Memorial Day

Letter from Shenzhen (21-14): In Memoriam

Memorial Day. No American would have no feeling about this day. Memorial Day first gestated as Commemoration of the American Civil War, but subsequently developed to embrace remembrance of all who have sacrificed for the Country. Even more than Independence Day, I think this day has a special aura about it (which continues to generate controversies). On this most American day, I'd like to relate to you stories about the roles Chinese Immigrants (or Adoptees) played as early as the Civil War. This is for sure not known to the general public, even to this relatively studious student of Chinese American history.

Kudos to an Yahoo article, I learned about Joseph Pierce, but it is its citation of the pdf article by Ruthanne Lum McCunn's Chinese in the Civil War: Ten Who Served that really floored me! This is a longish article, but one that had me streaming in tears. These were beings who carried on in dignified manners against all odds. Lest you think I am only occupied by the "Chinese" narrative (they are not even that, given that many of the protagonists had really nothing Chinese about them), I am equally touched by the "foreigners", or "whites" whose benevolence nurtured basic souls and saw fit to bring them up or interact as best as they saw fit. Kudos to Kindness, Sympathy and Tolerance! And Love for your Fellow Beings on this Earth. And Love to Historians who pursue the Truth, particularly those of Forgotten Minorities.

This Year's Memorial Day is just One Day separated from the 100th Anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre. Many Americans do not know much about this date, or are in active denial of history (a sure way to get shady characters elected in many states). They should Google and there are any number of articles on this. A good place to start is the excellent June, 2021 issue of National Geographic (above and below pics from the magazine)