(picture above from Chinese Progressive Association)

Growing up in Massachusetts, my family had a strong connection to Boston Chinatown.  It's where my dad found odd jobs as a garage attendant or waiter when he first got here in 1971.  It's where my mom found a job as a garment factory worker.  By the time I started pre-K, we'd already moved out to a suburb in western Mass. (aka the boondocks) with all the trappings of the burbs - large yards, lots of space.  So when we'd go visit my grandparents in Chinatown, get our groceries, connect with community.  It always felt a little clausterphobic, and I often felt like seeing the poverty in C'town was a reminder of where my family had been only a few years back. It was like a weekly lesson on social inequality and aspirations of mobility.  So when I saw upper-middle class mostly White tourists come through C'town, I'd look at them funny.  Why were they there with their fancy cameras?  Didn't they know they were in a ghetto? 

Chinatowns all across the U.S. are very densely populated communities where people live, work, and dream.  Home to many recent immigrants, its residents can be easily taken advantage of.

... which is why I really appreciated the San Francisco Chronicle's photo/video journalism take on life in the Single Room Occupancy (SRO) units of San Francisco Chinatown.  (thanks RaceWire for posting)

The piece in the SF Chronicle points out exactly "What Tourists Don't See" and it's exactly what I wondered years ago as a child... How do the tourists not see what I see?  I appreciated that it highlights the work of the Chinese Progressive Association and Chinatown CDC to organize SRO families for better housing and more affordable housing in the city.  I especially liked the video they made.

I'm not saying that tourists shouldn't visit Chinatown.  What I'm saying is that people should visit, partake in what the community offers, and understand that Chinatown is more than just food and souvenirs.  In fact, if you're in San Francisco Chinatown, I highly encourage you to join a Chinatown Alleyway Tour, which is run by and led by youth who know the neighborhood inside and out, through the Chinatown CDC.  Take the initiative to learn about the community, its people, its plights along with its cultural wealth.