Southwest Chinese Journal (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 6, No. 2, Ed. 1 Sunday, February 1, 1981 Page: 1 of 12
twelve pages : ill. ; page 15 x 12 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
tH-? i£j ^ i\i Southwest Chinese Journal
FEBRUARY 1981
1920
In 1920, General Pershing visited the 32 Chinese
at Ellington Field and promised to continue to fight
for their right to remain in the U.S. as aliens.
Through his former aide, Mr. William Travis Page, this
fight was finally won in 1922, five years after their
first entry into the U.S. The Chinese still could not
become naturalized citizens but this did mark a new
level of acceptance for the Chinese in Texas.
In 1924, a new national immigration law was passed
by the U.S. Congress. It stated that any American who
married an alien Chinese lost their citizenship. Pre-
viously, a person marrying an American citizen became
an American citizen. The law also established a quota
of 105 per year which could not be filled because of
the exclusion acts. The CACA fought this provision
and in 1936, Chinese alien wives were granted a non-
quota status. The CACA contributed their efforts to
the repeal of the Chinese exclusion acts and worked
to abolish the quota system. The CACA also helped
pass the refugee acts and the war bride acts (see
later). In truth, the CACA has been the watch dog of
Civil Rights for the Chinese.
In Rosedale, Mississippi, in October of 1924,
the daughter of Mr. GONG LUM, whose family later came
to Houston to reside, was classified as colored and
was told that she'could not attend the public schools
for whites. Mr. Lum filially took the case to the U.S.
Supreme Court which upheld the Mississippi court de-
cision. In contrast, in Houston, Chinese children
were classified as whites and attended white public
schools.
In the 20's, the states of California, Arizona,
Idaho, Missouri, Mississippi, Oregon, Nebraska, Wyoming,
Utah, and Virginia passed laws prohibiting Chinese from
marrying whites, but in Texas, no such laws were en-
acted. Some of these laws remained in effect until
the late 60's and, in fact, one couple who fought the
law in Mississippi now resides in Houston.
1930
On March 27, 1935, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Miss
LOIS THOMPSON shot Mr. DANIEL SHAW, a 23 year old
Chinese student. Miss Thompson was convicted of as-
sault with intent to kill and sentenced to 30 days
in jail. Although the racial issue was brought into
the trial, the jury of twelve farmers overcame it and
found the daughter of one of their fellow farmers
guilty. This eliminated the earlier opinion of Judge
Roy Bean and recognized the equal human rights of the
Chinese. The victim requested the presence of Sec.
E. K. T. CHEN of the Chinese Vice Consulate as an ob-
server. The defense claimed that the Chinese govern-
ment was called in to insure a guilty verdict but the
jurors said his presence had no effect. Shaw was up-
set over the light sentence but was pleased that the
great state of Oklahoma made a supreme effort to see
that justice was done. Thus it is now quite appro-
priate that the state of Oklahoma and Taiwan, the Re-
public of China are sister states.
In March of 1937, a bill was proposed in the Texas
Legislature which would restrict ownership of urban
property in Texas to American citizens or aliens who
could become citizens (excluding Chinese, Japanese,
and Hindus). Mr. E. K. T. CHEN of Houston and Mrs.
T. H. (ROSE) WU of San Antonio testified against the
bill and it was killed in committee. This bill was
essentially a copy of the racist laws which were en-
acted in the West Coast States. Not surprisingly,
the bill was advocated by Mr. A. L. Becker a San An-
tonio grocer.
In late 1939, Mr. E. K. T. Chen described the
following housing problems experienced by Chinese in
Houston. "No Chinese can purchase a residence in the
best area (River Oaks). A Chinese restaurant man was
married to a white woman. When they first settled
in Houston, the wife rented an apartment in the middle-
class district. The husband always left early and re-
CULLEN & POLK TEXACO SERVICE
Complete Auto Repairs
Road Sen tte • Tires & Lubrication
Slate Inspection
W fa fit*
JOHNSON TSUI
Owner
alt,M lnJ
Mill ' £ fi
M f'M
4104 Polk
Houston Texas 77023
* + *
■AwAA AAA.
^ I] ^ %
FONG'S RESTAURANT
10010 Bissonnet
Houston, Texas 77036
■i^ SL * x. sfc
i3L "f; &
& i Tf> M. si
* Fine Chinese Food *
PHONE: 988 3788
ORDERS TO GO
C. KALIL FRUIT
A VEGETABLE, INC.
2520 AIRLINE DR. - 861 9208
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77009
J'
rW
=^1
•oeocoooccococosooo«co9coooooscoooeo<
Southland r.f\St ^i| $£ ^ 7S
Insurance^ 1
Agency, Inc.
Commercial Industrial Personal
< !ii l)i. I'ri%
4445 N. tiraeswood
Houston, Tx.77096
V.h'
Tel. (713) 061-0000
DAVID NG - ASSOCIATE
Tel: ( 713) 522-3861
MON-LEE IMPORT CO.
(713)229-8628
m ra iiti m &t
ill ^
2022 Rusk St. (Chinatown)
Houston, Texas 77003
Ask for John or Charlis
BRADHAM PROVISIONS CO.
3119 LUELL ST., HOUSTON, TX.
* BRADHAM OLD COUNTRY BRAND
* CURED & SMOKED
*BEEF SAUSAGE, HOCKS
* NECK BONES, JOWLS
* TURKEY WINGS, DRUMSTICKS
& HIND QUARTERS
* BOUDAIN—HOG HEAD CHEESE
* MEXICAN SAUSAGE: CHORIZO
Mfom' m-'l
J
m
FOR YOUR ORDER CALL
TEL: 694-8800
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Southwest Chinese Journal (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 6, No. 2, Ed. 1 Sunday, February 1, 1981, newspaper, February 1, 1981; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth268408/m1/1/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.