Jeanette Chow Interview, January 26, 2020

INDEXED CLIP TIME: 00:00:05.250 --> 00:01:19.930 SEGMENT SYNOPSIS: Dan Kerr interviews Jeanette Chow on January 26, 2020 in Chinatown during the Lunar New Year Festival. In this clip, Jeanette Chow discusses how her family came to DC. SUBJECTS: Lunar New Year Festival; Chinatown (Washington, D.C.); immigrants; Chinese immigrants; Chinese laundries

Okay, today is Chinese New Year's. We are in Chinatown in Washington, DC. It's January 26, 2020. Could you tell us your name?

Oh I'm Jeanette Chow. I'm a native Washingtonian, and a member of the Chinese Community Church. Well, I support them. And I grew up in DC. Went to school in DC.

Could you tell us a little bit about how your family came to DC?

Well, my father came here when he was 14, because his dad was already here with the laundry in Southwest DC, you know where the wharf is. And daddy grew up here since he was 14 years old. And he later on went back to China to find his bride. And it took a few years. He had to save money to bring his bride over here. I think it might have taken six years. And then she came in late 1940s. And then my older brother was born, God bless his soul. He's not with us now. And then my second brother and then my sister and then me. I'm the youngest. I was born in the 50s.

INDEXED CLIP TIME: 00:01:22.420 --> 00:02:26.940 SEGMENT SYNOPSIS: Dan Kerr interviews Jeanette Chow on January 26, 2020 in Chinatown during the Lunar New Year Festival. In this clip, Jeanette Chow discusses the family's laundry business. SUBJECTS: Chinatown (Washington, D.C.); immigrants; Chinese immigrants; Chinese laundries; North Capitol Street (Washington, D.C.)

Where did you were you originally in the southwest?

No, later on, Grandpa... I have cousins also and grandpa. He passed the laundry onto one part of the family and then supported the other family to branch out to create laundries in other parts of the city. So my dad and mom, you know, my mom being the business partner as well with him in the laundry business. They got a laundry, I think on 12th Street Northeast and then also on North Capitol Street on the borderline of the Shaw neighborhood. That's on North Capitol, so it's more commercial. But it's an African American neighborhood commercial. So on Sundays we came down to Chinatown. But that sent us to Chinese Community Church. And then after church too, when you pick us up, sometimes we get dim sum or, you know, they'd buy the Chinese groceries in Chinatown.

INDEXED CLIP TIME: 00:02:26.940 --> 00:05:34.030 SEGMENT SYNOPSIS: Dan Kerr interviews Jeanette Chow on January 26, 2020 in Chinatown during the Lunar New Year Festival. In this clip, Jeanette Chow discusses the early days of Chinatown. SUBJECTS: Chinatown (Washington, D.C.); H Street (Washington, D.C.); Wah Luck House; Convention Center; Urban development

So, what was Chinatown like back then?

Well, Chinatown originally was located at Fourth Street at the foot of the Capitol. I think that's around probably around before 1931 before it moved to H Street. And then when it move to H Street is where the GAO (Government Accountability Office) was and then they had to move closer to 6th or 7th Street further down. So Chinatown in the 60s 1960s growing up in the 60s, bunch of stores and people living in their houses around this neighborhood. And then of course, they didn't have this big apartment complex. So you had the immigrant families living in the area. I think in the 1980s when they finished the Wah Luck House, then it was a joint venture between the community and the government, local and federal government to help, you know, get the housing, more housing for the people here in DC. So I think Wah Luck opened in 1981, something like that.

And that was that was running around when they built the first when they built the first convention center?

Oh, yeah, that was on H Street, around 11th and H Street area, that first convention center before they tore that down, because they built a bigger one off of 7th Street.

And was that was there a fight over that or no?

Oh, yeah. Well, yeah, at that time, we young people were in high school ... we were in college at that time in the 70s. And yes, we had a petition going on, and a lot of small businesses, whether they were Chinese or not, they opposed having a Convention Center built. So some young people they testified on the Hill. They didn't want the convention center. But of course, economics, money talks. And, you know, the city is not a state. So they have to raise money. You get more money when you have Convention Center. More business come into the city. You know, tourism and all that. So it's a lot for me when it comes to money... people I guess ... the city the government have to survive and have to pay for all ... got police and fire services. And so they, I guess it brought money to the city because you know, when you have a convention you have the snowball effect. Now, other businesses have to support the conventions, the conferences going on, and the delegates coming into the city. So you got more restaurants and, and everything.

INDEXED CLIP TIME: 00:05:34.000 --> 00:06:35.240 SEGMENT SYNOPSIS: Dan Kerr interviews Jeanette Chow on January 26, 2020 in Chinatown during the Lunar New Year Festival. In this clip, Jeanette Chow discusses many of the changes she's seen over he years. SUBJECTS: Chinatown (Washington, D.C.); Urban development; Gallery Place-Chinatown (DC Metro); Gentrification; Metro; Public transportation

When did the subway open up?

But I think the subway... when the subway was built, the Gallery Place, that's what changed Chinatown. It wasn't immediate. It took time. But over time, then you start seeing non-Chinese businesses started to grow all on 7th Street, and everywhere. H Street. You know, the non-Chinese restaurants. Because it brought everybody downtown, it's the heart of the city.

Let me think. I'll probably use up all your tape trying to think when that happened. The 80s, if not the late 70s. Must be the 80s.

Was it after the convention center?

Around that time all this development was happening and all that construction was going on.

INDEXED CLIP TIME: 00:06:36.410 --> 00:09:15.040 SEGMENT SYNOPSIS: Dan Kerr interviews Jeanette Chow on January 26, 2020 in Chinatown during the Lunar New Year Festival. In this clip, Jeanette Chow discusses the Eastern Wind, the first Asian American newsletter in the Washington DC area. SUBJECTS: Chinatown (Washington, D.C.); Eastern Wind (Asian American community newsletter of Washington, D.C.); Dr. Samir Meghelli; Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum; Anacostia Community Museum; Chinese culture; Chinese heritage; Chinese identity; Ethnic identity

So what was your group that you said you guys were part of a group that was...

Eastern Wind, the first Asian American newsletter in the Washington DC area. The Eastern Wind newsletter, which was a free newsletter. And a bunch of us worked on it. We volunteered. And some of us wrote stories on different subjects. aspects of Asian Chinese culture and there might be a movie review or what was happening in the community. I think I put in a little narrative on DC's Chinatown community. Some of that Eastern Wind newsletter has been scanned into the database... well, the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum. We got them to scan some of the old issues but the museum has to get clearance. I mean, you got to talk to Dr. Samir Meghelli, the curator to see whether the higher ups approve of entering that material in their database. And if so, then it's accessible to the public. But I don't know what happened after he scanned it, you know. We took time out to scan those. I don't know what happened, whether it's in the database or not. You have to check with him. Because I knew that a lot of young people are now... the next generation... are now into doing research on Asian American, you know, identity culture and, you know, as the Asian Chinese community and everything. So some people are doing even their master's thesis and whatever, so on the neighborhoods and, and the changes in the urban development and how it affects the, the ethnic character, of the neighborhood. So a lot of people are now into wanting to interview folks or wanting to do research. And so I said, let's just scan it, get it into that database, and we just direct them over to the Smithsonian.

That's fantastic. Yes.

Yeah. I did a couple articles on when Chinatown, back in late 1970s, I think 1978, on the changes that were happening in Chinatown. I did a four-part series on Chinatown in the San Francisco Journal. A progressive newspaper in San Francisco that no longer exists. But that was 1978. And I believe that should be in that same database with Dr. Samir Meghelli.

Where do you live now?

I live in Silver Spring, Maryland. Yeah.

So how often do you come back to Chinatown would you say?

Well, before I retired, I had to come down here five days a week to go to work. You know, taking that subway. I mean, you just had to do that long commute.

You worked here?

Yeah, first I was in Silver Spring and then Rockville. Now I'm back in Silver Spring.

INDEXED CLIP TIME: 00:09:44.000 --> 00:14:05.560 SEGMENT SYNOPSIS: Dan Kerr interviews Jeanette Chow on January 26, 2020 in Chinatown during the Lunar New Year Festival. In this clip, Jeanette Chow discusses what's important to preserve in Chinatown. She also reflects on the high cost of living. SUBJECTS: Chinatown (Washington, D.C.); Urban development; Gentrification; Affordable housing; Chinese-owned businesses; Local businesses; family associations; Chinese culture; Chinese identity; Ethnic identity

So I have to say I'm a little nervous of how the quality will be with audio given all the fireworks. [inaudible] So, for you, what's the importance of Chinatown, and the preservation of Chinatown?

There's so many aspects to Chinatown. You gotta specify what aspects are you talking about. Now the immigrants that are coming, working in restaurants, you know, they need places to live that are affordable. No one can afford to live down here. Unless you, you know, get into like subsidized housing. So, you know, there's such a demand for housing in the city and everything is so expensive. Even the people who are working, the young professionals can't even afford to what... $2,200 per month rent. So, the most important part of a community are its people, and you got the residents and you have... the other aspect of people would be businesses. And businesses that provide Chinese culture things like the cuisine. We used to have a grocery store here, and I guess they closed down. They couldn't afford to keep going... the Chinese Asian grocery store in the heart of Chinatown.

I guess it is good to be able to maintain and remember your culture. To have a place to go to ... to hangout. You know, like Adams Morgan with the Hispanics. Then you have Chinatown. But now it's all changing. So people can't afford to live here.

Do you think it'll be here in 10 years?

You know, the economic pressures... money talks. It depends on what each people own property. What are their plans? Some people need to sell because some of them are getting old. They need it for taking care of them when they get really old. But some people can't afford long term care. It's too expensive. They need to.. I mean, people are looking out for themselves to survive and take care of them in their old age. So they may have to sell unless the whole community unite and decide this is what we're going to do. But everybody, I guess the CBA (Chinatown Business Association?) You have to talk to them and see what they think about the future. Do they have a long range plan? And some of the family associations, they all had their, their opinion about staying. That involves membership involvement and decision and brainstorming. You gotta figure out, I mean, if you want to keep some of these organizations around, it's like the young people have to... There has to be something for the younger generation. If they had no interest in it, that organization may just well die out. You know, there are a lot of old school, old time members and some groups and organizations they don't want to change and if they don't accommodate the needs of the young people, then they're whole... If they don't wake up to what needs to be done, then the whole thing's just going to fold up.

But it's good if each parent would teach you know, keep that culture and would teach them. Some parents make their kids learn Chinese. And nowadays, it's an important thing. Even the non-Chinese are being pushed to learn Chinese because of the massive market in China, especially if you want to go into business and you want to sell, you got that huge, massive market in China. So that's what you get with globalization. Everything is is all connected now. We can't just think of things one way like the old days. Everything's changed.