The Supreme Court ruled yesterday to uphold birthright citizenship, but the constitutional fight began here in San Francisco nearly 130 years ago.
In 1898, a Chinese-American cook born in San Francisco made history. When Wong Kim Ark was denied re-entry to the US after a trip to China, he took his case to the Supreme Court and won. The landmark case affirmed that anyone born on US soil has a right to citizenship.
"He should've been just a footnote in history," said Wong Kim Ark's great-grandson, Norman Wong, "and now, because of a presidential decree, he's become a symbol. And the symbol that he represents is a symbol of a common man."
Wong addressed a crowd in San Francisco's Chinatown on Wednesday afternoon.
“If we allow other people to be stripped of their rights, well, ours will soon be next.”
Wong was joined by city and state leaders and civil rights advocates to celebrate the ruling just blocks from where his great-grandfather was born.
Wong Kim Ark’s great-granddaughter, Sandra Wong, was also there. She said she believes that birthright citizenship should be an undeniable constitutional right.
“That just goes to show, things that you think are a bedrock can be challenged, unfortunately," Wong said.
Advocates say that Wong Kim Ark's fight is a reminder that even decades later, San Francisco's Chinatown continues to shape national conversation.
As Vincent Pan from Chinese for Affirmative Action put it: “So goes Chinatown, so goes this country.”
