Friends of Roots

The Roots Plus program is for people age 30 and above, and for family groups. In 2017, we had two sets of groups: one group traveled in May and the other group traveled in October-November. 25 Roots Plus group members participated in the program. The first group of 10 traveled to China in May to visit their ancestral villages and other historical and cultural sites in the Guangdong Province over a period of 12 days. Another group of 15 made a similar journey together in October-November. Similar to the Roots Summer program, the Roots Plus groups met several times before their respective journeys to China to learn about China's history and geography and to discuss logistics for the trip. They documented their journey in writing, photographs, and video, but were not required to write an essay, create an exhibit, or conduct a presentation.

The Eat.Root.Love Gala, held April 1, 2017, is our annual large format fundraiser that we rely on for a majority of our program funding. In 2017, we hosted 300 people and raised approximately $18,000. Each year, we bring in guest speakers who discuss how their participation in the Roots program has affected and influenced their lives. During this program, existing community members and people new to the Roots program get an inside glimpse into the experiential nature of the program through footage of the previous year's Roots Summer and Roots Plus trips showing the visual and emotional experience. People new to the Roots program also learn about our mission and values. Paula Madison, retired NBC executive, was the 2017 keynote guest speaker. She wrote a book, "Finding Samuel Lowe: From Harlem to China", and made a documentary about her search for her Hakka Chinese grandfather's family. She is of Jamaican Black and Chinese Ancestry and grew up in Harlem.

Roots Summer is a year-long program for young adults ages 18 to 30. In 2017, 11 Roots interns were selected in January. In February, an informal meeting was held so that the year's interns could meet each other. A series of Saturday seminars and activities were conducted from March through June. Interns toured San Francisco Chinatown, conducted research at the National Archives, and toured Angel Island Immigration Station. Interns attended seminars on China's history and geography and the Chinese American community. Scholars and writers such as Judy Yung and Ruthanne Lum McCunn served as guest speakers. The final pre-trip seminar was held in June, and included final preparations and a briefing for the trip to China. After exploring their Chinese roots in America through the activities previously mentioned, participants explored their roots in China through visits to their ancestral villages and other historical and cultural sites in Guangdong Province. Upon their return from China, the interns continued their work on their family trees and genealogical research, wrote essays regarding their experience in China, and prepared their exhibit and presentation. The program culminated in a Chinese New Year exhibit and presentation of the interns' research, where participants shared what they learned with family, friends, and the community. The overarching intent of the program is to provide the participants with an awareness and appreciation of the totality of the Chinese American experience. They gain a better understanding of their heritage, which ultimately helps them to understand better their identities as Chinese Americans.Program interns are required to: construct a family tree and related family history; journal their experiences and write an essay discussing their experience in the program; design and install an exhibit of writings, photographs, and artifacts documenting their research and travels; and conduct a multi-media presentation summing up their year for their family, friends and the community.In 2017. we awarded four recipients scholarships that totaled $8,769.