“Built By Immigrants” designed by Will Lee

My journey began with wondering how my dad emigrated to the United States from a poor Southern China village. My mom and aunties told me that my great grandfather worked on the ‘metal road’ and it was through his earnings that my dad was able to come to this country as a ‘paper son’. In the process of doing my genealogy research, I learned the Chinese were painfully left out of the iconic Transcontinental Railroad (TRR) photo in 1869 and shamefully dismissed from the Centennial program in 1969. This is the railroad that transformed America and the Chinese were the predominant workforce that built the ‘Iron Road’ from Sacramento to Promontory Point! how and why could the Chinese have been left out?

I decided that to design a commemorative t-shirt that would embody a message – one that would pay tribute to the Chinese and immigrants alike. I believe BUILT BY IMMIGRANTS achieves that goal – the image of two trains represents the TRR’s completion; “Iron Road” is how my parent’s generation referred to the railroad – the English and the Chinese text gives symbiotic East/West relationship; and lastly, the image of the three Chinese immigrants puts a face to the tens of thousands of Chinese immigrants who worked on the railroad’s construction. I will be attending the 150th anniversary celebration to proudly represent the Chinese.

– William (Will) Lee, designer and proud railroad worker descendant – responding to the call – ‘Who Am I? Where did I come from? Am I doing enough?’ (Hamilton playwright, Lin-Manuel Miranda)