Fighting for birthright citizenship is this California man's family legacy
Norman Wong's family history is similar to many American families. It's a history of military service, blended families, birthday parties and, yes, immigration.
What sets his lineage apart is a deep connection to the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Wong is the descendant of Wong Kim Ark.
"He was my great-great-grandfather," Wong said.
Wong learned about his great-great-grandfather later in life. It's a story his father didn't share often, and Wong now wishes he knew more.
"I don't know if [my father] fully realized the importance of it," Wong said. "When I first heard it, I didn't know how important it was because, to me, it was presented as old history. Done and settled."
Wong Kim Ark was born in 1873 on Sacramento Street in San Francisco's Chinatown neighborhood. His parents were Chinese immigrants. At some point, the family returned to China.
When Wong Kim Ark made his way back to San Francisco, he was in his 20s, and he was denied entry into the country he was born in. He was told he wasn't a citizen.
But he fought back, and his case made its way to the United States Supreme Court in 1898. It resulted in a landmark decision, setting the precedent for birthright citizenship as defined by the 14th Amendment.
"I think all of us have a certain amount of pride that he did that," Wong said. "The thing he was willing to do was stand up. A lot of people aren't willing to stand up."
But he said his great-great-grandfather's legacy "means nothing if all of a sudden the rights disappear."
On the day of his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that would ban birthright citizenship. The constitutionality of that executive order has been questioned and challenged. On Wednesday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the order.
But Wong remains weary that an American right so intertwined with his family's history could still be taken away. So, he plans to continue the fight his great-great-grandfather started.
"I find this stuff actually invigorating. I feel like I live for a reason. I think maybe the spirit of Wong Kim Ark was in me," Wong said. "We should stand up when we see something wrong."
