OUR BEGINNING

starting with our own communities

The Immigrant History Initiative is led by founders Julia Chang Wang and Kathy Lu, two Yale Law School graduates. As two children of immigrants, we grew up knowing next to nothing about our heritage in the United States. The recent resurgence of xenophobia has prompted us to think deeply about the importance of immigration in shaping our nation. We started the Immigrant History Initiative to celebrate and highlight the centrality of immigrant experiences to the American identity. Our organization seeks to build community through education, preserving these narratives for generations to come.

OUR JOURNEY

building a movement across America

The Immigrant History Initiative's first pilot program was established at Yale University. For the past two years, Yale undergraduates have used our curriculum to teach a course on Chinese American history at the Southern Connecticut Chinese School in New Haven. In addition, our Chinese American History curriculum is being taught at youth programs and classrooms around the country. If you'd like to get in touch or learn more, contact us at staff@immigranthistory.org! 

​Kathy Lu

Co-Founder & Vice-President
​kathy@immigranthistory.org
​
Kathy grew up in Oregon and graduated from Yale Law School. She has several years of teaching and curriculum development experience and is passionate about immigrant histories. Since graduating from Yale, Kathy works at a non-profit organization providing legal services to immigrant survivors of gender-based violence in New York City. She founded this organization to raise up immigrant voices in hopes of a more just, empathetic, and colorful America.

​Julia Chang Wang

Co-Founder & President
​julia@immigranthistory.org
​
​Julia grew up in Beijing and Chicago and graduated from Yale Law School. Before law school, Julia studied History and Economics at Harvard and obtained her Masters in History at Cambridge. She also worked in Chicago on community organizing and curriculum development. She has worked at the Center for Reproductive Rights and is now a practicing lawyer in New York. She hopes this organization will bring greater understanding and appreciation for the stories of immigrants like herself.