San Francisco’s Chinatown on Friday morning celebrated the unveiling of a mural entitled “I Am an American,” featuring birthright citizenship historical figure Wong Kim Ark.
Community members and public officials gathered at 701 Grant Ave. to commemorate and remember Wong’s struggle and legacy ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision next week in Trump v. Barbara, the landmark case regarding the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order.
Both Mayor Daniel Lurie and City Attorney David Chiu spoke about Wong’s life as a cook in San Francisco’s Chinatown and his importance in influencing U.S. citizenship.
According to a Chinese Historical Society of America press release, Wong, the San Francisco-born Chinese American, was denied reentry to the U.S., detained and deemed ineligible for citizenship during the Chinese exclusion era.
The fight for birthright citizenship revisited
In 1898, Wong brought his case through the courts and to the Supreme Court, which ruled in his favor. The landmark United States v. Wong Kim Ark case affirmed the 14th Amendment and birthright citizenship for those born on U.S. soil.
“From this place, from humble roots, this young man took on state-sanctioned persecution, and he became an icon of constitutional hope,” Chiu said. “He inspired an entire generation of our community to stand up and fight for our rights.”
Several city leaders, including supervisors Connie Chan and Danny Sauter, emphasized the importance of Wong’s legacy and the stakes in the upcoming Supreme Court decision.
“I was a little depressed that we’re relitigating this some 130 years later, but maybe that’s actually fitting,” Sauter said. “Two hundred and fifty years ago, we broke from the chains of tyranny from a literal king, and I hope and I believe that we will once again do that from someone who wants to be king. And again, that’s all from Wong Kim Ark. That’s all from San Francisco. That’s all from Chinatown.”
Chiu warned that birthright citizenship coming under fire “endangers all of us,” because of the precedent it sets to ignore the Constitution and democratic norms, making it vital to stand together for future Americans.
“If birthright citizenship is banned, we will see an entire generation of newborns relegated as a permanent second class,” Chiu said. “They will not be able to get citizenship here or anywhere else. They will become stateless. They will not be able to work, to travel, to get healthcare, to get education. And we will see our economy gutted, our federal funding impacted, our communities ripped apart.”
Wong’s legacy endures for generations
Sandra Wong, a descendant of Wong Kim Ark, also spoke Friday about how his victory opened opportunities for her family and future generations to live in the U.S. as Americans. She said the landmark case “transformed the 14th Amendment from words on paper to a living promise,” one that is “still being tested” and still needs protecting.
Annie Lee, the managing director of policy at civil rights organization Chinese for Affirmative Action, said “interracial solidarity” and the need to protect civil rights is more important now than ever because of the “relentless” attacks from the federal government.
State Sen. Scott Wiener echoed that message, explaining that what it means to be a “real” or “authentic” American is concerningly being redefined, emphasizing the need to unite as a diverse community.
“But no matter what this court says, I want us to remember that we have power,” Lee said. “The reason why Wong Kim Ark was successful is not only because of his individual courage, but the courage of Chinatown and the community that stood with him, that is the lesson that we should draw from this mural, that we are stronger when we are together, united, and not just as a Chinatown, but as an entire city, an entire country.”
Mural artist Elaine Chu said the goal was to finish it before the Supreme Court decision, and she had a little more than a month to compete the full painting. Chu worked with Norman “Vogue” Chuck and Marina Perez-Wong on the mural, which Perez-Wong described as a “labor of love” and a very personal project for the muralists.
The “I Am an American” mural was commissioned by the Chinese Historical Society of America and Chinese for Affirmative Action, and the artists brainstormed with the organizations to decide what should be included. Accompanying the mural was a plaque, naming the landmark a “Chinese American Historical Site,” because Wong was born on the same street as the mural in 1873.
Chu said she wanted to exhibit the greater Chinese American struggle in San Francisco, including Angel Island and the impacts of the Chinese Exclusion Act, both of which are featured in the art. The Chinese Benevolent Association, which helped to fund Wong’s case, and passport photos throughout his lifetime were also included in the mural.
“We wanted to depict his story and his humanity, and wanted people to see themselves in him, to be inspired, and to educate more people about the story, so history never repeats itself,” Chu said.
