I don't know recall exactly what day I began this group "We Grew Up In San Francisco Chinatown" group on Facebook but I recall it was somewhere around the end of October sometimes around 5am. After posting several posts at the "We Grew Up In San Francisco" group about Chinatown and getting minimal response, I decided to start a group for people who grew up in San Francisco Chinatown.
Right after I began the "We Grew Up In San Francisco Chinatown" group. I messaged all my Chinatown buddies on my friends list...one person told another person and then another person and the group grew from there. Today the group is close to having 800 members...not counting the many lurkers who just read our stuff.
The timing was right for a group like this to form since most people who grew up in Chinatown are now close to retirement, retired, their kids have grown up, their houses are mostly paid for or paid for, many have moved out of Chinatown and now it is a time to look back, reflect on their childhood, reconnect with people whom they grew up with and talk about our unique experiences growing up in Chinatown.
There are thousands of groups on Facebook but very few are real live breathing groups like ours. We have lively discussions, postings, photos, etc. We have had regular gatherings in restaurants in Chinatown.
I can say starting this group has really changed my life. As I walk around, total strangers would come up to me to thank me for starting this group. They find our photos and discussion topics very interesting. I have met many great people. It has gotten me doing more things and speaking for the Chinatown community. [lw_posters22] For this I am producing a limited edition of 1st anniversary WGUISFCT commemoration t-shirts. They are available on November 21, 2010 at our WGUISFCT event at New Lun Ting Cafe (Pork Chop House) 7pm. For $15 it includes a dinner and a t-shirt...how cool is that? It's like buy a t-shirt from me and I'll buy you dinner.
Because this is a small restaurant, we have a limited seating capacity for 45 guests only. If you would like to attend, you must RSVP at the events page. We plan to begin selling this shirt at the event. We may have some leftover.
The design is originally from a poster I did in 1974 for the opening of the Jackson Street Gallery. This poster became a part of a bicentenial poster exhibit called "Images of An Era; The American Poster 1925-1975 and was featured with the likes of Andy Warhol and Peter Max. It was organized by the Smithsonian Museum and exhibited internationally.
I was going to print this t-shirt as a part of this exhibition I had about three years ago at the Chinese Culture Center called "Icons of Presence" but didn't get my c-fut going on this. Which explains why my signature is so big in this design.
So with a box full of blank shirts sitting in the basement for a couple of years, design all separated on films, I decided to finally print this shirt to especially celebrate our WGUISFCT first anniversary by just adding the text on the top and bottom.
The design is of a frustrated student standing in front of the iron gates of my old high school, Galileo. The red image is of a courtyard scene at the school I photographed while in my senior year. Four years after I graduated from Galileo I guess still had an axe to grind about my bittersweet experience there. So I designed this for the Jackson Street Gallery grand opening poster.
I plan to only print 72 pcs and do not plan to print anymore afterwards.
