(28 Mar 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
San Francisco – 28 March 2025
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Annie Lee, Managing Director for Policy, Chinese for Affirmative Action:
"The 14th Amendment and subsequent case law, including US versus Wong Kim Ark make it crystal clear. Any child born in the United States, regardless of race, religion, parents, immigration status, that child is an American citizen. Birthright citizenship is a simple but powerful rights that Black Americans fought for, a Chinese American solidified, and that benefits all of us today. Now, this right is under attack by a president who has unleashed a torrent of anti-immigration policies. But we are fighting back."
2. Close up of Wong Kim Ark memorial plaque
3. "Born in the USA" banner
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Norman Wong, Wong Kim Ark’s Great Grandson:
"His legacy made it possible for so many people to make their lives, their careers and their communities here. Attacks on our Constitutional rights are only meant to divide us further in an already fractured world. Today is more than just a commemoration. It’s a rallying call for unity and justice and a fight for all of us to join."
5. Sign for Sacramento Street in Chinatown, the street where Wong Kim Ark was born
6. Elementary School on the site where Wong Kim Ark was born
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Daniel Lurie, San Francisco Mayor:
"We gather in our historic Chinatown to recognize a man whose courage reshaped our city and our nation. Wong Kim Ark, 127 years ago, fought and won his case affirming his fundamental right to birthright citizenship. And when he won, it cemented something that our city knows well. No matter where your parents were born, if you are born in this country, you belong here. 127 years later, we still see the impact of his actions every day, and they are more important than ever."
8. Wong Kim Ark mural in Chinatown
9. Lurie and Wong hold up document proclaiming March 28 "Wong Kim Ark Day in San Francisco"
STORYLINE:
Community leaders, elected officials, and descendants of Wong Kim Ark gathered in San Francisco’s Chinatown for a plaque dedication ceremony commemorating the 127th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision United States v. Wong Kim Ark.
The event honored Wong Kim Ark’s pivotal role in securing birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment, a right that continues to be under threat today.
The ceremony featured the unveiling of a plaque at the site of Wong Kim Ark’s birthplace, with his great-grandson, Norman Wong, receiving a rendering of the plaque for his family.
In addition to the dedication, elected officials spoke out against ongoing Republican-led efforts to challenge birthright citizenship, referencing President Trump’s executive order attempting to end the policy.
Wong Kim Ark, born in San Francisco in 1873 to Chinese immigrant parents, became a symbol of civil rights and legal justice after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in his favor in 1898.
The decision affirmed that anyone born in the United States, regardless of their parents’ nationality, is entitled to U.S. citizenship. This historic ruling established birthright citizenship as a cornerstone of American law.
During the event, Assemblymembers Alex Lee and Matt Haney voiced their support for a resolution in the California State Legislature, which reaffirms the state’s commitment to defending birthright citizenship and immigrant communities.
The commemoration is part of a week-long series of events titled Born in the USA: Wong Kim Ark & the Fight for Citizenship, which highlights the ongoing struggle for immigrant rights.
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