Conversations in Context: How Bigotry in Business Was Met by Asian American Solidarity
In 1867, Chinese transcontinental railroad workers went on strike to protest unsafe working conditions and lower pay than their white peers. Then came the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act–the first and only U.S. legislation to suspend immigration for a specific nationality. But with each wave of bigotry came solidarity and resistance from the Asian-American community. Join MTV News correspondent Yoonj Kim and Interim Director of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum Lisa Sasaki as they link the events of the past to the present-day epidemic of discrimination against Asian-Americans. (11:56)