A Brief History of the Ventura County Chinese American Historical Society

The Ventura County Chinese American Historical Society was founded in December 2000 under the auspices of the Ventura County Chinese American Association (VCCAA). Currently the Historical Society comprises thirty-five members. The current Chair and Co-Chair of the Historical Society are George Yu, MD and Robert Yenney, MA respectively. The official historian of the Historical Society is Ms. Linda Bentz. Our secretary is Jennifer Lawler, our treasurer is Eric Plambeck and our technical director is S.K. Leong. The mission of the Historical Society is to perform original research, preserve, publish and teach the history and experiences of Chinese Americans in Ventura County. The Historical Society also coordinates with city, county and state government offices and officials in matters relating to the preservation, communication and recognition of the Chinese American heritage. In addition, the Historical Society serves as the focal point for the distribution of related educational materials, presentation of historical symposia and the arrangement of public speakers on topics relating to the history of Chinese Americans in Ventura County.
The Historical Society organized the Annual Cultural Night event for the VCCAA in February 2001 at the Camarillo Community Center. The theme of the evening was the past, present and future of the Chinese Americans. A highlight of the evening program was the performance of Charlie Chin, a renowned Living History actor. The Smithsonian Institute named Mr. Chin a Community Folklore Scholar.
Projects that are currently in progress by the Historical Society include a documentary of the history of Chinese in Ventura County, a memorial for the China Alley in Ventura in conjunction with the City of Ventura and the development of education materials for the public schools on the history of Chinese Americans in Ventura County.
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