The history of Los Angeles and California itself is incomplete without the story of the 1871 massacre. Check out the short film: Buried History: Retracing the Chinese Massacre of 1871.

In response to a Request for Ideas issued by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, 176 proposals were received from around the world.  In May 2023, an expert selection panel chose the concept submitted by artists Sze Tsung Nicolás Leong and Judy Chui-Hua Chung. 

The 1871 Memorial will be more than a conventional statue on a pedestal.  It will comprise a walkable network of massacre-related sites – connected by a trail of metal pieces implanted into the sidewalk, representing banyan tree leaves fallen from the trees that have been butchered – and amplified by signage and state-of-the-art technology to tell the story in vivid human terms.

Beyond properly commemorating the 1871 massacre, it is just as important to make the story relevant to a broad, diverse audience that may be coming to the story for the first time and will be bringing 21st century concerns about race relations and the use of violence.  Our goal is to complete the entire proposed network of 1871 memorials, linked by an audio tour and supported by an informative website, by the opening of the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

Donate by check:

Community Initiatives/1871 Memorial Project
1000 Broadway, Suite 480
Oakland, CA. 94607

1871 Memorial Project is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives