What Your Parents Didn’t Tell You about Chinese New Year
by David Lei presented in person at the Oakland Family History Center
David has been deeply involved with the Chinese American Community – he was a social worker in Chinatown working with the gangs in the late ’60’s. His first participation in the Chinese New Year parade was organizing and supplying the dragon team in 1965, he built his first float in 1969, supplied many of the talents and costumes for the parade from the dance and martial arts troupes he created, became the parade director in 1977 and retired from the parade in 2003 and given the title “cultural adviser” which he still retains. He was on the board of the Asian Art Museum for 22 years as the board vice chair, chair of exhibitions and chair of the marketing committees.
Photos of New Year Meeting with lots of food, before the pandemic link