141 years ago today on May 6, the first law that restricted immigrants and people of color was signed into existence. The Chinese Exclusion Act is the only law that has targeted a specific nationality explicitly suspending immigration and created barriers. Today, I visited one of the last remaining buildings of the 2 Bakersfield Chinatowns that used to be home to many Chinese immigrants who worked on the Transcontinental Railroad. Like many Chinatowns across the US, it was burned down. Bakersfield is known for the “Chinese tunnels”, where Chinese immigrants created underground tunnels filled with shops and community spaces to combat the barriers of owning property at the time. It’s closed to the public now, but I can’t help but ponder what life was like in the tunnels and the community here back then..

Visited Spring 2023