New York State Assembly recently passed a resolution of historical significance, officially recognizing the significant contributions of Chinese American railroad workers who participated in the construction of the transcontinental railroad in the mid-19th century to the development of the United States. This marks the first resolution proposed, voted on, and passed by a state legislative body in the United States, signifying acknowledgment at the state level of the history of Chinese immigrants.
On the 14th, several Chinese community leaders and descendants of Chinese railroad workers gathered at the state capitol in Albany to witness this momentous occasion. Assemblyman William Colton, who proposed the resolution, along with the New York State Assembly’s Asian American Pacific Islander Task Force, held a commemorative event and exhibition at the Capitol Building to pay tribute to this historical period. This year marks the 156th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad.
The U.S. Department of Labor has included Chinese railroad workers in its online Hall of Fame, stating that from 1865 to 1869, tens of thousands of Chinese immigrants participated in the construction of the western segment of the railroad under harsh working conditions and widespread discrimination. Stanford University estimates that as many as 20,000 Chinese laborers were involved in the project. The university has been promoting the “North American Chinese Railroad Workers Project” since 2012, dedicated to recovering and documenting this long-overlooked history.
Assemblyman Colton stated, “These brave workers who paid a huge price to achieve the American Dream should have been acknowledged long ago. The toil and sacrifices of Chinese laborers were indispensable in the construction of the transcontinental railroad, ushering in an era of rapid economic development in the United States.”
Colton emphasized that many railroad workers moved to New York after the completion of the railroad and participated in the Long Island Railroad project, continuing to contribute to the local community’s infrastructure. He pointed out, “Descendants of these individuals still reside in Brooklyn to this day.”
Meanwhile, the New York State Senate also introduced a corresponding resolution, initiated by Senator John Liu and co-sponsored by Senator Brian Kavanagh, among others. Senator Kavanagh, speaking in the Senate, emotionally described his identity as a descendant of laborers and shared the personal connection between his family and the history of Chinese workers.
Senator Kavanagh mentioned that the term “Coolie” in Cantonese is also referred to as “selling piglets,” many Chinese immigrants from Taishan, Guangdong, were forced to come to the United States to engage in high-risk construction work. He said, “My great-grandfather was one of them, and my ancestors, like many residents in my district, were among those who shed blood and sweat on the railroad.”
He stressed that the American labor community has endured hardships, and early Chinese immigrants made tremendous contributions to community and national development. Reflecting on his family history, he mentioned his great-grandfather’s return to China and how his family did not immigrate back to the United States until 1969 after the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act. He believed that this history should be discussed and passed down to future generations to prevent similar events from recurring and pave the way for America’s future.