History Center event to explore history of Pittsburgh’s Chinatown
The Senator John Heinz History Center will host “Stories from Pittsburgh’s Chinatown,” a free program featuring two short film screenings and a panel discussion examining the history and legacy of Pittsburgh’s Chinatown neighborhood on Sunday, Oct. 29, from 2 to 4 p.m.
The films, “The Last Mayor of Chinatown” and “Pittsburgh’s Lost Chinatown,” explore the city’s Chinatown neighborhood through the perspectives of former residents and their families.
Following the screenings, the program will include a panel discussion with Lena Chen, a Chinese American artist, writer, and scholar; Lydia L. Ott, a nonagenarian who lived in Pittsburgh’s Chinatown during the 1930s; and her granddaughter Lydia Y. Ott, a recent University of Pittsburgh graduate and fourth generation Chinese American whose family has lived in Pittsburgh for over 100 years. The panel will also include Jacqueline Wu, a Ph.D. student at Yale University studying race and migration in the United States, and Shirley Yee, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and daughter of Yuen Yee – the last unofficial mayor of Pittsburgh’s Chinatown who was a passionate community spokesperson while also supporting newly arrived immigrants from the 1930s through the mid-1980s.
Throughout the program, attendees will learn how Chinese Americans established businesses, started families, and created community despite the racism and discrimination that they faced. Participants will also garner insights into the decades-long partnerships and advocacy within the Chinese American community that has resulted in broader recognition of this history.
Admission is free with preregistration. To reserve tickets, visit heinzhistorycenter.org/events. The event will be held in-person at the History Center, but a virtual viewing option is also available.