Long before Silicon Valley’s tech boom, Chinese laborers laid the literal groundwork for America’s industrial rise – and faced systemic racism that still echoes today. In the mid-19th century, over 12,000 workers from the Chinese mainland helped build the Transcontinental Railroad through perilous conditions, only to confront discrimination fueled by propaganda campaigns.
\"When the economy crashed post-Civil War, anti-Chinese rhetoric became political ammunition,\" explains Professor Valerie Soe, whose documentary work examines this history. \"Slogans like 'The Chinese must go' normalized violence and exclusion laws like the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act – the first U.S. ban on immigration based solely on race.\"
This erased chapter holds urgent lessons as debates about racial equity resurface globally. While recent reforms address historical injustices, labor advocates argue modern policies must prioritize cross-cultural understanding to prevent cyclical discrimination.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
