For the first time in 118 years, Red Bluff’s Historic Chinatown will be joining the Tehama County Independence Day Parade in a celebration of Chinese American history.
Lion Dance Across America
The event is part of Lion Dance Across America, an initiative hosted by the Chinese Historical Society of America coordinating July 4 performances by dragon and lion dance teams across the nation to celebrate America’s 250th birthday.
Jessica Chew, president of the Helen and Joe Chew Foundation, said the event came about as part of a rediscovery of Red Bluff’s history. The Red Bluff-based nonprofit works to preserve the legacy of Chinese American history in Tehama County through cultural events and educational opportunities.
Chew noted that the county allowed Chinese community members to buy property and prosper economically, despite national anti-Chinese and broader anti-Asian sentiment through the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the California Alien Land Law of 1913.
The parade this Saturday will feature a Chinese dragon, and will reenact similar scenes as depicted in the same July 4 parade 118 years ago.
Original reporting: Shasta Scout (Redding) — read the source article.
