Bubble Tea Chats (2010)

The Oakland Chinatown Oral History Project's phase in 2010 was Bubble Tea Chats which will encouraged dialogue over tea about three particular blocks in Oakland Chinatown currently in the public forefront.

These blocks, current site of the Lake Merritt BART station and Madison Park, have a history of vibrant community life, redevelopment, displacement of residents, and now new redevelopment plans recently announced by the City. Memories and ideas gathered from the Chats were displayed in community exhibits during summer 2010 and used to inform city planners about Chinatown’s history and unique cultural use of space. If you have memories of these three blocks or if you have ideas for Chinatown’s future, please contact the project, Roy Chan at rchan@oacc.cc / (510) 637-0463.

Many of the collected stories and the videos below were made possible through a collaboration between the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Mills College, KALW 91.7 Crosscurrents, and StoryCorps.



"BART said we had to go away, and that was kind of unacceptable to us."

Ed and Evelyn Loo


"Ming Quong was a home for girls whose parents could not take care of them."

Nona Mock Wyman



"I didn't only lose my family home, even more importantly we lost our spiritual home."

Fran Toy


CURRENT EXHIBIT AT OACC'S LOBBY

Learn about the history of displacement at Oakland Chinatown's Madison Park Area.
Discover untold stories about Madison Park area.
Share your memories and ideas for Chinatown.

For more info about this exhibit, contact Roy Chan at (510) 637-0463 or rchan(at)oacc.cc

Please join us!


This project phase is made possible through the generous support of the Open Circle Foundation   

and the City of Oakland, NCB Capital Impact, U.S. Bank, The Merck Company Foundation, StoryCorps, and individual donors: Evangeline Vangie Canonizado Buell, Ernest Chann, Alicia & Dennis Chew, Ted Dang, Dr. David Der, Dorothy & David Hsiao, Anne Huang, Derek Lang, Milton Lee, Sandy Liao, Wilford & Beverly Low, Nancy MacKay, Li Keng Wong, William Wong, and Nona Wyman.