Photo Contest Gallery
Locke's in Time - by Kelvin Lu
Main Street, Locke
Why did you pick this photo to submit?
I chose this photo because I wanted to shine a light on one of the last remaining rural chinatowns in the United States. The picture depicts the relatively crowded main street contrasted by the aging store fronts.
How does this photo describe your neighborhood's resilience to displacement?
Locke is one of the oldest rural Chinatowns in the United States, established in 1915, and was once a refuge for Chinese immigrants who were looking to escape the discrimination found in the surrounding areas. The community that built this main street did so after a fire destroyed their prior settlement and the small town has continued to survive natural disasters, poverty, and neglect While the population now is largely white, several of the original stores and monuments still stand, celebrating the early Chinese-American settlers.
What aspects of your neighborhood are being highlighted and/or celebrated in this photo?
I wanted to highlight Moon Cafe, which was the first buildings built by the co-founders (Lee Bing) of Locke and now functions as a collaborative art gallery curated by local artists. It continues to operate to this day, thanks in part to the last remaining Chinese Americans still living in the area.
Please tell us about your photo by including a description below:
This photo captures the historic main street of Locke, CA, located 30 miles south of Sacramento. Although the population of Chinese Americans have dwindled, the town has seen recent efforts in reinforcing the roots of the original community.
Census 2020 in Chicago Chinatown - by Wenyan Wang
Ping Tom Memorial Park, Chicago
Why did you pick this photo to submit?
We got lots of census yard signs, we wanted people pick up the free yard signs to help their neighbors remember to answer the 2020 census.
How does this photo describe your neighborhood's resilience to displacement?
This location is in Chinatown Ping Tom Park near Chicago river where our neighbor can relax and have fun with their family and friends.
What aspects of your neighborhood are being highlighted and/or celebrated in this photo?
census
CBCAC team
Ping Tom Park
Please tell us about your photo by including a description below:
We got lots of census yard signs, we wanted people pick up the free yard signs to help their neighbors remember to answer the 2020 census. Our team was already having fun with the signs and had planted some in PingTom Park.
Chicago Chinatown - by Wenyan Wang
Chinatown, Chicago
Why did you pick this photo to submit?
The photo took Feb this year. In a snow day, Chinatown gate looks so pretty.
How does this photo describe your neighborhood's resilience to displacement?
I am not quiet sure.
What aspects of your neighborhood are being highlighted and/or celebrated in this photo?
The traditional Chinese gate symbolizes a strong spirit.
Please tell us about your photo by including a description below:
In February, the economy in Chinatown was affected. After that, as the continuous Blizzard gradually melted, Chinatown slowly recovered.
Home in America - Bhutanese Nepali Cultural Heritage Dance - by Rachel Chen
Munroe Falls Metro Park, Akron
Why did you pick this photo to submit?
Many Bhutanese Nepali refugees families resettled in American were faced culture shock, language barriers and limited access to resources. In an effort to ensure those families are given the tools and resources, ASIA provides a venue for the elderly to get involved in structured and fun-filled activities to helped them from across the globe to be able to have the opportunity to build a life in this country where they can engage in the pursuit of happiness.
How does this photo describe your neighborhood's resilience to displacement?
N/A
What aspects of your neighborhood are being highlighted and/or celebrated in this photo?
Bhutanese Nepali families celebrated their festival. ASIA Inc. programs for the community members to support the mental and physical health of aging adults in the community and encourage them to live healthy, happy, independent, engaged lives and honoring their Nepali culture.
Please tell us about your photo by including a description below:
This photo was taken with a cell phone.
Muay Thai for Thai Town - by Curtis McElhinney
Thai Town, Los Angeles
Why did you pick this photo to submit?
The Thai Community Development Center has been working since 1994 to uplift a blight prone region of East Hollywood where an enclave of Thais began settling in the 1960's. One of the first orders of business, was to get Thai Town nationally recognized. Once that happened, Thai Town in East Hollywood was the first in the world. Through those efforts and the development of the Thai New Years Festival, SongKran, has evolved into an event that draws a yearly crowd over 400,000 people. I picked this image because it encapsulates the success of that effort in one image - huge crowds taking part in Thai culture while the Apsonsi (a Thai mythical figure which was part of Thai CDC's efforts to mark the gateways of Thai Town) looks on. This image shows the success of community economic development strategies utilizing cultural based tourism.
How does this photo describe your neighborhood's resilience to displacement?
This image shows the resilience to displacement due to the success of Songkran and other efforts to recognize cultural identity and use it as an engine for economic development. Thereby, maintaining the unique character of neighborhoods and ethnic enclaves making those characteristics opportunities for success instead of a victim to development through the standard model that wipes out neighborhoods instead of embracing them.
What aspects of your neighborhood are being highlighted and/or celebrated in this photo?
Muay Thai is a celebrated sport and some would consider art form. In the most simplified statement one could say that is is a drastically different version of kick boxing. The Apsonsi in the upper right corner is a mythical Thai figure that is half woman half lion. Thais have their own version of Greek mythology.
Please tell us about your photo by including a description below:
With crowds over 400K, Thai Town celebrates SongKran, Thai New Year, with a variety of activities including Muay Thai. As the crowds eagerly await the winner of the current round, the Apsonsi, a mythic Thai figure that is half woman and half lion, looks down from her perch.
New Year's Day at Phuoc Loc Tho - by Alycia Cheng
Little Saigon, Westminster
Why did you pick this photo to submit?
New Year's Day is not complete for me without a lion dance. Phuoc Loc Tho (Asian Garden Mall) is a central spot for the community in Little Saigon. I've been coming here pretty much every year since I can remember to watch the lion dances.
How does this photo describe your neighborhood's resilience to displacement?
This mall has been here for over 30 years now. It's a hub for the local community and a landmark destination for the Vietnamese/Southeast Asian diaspora in Southern California. Claiming space through naming and by being able to congregate and celebrate in culturally-affirming ways is an act of resilience.
What aspects of your neighborhood are being highlighted and/or celebrated in this photo?
This photo highlights place and youth. The photo includes Phuoc Loc Tho where the hardwork and sacrifice of so many small business owners, who arrived as refugees with very little, can be witnessed daily. It also highlights youth and the dedication of the community's young people to participating in the culture of their parents homelands.
Please tell us about your photo by including a description below:
Every year, I look forward to Lunar New Year lion dances. This photo was taken on New Year's Day in Westminster, CA -- also known as Little Saigon. I was on my way to meet my family at Phuoc Loc Tho (Asian Garden Mall) and happened to arrive at the same time as one of the lion dance troupes.
Cambodia Town Film Festival- by Alycia Cheng
Cambodia Town, Long Beach
Why did you pick this photo to submit?
I'm a daughter of Cambodian refugees. I got tickets for my parents to come see First They Killed My Father with me at the Cambodia Town Film Festival. Watching this story of one individual's experience in the genocide in a room with so many others who had lived through this same history was incredibly powerful. This movie helped spurred more conversations where my family began sharing more about what they saw and experienced under the Khmer Rouge.
How does this photo describe your neighborhood's resilience to displacement?
Long Beach is currently undergoing rapid development that threatens to displace its longtime residents. Events like these re-affirm and celebrate the Cambodian community's presence and history in the area. The audience included multiple generations of Cambodians and the organizing team was full of enthusiastic young people. This dedication to community and to uplifting Cambodian culture and Cambodian stories is an act of resilience.
What aspects of your neighborhood are being highlighted and/or celebrated in this photo?
This photo celebrates the dedication of community members to uplifting the stories of the community for the community.
Please tell us about your photo by including a description below:
This photo was taken in 2017 at the Annual Cambodia Town Film Festival in Long Beach, CA. This year, First They Killed My Father was the headline film.
The Resiliency Beacon - by Daniel Luu
Cambodia Town, Long Beach
Why did you pick this photo to submit?
This is one of the main Cambodian community organization (United Cambodian Community) in Long Beach and it represents hope and resiliency in the building's appearance as well as services.
How does this photo describe your neighborhood's resilience to displacement?
The art and community organization are here to stay to serve the community. This is how it is publicly portrayed but so many initiatives by UCC is done to preserve Cambodian culture, residents as well as the multicultural significance for the Latinx, Tongva, and Balck community.
What aspects of your neighborhood are being highlighted and/or celebrated in this photo?
The beauty of having a community hub where people can find support.
Please tell us about your photo by including a description below:
This is a photo of United Cambodian Community with a public community mural on the side (Long Beach, CA).
Chinatown In Its Magnificent - by Terry Zhou
Chinatown, San Francisco
Why did you pick this photo to submit?
Because it shows the colorfulness of Chinatown and its peacefulness. It was one of my random pictures taken while walking by Chinatown.
How does this photo describe your neighborhood's resilience to displacement?
No matter how much burden that life has given us the people in Chinatown, it will always retains its finest art and bring colors to people.
What aspects of your neighborhood are being highlighted and/or celebrated in this photo?
The peacefulness and neat that Chinatown has always bring to people.
Please tell us about your photo by including a description below:
This is taken during the pandemic. However, the Chinatown I see has nothing different than before, it still maintains its best status that bringing the calmness into people's life as what I feel when I pass by. The words, buildings, and colors heal my soul and touch me by how resilient it is to stay the best, I guess it's what the people here make it what it is. They're here united as a whole and have not given up in these hard times.
Unknown Labor - by Karl Andrei Dones
Lake Arrowhead / The Pinnacles, San Bernardino
Why did you pick this photo to submit?
Lake Arrowhead is known as a tourist spot and attraction for those living upon the peak. However, a lot of the lake’s history goes unknown. While climbing the Pinnacles and going off trail onto the rugged rocks and boulders, shrubs blocking each path, I remind myself of the struggles the laborers worked in as I got higher up the mountain and saw more of the land. Lake Arrowhead was taken about by early European settlers and later taking Chinese laborers to dig tunnels through the San Bernardino mountains to Lake Arrowhead. Climbing these mountains in the morning was cold, and as the sun rose, the elevation and lack of shaded areas made the climb a struggle. I chose this photo to symbolize the height and lengths that the Chinese work crews in the 1800s faced, moving through the rugged mountains and initiating the development of Lake Arrowhead for what it is today.
How does this photo describe your neighborhood's resilience to displacement?
Today, there is only a mere 0.3% asian American population at Lake Arrowhead, despite the history of asian work crews developing the land. However, I saw that this did not stop me from not seeing asian culture from being displaced in society. I was invited by my friend to view the area, and in their house, they did not restrain from presenting their Vietnamese culture as a token to their heritage.
What aspects of your neighborhood are being highlighted and/or celebrated in this photo?
The free land of The Pinnacles hike highlights the mountainous and rocky terrain the early asian workers of the 1800s had to work through and develop off the cheap labor of settlers bringing them to work.
Please tell us about your photo by including a description below:
The mountainous view is often seen solely through the lens of nature. However, uncovering the history of the environment reveals a great unknown - the environment of the workers. In the 1800s, Chinese laborers were brought into what is now called Lake Arrowhead to dig tunnels connecting Lake Arrowhead to its surroundings through the San Bernardino mountains. The higher the climb, the more is seen of the rugged terrain these asian workers had to endure.
Remember The Beautiful - by Ella Suh
Los Angeles Koreatown, Glendale
Why did you pick this photo to submit?
This piece is named Remember The Beautiful to represent the Comfort Women who remained beautiful despite being stripped of their honor and dignity. This image that reflects the state of South Korean Comfort Women who were used as sex slaves by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II demands the public’s attention not only in South Korea but also globally. This piece is designed to bring attention to the surviving Comfort Woman, in hopes that society would altogether seek justice that these women deserve and ensure that such atrocity would never repeat itself.
How does this photo describe your neighborhood's resilience to displacement?
Although World War II ended 70 years ago, Comfort Women, young women who were forced to live as sex slaves for the Imperial Japanese Army in occupied Asian countries before and during WWII, are still victimized today. Much of their long-running quest for the restoration of their dignity has been swept under the carpet – their pleas to the international community for help have yielded minimal fruit. Even the Wednesday Demonstrations, which have been active weekly since 1992, have failed to yield a formal apology from the Japanese government. I believe is that as society takes strides to improve, it is imperative that we do not forget about what has come before and embraced our responsibility to resolve the wrongs that our fathers and grandfathers had failed to right. The victims have never asked for monetary compensation, instead, they have simply requested a formal apology and acknowledgment from Japan admitting to their wrongdoings. Today, only 17 Comfort Women victims remain. As an international community, we should remember them so the victims can rest in peace before it is too late.
What aspects of your neighborhood are being highlighted and/or celebrated in this photo?I have made a commitment to continue my journey fighting for the honor and dignity of not just the Comfort Women but ultimately, providing a voice to the voiceless, power to the powerless, and freedom to the oppressed. I chose this photo to raise awareness of the Comfort Women along with other sexual slavery present in today's society. Although many people believe we are living in an advanced society, sexual slavery or other forms of human trafficking are second largest illegal trade in the world. It is very important to alert the public about this problem we face today.
Please tell us about your photo by including a description below:
The photo I submitted is the Peace Monument of Glendale, a statue dedicated to Comfort Women. It is the replica of the Statue of Peace in South Korea. There are many symbolic elements specifically designed to carry meanings. First of all, the chair represents the fact that the survivors are not yet received justice. The girl has unevenly cut hair and wrinkles are designed to symbolize the pain of the Comfort Women during sexual exploitation. Most importantly, bare feet symbolizes the abandonment of the world. These symbolic elements are designed to serve one purpose: to restore the honor and dignity of the comfort women.