Chinatown Rising

Weaving together never-before-seen archival footage and photographs, CHINATOWN RISING reveals a deeply personal portrait of a San Francisco neighborhood in transition. Chinatown activists of the 1960s reflect on their years as young residents waging battles for bilingual education, tenants’ rights and ethnic studies curriculum that would shape their community and nation.

Meet Harry Chuck, one of the filmmakers of CHINATOWN RISING and the subject of the film. An active member in San Francisco's early Asian American movement, the reverend was a witness to what happened to many of the community's young residents.

In San Francisco's Chinatown, the housing for its residents were less than desirable. For activists in the community, they refused to sit idly by the HUD's (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) devastating decision on a project that would have renewed the neighborhood.

Pam Tau Lee, an activist who has for decades fought for social justice, recalls her experience during the 1977 eviction at the International Hotel in San Francisco's Chinatown. She, alongside many others, were part of a years-long campaign against neighborhood encroachment.

Harry Chuck talks about the work of the Chinese Six Companies, a group of Chinese organizations that would advocate for the residents and businesses of Chinatowns around the country. They also wielded their power to deal with governments at the local, state and national levels.