Connie Young Yu

Community Advisory Panel

Connie Young Yu is an historian, author, and expert on Heinlenville Chinatown that originally occupied part of the space where modern day Japantown now rests in San Jose, CA. She wrote both a book (Chinatown, San Jose, USA) and the script to a documentary film (Digging to Chinatown) about Heinlenville. Additionally, she wrote the text for “On Common Ground”, an exhibit at JAMsj and the script for the accompanying video for the exhibit about San Jose’s Chinatown and Japantown. Her Grandfather originally managed a store in Heinlenville and her father grew up there. She is currently an historical consultant for the development project currently underway at the main site of the former Chinatown. Yu played a key role in the designation of the Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco Bay as a National Historic Landmark. She gave the opening address at the 150 Year Anniversary of the Golden Spike at Promontory, Utah, May 10, 2019, celebrating the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in honor of the Chinese Americans railroad workers. Connie was a founding member of Asian Americans for Community Involvement, Santa Clara County Inc. (AACI).