On October 24, 1871, a mob of more than 500 descended on Los Angeles Chinatown, and in a span of two hours, killed 19 people, about 10 percent of the city’s Chinese population at the time. The 1871 Los Angeles Chinatown Massacre was one of the bloodiest massacres against Asians in the USA on record. It was the first in a series of riots and killings that were documented in places like Rock Springs Wyoming, San Francisco, and other towns along the Pacific Coast. It was in the midst of these attacks that the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was passed.

A distinguished panel of speakers will shed more light on this little known chapter of Los Angeles and U.S. history in search of insights that might help us address the rise of anti-Asian hate we see today.

This event is hosted by UCLA Asian American Studies Center.