Last updated: July 20, 2023
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Podcast 110: Creating the Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum
This is the Preservation Technology Podcast, bringing innovation to preservation. The Preservation Technology Podcast is a production of the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, a unit of the National Park Service.
Photo by Catherine Cooper, NPS
Gilroy Chao: Gilroy Chow. I'm currently the president of The Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum, retired engineer.
Frieda Quon: I'm Frieda Quon. I'm the vice president of The Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum, and I'm a retired librarian.
Carolyn Chan: I'm Carolyn Chan. I was born and raised in Greenville, Mississippi. I'm an elder among the group now, and I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I have been a classroom teacher.
Randy Kwan: I'm Randy Kwan and I teach at Hinds Community College in Pearl, Mississippi, and I teach film and TV production.
Emily Jones: I'm Emily Jones. I'm the archivist and the curator for the Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum.
Photo by Catherine Cooper, NPS
Purpose of the Museum
Gilroy Chao: As a museum, Delta State University, and the City of Cleveland, we're able to make available things that reflect the heritage that the Mississippi Delta Chinese have shared for, we think over 150 years, their presence has been here in the Mississippi Delta. Sometimes, with the larger population, and currently saying that there are probably about 500 Mississippi Delta Chinese now, that are remaining or have come in since. But, we're really trying to highlight the history and the culture of the Mississippi Delta Chinese.
Randy Kwan: There's not much known outside of Mississippi on our heritage in the area. So, we basically wanted to preserve our lifestyle and make people more aware of it.
Carolyn Chan: The Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum is a place to gather the history, and the artifacts that tell the story of the Chinese migration to the state of Mississippi, how they were accepted, maybe in a certain way, a limited way, as they fulfilled the need of providing a place for African Americans to come and shop for their groceries, during the reconstruction period. A place that they felt comfortable with. And, of course, we were restricted as to where we could operate and even immigrate, to the United States. And, only as merchants could we come, the early settlers. And, that was a way that they were able to come to Mississippi.
Gilroy Chao: There was a time when there were Chinese grocery stores across the entire Mississippi Delta. When we say the Mississippi Delta, we're talking about from Memphis to Vicksburg, from the Mississippi river over to the hills of Mississippi. We have actual documented history of grocery stores in each of the Delta towns. And, we talk about Clarksdale having over 25 stores, Greenville having over 50 stores, Cleveland 30 plus stores, and in small towns like Ruleville and Marks, Yazoo City, Chinese grocery stores existing. Some of them side by side, sometimes across the street from one another. And so, we are trying to capture and preserve that heritage of the families, of what they did and how they persevered and worked, overcame obstacles, personal, financial, even within the community, sometimes. That they not only existed, but they thrived.
Photo by Catherine Cooper, NPS
Starting the Museum
Emily Jones: Well, I think if we're talking about origin story, just a little bit deeper into that, my perception of it was, first of all, as a grad student. I had gone to Frieda's husband, John Paul Quon, and he had told me then, back what, like in 1999, that he had this idea to create a Chinese heritage museum or a Mississippi Delta Chinese Museum, but it was supposed to be in Greenville. And then, when I came back to work here at Delta State, Frieda and I got to be really good friends. Thanks, Frieda.Frieda Quon: That's how it started.
Emily Jones: And then, when John Paul Quon passed, it was time.
Frieda Quon: We were so busy, I guess, just living our lives. You know, our parents were here, but we regretfully didn't ask them all the questions that we wish we had. And so, it finally came to a time, and my husband was still alive then, and he realized it. And, he got a grant with Dr. Thornell, who was—
Emily Jones: Provost
Frieda Quon: John got this humanities grant and went about the Delta and interviewed. I mean, this was the nucleus of the interviews that we have that kind of started the museum. And, it was true that initially, everybody thought, oh, we need to put this museum in Greenville, because that's like the metropolis back then. So, that was the thought for a long time.
Frieda Quon: So, anyway, they gathered those interviews. John passed away in 2006, and then I think it was around 2009 or 10, that those of us who remained in the Delta realized, if we're going to do a museum, we need to get together and do this. We met actually up here in the archives. Emily and-
Gilroy Chao: And, everybody shared the vision at the same time. We're actually second generation, because we consider our parents first generation, or grandparents first generation. But, realizing that unless somebody went out and captured this information now, that it would be another layer of information lost. And so, it came together at the right time and had the right skill sets of law, art, architecture. We had the right people in place and we're happy to see them. You got to see that a little bit this morning, as they interact and play that, you know, that's what it takes. It takes a large number of people with different skills and different personalities, to come together and enjoy doing the things that we're doing.
Emily Jones: Yep.
Photo by Catherine Cooper, NPS
Setting up the Museum and getting Involved
Frieda Quon: And then, as far as setting up the museum, I can remember Emily was calling for things. She would have brochures. Okay. If you have this, this, this, you know, and people, like I said, are thinking of, we need to bring museum quality things. So, we learned from Emily that it can be whatever that's in your daily living. So, we ended up bringing our kitchen table or those apple crates, that my dad, these were boxes that fruit came in and those became my chairs and-Gilroy Chao: Or Jerome's sculptures.
Frieda Quon: Oh, the art.
Gilroy Chao: The art. That is so unique. It's laminated apple crate ends.
Emily Jones: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Gilroy Chao: And, then he turned them into art figures. How did you learn that? Well, he actually shaped the sausage.
Frieda Quon: Right. He started out shaping pork sausage, and made that into a pig.
Emily Jones: Okay. And see, I thought everybody always had that at their grocery stores. Because, I grew up in Greenville.
Gilroy Chao: And, saw that.
Emily Jones: And, saw that at everybody's deli counter. I thought everybody did that.
Gilroy Chao: You wrap meat.
Emily Jones: Yeah, you make the meat into a face. Now, it sounds weird. But...
Photo by Catherine Cooper, NPS
Frieda Quon: We actually bought those chairs. I mean, we grew up poor, but we didn't know it. You know, I mean we had shelter. We had love. We went to church. Went to school, and we worked alongside our parents. Obviously, maybe didn't have a fine car or anything. But, we had all our basic needs and, I don't know, I mean, we never felt deprived.
Carolyn Chan: We need to talk about the history of people and how they get along with each other. And, that's the reason why I got involved at the museum in Mississippi, and with the Chinese American Citizens Alliance. It's a national organization. So, I've been involved with people who were involved with the Chinese American Museum, in Los Angeles, and also, going to the Smithsonian and some of the museums, because of the advocacy trips that we were involved in, in DC. I was exposed to a lot of Chinese culture and felt that our history is very unique in Mississippi, among the Chinese Americans. So, that I came before we actually got our charter for the Mississippi CACA, Chinese American Citizens Alliance, chartered in Mississippi.
Photo courtesy of Carolyn Chan
Randy Kwan: For me, I was actually involved with the CACA in Los Angeles. Of course, originally from Mississippi, moved out there in ‘93 or ‘92, and got involved with the CACA out there. And, in 2003, I moved back here. And, through involvement with the CACA out there, Aunt Carolyn and my mom, we basically had created a CACA organization here, or charter here. And then, that eventually led to the involvement with the museum.
Envisioning the Future
Catherine Cooper: What are your hopes for the museum going forward?Emily Jones: First of all, can I just frame this with, we do not have an official five, ten or fifteen year strategic plan.
Gilroy Chao: Yet.
Emily Jones: We've been talking about making one happen since the board put together. And, I will say, a plan is always good, but being open and flexible to whatever comes through the door, has really worked for us.
Randy Kwan: Hopefully, that the museum will flourish. Through various events that have been on TV and documentaries that have been covering the Mississippi Chinese, I think there's a greater awareness of it. And, it seems to be a greater interest in our lifestyle and our history, which is always great to see. I just hope it keeps growing.
Photo by Catherine Cooper, NPS
Gilroy Chao: We love the idea that we partnered with Delta State, and with the City. So, that sustainability is always a question mark. We have struggled raising funds. We're pretty good right now. We are always looking to improve and add to the archives and the exhibits. But, sustainable is a goal. Improvement is a goal. There's nothing wrong with what we have, but you can always add to the story. And, the current generation, probably need to talk about that. Some of the descendants and our children and grandchildren.
Emily Jones: I would say, as a board, we are reactionary and try to do our best to field the requests for access to the information. If we were proactive, we would probably give people stuff that they don't want to know, yet. Yeah.
Gilroy Chao: Yeah, yeah. That's a good word, that we are reactive, but enough requests come in that it keeps us very busy.
Emily Jones: I'm very proud of the board. I don't really know how to run a board, but they're very good.
Frieda Quon: And, they're everywhere. They're in Hawaii. They're in New Mexico. Both coasts.
Emily Jones: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Gilroy Chao: Texas, Gary in Virginia.
Emily Jones: And, the local people who can put their feet on the ground here, do.
Gilroy Chao: Susan, Harry,-
Emily Jones: Not often do you see a board that will put the sweat equity in. What I do know of boards is that boards raise money and they advocate on behalf of whatever they represent. This board actually does the work, the heavy lifting, going out and talking to each other and promoting the museum. An effort, a homecoming, a reunion. We don't have a publicity campaign, or a communications program or anything like that. It's word of mouth. It gets things out.
Gilroy Chao: It works. It's working.
Emily Jones: Yeah. I'm very proud of what we have achieved. And, as long as we all keep working together, I think we've got a good feature.
Catherine Cooper: Yeah.
Gilroy Chao: Yeah. The long term plan is, don't let anybody move.
Frieda Quon: If you do, you have to go find us a replacement, huh?
Catherine Cooper: Thank you so much for talking to us.
Carolyn Chan: Nice to talk with you too, Catherine.
Randy Kwan: Same here.
Gilroy Chao: Thanks for coming.
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