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Colorado Asian Pacific United (CAPU)
The story of Chinese pioneers in the West
I’ve been working on a manuscript of erasure and found poetry, drawn from archival sources documenting the Anti-Chinese Riots of 1880 in Denver, which contributed to the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. I’m putting this together with my creative partner, Kyle Albasi. We’ll be presenting a walking tour performance of this piece at the Denver Fringe Festival.
One critical text we’ve been combing through for primary sources on the riot has been Professor William Wei’s book, “Asians in Colorado,” which provides a good context for Asian immigration in the Western United States during from early 1800s to present day. In particular, the chapters on the Page Act of 1775 (“Ch. 4 - Importing Chinese Prostitutes, Excluding Chinese Wives”) and the Anti-Chinese Riot of 1880 (“Ch. 5 - The Denver Race Riot and Its Aftermath”) provide an important framework for my writing and creative piece.
I’ve reached out to Professor Wei, who is active on the board of Colorado Asian Pacific United (CAPU) and am eager to visit him at the University of Colorado, Boulder, to consult more on my project.
I’ll be writing more on this book and the advocacy work of CAPU soon.