Weaving Stories: Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage

Panel: The Struggle for Chinese American Language Rights in San Francisco

Lau v. Nichols’s 50th Anniversary
Saturday, 1/11/2025
2:00 - 4:00
Koret Auditorium
Main Library

100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States

415-557-4400

This panel brings together Chinese American educators, activists and students who were instrumental in the development and implementation of language programming in Cantonese bilingual education in collaboration with San Francisco schools and the greater Chinese and Chinese American community.

The seminal Supreme Court language rights case, Lau v. Nichols (1974) found that the San Francisco Unified School District’s failed to provide adequate and appropriate instructional programming to 1,800 students of Chinese ancestry who did not speak English, which denied them a meaningful opportunity to participate in a public education. In the fields of bilingual education and language policy, Lau is regarded as the national case that changed the legal landscape for bilingual education as an allowable provision in schools for multiple ethnolinguistic groups. 

Book Clubs

Read, discuss ideas and connect through the many book clubs hosted by SFPL.

AANHPI Interest

Weaving Stories: Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Interest
Connect with AANHPI heritage with programs and workshops, book recommendations and more.

Weaving Stories is the Library's celebration of the many diverse histories and cultures from Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities.

Read & Write

Discover new titles, share inspiring works and participate in challenges and contests. 

This program is sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Attending Programs

All programs are drop-in (no registration necessary) unless otherwise noted. All SFPL locations are wheelchair accessible. For accommodations (such as ASL), call (415) 557-4557 or contact accessibility@sfpl.org. Requesting at least 3 business days in advance will help ensure availability.

This program will be conducted in English unless otherwise noted.

Notice: This event may be filmed or photographed. By participating in this event, you consent to have your likeness used for the Library’s archival purposes and promotional materials. If you do not want to be photographed, please inform a staff person or the photographer. A sticker will be provided to help identify you so that we can avoid capturing your image.

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The views and opinions expressed in programs presented by groups unaffiliated with SFPL do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SFPL or the City.