Students highlight immigration during annual event

Philip Käll and Lucas Johnson, sophomores at Davison High School, discuss their exhibit about Chinese immigration to the United States. Photo by Gary Gould DAVISON — Philip Käll and Lucas Johnson were surprised to learn some little known facts about Chinese- American immigrants who helped build the railroads in the late 1800s.

The Davison High School sophomores were researching the role Chinese immigrants played in building the nation’s railroads for Raina Palso’s AP history class project, “American Immigration and Migration from 1877 to Present” and came away from the experience with some new perspectives.

The living museum event was held last week at Davison High School.

“There’s a famous photo from the pounding of the last spike into the Trans-Continental Railroad and all the workers are Americans,” said Käll. “But it was really Chinese workers who built it.”

Pricilla Pennington, dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono, talks about the Gentleman’s Agreement of 1907 during the living museum at DHS. Photo by Gary Gould Käll, a foreign exchange student from Sweden, said this was just part of what he learned during the year-long research he and his classmates have been doing in preparation for the living museum event. The boys also learned there was an entire anti-Chinese movement in the United States at that time.

There were also issues about immigrants coming from Japan and taking jobs here in the U.S., said student Pricilla Pennington.

“In 1906 a lot of schools were segre- gated and it made the Japanese upset,” she said, describing how the Japanese demanded equal education for their children living on U.S. soil. “President (Theodore) Roosevelt came up with a compromise, the Gentleman’s Agreement of 1907, which limited the number of people allowed to leave a country and come to the United States, while allowing foreign students to receive equal education.”

Palso said this is the fourth museum her students have done. Three years ago, it started with Women's History followed the next year with a Civil Rights theme.

Last year, students presented a museum about the Labor Industry.

She said the living museum is a culmination of research the students do from the start of the school year. It includes taking a trip to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn so students can see how exhibits are designed and built

Palso said students look forward to the museum and always come up with incredible exhibits.

“They’re pretty creative,” she said. “They are amazing kids. I am proud of them. They do such a good job and really put their heart and soul into it.”