Yoland Skeete Research Files on Newark Chinatown
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Newark's Chinatown was an ethnic enclave of Chinese immigrants that centered along Market Street in Newark, New Jersey between the 1870s and the 1940s. At its peak in 1922, the area had nearly 3000 residents, but by the 1950s many Chinese businesses and families had left the city and relocated to the suburbs. This collection contains the research files of Yoland Skeete who compiled a wide range of materials as part of the Newark Chinatown History project presented by the Sumei Multidisciplinary Art Center. Skeete's files include Chinese immigrant files, photographs, audio and video tapes, oral histories, T-shirts, newspaper articles on the New Jersey Chinese community, primary and secondary sources related to Newark Chinatown history, and marketing materials. It also contains manuscripts and correspondence related to Skeete's research.
Biographical Note
Yoland Skeete is one of the founding members of the Sumei Multidisciplinary Arts Center and the creator of Sumei's Newark Chinatown History project. Founded in 1993, the Sumei Multidisciplinary Arts Center has served as a platform for artists around the world to connect with communities in Newark. It supports emerging and established artists through exhibitions, lectures, seminars, workshops, and residencies.
Skeete initiated the Newark Chinatown History project upon discovering that Newark had once had a thriving Chinatown between the 1870s and the 1940s. At its peak in 1922, Newark's Chinatown was home to 3,000 residents but by the 1950s, they had dispersed as many families moved into New Jersey's suburbs. To recover the largely forgotten history of the neighborhood and the people who had once lived there, Skeete embarked on an archival and archaeological research project. As part of her research, she surveyed local churches, Newark's public libraries, the National Archives and Records Administration, and the New Jersey Historical Society for records and xeroxed or photographed documents to begin building a collection. She spearheaded an archeological dig of the area, unearthing privies and other objects from Newark's Chinatown, some of which are included in the collection. She also conducted oral histories of former residents and their descendants. Since building the collection, Skeete has organized various public programs at Sumei, including lectures, exhibits, and reunions of Newark Chinatown residents to raise awareness about these materials.
Arrangement
Records in this collection are described in groupings by format and subject; the order in which files came to Tamiment has been maintained within those groupings.
Scope and Contents Note
This collection contains the research files of Yoland Skeete, which were compiled as part of the Newark Chinatown History project presented by the Sumei Multidisciplinary Art Center. These files contain records related to Newark's Chinatown, an ethnic enclave with a large percentage of Chinese immigrants centered along Market Street in Newark, New Jersey.
The collection includes Chinese immigrant files, photographs, audio and video tapes, oral histories, T-shirts, newspaper articles on the New Jersey Chinese community, primary and secondary source materials related to the history Newark's Chinatown, and marketing materials. The collection also contains manuscripts and correspondence related to Skeete's research.
Subjects
Organizations
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by Yoland Skeete were transferred to New York University in 2011 by Yoland Skeete. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive. Please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Yoland Skeete Research Files on Newark Chinatown; TAM 614; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was donated by Yoland Skeete in 2012. The accession number associated with this donation is 2012.016.
Audiovisual Access Policies and Procedures
Audiovisual materials have not been preserved and may not be available to researchers. Materials not yet digitized will need to have access copies made before they can be used. To request an access copy, or if you are unsure if an item has been digitized, please contact tamiment.wagner@nyu.edu with the collection name, collection number, and a description of the item(s) requested. A staff member will respond to you with further information.
Appraisal
No materials were separated from this collection.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Materials in this collection have been rehoused into archival boxes. The order in which these materials were sent to the Tamiment Library has been maintained. In 2019, items were placed in new acid-free folders and boxes in preparation for offsite storage.
Revisions to this Guide
Repository
Newark Chinatown Research Files, 1860-2010, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
This series contains the research files of Yoland Skeete for the Newark Chinatown History Project. It is primarily comprised of photocopies from primary and secondary source materials related to the history of Newark's Chinatown and Asian Pacific American history. It also contains several maps of Newark neighborhoods and a small amount of correspondence with individuals regarding life in Newark Chinatown and sources related to Skeete's research. Also included are several drafts of Skeete's manuscript, "When Newark Had a Chinatown". These materials were compiled mostly between 2002 and 2010, but they cover a broad scope of Chinese American history dating from the 1660s up to the early 2000s with the largest focus on the years between 1890 and 1940.
Newark Chinatown Research Files, 1999-2010
Asian Pacific American History Research Files, 1860-2002
"When Newark Had a Chinatown" Drafts and Manuscripts, 2003-2005, inclusive
Yoland Skeete Notes and Notebooks, 2000-2002, inclusive
Newspaper articles regarding Newark Chinatown, 1869-1960, inclusive
Oral Histories, 2000-2006
Scope and Content Note
This series contains interviews regarding life in Newark's Chinatown. Interviews were conducted between 2000 and 2006.
Transcripts, 2000-2002, inclusive
Audio and Video recordings, 2000-2006, inclusive
Images, 1930-2002, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
This series contains an assortment of slides, photographs, and negatives dating from the early 1900s up to 2010. They cover a variety of topics related to Newark's Chinatown, including buildings and establishments in the neighborhood, personal and family photos, and events such as Newark Chinatown History project lectures and Newark Chinatown reunion celebrations.
Buildings and Establishments, circa 1910s-1960s, inclusive
Newark Chinatown Reunions and Events, 2002-2006
Newark Chinatown Family Photos, circa 1930s-2002, inclusive
Exhibition Photographs, circa 1940s-1960s, inclusive
Unidentified Images, undated
Artifacts, circa 1900s-1940s, inclusive
Scope and Content Note
This series contains artifacts recovered by Yoland Skeete from the old Newark Chinatown. These materials include books in Chinese on folklore and fortune telling, a Chinese shadow puppet, and a copy of a marriage certificate from a family who lived in Newark's Chinatown.
Fortune Telling Book, circa 1940s, inclusive
Language of Materials
History of Toishan Book, circa 1930s-1940s, inclusive
Language of Materials
Shadow Puppet, undated
Soo Hoo Marriage Certificate, early 1900s
National Archives and Record Administration Chinese Immigration Files
Scope and Content Note
This series is comprised of photocopies of immigration files from the National Archives and Record Administration. These files specifically relate to Chinese immigrants who settled in the area around Newark, New Jersey. Files are arranged by individual in alphabetical order.
Individual Files: A-Y, 1891-1964, inclusive
Textiles
Scope and Content Note
This series contains T-Shirts from the 2003 Newark Chinatown reunion.
