Posts Tagged ‘AAPI history’
Wing “Vinnie” Wong
Wing, or Vinnie, as he is known by family and friends, is the uncle of Richard Ning and a veteran who served during the Korean War in Allied-Occupied Germany. He is one of 10 siblings and brother to Richard’s mother, Mary Wong. The Wong family moved around Cambridge several times during Vinnie’s childhood, but following his…
Read MoreSteven Ng
Now living in Delaware and managing a consulting firm, Steven is a Cambridge native who grew up in the Inman Square area during the 1970s and ’80s. He recalls buying penny candy at a corner store and trips to Woolworth’s in Central Square. He also remembers the contributions his mother made to the Chinese language…
Read MoreDr. Yu-Chi “Larry” Ho
Dr. Ho is an accomplished mathematician, control theorist, and retired Harvard professor who first came to Cambridge in 1950 to pursue a bachelor’s degree at MIT. At the age of 16, he traveled from China to begin his journey in academia. Following the completion of his PhD in Applied Mathematics in 1961, Dr. Ho was…
Read MoreRichard Ning
Richard is a third-generation Cantabrigian who grew up in the Oxford Street area during the 1960s and ’70s. He is the grandson of Loy Lee Wong, who owned the Young Lee Restaurant, an establishment the family operated in Harvard Square from the 1920s until the 1950s. Richard’s father, Fong Pun Ning, served during World War…
Read MoreStephen T. Chen
Stephen Chen was born in Cambridge to Thomas and Joyce Chen in 1952. In his interview, Stephen talks about what it was like growing up in West Cambridge on Alpine Street. He describes how his mother, Joyce Chen, thrived as a restauranteur and entrepreneur through her cooking show, restaurants, and inventions. Audio coming soon!
Read MoreMay 6: Stories of Cambridge: Chinese American Culinary Pioneers
Stories of Cambridge: Chinese American Culinary Pioneers Monday, May 66 pmCambridge Public Library Lecture Hall, 449 BroadwayFree To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) Month, History Cambridge, in collaboration with our friends at Chinese Historical Society of New England, One in a Billion Productions, and Chinese American Association of Cambridge, will host an…
Read MoreChinese Americans of Cambridge Oral History Project
In 2022-2024, we interviewed several individuals about their experiences being Chinese or Chinese American in Cambridge. Interviews were conducted by volunteer Justin Murphy and History Cambridge Executive Director Marieke Van Damme. Click on the individuals below to hear their stories.
Read MoreHistory Cambridge is conducting an oral history gathering stories from local Chinese Americans
What was life like for Chinese Americans in Cambridge during the mid-20th century, before the near doubling in size among Asian ethnic groups over the past four decades? A recently started oral history project by History Cambridge seeks to provide some answers.
Read MoreJoyce Chen started with a 250-seat restaurant, went to 350 and only grew her empire from there
I recently began working as a volunteer for History Cambridge, updating the 2011 Culinary Cambridge website written by Rain Robertson. Digging through the Cambridge Public Library’s Historic Cambridge Newspaper Collection has been a great opportunity to revisit some of my favorite restaurants. My best experience so far has been speaking with Stephen Chen, son of Joyce Chen, to review information and enrich the restaurant’s history with photographs and personal stories. In honor of May being Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we salute Joyce Chen, her restaurants and her family legacy.
Read MoreFall Conversation: How Has Food Mended Cambridge?
Over the course of 2021, History Cambridge has been exploring the ways in which the city has repaired its social, economic, and political fabric in the wake of historical crisis points—as well as the ways in which the need for mending remains. As a means of both physical and emotional nourishment, food has played a…
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