【5/13/2021】CAPA-NoVA Distinguished Chinese American Project
洪耀宗（You Chung Hong）（1898 – 1977） is an advocate for Chinese-American Inclusion. As an attorney, he worked to overturn the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, including testifying before the United States Senate on its effects. Hong became the first Chinese American to be eligible to appear before the Supreme Court of the United States when he was admitted in 1933. An active member of the local Chinese community, he was named president of the local chapter of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance when he was 28 years old.
The construction of Union Station in the 1930s involved the destruction of the city’s existing Chinatown, and Hong played a pivotal role in developing its replacement, the first in the United States to be owned exclusively by its Chinese residents, both as an investor and in offering legal guidance. He designed a series of buildings on Gin Ling Way, one of which ultimately housed his legal office, and developed the main entrance gate on Broadway and its neon lighting.
His legal practice, the first in Los Angeles owned by a Chinese American, specialized in immigration law, and Hong became one of the top specialists in the field. Area residents approached him to assist with reunification with family members, such as the family of United States District Court Judge Ronald S.W. Lew.
For additional reading:
English Article:
https://www.huntington.org/yc-hong
Chinese Article:
https://www.worldjournal.com/wj/story/121359/5405657
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