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William Chun-hoon: Early Days of Bilingual Education

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With the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965 and the effects in Los Angeles of East Asian migration during and after the Vietnam War, Castelar Elementary became a microcosm from which to view the demographic changes of L.A.'s Chinatown. In order to deal with issues affecting this immigrant diaspora - including language, class and race - William Chun-Hoon, then the school's principal, turned Castelar into a community hub. Chun-Hoon understood early on that in order to serve his constituency, he needed to create a place-based neighborhood ecology that could serve the community at large. During the 1970's and 1980's, Chun-Hoon hired teachers from diverse ethnic and linguistic backgrounds to properly target issues of bilingual education and provide adult classes for parents and grandparents needing a bridge to assimilate to the larger mainstream society, and allow community organizations such as the Chinese Historical Society, the Friends of the Chinese American Museum and the Chinatown Branch Library a way to congregate, organize and evolve.

William Chun Hoon - Educating Chinatown

Educating Chinatown
"From a family of 17, leadership came easily."

William Chun Hoon - Early Days of Bilingual

Early Days of Bilingual Education
"Bilingual necessity encouraged Castelar to develop pilot programs in both Chinese and Spanish."

William Chun Hoon - Community Leader, Activist and Ex-Principal of Castelar - School as Community

School as Community Center
"Being, and staying community centered is one of the many goals of Castelar School."

William Chun Hoon - Origins of The Chinatown Library

Origins of the Chinatown Library
"Castelar school was home to the first public library in Chinatown."

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