Suburban Chinatown: A Look at the San Gabriel Valley
Untitled, Suburban Chinatown © Jessica Chou
Jessica Chou knows that photography is a humanizing art form. It helps communities show their similarities, regardless of the demographic. With the rise of COVID-19, an influx of anti-Asian attacks and hate speech has surged across America. People of all AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) communities are being targeted for the spread of coronavirus throughout the country. Now, more than ever, photography can serve as more than an artistic expression. It can be a powerful tool when examining the impacts of scapegoating entire communities of people.
According to the ADL, since January of this year, there have been 75 reported cases of AAPI individuals being harassed and threatened on the street. Public officials have referred to the virus as the “Kung Flu” and the “Wu Flu” which has only exacerbated the issue; people continue to spread conspiracy theories surrounding China’s involvement with the virus, claiming that it was started intentionally for profit. Korean restaurants have been defaced with graffiti. A high school Chinese class’s video chat was interrupted by peers who yelled slurs and “mock Chinese” at the students. An older woman was punched directly in the head by a group of teenagers.
Untitled, Suburban Chinatown © Jessica Chou
Perhaps photography can play a helpful role. When people see pictures of Chinese-American teenagers gossiping in the park after school, they are reminded of their own children. When they see pictures of mothers shopping at the store for produce, they are reminded of themselves. Suburban Chinatown is a photo series by Jessica Chou, a Taiwanese/Chinese-American photographer whose clients range from Constance Wu to Beyonce. After commercial success, she started a different kind of project, turning her focus towards cultural identity. “I was searching for my own story and trying to find a voice that rang true to me,” Chou explains, “and through all my experimentations, it always felt like I was donning expressions of ideas that denied a very obvious part of myself which I didn’t even know how to define and perhaps dismissed as inferior.
Suburban Chinatown centers around the San Gabriel Valley, where Chou grew up. The Asian-American population recently surpassed white families in this LA suburb. This community is located next to Monterey Park, which was the first city in America to become a majority Asian suburb. Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities are a vital urban population, providing vibrant cultural hubs for decades of American history.
Untitled, Suburban Chinatown © Jessica Chou
“ It was like for the first time I finally saw where I was from and felt empowered by the clarity. Ever since then, I’ve been chasing that photograph - trying to search for the influences and reflection of my experience, and how we as a community have been grafting our way into the landscape and collective memory of California and the west.”
The increase in verbal and physical attacks during this pandemic stems from cultural-othering. Chou’s photography documents the American lifestyle that flows through the community, while showcasing the every-day experience of differing identities. Projects like Suburban Chinatown invite people to expand their binary thinking of Asian-majority communities in America. In reality, American identity is much more nuanced. Interactions between cultures gives our communities strength because it cultivates multiple perspectives.
“I think the challenge for Asian Americans today is to claim their agency in telling their own story and to show it for what it is - something that is diverse, nuanced, individual, and shared,” Chou says to me. “I also believe the nuances challenges people to stop and question what they think they already know about a culture and a group of people. And because it can potentially provide different points of entry for a viewer to identify with, I hope that it would challenge and empower viewers to search for the humanity within themselves and to find that we have all have a stake here together.”
Untitled, Suburban Chinatown © Jessica Chou
AAPI communities have remained historical pillars in cities around the nation. Chou’s photo series showcases the pluralistic identity of the San Gabriel Valley from a non bias perspective. It’s not exactly ‘patriotic,’ but familiarity seeps through the images. From high school dance teams, to adults shopping at appliance stores, Chou captures the deeply American life of the community she grew up in. Jessica Chou is as eloquent as she is talented, telling me, “There are such few stories about Asians in America that it can feel limiting and oppressive. We are not a monolith that can be easily categorized and labeled - ignored as foreign, celebrated to serve a point, demonized when it's convenient.”
Untitled, Suburban Chinatown © Jessica Chou
You can find more of Jessica Chou’s work here.
