Digital Oral History Project: Danny W.

Danny W. Growing Up In San Francisco

This San Francisco native has been living in the same apartment in Chinatown San Francisco for all 66 years of his life so far. In the interview he shows his perspective of how the diversity San Francisco has changed throughout the years. Retired after working 32+ years for the city of San Francisco, he enjoys spending time with his old co-workers and going to almost all the Giants games. 

"The past and the present are inseparably woven together in this neighborhood defined by Broadway, California, Kearny and Powell streets." (The Story of Chinatown, PBS.org)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1) Introduction

2) Education

3) Diversity

4) Employment

INTRODUCTION:

Some background information about where he grew up and what his family was like. They were an average Chinese American family who was doing enough just to get by everyday. 

"By 1900, however, nearly half of all Chinese Californians lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and another quarter in the Central Valley. By then, about one-fifth of Chinese Californians worked in agriculture or fishing, another one-fifth as barbers, cooks, household servants, and the like, and another fifth as laborers." (Competing Visions, pg. 187) 

EDUCATION:

This segment is about some experiences Danny remembers from grade school and high school. His good and bad experiences in grade school.

DIVERSITY: 

Here he talks about his first experiences interacting with classmates with different cultural backgrounds. He also talks about his first time exploring the city on his own. 

"Viewed within the context of America, Chinatown is an American working class community that has been a partner in building this nation with every other American working class community." (The Story of Chinatown, PBS.org) 

EMPLOYEMENT:

In the last part, he lists the jobs he's had from the time he was in high school until he retired from working. He also mentions some good experiences he's had with co-workers that he is still good friends with even after retiring.

Work Cited:

"The Story of Chinatown." PBS. PBS, n.d. Mon. 05 Dec. 2016.

Chearny, Robert W., Gretchen Lemke-Santangelo, and Richard Griswold Del Castillo. Competing Visions: A History of California. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005. Print.