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Transcription: [00:49:24]
{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
I thought I would share with Mr. Wong. It's not a question but I grew up during World War II a couple of blocks from here on Independence Avenue and

[00:49:34]
the block was half black and half white and those were very interesting times. Because we had race battles, uh, between the half of the block that was black and half of the block that was white.
[00:49:47]
And I was scared as hell of all black people. And I ran from them, and I knew- I could go up the steps on my roller skates because if I didn't get up the steps I thought I would be killed.
[00:50:00]
But I think I've matured, Uh, I now have black employees and, uh, a Japanese wife.
[00:50:10]
So I'm familiar with a lot of different aspects of the Diaspora and I think things are a whole lot better now than they used to be when I was a kid.

[00:50:19]
[[Silence]]

[00:50:23]
{SPEAKER name="James Early"}
Thank you for, uh, for the honesty and, uh, I think it points up a very important thing about Diaspora and Mr. Wong emphasizes at the outset.

[00:50:34]
{SPEAKER name="Raymond Wong"}
He was outnumbered.
(Laughing)

[00:50:37]
{SPEAKER name="James Early"}
Ha,ha he was out-numbered.

[00:50:38]
{SPEAKER name="Raymond Wong"}
So he was Scared.

{SPEAKER name="James Early"}
And he also pointed that at the outset. But when we get to know one another

[00:50:44]
based on how we act as individuals in the context of the group from which we come,
[00:50:50]
we find out the diversity of that group, that culture, the complexity of it and we find our se- ways to one another uh,
[00:50:58]
and I think we have a great example here of how history- once we were are segregated, but once we begin involved,
[00:51:06]
we have real opportunities to build community not just Diasporism amongst those from where we come.
[00:51:12]
Uh, but to build this larger community that Mr. Wong answered. You have the last observation or question.

[00:51:19]
[[Background Noise]]

[00:51:25]
{SPEAKER name="Jennifer"}
Hi, I'm Jennifer, I live in the neighborhood, um, and I say this as a second-generation Hong Kong descendent.
[00:51:34]
Um, my- you know my parents and grandparents ran restaurants in the sixties and went through the race riots in Philadelphia. Not in D.C. but along the east coast.
[00:51:42]
And I think it's clear that Diasporic narratives clearly evolve over time and over generations.
[00:51:47]
And it was the hope of my grandparents that I would not have to work the long hours in a restaurant that they did
[00:51:54]
and face the struggles that they did an- and rather enjoy the benefits of education and being a part of an educated professional class of Asian-Americans which has evolved over time.
[00:52:04]
And I'm proud that-that many of us are able to-to achieve that. And with respect to the Smithsonian's mission of-of disseminating knowledge,
[00:52:13]
I think it'd be so great to see some of those contributions reflected in festivals such as this, um beyond-
[00:52:20]
I think Five Spice Kitchen is a great and catchy title but how about, you know, 5 million contributions of Asians of the Diaspora in Science and Technology.
[00:52:30]
Politics and Law. Uh, Literature and Arts. I think that would be amazing.
[00:52:34]
So, you know, I think we might have a little bit more to go in terms of what does the Diaspora look like over time and not just, uh perhaps in the immediate first-generation sense
[00:52:45]
but second, third, and fourth as we see the legacy, uh , emerge. Um, I think that would be phenomenal. Thank you so much.

[00:52:52]
{SPEAKER name="James Early"}
Thank you and any final comments, Miss Kamau and Mr. Wong?

[00:52:58]
{SPEAKER name="Gathoni Kamau"}
No, I just, um thank you very much for having us, uh having me part-be part of this discussion

[00:53:04]
{SPEAKER name="James Early"}
Mr. Wong?

[00:53:05]
{SPEAKER name="Raymond Wong"}
Thank you, thank you everyone.

[00:53:08]
{SPEAKER name="James Early"}
If you can't travel to your Diaspora, you know it's on the internet, that is a new dis-dimension that we will have to look at. Thank you very much.

[00:53:17]
[[clapping]]

[00:53:20]
{SPEAKER="Speaker 2"}
Yes, so thank you James Early. Don't go away and, actually the last comment about restaurants leads directly to our next discussion section here on the Tea House Commons.

[00:53:30]
It's called 'Sweet and Sour: Chinese Food in America.' Featuring two panelists, so don't go away too far starting in just a few minutes here on day number 5 at the 2014 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.