Chinese American Citizens Alliance, Oakland Lodge

Chinese American Citizens Alliance, Oakland Lodge The Chinese American Citizens Alliance (C.A.C.A.) Oakland Lodge, was the third lodge formed of the C.A.C.A. in 1912. G. Wong, Frank H. Yick, and 4 unknown. Mrs.

Formerly named the Native Sons of the Golden State, C.A.C.A. originated in San Francisco, where members met yearly. After the destruction of the 1906 earthquake, some of the members moved across the Bay, to Oakland, where there was a growing population of Chinese Americans. Eventually connecting with each other and newly interested young Chinese Americans, C.A.C.A. Oakland Lodge was established by

22 charter members: Wong Dun, Chew S. Foon, Lee Hong, Sum Hong, Chin Jing, Chew Keung, Dr. Chas. Lee, Frank Lee, Jan Quai Lung, Tom Lung, Jow Pong, Eng Yum Sheun, Frank SooHoo, Chun Sun, Wong Toy, Yip Bing Wah, William Y. In 1919, 6 members, which included Willie Y. Wong, Chew Keung, Dr. Charles Goodall Lee, Wong W. Kai, Jow Pong, and Chancey Chan, pursued an opportunity to purchase a building that would serve as headquarters, voluntarily putting down a deposit for the building. The purchase was completed in May 1920, however moving into the lodge was delayed due to previous tenants with ties to the Tongs, who refused to move out unless paid remodeling money. Oakland Lodge President at that time was Wah Chiu Lee, who was instrumental in resolving this dispute, which lasted 8 months, and the building officially opened in August 1921. Those who contributed financially to the purchase of the building were eventually repaid. It is documented that the biggest financial contributor was Dr. Lee, who was repaid in full after 25 years and awarded a gold watch for his generosity. Since the purchase of the property, the Oakland Lodge occupied the top stories of the building and mostly rented the ground level to local merchants. For many years, it was rented to Fong Get Moo, the first Chinese female barber in Oakland, who charged customers a dime for a haircut and lollipop. In the more recent years, the ground level has been rented to various restaurant owners. Against the backdrop of discrimination and prejudice against Chinese Americans, C.A.C.A. was originally established for the purpose of fighting for civil rights, equal economical and political opportunities, and the general welfare of Chinese Americans. Consistent with its original mission, Oakland Lodge members embodied the same spirit to carry out C.A.C.A. purpose towards the betterment of its community through advocacy and service, contributing to the legacy of Chinese in America. As a matter of fact, Dr. Lee was the first Chinese American dentist licensed in the United States and dentist to practice in Oakland Chinatown. His wife, Clara Elizabeth Chan Lee, was the first woman registered to vote in the state of California in 1911. Lee and another member's wife, Emma Tom Leung, were the first Chinese American women registered to vote in the United States. Because C.A.C.A. was strictly a brotherhood at that time, Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Leung were not members. Continuing its mission to strengthen political involvement amongst Chinese Americans, Oakland Lodge members created educational opportunities to register and encourage voters at Chinatown's social events (e.g. streetfests, fairs, organization meetings) to increase representation in polls and supported efforts to elect Chinese Americans into government. Examples of those efforts include elections of Jean Quan and Wilma Chan as the first Chinese Americans to be on the Oakland Board of Education, and eventually Jean Quan as the first Chinese American and female mayor of Oakland. Jean Quan and her husband, Dr. Floyd Huen, are also currently C.A.C.A. members. Dr. Huen was coincidentally a C.A.C.A. scholarship recipient in the past and utilized his scholarship to earn his degree and ultimately cofounded the Asian American Studies program at the University of California, Berkeley. From advocating for equal educational rights to creating scholarship programs, Oakland Lodge has always supported education, leadership, and service amongst the youth and continues to hold annual essay contests; provide merit scholarships for high school senior students pursuing collegiate education, demonstrating strong academics, involved in community service and/or leadership roles, and have financial need; and sponsor high school to college- age students to attend Asian Students In Action program to foster leadership and networking skills. Oakland Lodge's involvement to ensure equal education dates back to 1926, during the segregation of Chinese students at Swett Junior High School. Under the presidency of Quong Hing Lim, Oakland Lodge led formal protests and gained the support of Oakland Board of Education in order to integrate Chinese students. Oakland Lodge has also played a role in developing social programs in the Oakland Chinese community. Founded at a time of strong discrimination against Chinese Americans, who were discouraged from sports participation, Oakland Lodge sponsored sporting events in Chinatown and even sent teams to compete in China. Some of those trophies continue to be displayed at the Lincoln Community Center in Chinatown to this day. In 2004, Oakland Lodge President Edward Yu, wanting to promote social ties and overall health, established line dancing and tai chi classes at the Lincoln Community Center, which continue to have strong participation, remain free of charge to the public, and are taught by C.A.C.A. Improving and strengthening community, Oakland Lodge has been in involved in local services and projects. Oakland Lodge played a crucial role in advocating for the installment of the first traffic lights in Chinatown beginning 1932. With persistence, a traffic light was approved for the 8th Street and Harrison Street intersection in 1937, and 8th Street and Webster Street intersection in 1942. In the following years, other projects include the Chinese Garden and Pagoda Project, Lincoln Park Restoration Project, volunteering at Kee Ying Senior Center, contributing to the documentary film "Carved in Silence" about Angel Island, helping the Clean-Up Chinatown program, providing meals to police officers for Oakland Police Department Appreciation Day, providing historical information to the 10,000 Steps Project, organizing and volunteering at Mayor Quan's town hall meeting in Chinatown, and hosting annual Independence Day senior luncheon to promote patriotism and honor Chinese American veterans. Oakland Lodge historically had relations with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Chinatown Post, where membership overlapped and included those who fought in WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War. Some were also Flying Tigers, the 1st American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force comprised of pilots from the United States military, who played a major role in defending China from Japanese Forces during WWII. The veterans' stories often describe the experience of pride for their country while facing discrimination. Veterans of the Oakland Lodge include Bill Law, Bill Louie, Phillip Ong, Edmund Wong, and Kenneth Wong, Raymond Chan, Luther Lee, James Mark, Wayne Mark, John Tsoi, Richard Fong, Franklin Gee, Elwin Jang, Norman Lew, Harry Soo Hoo, Gary Tam, Douglas Wong, and Edward Yu. C.A.C.A. Oakland Lodge has provided 100 years of service to the Chinese community in the East Bay Area. Its members continue to honor the mission that was established by predecessors, who pursued the dream of an equal and better America for the Chinese community.

07/11/2026

Dear Friends,
Please Share Widely
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AbmM0t5MbeCnB8jex34JqEOkea-HtFjB2SbwX7spcCU/edit?tab=t.0

For Immediate Release
Contact: Anna Eng, [email protected]
Grant Din, [email protected]

NATIONAL ARCHIVES IN SAN BRUNO THREATENED WITH IMMEDIATE CLOSURE;
ACTION ALERT TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND ORGANIZATIONS

Save Our National Archives (SONA) is working to prevent the imminent closure of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) San Francisco center in San Bruno, California and also opposes the closure of its site in Chicago, Illinois. The NARA website states that the San Bruno facility will be closed within three years and we understand the move could begin as soon as this August, 2026. SONA has been involved since 1998 to ensure continued public access to these vital archival documents at the San Bruno location. These are invaluable resources, important to the region and the communities documented in them and should not be removed from the region and moved anywhere, in effect cutting off researchers and public access to these vital sources of American history.

The closure of the regional national archives in San Bruno and Chicago and the consolidation of these materials at locations such as the caverns of the Missouri NARA center which has no research facilities would not only remove the materials from their places of relevance but would effectively cut off public access. The loss of access to these artifacts and community and genealogical history would be a terrible blow to historians, researchers, families, and students, and ultimately be detrimental to our communities and overall American History.

As stated in NARA’s website, regarding the San Bruno location, “The records contain valuable historical information relating to Native Americans, and Americans of African, Chinese, Hispanic, Japanese, Samoan, and other ancestry. Especially notable are records of the Federal district and appellate courts, U.S. Army, U.S. Attorneys and Marshals, Community Services Administration, Fair Employment Practices Committee (World War II), Farmers Home Administration, Government of American Samoa, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Navy, and microfilmed records of the Bureau of the Census.”

Among these 100,000 cubic feet of documents are hundreds of thousands of immigration and naturalization materials for people from over eighty countries, including extensive Chinese Exclusion case files; German, Italian, and Japanese American internment files; Public Health records; Mexican Land grant cases; Hawaiian Birth Certificates and citizenship cases; and arrival case files for Russian Jews and other immigrants from throughout the world.

https://www.archives.gov/san-francisco/finding-aids/ethnic-reference-paper.html

https://www.archives.gov/san-francisco/finding-aids/holdings-guide-04.html

https://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/aliens %20is%20an%20A-File?

Direct access to the physical documents and artifacts often belonging to families and communities in these case files is critical, as are the expert staff in San Bruno who are extremely knowledgeable about the holdings and how and where to locate items. Many of the documents are large and fragile, and digitization is unfeasible and would damage them. Within these archives are personal family photographs, family letters, maps of home villages, original wedding, marriage, and birth certificates from countries of origin, tribal artifacts of Native Americans and Native Hawaiian communities, and other sources of community history.

Long-standing agreements between the National Archives and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services were made to ensure that historical documents and artifacts important to family history will be made available to the public and not moved from the San Bruno location. This must continue to hold true. To make these materials inordinately inaccessible to the American people would be a violation of the Freedom of Information Act and to make them disproportionately unavailable to the communities from whose histories they document would be a violation of the 14th Amendment for Equal Protection under the Law.

With concerns that files may be moved soon, SONA has launched an immediate letter writing campaign to contact the Archives and is asking writers and organizations to CC their Congressional representatives and ask them to take immediate action. (If possible, email a copy of your letter to us at [email protected]).

Please express your opposition by writing to

Edward Forst, Acting Archivist of the United States
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001

email : [email protected]

NARA should receive substantially greater funding and serve more people, not reduce access to its important documents that tell the history of this country. Please also call your members of congress to oppose this terrible action. Access to documents of our national history is foundational to American Democracy and is at the heart and essence of what we celebrate as we commemorate our nation’s 250th anniversary.

Please Share Widely!
SONA is continuing to organize on a national scale, for more info, press coverage and action resources, please follow us on Facebook & our website:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61591576467894
https://www.saveournationalarchives.org/

"To read a KQED article from June 26, 2026 follow this link."
https://www.kqed.org/news/12088904/exclusive-the-bay-areas-national-archives-office-is-closing-researchers-are-worried

__________________________
Anna Eng & Grant Din
SONA, Communications Co-Chairs
[email protected]
[email protected]

The Oakland Lodge celebrated its 114th anniversary today at Peony Seafood Restaurant with presentations from Past Nation...
06/14/2026

The Oakland Lodge celebrated its 114th anniversary today at Peony Seafood Restaurant with presentations from Past National President, Melanie Chan, (SF Lodge) and National Executive Past LL President, Albert Fong, (Salinas Lodge). Thanks to all who came and celebrated with us! 🎊🎉

05/11/2026

C.A.C.A. is a proud community partner of , celebrating the 6th Annual National AANHPI Mental Health Day this May 10th!

The mental health of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities matters, and we encourage you to join us in spreading awareness this May and beyond!

This year, we center the importance of affordable access to care and vital supports like housing and food, alongside ensuring our community wellness by demanding immigrant justice.

Learn more at https://www.naapimha.org/aanhpimentalhealthday

04/12/2026

The Chinese American Citizens Alliance (C.A.C.A.) is proud to announce the recipients of our 2026 National Internship Program, an initiative dedicated to cultivating the next generation of Chinese American leaders committed to advocacy, public service, and community impact.

Linked below is the audio file and transcript of the oral arguments of Trump vs Barbara on April, 1, 2026.
04/03/2026

Linked below is the audio file and transcript of the oral arguments of Trump vs Barbara on April, 1, 2026.

“The Chinese American Citizens Alliance 8th and Harrison streets, ChinatownThis activist hub, still in existence was the...
03/19/2026

“The Chinese American Citizens Alliance
8th and Harrison streets, Chinatown
This activist hub, still in existence was the first place in Oakland where Bruce Lee demonstrated his formidable gung fu technique.”

Chang, the hip hop historian and cultural critic, has written a vivid history of the martial arts legend and his worlds. He takes us on a tour of Lee’s days in Oakland.

03/10/2026

The C.A.C.A. National Board is pleased to announce the creation of an ad hoc committee on Mental Health. The committee will be led by Christina Yu (Oakland Lodge). Ruiting Jia (LA) and Dr. Pamela Tom (Phoenix) will be joining as members of this committee.

On March 7, 2026, members of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, Oakland Lodge, attended the National Board meeting ...
03/10/2026

On March 7, 2026, members of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, Oakland Lodge, attended the National Board meeting in Los Angeles. The meeting was followed by panel and breakout discussions between C.A.C.A. members, Norman Wong (great grandson of Wong Kim Ark), and Branden Sun (great great grandson of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen) on strategies to defend birthright citizenship. Eileen Ma from Asian Law Caucus shared insight on the upcoming oral argument on birthright citizenship before the Supreme Court. Oral argument is scheduled for April 1. The Asian Law Caucus, along with co-counsel ACLU, NAACP, and Democracy Defenders Fund, represent the class in the Supreme Court case, Trump v. Barbara.

03/01/2026
03/01/2026

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303 8th Street
Oakland, CA
94607

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