Community News


  • National Archives Operations

    As local public health metrics allow, research rooms will open on a limited basis and by appointment only. You must have a virtual consultation before the on-site visit. Staff at all locations will continue to respond to emailed requests for records. Further information is in this press release. 

    The Rotunda of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, and some Presidential Library museums are open with limited capacity.

    Reopenings and operations will rely on local public health metrics. Check the specific facility page for updates. More information about the National Archives’ response to coronavirus can be found at archives.gov/coronavirus.

    Print allIn new window[chineseamericanfamilyhistory] National Archives Announces Limited Reopening of Research RoomsInbox

    Marisa Louie Lee
    6:37 AM (3 hours ago)to chineseamericanfamilyhistory

    Hi everyone: Sharing the news about NARA reopening most research rooms starting August 2! I don’t yet have an appointment on the books for our local facility in San Bruno (the National Archives at San Francisco) but I’m looking forward to returning after so many months away. 

    ———- Forwarded message ———
    From: National Archives <public.affairs@nara.gov>
    Date: Fri, Jul 16, 2021 at 11:21 AM
    Subject: National Archives Announces Limited Reopening of Research Rooms


    Media Advisory graphic banner with the National Archives Logo

    National Archives Announces Limited Reopening of Research Rooms WASHINGTON, July 16, 2021–The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is starting to resume research room operations. Several locations have already begun pilots to test research room policies and procedures that promote social distancing, while otherwise allowing us to serve records in a secure manner, and starting Monday, August 2, most National Archives research rooms will reopen for research on a limited basis. NARA services will look very different from the services provided prior to COVID-19. Research visits will be by appointment only and will require a virtual consultation prior to the onsite visit. Boxes of records will be pulled in advance and will be waiting at an assigned table. Research appointments will initially be for 4-5 hours total, depending on the location. In addition, we have implemented a number of measures to ensure the safety of our researchers and staff: Requiring that unvaccinated visitors wear face coverings during their visit.

    Limiting the number of people in each research room.
    Requiring that those who are sick or do not feel well stay home.
    Implementing safe social distancing through stanchions, physical barriers, floor markings, one-way paths, and directional guidance. Chairs will be removed and workspaces will be blocked to promote physical distancing between researchers. Following CDC cleaning guidance. In addition, researchers will contribute to sanitizing procedures by cleaning their assigned tables and equipment before and after their research.
    Researchers should wash their hands thoroughly before entering and after exiting research rooms and regularly throughout their visit to the facility. Hand sanitizer will be readily available outside of the research rooms. Records quarantine: All record material accessed by a researcher will be quarantined after use for three full days, and the records will not be available to other researchers during the quarantine period.
    Contact tracing: If a researcher or NARA employee experiences COVID-19 symptoms while in a NARA research room or later reports symptoms, a diagnosis, or a close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19, NARA will use contact information collected during the researcher registration process to notify other researchers of a potential exposure.Please email the relevant facility using the contact information on their facility page to request an appointment. Researchers should check the specific facility page for details and updates, as the situation can change quickly. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to reopen our facilities in a careful and deliberate manner that prioritizes the safety of staff and the public. We look forward to welcoming you back to our research facilities.#  #  # For press information, contact the National Archives Public and Media Communications staff at public.affairs@nara.gov. 21-50NARA locations nationwide
    Our mailing address is:
    700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
    Washington DC, 20408


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  • Bystander Intervention PSA

    Learn more about bystander intervention. Attend a free ihollaback online training

    https://www.ihollaback.org/harassmenttraining/

    BYSTANDER INTERVENTION TRAININGS

    Hollaback! teaches bystander intervention using our proven 5D’s methodology: Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, and Direct. Exit polls show that 99% of people we train leave confident they will intervene next time they witness disrespect or harassment. Here are specific trainings in this space that we offer:

    Sign up for a free Guide to Bystander Invention https://www.ihollaback.org/

  • Discover Your Story at RootsTech Connect – Free Registration

    https://whttps://www.rootstech.org/rootstech-connect-2021-registration?lang=engww.rootstech.org/?lang=eng

    Join the world’s largest family celebration for free to unlock your family’s history and learn how to preserve the stories of your life.

    25 – 27 FEBRUARY, 2021

    Introducing RootsTech Connect: A Free Online Conference Experience

    For the first time ever, the world’s largest family celebration event will be entirely virtual and completely free. Get ready to celebrate shared connections with people from around the world. Connect with friends, your family, your past, and your heritage and homelands—all from the comfort of your home and in your browser.

    Celebrity Keynote Speakers

    Keynotes are a huge part of RootsTech events. They deliver messages of inspiration and hope. Stay tuned for the full lineup of keynote speakers to be announced soon.

    Virtual Marketplace

    The virtual Marketplace will be the perfect place to see the latest innovations, interact with companies from around the world, and find answers and resources to aid you in your work. Plus, get real-time help via video or live chat!

    Cultural Activities

    Celebrate the world’s cultures with activities such as homeland cooking demonstrations, yoga, and music from around the world. These experiences will be available throughout the online event and on demand.

    Connect with Family from Anywhere

    Finding cousins and interacting with other attendees is an important part of the RootsTech model. Enjoy exclusive opportunities to chat with other attendees through various messaging boards, social media interactions, and video chats.

  • Coby Yee – A Celebration of Life

    Coby is cheered by audience members in 2015 at a screening of “Forbidden City, USA” in San Francisco’s Great Star Theatre.  Photo by DeepFocus Productions.

    The Bay Area Chinese Genealogy Group is saddened to advise that Coby Yee, a featured panelist in our East meets West: Chinatown Nightclubs, died peacefully August 14, 2020, at the age of 93.

    If you wish to see Coby full of life, love and laughter, just weeks ago view BACGG had the great honor and privilege of working with Coby in this interview. Even when we had dress rehearsals, with only three of us present,  Coby was always dolled up in full costume and makeup, ready to put on a show.  It is this zeal of life, I will always remember. She told me about the  gown she made with a 15 foot train (she is only 4’11”!) to make a grand entrance for her acceptance as 2020’s Living Legend from the Las Vegas Burlesque Hall of Fame… never failing to be larger-than-life. Coby never said goodbye… she always ended with, bye for now. So bye for now, Coby, as when I look into the heavens, I will always see your bright star.

    Ron Chan, Executive Director, Bay Area Chinese Genealogy Group

    Photos provided by Cynthia Yee, webinar panelist, and fellow entertainers to celebrate Coby’s life. view

    Coby Yee, 2020 Legend of Burlesque / Last Dance Video by Frankie Fictitious and Joyce Tang (4 min 22 sec) view Special thanks to the Burlesque Hall of Fame site , a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to preserving and celebrating burlesque.

    We were unable to have the panelist answer the questions posed by the webinar attendees contemporaneously. BACGG (Ron, Gail, and Jeannie) spent several hours with the panelists going over the submitted questions, and then collating the answers. Please see their output: Questions Answered click

    Here is a wonderful tribute to Coby in the New Yorker, posted on Valentines Day

    https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-documentary/an-aging-burlesque-dancers-unlikely-romance?fbclid=IwAR20eT968H276uGzgwa0z8fFeHAv9fO0_xJKwJBG8j8WVofI6kf4UIZFf-Y

    Please feel free to leave a story, a memory, or say, goodbye for now, to Coby.