinatown as a neighborhood has very little open space and parks (Note: Boston Common is not part of Chinatown). On the right hand side is a doctor. The creation of the South Cove Community Health Center in 1972 was an important step to improving the health of the community.

9. Children Playing Volleyball - The last image here are children playing but also represents the future. Hopefully, they will one day lead Chinatown and continue the story of the seamstress cloth.

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July 16, 2008 by Chinatown Blogger.

The Chinatown Blogger was fortunate to be able to get a few moments from Doug Brugge’s busy schedule for this interview. Dr. Brugge currently teaches at Tufts University School of Medicine at the Chinatown campus. He has done work previously with Native American communities in Oklahoma and Mexico, particularly on impacts of uranium mining on Navajo communities. Recently, Tufts University and 2 Chinatown groups, the Chinese Progressive Association and Chinatown Residents Association, were awarded funding by the National Institute of Highways (NIH) to conduct a study on effects of highway pollution on nearby communities.

Chinatown Blogger: Can you first tell us a little about yourself, where you went to school, how and why you became involved with Chinatown?

Dr. Brugge: I am currently an associate professor of public health at Tufts University School of Medicine.  I went to Washington University in St. Louis for undergraduate and Harvard for graduate school.  When I was in graduate school I met other students who were working in Chinatown and on other progressive political causes.  Amazingly, I maintained these friendships and associations over 25 years and became increasingly involved in Chinatown following the Parcel C struggle.

Blogger: What other previous studies have you done on Chinatown? What conclusions did you gather from those studies?

DB: I have led a number of student research projects in Chinatown.  Most of the studies have focused on asthma, but we have also studied violence, traffic injuries, research ethics with elder Chinese immigrants and other topics.  Until the start of our NIH funded project this year, all our research has been relatively small scale.  Nonetheless, most of it has been published in academic journals and several times we have been the first to publish new findings about Asian Americans and asthma.

Blogger: How would you describe Chinatown as compared to, say other neighborhoods in the City, or other Chinatowns in the U.S?

DB: Chinatown is definitely unique.  It is very dense and, until recently, more homogenous than most neighborhoods.  It is a low-income community, but has some strengths as well, including relatively strong social organization.  The approach of the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) to organizing and political change is also rare elsewhere from my experience… in that CPA is true to its organizing and advocacy mission and links this work to broader issues of social change.

Blogger: Tell us about the NIH grant. How or who got the idea to do this project? What is the purpose of the project?

DB: Community members from Somerville, especially a guy named Wig Zamore, originally approached me with the idea of studying health impacts of pollution next to highways.  I was a little skeptical at first, but over time became more and more interested.  We pulled together a broader coalition to write the grant which included CPA and the Chinatown Residents Association.  It took over 2 years from starting work on the grant to getting funded.  Now that the project is underway, the main objective is to measure pollution in communities next to highways in the Boston area and to test the hypothesis that this pollution is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular (heart) disease as well as asthma.

 Blogger: How do you plan on conducting the research? What conclusions do you think you will draw from the research?

 DB: It is too early in the process to draw any conclusions.  It will take several years of collecting and analyzing data to do that.  The study will measure air pollution in each target community using a van that we are currently in the process of developing that will be outfitted with multiple monitoring devices.  We will also interview and take blood samples from residents who are willing to participate.

Blogger: If someone was living in Chinatown or say, the Leather District, how would the data affect the residents living nearby?

DB: Good question.  Maybe after we have finished measuring pollution in several communities we will have a better idea how similar or different they are.

End of interview.

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July 15, 2008 by Chinatown Blogger.

Click here for the larger Study Area Map 11×17.

The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority held a public meeting at Boston City Hall with interested government officials and community members to hear about a study on building ramps on I-90. If you were not already aware of, Chinatown is adjacent to both I-90 and I-93 and any new ramps would have an impact on the neighborhood. The project is called the Mass Turnpike - Boston Ramps Study. A fact sheet was given that explained purpose and process.

Purpose
The purpose of the project is to conduct a study what will evaluate and address transportation issues related to the connectivity between Interstate 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) between Commonwealth Avenue and Interstate 93 (the South Bay Interchange) in the City of Boston and the existing city street network to help improve access to the Back Bay, Fenway, South End, Chinatown and Longwood Medical Area neighborhoods. 

Background
In 1997, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority in conjunction with the Boston Transportation Department and the Boston Redevelopment Authority conducted the “Boston Extension Ramps Feasibility Study.” This previous study developed and analyzed eight (8) new ramp alternatives along I-90 to provide improved access between Back Bay and Logan Airport and the South Boston Waterfront. This study will re-examine the most feasible of those alternatives in a more comprehensive study that will examine the operations, environmental effects, business considerations, and possible right-of-way-impacts.

Process
The Office of Transportation Planning (Planning) will be responsible for all study activities in coordination with an established Working Group that will include but not be limited to the Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works, Planning, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (Turnpike), and the Boston Transportation Department. A larger Study Advisory Group (SAG) will also be formed as part of the public participation process that will include but not be limited to: the Working Group, the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Boston Redevelopment Authority, federal and other state agencies, legislators, local elected officials, and interested organizations… This study is expected to take approximately 18 months from initiation to completion.

(Taken from fact sheet handed out at meeting.)

The next steps will be to begin gathering more information on existing conditions, convene  the next SAG meeting, and coordinate a public meeting. Meetings at neighborhoods are available if there is interest. (Any Chinatown folks interested in coordinating a space and inviting the MTA to make their presentation?) For more information contact:

Mark Berger, AICP
Manager of Data Services
Executive Office of Transportation
10 Park Plaza, Suite 4150
Boston, MA 02116
mark.berger@state.ma.us

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July 14, 2008 by Chinatown Blogger.

The Chinatown Blogger was near City Hall and inside the State Street orange line T-stop and noticed this commemorative board. I guess gentrification was a “hot topic” back then.

The text of the board read:

“Above this State
The Old South Meeting House, 1729

One hundred years after the Boston Tea Party, downtown Boston had changed dramatically. When news spread that Old South was slated for destruction to make way for urban redevelopment, Wendell Phillips, Julia Ward Howe, Ralph Waldo Emerson and countless others joined a community effort to save the structure. Their success in 1877 marked the advent of the American urban historic preservation movement.

The Old South Meeting House, a link on the Freedom Trail, was saved for you. Come explore its sights and sounds on your journey into America’s past.
——————————–
Engraving of the mass meeting held to save the Old South Meeting House, 1876.“

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July 14, 2008 by Chinatown Blogger.

There are 2 articles of relevant interest in today’s Boston Globe.

Market share: At Quincy’s large Kam Man, a new American melting pot has a distinctly Chinese taste
The article interviews the owner of Kam Man market in Quincy. The City of Presidents has seen substantial growth of the Chinese American (and Asian American) population. Interesting read.

(Thinking beyond the article) Not to say that the Chinatown Blogger wants to see Chinatown disappear, but sometimes the Blogger wonder at the “what ifs“. Could continued growth of satellite Asian communities in Quincy/Malden mean that  Chinatown will one day become non-relevant? Here’s an anecdote the Blogger has been investigating: Chinatown had two main advantages over suburban communities, 1) a stable Asian population and the 2) presence of large-function restaurants. Based on Census numbers, the Greater Boston Chinese American population has already surpassed Chinatown. However, many of the Greater Boston Chinese still came back to Chinatown for services and events. With large-function restaurants like the China Pearl restaurant opening in Quincy, why would anyone want to deal with the traffic and parking to come into Chinatown? Just food for thought.

A private power grab on the public’s Greenway
The second article is an op-ed piece written by Shirley Kressel. The op-ed criticizes the Rose Kennedy Conservancy as a private group seeking public funding. The new Chinatown Park next to the Gate and is part of the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The Blogger has met Shirley a few times and while he may not agree with all of her views, Shirley does make one question some of the public process on developments. Here is an excerpt:

Boston Globe excerpt:
“The private conservancy is exempt from laws on open meetings and public records, as well as prevailing wage, competitive bidding, and conflict of interest. The bill requires only partial disclosure, so we will never get the full story. Bountiful money and lack of transparency and accountability are a recipe for a make-work patronage bureaucracy…. Beyond money, the conservancy wants power. The long-term lease would confer land interests similar to ownership. The bill specifies powers over future redesign of the park, including buildings and memorials, and a review role in surrounding development - the fox guarding the henhouse… The conservancy board has already preempted real public advocacy, sacrificing the Dewey Square gardens’ sunlight to an abutting tower proposed for Russia Wharf by a conservancy member. The relevant zoning agency discounted public protest on the grounds that the conservancy would oppose the project if there were a problem with it. Inherent conflicts make this the wrong guardian for the Greenway.”

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