Educators and Chinese community to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Wong Kim Ark’s birthright citizenship landmark victory at U.S. Supreme Court

(SAN FRANCISCO) San Francisco-born Wong Kim Ark, who returned to San Francisco in 1894 after visiting China, was denied re-entry to the United States and detained by the Customs. The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) hired lawyers to file a lawsuit for Wong and fought all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court that ruled in favor of Wong on March 28, 1898 for birthright citizenship.

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling on the Wong Kim Ark's birthright citizenship.

In a 6–2 decision on the United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the Supreme Court held that Wong Kim Ark had acquired U.S. citizenship at birth and that the American citizenship which Wong Kim Ark acquired by birth within the United States had not been lost or taken away by anything happening since his birth.

The landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court has benefited millions of children of all backgrounds who are born in the United States for over a century. Educators in the universities and law schools will join the Chinese community to hold a series of free events to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Wong Kim Ark's victory in the U.S. Supreme Court.

March 25 is designated as the Wong Kim Ark Day in San Francisco Chinatown. The celebration will begin at the CCBA's Victory Memorial Hall, 827 Stockton Street in Chinatown, on Saturday, March 25, at 10:30 a.m.

The event will continue with a reception and panel discussion at noon at the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) Museum, 965 Clay Street, with speakers from educators and law school professors to share their perspectives on the impact of Wong Kim Ark case ruling.

The two-part program in Chinatown will highlight the history of Chinese American civil rights activism that continues to benefit all communities, discuss current immigration issues, and introduce new opportunities to uphold the values of this history. Both the Wong Kim Ark Day celebrations in Chinatown will be emceed by ABC7 San Francisco news anchor Dion Lim.

Additional Wong Kim Ark celebrations are being held by research universities throughout San Francisco. On March 23, at 12:30 p.m., the UC Law San Francisco Center (formerly UC Hastings School of Law) for Race, Immigration and Citizenship Colloquium will spotlight birthright citizenship presented by Professors Sam Erman, Reuel Schiller and Ming Hsu Chen.

Admission for the celebrating events is free. RSVP is preferred by sending emails to amanda.putnam@chsa.org.

“CCBA stood against the tide of anti-Chinese laws here in San Francisco and across California and the nation. The civil rights victories of Wong Kim Ark and others were made possible by lawyers brought in by CCBA. We share that history today,” stated Mel Lee, CCBA Board member.

“Bringing the Wong Kim Ark story to all people is an important part of our mission at the Chinese Historical Society of America. Wong Kim Ark’s courage is as important today as it was in 1898,” said Justin Hoover, CHSA Executive Director.

CHSA Education Coordinator Amanda Putnam asserted that “today, Wong Kim Ark signifies that San Francisco’s Chinatown is living proof that the legal battles of America’s civil rights era—those typically associated with the 1960s — began in the 19th century.”

"During an era of intense discrimination against immigrants and U.S. natives of Chinese ancestry, United States v. Wong Kim Ark was a hard-fought victory confirming that the

Constitution's guarantee of birthright citizenship—all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens of the United States—applied to Chinese Americans and all other peoples," said John Trasvina, former Dean of University of San Francisco Law School and co-organizer of the 125th anniversary of Wong Kim Ark's victory.

Other sponsoring organizations include the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, American Immigration Lawyers Association Northern California Chapter, Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, and 1990 Institute.