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Three Main Street America Staff members standing in front of a mural in Marion, Iowa.

Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams

About

We work in collaboration with thousands of local partners and grassroots leaders across the nation who share our commitment to advancing shared prosperity, creating resilient economies, and improving quality of life.

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Two community members in Emporia Kansas pose with a sign saying "I'm a Main Streeter"

Emporia, Kansas © Emporia Main Street

Our Network

Made up of small towns, mid-sized communities, and urban commercial districts, the thousands of organizations, individuals, volunteers, and local leaders that make up Main Street America™ represent the broad diversity that makes this country so unique.

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Dionne Baux and MSA partner working in Bronzeville, Chicago.

Chicago, Illinois © Main Street America

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Looking for strategies and tools to support you in your work? Delve into the Main Street Resource Center and explore a wide range of resources including our extensive Knowledge Hub, professional development opportunities, field service offerings, advocacy support, and more!

Overview Knowledge Hub Field Services Government Relations Main Street Now Conference Main Street America Institute Small Business Support Allied Member Services The Point Members Area
People riding e-scooters in Waterloo, Iowa

Waterloo, Iowa © Main Street Waterloo

The Latest

Your one-stop-shop for all the latest stories, news, events, and opportunities – including grants and funding programs – across Main Street.

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Woman and girl at a festival booth in Kendall Whittier, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Kendall Whittier — Tulsa, Oklahoma © Kendall Whittier Main Street

Get Involved

Join us in our work to advance shared prosperity, create strong economies, and improve quality of life in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.

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Three Main Street America Staff members standing in front of a mural in Marion, Iowa.

Marion, Iowa © Tasha Sams

About

We work in collaboration with thousands of local partners and grassroots leaders across the nation who share our commitment to advancing shared prosperity, creating resilient economies, and improving quality of life.

Overview Who We Are How We Work Partner Collaborations Our Supporters Our Team Job Opportunities Contact Us
Two community members in Emporia Kansas pose with a sign saying "I'm a Main Streeter"

Emporia, Kansas © Emporia Main Street

Our Network

Made up of small towns, mid-sized communities, and urban commercial districts, the thousands of organizations, individuals, volunteers, and local leaders that make up Main Street America™ represent the broad diversity that makes this country so unique.

Overview Coordinating Programs Main Street Communities Collective Impact Awards & Recognition Community Evaluation Framework Join the Movement
Dionne Baux and MSA partner working in Bronzeville, Chicago.

Chicago, Illinois © Main Street America

Resources

Looking for strategies and tools to support you in your work? Delve into the Main Street Resource Center and explore a wide range of resources including our extensive Knowledge Hub, professional development opportunities, field service offerings, advocacy support, and more!

Overview Knowledge Hub Field Services Government Relations Main Street Now Conference Main Street America Institute Small Business Support Allied Member Services The Point Members Area
People riding e-scooters in Waterloo, Iowa

Waterloo, Iowa © Main Street Waterloo

The Latest

Your one-stop-shop for all the latest stories, news, events, and opportunities – including grants and funding programs – across Main Street.

Overview News & Stories Events & Opportunities Subscribe
Woman and girl at a festival booth in Kendall Whittier, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Kendall Whittier — Tulsa, Oklahoma © Kendall Whittier Main Street

Get Involved

Join us in our work to advance shared prosperity, create strong economies, and improve quality of life in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.

Overview Join Us Renew Your Membership Donate Partner With Us Job Opportunities
Chinatown Gate. Photo by Kyle Klein.

"Back in the day, in the 1800s, and really up until the 1940s, 50s, 60s, it was only men.” Debbie Ho, Executive Director of Boston’s Chinatown Main Street, knows the history of her district well. As I speak with her, the history of Boston’s Chinatown feels real and tangible—animated by her presence within it. Although the district, like many Chinatowns across the country, was originally founded and populated predominately by men, it’s the stories of the powerful women, like Debbie, who have brought me here today.

Debbie Ho

“They were stowaways from China, sent by their families to ports in the US to make money to send back home,” says Ho of the men who came to Boston and other American cities in the 19th Century. “This was the norm for many years, well into the 1960s.” The Page Act of 1875 effectively outlawed the immigration of Chinese women to the United States and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 banned the immigration of all Chinese laborers for over 60 years and prohibited Chinese immigrants from bring their families to the United States. “It was, essentially, American policy that Chinese men not produce natural-born Chinese-Americans,” wrote Sarim S. Patel in Archeology.

“Through perseverance, Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans established a community in Boston that provided services and a sense of home,” says Boston National Historical Park. Over time, Chinese-American men with citizenship worked to build up their communities. “With their status assured, many Chinese men were able to travel to China to get married and have children who also gained citizenship status and were entitled to emigrate to the United States. This resulted in a slow but steady increase in the number of families in Boston’s Chinatown.”

Despite the growing number of women living in Chinatown, the demographics of the business community remained stubbornly male. It wasn’t until the 1970s that this began to shift. Debbie Ho’s mother was one of these pioneering women. She opened a garment manufacturing factory to capitalize on the rapid growth in the clothing industry at that time. “It was a man’s world back then,” says Ho. “She was shut out of the industry and given very little work.” As one of the few women competing in such a male-dominated industry, and a Chinese American woman at that, Ho’s mother faced significant discrimination. Clothing retailers would tell her they had no work, and she struggled to cobble together enough business to stay afloat. Eventually, she was forced to close her factory.

These difficulties were understood in a different context than the one we are familiar with today. “Discrimination wasn’t part of the worldview at that time,” says Ho. Many Asian Americans felt that the persistent struggle and unfairness they faced was simply the way the world worked in the United States. “It was difficult to identify the discrimination,” says Ho.

Lion Dance

Despite this, some women found success with their own businesses in 1970s Chinatown. Ho remembers one friend of her mothers who opened a Chinese restaurant. She faced less discrimination because she wasn’t in a predominately white and male industry. Debbie remembers another friend who opened the first women-owned hair salon in Chinatown. Both women found lasting success.

“Today, it is normal for Chinese women to come into Chinatown to open businesses,” says Ho. The neighborhood offers a welcoming environment for new immigrants seeking to establish themselves in the city. In Chinatown, they can speak their native language, find familiar foods, and receive specialized cultural support from organizations like Chinatown Main Street. Today, Boston’s Chinatown is a welcoming, diverse neighborhood that embraces new immigrants and female entrepreneurs.

Joining us at the 2023 Main Street Now Conference in Boston on March 27-29? Make sure to swing by Chinatown Main Street! It only takes about 20 minutes to get there using the Green Line on Boston’s public transportation system. Check out the Chinatown Main Street website for a list of great local businesses. We look forward to seeing you there!