Philadelphia’s Chinatown is a small but resilient community that has consistently overcome outside threats and remains an important cultural center for Asians around the region. Its story raises larger issues of citizenship and rights, the meaning of community, and the diversity that enriches our city.

Join us for the first annual History Affiliates Awards Luncheon on October 19, 2012, at the Union League of Philadelphia! The luncheon will feature the History in Pennsylvania “HIP” Awards, which celebrate achievements at all-volunteer managed as well as small and mid-sized history and heritage organizations in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties by encouraging and fostering community interest and awareness of history.

Learn how Philadelphia’s Chinatown has evolved over time and its ongoing struggle to maintain its geographic and cultural integrity. This community offer lessons to understand the role of community organizing in social change and how social change happens. This teacher workshop will be taught by Debbie Wei, the director of the Office of Multilingual Curriculum and Programs in the School District of Philadelphia. Attendees will receive a copy of Pennsylvania Legacies.

Ever wondered how to get into the Daughters of the American Revolution? Or Mayflower Society? Or more obscure groups such as the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick? James M. Beidler, author of an award-winning weekly newspaper column on genealogy, will discuss the qualifications for various groups and the types of documentary proof needed to complete applications. Beidler is the former vice president for development for the Federation of Genealogical Societies and the former executive director of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania.