Wikipedia

E. Samantha Cheng

E. Samantha Cheng is a Chinese-American journalist, author, and documentarian.[1][2][3] She is best known for leading and advancing the "Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project" which ultimately led to the passage of the "Chinese-American World War II Veteran Congressional Gold Medal Act" in 2018.[1] She also cofounded the company Heritage Series, LLC, which creates educational material highlighting ethnic minorities in the United States.[4][5]

E. Samantha Cheng
OccupationJournalist, writer, documentary filmmaker Edit this on Wikidata

In 2006, Cheng directed the documentary Asian Pacific American Members of Congress History Project: Norman Mineta, which focused on Senator Hiram Fong.[6] In 2010, Cheng directed the 13-minute documentary Norman Y. Mineta: A Boy from San Jose, which was shown during a reception at the National Portrait Gallery where Mineta's portrait was accepted into the National Portrait Gallery's permanent collections.[2] From 2013 to 2021, Cheng's company Heritage Series, LLC sponsored the "APA Legacy Campaigns," which highlighted various notable Asian Americans and their contributed to the United States.[7][8] Cheng directed the 2014 documentary Dalip Singh Saund: His Life, His Legacy, which a part of the Asian Pacific American Members of Congress History Project.[9][10][11] The Motion Picture Association of America had a special screening of Dalip Singh Saund: His Life, His Legacy on May 8, 2014.[9] Cheng's Honor and Duty: The Mississippi Delta Chinese documentary premiered in Jackson, Mississippi, on April 28, 2016, and was later broadcast nationally on PBS.[12][13]

Starting in December 2016, Cheng led the Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA) to advocate U.S. members of congress to pass the "Chinese-American World War II Veteran Congressional Gold Medal Act," also known as Public Law 115-337.[14][1][15] In addition to the act, Cheng was the director of the "Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project," which was a campaign aimed to create a public database of all Chinese-Americans who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War II.[14][1][16][17][3][18] The "Chinese-American World War II Veteran Congressional Gold Medal Act" was passed and signed by President Donald Trump on December 20, 2018.[14][19]

On October 30, 2020, Cheng appeared on a panel discussion broadcast on C-SPAN and hosted by the National World War II Museum about the efforts to document Chinese Americans WWII Veterans.[20] Her book Honor and Duty: The Chinese American WWII Veterans was published November 11, 2020.[21][22] The book was the topic of a Chinese American Museum Webinar panel that included Cheng, Commander Fang Wong, Navy Commander Evelyn Moy, and Janelle Wong on November 10, 2020.[23]

Cheng is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) and has participated in its mentorship program as a mentor.[5][24] In 2020, she has donated to the Wing Luke Museum[25] and the American Legion Auxiliary.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Weik, Taylor (May 11, 2017). "Bill calls for Congressional Gold Medal for Chinese-American WWII vets". NBC News. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Norman Y. Mineta: A Boy from San Jose". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Fuchs, Chris (May 25, 2018). "A retired major general takes on a new mission: making sure World War II vets get their due". NBC News. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  4. ^ Randall (May 23, 2015). "AAPI Heritage Month: Pioneer Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders an Inspiration. #MyInspirAsian #APALegacy". AsAmNews. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "AAJA Expert | E Samantha Cheng". AAJA Studio. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  6. ^ "Asian Pacific American Members of Congress History Project: Norman Mineta (2006)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  7. ^ "Asian Pacific Americans Legacy Project". Heritage Series. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  8. ^ "Asian Pacific Americans Legacy Campaign (2021)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Dalip Singh Saund Documentary Screened" (PDF). The Capitol Dome. 51 (2): 8–9. 2014 – via capitolhistory.org.
  10. ^ Sharma, Sarika (May 29, 2014). "Immigrant tales: Documentary celebrates life of Dalip Singh Saund – Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  11. ^ "Dalip Singh Saund Papers Come to UCSB Library". UCSB Library. September 1, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  12. ^ "Honor and Duty". chineseheritagemuseum.org. January 29, 2018.
  13. ^ Lee, Christina (April 29, 2016). "How One Woman Helped Put the Mississippi Delta Chinese on the Map". NBC News. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  14. ^ a b c Hugh, Greg (January 3, 2021). "Chinese American WWII veterans finally honored with the Congressional Gold Medal – China Insight | China Insight". www.chinainsight.info. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  15. ^ "Chinese American WWII Veterans Recognition Project and Congressional Gold Medal Act (2018)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  16. ^ Leshuo, Dong (August 25, 2017). "Chinese-Americans push for recognition of veterans' sacrifices during wartime". chinadailyhk. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  17. ^ Rao, Sameer (May 31, 2019). "Why an overdue honor for Chinese American World War II veterans, in Baltimore and beyond, took so long". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  18. ^ "News/Events". C.A.C.A. Seattle. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  19. ^ Ng, Shirley (December 10, 2020). "Chinese American WWII Veterans claim their place in history". Congressman Ted Lieu. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  20. ^ "Chinese American World War II Military Service | C-SPAN.org". www.c-span.org. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  21. ^ Cheng, E. Samantha (2020). Honor and duty : the Chinese American WW II veterans. Silver Spring, MD: HeritageSeries, LLC. ISBN 978-1-7343295-0-6. OCLC 1238032722.
  22. ^ "Cheng Adds "Author" to Resume!" (PDF). wifv.org. November 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  23. ^ "Chinese American Museum in Washington, DC". Chinese American Museum Washington, DC. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  24. ^ "Asian American Journalists Association – Congratulations to the Winners of 2012 AAJA Member Awards". Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  25. ^ "SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR CONTRIBUTORS". Wing Luke Museum Newsletter 2020: 12. 2020.
  26. ^ "2020 Annual Report American Legion Auxiliary" (PDF). Annual Report American Legion Auxiliary: 12. 2020 – via www.legion-aux.org.

External Resources

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