A Delta Story of Chinese Immigration

 
The Sacramento Bee has an interesting immigration-related story from the small Sacramento Delta town of Locke.  California, and the Sacramento area, was the home of much Chinese immigration in the 1800s as well as much anti-Chinese agitation.  The infamous Chinese exclusion laws of the 1800s found strong in the Golden State, especially in the Central Valley. 

The controversy surrounds whether Locke, founded by Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century, discriminates against non-Chinese races who want to buy property in the town.  The Locke Management Association argues that some property recently bought by a white person should first have been offered to the descendants and ancestors of Chinese people who established the town.

The Bee article describes Locke’s history as follows:

“Locke’s history dates to the early 20th century, when Chinese immigrants who built levees and picked fruit and vegetables in the Delta struck an agreement with landowner George Locke. Chinese architects laid out the town, and people began opening shops and constructing homes. Locke was later recognized as the only preserved rural Chinese town in America, and once had a population of around 600 people. It now has about 80 residents, only a few of whom are Chinese.”

The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency established the Locke Management Association to, among other things, protect the rights of Locke’s Chinese founders. Its bylaws require that the association must receive prior notification of any land sale, and the group must give first crack at any property to some “400 Chinese ancestors and descendents” of those who founded the town.  Is this racial discrimination?  Redress for past wrongs?  Legitimate historical preservation?  All or none of the above?

KJ