An independent digital exhibit
Chinese Life in the Mississippi Delta
A storefront. A school petition. A promise in print. The lives and communities behind the records.
Step inside the grocery story Explore the exhibit ↓
The exhibit
Making a life in the Delta
A promise, printed again
Sam Lee’s laundry advertised its prices, quality, and same-day service. Compare the surviving printings.
Read the advertisements ↗
Martha Lum’s school place
A family challenged her exclusion. Follow the petition, admission order, and the decisions that reversed it.
Follow the case ↗
Acting together
An association president, a journey to a meeting, and a request for court records.
Meet the people in the notices ↗
Behind the storefront
Two photographs of a Leland street lead to family histories and remembered lives.
Explore the grocery story ↗Oral histories · Southern Foodways Alliance
In their own words
Interviews and transcripts at the collecting archive.
Tony & Monica Li
From Hong Kong to Wong’s Foodland, and the work of building a future for their children.
Visit the interview ↗Mississippi · Recorded 2008Frieda Quon
Growing up behind a family grocery, becoming a librarian, and choosing to stay in Mississippi.
Visit the interview ↗Jonestown & Sledge · Recorded 2010Luck Wing
A grocery-store childhood, college, and a life in pharmacy and public service.
Visit the interview ↗Continue at the museum
A history kept by a community
The Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum preserves the region’s Chinese history. Discover its collections and work in Cleveland, Mississippi.
Visit the museum’s website ↗This independent exhibit is not affiliated with the museum.