Chinese Historical Society of America Endorses "Emperor Norton Tunnel" Naming Proposal
Recognition of the Emperor’s Early and Abiding Advocacy for the Chinese in an Anti-Chinese Moment
THE EMPEROR NORTON TRUST is pleased to announce that the Chinese Historical Society of America has issued a statement in support of the Trust's proposal that the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge tunnel through Yerba Buena Island, S.F., be named the
EMPEROR NORTON TUNNEL
The statement includes a broader endorsement of The Emperor Norton Trust’s long-term project of research, education, and advocacy that positions the Emperor’s support for the Chinese in the context of his larger civic mission.
Here is the statement (pdf):
The Emperor Norton Trust has documented 17 Proclamations of the Emperor between 1868 and 1878, demanding recognition of the dignity — and thus of equal rights and protections — for the Chinese, including his memorable 1873 injunction that “the eyes of the Emperor will be upon anyone who shall council any outrage or wrong on the Chinese.”
We also have documented multiple episodes in which Emperor Norton personally confronted and challenged the anti-Chinese demagogue Denis Kearney in front of crowds of Kearney’s supporters.
Walter Lim, Co-President of the CHSA board of directors, writes:
The Emperor Norton Trust's work is especially valuable because it connects a beloved and widely recognized San Francisco figure to a deeper history of civil rights, public conscience, and interracial solidarity. Emperor Norton is often remembered as an eccentric local icon, but the Trust's scholarship reveals a more consequential figure: someone who used public performance, moral clarity, and civic imagination to defend Chinese residents at a time when anti-Chinese sentiment was shaping local politics and national law. By documenting his proclamations, identifying historical newspaper accounts, and contextualizing his public actions, the Trust makes this history legible to contemporary audiences and helps broaden the narrative of who participated in the defense of Chinese American communities....
We believe the Trust's resources have clear value for educators, historians, cultural institutions, and the general public, and we are grateful for its commitment to telling this story with care, evidence, and civic purpose. We enthusiastically encourage support for the Emperor Norton Trust and its ongoing efforts to preserve and share this vital chapter of San Francisco's history.
The Emperor Norton Trust is honored by the support of the Chinese Historical Society of America for our “Emperor Norton Tunnel” naming proposal — and for the Trust’s larger work and mission.
This endorsement quickly follows last week’s endorsement from the Imperial Council of San Francisco.
We look forward to working with CHSA to make the Emperor Norton Tunnel a reality — and to using this naming as an opportunity to continue to expand public awareness of Emperor Norton’s far-sighted advocacy for the Chinese as a signal moment in the 19th-century Chinese struggle for equality.
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