Georgia’s oldest Chinese group to be honored

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WFXG) – This month the state of Georgia will acknowledge the state’s oldest Chinese language group, which was began proper right here within the CSRA. 

It was 96 years in the past, in 1927, when 59 Chinese language males signed a petition to constitution the Chinese language Consolidated Benevolent Affiliation of Augusta.

Now, after many years of group service, and being an important a part of the cultural expertise of Augusta, the Georgia Historic Society is planning to honor the CCBA with an historic marker on Could nineteenth.

CCBA President Gary Tom mirrored on the occasion this fashion. “We’re developing on 100 years. and we felt this monument might be a legacy to these early households who got here to Augusta. And so they had been actually strangers in an odd land. They raised their households, turned a part of the group they usually contributed to the wealthy cultural historical past of the group.”

in 1873, the primary Chinese language arrived within the metropolis to work on the Augusta Canal Enlargement Undertaking. By the center of the twentieth century, the Chinese language group was thriving and intertwined with Augusta’s African-American group.

Tom instructed us, “Most of these households, as much as the Nineteen Fifties, had operated Chinese language grocery shops within the African-American communities of town. And so, we have now a proud historic connection to the African-American group right here in Augusta.

By means of the years, the CCBA has been seen throughout Augusta’s excessive profile occasions like Arts In The Coronary heart and the Goodwill Boat Races.

The group has produced a variety of profitable professionals, together with a Georgia Supreme Court docket Justice!

Tom stated, “We had Carla Wong McMillian who’s the primary Asian Supreme Court docket Justice of a state, the state of Georgia. Or, within the south actually, whose household was part of the group.”

With almost 100 years of service below its belt, what’s subsequent for the CCBA, in the course of the subsequent 100 years?

Tom smiled when he instructed us, “We hope that we are going to be a group that can proceed to honor these early households and we simply hope to show and study.”

Copyright 2023 WFXG. All rights reserved.