The legacy of New York City's prominent garment industry can be traced back to the mid-19th century when German and East European immigrants brought experienced manufacturing to Manhattan. After a century of rises and falls, the garment industry reached its peak in the 1980s in Chinatown. During this time, Chinese immigrant women fueled the industry, with an estimated 500 factories employing 20,000 workers. In 1982, these workers went on the largest strike in Chinatown’s history to protest their contractor’s attempt to skirt union regulations; after only a few days, every contractor folded to their demands. This quilt was designed by Debbie Lee and sewn by garment workers Ng Mui Leung, Sheung Ngor Leung, Cecilia Lo, Yan Chai Mak, So Fong Lee Ng, Sun Ng, and Heng Yu Yan for MOCA's 1989 exhibition "Both Sides of the Cloth: Chinese American Women in the New York City Garment Industry." Trades like sewing have often been demeaned as mere “women’s work,” but the impact of the 1982 strike and artworks such as this underscore the true power of women in the Chinese community, the vital role of garment production for Chinatown’s entire economy, and the highly skilled artistry of such a trade.
纽约市显赫的服装业的起源可以追溯到19世纪中叶，那时德国和东欧移民将经验丰富的服装制造业带到了曼哈顿。经历了一个世纪的兴衰，服装制造业在20世纪80年代的唐人街达到了顶峰。在此期间，女性中国移民推动了该行业的发展，大约有500间工厂雇用了2万名员工。1982年，这些工人举行了唐人街历史上规模最大的罢工，抗议他们的承包商试图绕开工会的规定；仅仅几天之后，每个承包商都满足了他们的要求。照片里的这张被子由Debbie Lee设计，由制衣工人Ng Mui Leung、Sheung Ngor Leung、Cecilia Lo、YanChai Mak、So Fong Lee Ng、Sun Ng和Heng Yu Yan缝制，用于MOCA1989年的展览《女工之声：纽约市成衣业的华裔妇女》主题展览。像缝纫这样的工作经常被贬低为仅仅是“女人的工作”，但1982年罢工的影响，以及像这件被子的艺术作品强调了女性在华人社区的真正力量，服装产业对唐人街整体经济的重要作用，以及这项工作的高超技艺。
Countdown to the TCS NYC Marathon on November 3, 2019: 216 Days.
2019年是美国第一条横贯大陆铁路建成150周年，为了纪念第一批华人来美建设这条铁路所做出的巨大贡献， MOCA将其2019 TCS NYC Marathon的活动命名为 MOCA Spike 150 – Running Forward With Our Stories！ 鼓励大家通过马拉松公益跑，全国线上接力，以及一天一个故事的方式讲述150个华人的历史故事，敬请大家持续关注， 讲出华人自己的故事，回顾过去，立足现在，展望未来，共同书写美国历史，使之更加充实完整。