BONUS EPISODE: Ken Hong and Priceless Chinese-American History Threatened by National Archives Closure

Feliks Banel's guest on this BONUS EPISODE of CASCADE OF HISTORY is Ken Hong, who grew up in San Mateo, California. Mr. Hong now lives in Pennsylvania, where he serves as executive director of Make Us Visible Pennsylvania, a group that, according to its website, supports a "nationwide initiative to update school curricula with accurate information about Asian American & Pacific Islander history and culture." Mr. Hong visited the National Archives in San Bruno, California - one of the two branches, along with Chicago, which was abruptly targeted for closure by the National Archives and Records Administration - with his father 25 years ago. Over many visits and with help from National Archives staff, they discovered priceless documents about their family history and photos of family members from as far back as the 1880s. Mr. Hong wrote about that visit and those discoveries (and shared images) in a Facebook post, which we have shared at the CASCADE OF HISTORY Facebook page. CASCADE OF HISTORY spoke with Ken Hong on the evening of Monday, July 13, 2026. Make Us Visible Pennsylvania Website: https://www.makeusvisiblepa.org/ Save Our National Archives (SONA) Website: https://www.saveournationalarchives.org/ Save Our National Archives (SONA) Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61591576467894 CASCADE OF HISTORY BONUS EPISODE from June 27, 2026 with more information: https://soundcloud.com/cascadeofhistory/bonus-nara-closure Links to more information as well as images related to most topics discussed on the show are often available at the CASCADE OF HISTORY Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/groups/cascadeofhistory CASCADE OF HISTORY is broadcast LIVE most Sunday nights at 8pm Pacific Time via flagship station SPACE 101.1 FM in Seattle and gallantly streams everywhere via www.space101fm.org. The radio station broadcasts from studios at historic Magnuson Park – located in the former Master-at-Arms’ quarters in the old Sand Point Naval Air Station - on the shores of Lake Washington in Seattle. Subscribe to the CASCADE OF HISTORY podcast via most podcast platforms and never miss regular weekly episodes of Sunday night broadcasts as well as frequent bonus episodes. "LIKE" the Cascade of History Facebook page and get updates and other stories throughout the week, and advance notice of live remote broadcasts taking place in your part of the Old Oregon Country.