Monterey Park was the first city in the continental U.S. to become majority Asian. That change didn’t happen by accident but rather by intention. One real estate developer and immigrant had a vision to make the Los Angeles suburb the premiere destination for Taiwanese and Chinese immigrants – so he quietly bought up property and advertised the town overseas as the “Chinese Beverly Hills.” What began was a pattern of immigrants skipping Chinatown for the creature comforts of the suburbs – suburbs that, according to some, were starting to look too much like Hong Kong and Taiwan than America. 

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The Remaking of Monterey Park - from the San Gabriel Valley episode

Local food writer Tony Chen immigrated to the San Gabriel Valley in the ‘80s – right around the time the region was undergoing its first big demographic shift towards an Asian American community. In his letter to the SGV, Chen talks about his love for the food and also about what makes this region unique.

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Dear San Gabriel Valley - from the San Gabriel Valley episode

In the rolling hills of eastern San Gabriel Valley stands the biggest Buddhist temple in the country: Hsi Lai Temple. The temple is a center for the local Buddhist community, but it’s also home to a unique group of teenagers: Boy Scout Troop 8888. This troop is one of the 28 or so Buddhist Boy Scout troops across the country – out of a total 40 thousand troops. But the overlap between Buddhism and American scouting is actually more natural than the numbers suggest.

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Buddhist Boy Scouts - from the San Gabriel Valley episode

Sometimes the best way to understand yourself is through the reflection of another person. That’s what’s happening with one young college sophomore at UCLA. In 2013, Shelly Li joined China Care Bruins, an on-campus club that pairs college students with children adopted from China. According to Shelly, her mentee, nine-year-old Ruby Knowlton, is more knowledgeable about Chinese traditions than she is, despite the fact that Ruby is growing up in a white family in a primarily white neighborhood. That perception has made Shelly conscious about her own relationship with Chinese culture – and her parents.

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Shelly and Ruby - from the San Gabriel Valley episode

In the last episode of State of the Re:Union, the team brings you a collection of our favorite stories from the road. Host Al Letson reflects on six years of SOTRU and says goodbye to the show.

For more from this episode, visit http://stateofthereunion.com

The Entire Episode "Travelogue: Volume Two"

When Susan Molloy moved to a tiny town in eastern Arizona in 1994, she was exhausted and sicker than she’d ever been before. She had loved living in downtown San Francisco, where she’d been for most of her life, but the daily assault of bus fumes, cigarette smoke, perfume, and cleaning products had become more than she could tolerate. Susan had developed a controversial medical condition called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), which renders people seriously intolerant to synthetic substances. Life was unbearable and she knew she needed to make a big change.

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Medical Migrants - from the "Travelogue: Volume Two" episode

A passionate Superman fan gets taken advantage of, and the comics community pitches in to help.

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Superman! - from the "Travelogue: Volume Two" episode

A “Dear City” letter from Jason Howard of Berea, Kentucky.

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Dear Appalachia Letter - from the "Travelogue: Volume Two" episode

In January of 2012, Robin Riggins’ best friend Marie Dorantes—who goes by the nickname Chayo—was deported to Mexico.  Chayo had lived in Los Angeles for more than twenty years.  Her three sons were born here.  There seemed to be no other choice than to try to cross back to the place she considered home.  In February, Chayo called to say she was about to set out on foot from Altár Sonora, and cross the Arizona desert.  But she never arrived in Tucson.  Told in Robin’s words, this is Chayo’s story.

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The Crossing: Chayo - from the "Travelogue: Volume Two" episode

When we heard that one of the last true Alabama juke joints is still going strong out on the fringes of Birmingham, we knew we had to see it. The rumor was that the place was run by a 90-something year-old gravedigger named Henry ‘Gip’ Gipson, and that out at Gip’s Place, you could see blues legends and people from everywhere dancing together deep into the night. Local artist Tres Taylor loaded up his car with our crew and a few friends and we made the winding, wayward trek out to Gip’s on a foggy Saturday night. 

For more from this episode, visit http://stateofthereunion.com

Gip's Place - from the "Travelogue: Volume Two" episode

Host Al Letson reflects on six seasons of State of the Re:Union and says goodbye to the show. Current and former SOTRU staffers discuss what State of the Re:Union has meant to them.

For more from this episode, visit http://stateofthereunion.com

State of the Re:Union

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