JANUARY 18, 2025

This week Matter of Fact examines why mass deportations in history took a toll the nation’s economy.

I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. WELCOME TO MATTER OF FACT FIRE IN THE CITY OF ANGELS. THIS IS DEVASTATING. IT’S NEVER GOING TO BE THE SAME. AMID THE IMMEDIATE CONCERNS FOR SAFETY, GROWING WORRIES ABOUT FUTURE COSTS TO LIVE THERE, THE INSURANCE RATES. THIS IS A TRUE CRISIS WHEN THE PLACE YOU CALL HOME BECOMES PRONE TO NATURAL DISASTER, AND AMERICA’S TOP JOB CHANGES HANDS. DONALD TRUMP’S FIRST INAUGURAL ADDRESS WAS PUNCTUATED WITH THE PHRASE AMERICAN CARNAGE. HOW IS THIS PRESIDENT VIEWING THE NEXT FOUR YEARS? WHY INAUGURAL SPEECHES? EVEN FOR A SECOND TERM, ARE SO IMPORTANT? BUT FIRST, TRUMP IS PREPARING A FLURRY OF EXECUTIVE ORDERS, INCLUDING ON IMMIGRATION. HIS CAMPAIGN PROMISE THE LARGEST DEPORTATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY. IT WAS A VERY HARD TRIP, AND PEOPLE DIED ALONG THE WAY. WE LOOK BACK TO THE 1930S WHEN THE U.S. DEPORTED MORE THAN A MILLION PEOPLE OF MEXICAN DESCENT, RATHER THAN INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES FOR AMERICAN GENERATED A DECLINE IN THEIR EMPLOYMENT PROBABILITY. WHAT HISTORY TELLS US HAPPENS TO THE ECONOMY AND AMERICAN WAGES AFTER MASS DEPORTATION. THOSE STORIES RIGHT NOW ON MATTER OF FACT. AFTER WINNING THE ELECTION, PRESIDENT ELECT DONALD TRUMP SAID HE WOULD SIGN A HISTORIC SLATE OF EXECUTIVE ORDERS ON HIS FIRST DAY BACK IN OFFICE. THOSE INCLUDED ONES, TO, QUOTE, BEGIN THE LARGEST DEPORTATION OPERATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY. RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE AN ESTIMATED 11 MILLION UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS LIVING IN THE U.S., ABOUT 8 MILLION OF THEM ARE FULLY EMPLOYED, ACCORDING TO THE AMERICAN IMMIGRATION COUNCIL. THE COST OF A ONE TIME MASS OPERATION COULD REACH $315 BILLION. THE BIGGEST IMPACTS WOULD BE FELT IN AGRICULTURE, CONSTRUCTION AND THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRIES ALREADY FACING WORKER SHORTAGES. THIS WOULDN’T BE THE FIRST MASS DEPORTATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY, OUR CORRESPONDENT DINA DEMETRIUS TAKES US TO A CORNER OF DETROIT CALLED MEXICANTOWN, WHERE THE COMMUNITY THERE STILL GRAPPLES WITH THE DEPORTATIONS OF THE PAST. I KNOW MANY HISPANICS WERE DEPORTED, INCLUDING MY PARENTS. I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD, AND I HAD FOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS. WE ALL WENT WITH OUR PARENTS AND WE LIVED IN MEXICO, 14 YEARS. IN THE 2001 DOCUMENTARY LOS REPATRIADOS, A LONG, BURIED AND PAINFUL PAST CAME TO LIGHT. ITS CO-PRODUCER, ELENA HERRADA, SEES NEW RELEVANCE IN IT TODAY. THAT’S WHEN THEY WERE GOING. THEY WERE LEAVING FROM HERE AND GOING TO THEIR HERRADA. A FORMER DETROIT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER SPENT DECADES GATHERING STORIES OF THE MASS DEPORTATION OF DETROIT’S MEXICANS DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION, INCLUDING HER OWN FAMILY’S HERE SINCE 1920. MY GRANDFATHER WAS RECRUITED BY FORD, AND HE CAME. HE ACTUALLY WORKED ON THE RAILROAD FIRST IN SAINT LOUIS, AND HE WAS IN WORLD WAR ONE. AT ITS HEIGHT IN 1928, DETROIT’S MEXICAN COMMUNITY NUMBERED 15,000. LIKE THE MAJORITY OF MEXICANS IN THE U.S. AT THE TIME, MOST WERE LEGALLY INVITED BY AMERICAN INDUSTRIES AND BY THREE SEVERAL THOUSAND JOB SEEKERS WERE ALREADY IN LINE. BUT AS THE GREAT DEPRESSION TOOK HOLD, MEXICANS WERE ACCUSED OF TAKING JOBS NEEDED BY U.S. CITIZENS. THE HOOVER ADMINISTRATION CREATED A WIDESPREAD MEXICAN REPATRIATION PROGRAM, LEAVING ENFORCEMENT TO LOCAL OFFICIALS. THEY DIDN’T SEND POLICE. THEY SENT SOCIAL WORKERS, AND THEY TOLD THEM THAT YOU HAVE TO LEAVE BECAUSE THERE’S NOTHING HERE FOR YOU. AND YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET ANY KIND OF BENEFITS. SO YOU HAVE TO LEAVE AROUND 11,000 DETROIT MEXICANS, INCLUDING U.S. CITIZENS, WERE GIVEN A FEW DOLLARS AND PUT ON TRAINS. OTHERS CARAVANNED FOR A MONTH, LIKE HERRADA FAMILY. HER FATHER, JUST A SMALL CHILD WHEN THEY MADE THEIR JOURNEY IN 1930. SO IT WAS A VERY HARD TRIP AND PEOPLE DIED ALONG THE WAY. MANY, MANY CHILDREN WERE LOST ALONG THE WAY. THE OLDER PEOPLE AND EVERYBODY WHO WENT SUFFERED. I THINK EVERYBODY REALLY SUFFERED BECAUSE MEXICO WAS NOT IN A POSITION TO HAVE ALL THESE NEW PEOPLE COME REPATRIATIONS WERE CARRIED OUT ALL OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST, AROUND GARY, INDIANA, WHERE MEXICANS WORKED IN STOCKYARDS AND THE STEEL INDUSTRY. FEAR OFTEN CAUSED WORKERS TO JUST FLEE. BUT MILITARY STYLE DEPORTATIONS TOOK PLACE IN BORDER STATES LIKE CALIFORNIA. IN LOS ANGELES, LA PLACITA PARK, NOW A MEXICAN MARKETPLACE. A SURPRISE RAID IN FEBRUARY 1931 SAW POLICE TRAP 400 MEXICANS, PUTTING THEM ON TRAINS FOR THE BORDER. BY THE END OF THE DECADE, IT’S ESTIMATED MORE THAN A MILLION MEXICANS WERE DEPORTED, ROUGHLY 60% OF THEM WERE U.S. CITIZENS WHO LEFT WITHOUT THEIR PAPERS. THE TYPE OF HUMAN CAPITAL AND ABILITY THAT YOU ARE DESTROYING. IF YOU REALLY DEPORT THESE PEOPLE. THIS IS A REAL ECONOMIC COST. ECONOMIST GIOVANNI PETTI COAUTHORED RESEARCH ON THE ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF THE 1930S MEXICAN MASS DEPORTATIONS. RATHER THAN INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES FOR AMERICAN GENERATED ACTUALLY A DECLINE IN THEIR EMPLOYMENT PROBABILITY IN THEIR WAGES AND ALSO DID NOT BENEFIT ANYBODY, BUT PARTICULARLY THE GROUP WHICH WAS HURT. WHERE THE LOW EDUCATED, THE PEOPLE WHO IN GENERAL WERE THOUGHT TO BENEFIT THE MOST FROM THIS ACTION. AND WHY WAS THAT THE CASE? WHEN YOU TAKE AWAY A JOB IN A LOCATION, YOU ALSO HURT ALL THE OTHER JOBS THAT SERVE THAT JOB, OR THEY ARE CONNECTED TO THAT. THE OTHER PART IS THAT THIS LOCAL MEXICAN WERE NOT ONLY WORKERS, BUT THEY WERE ALSO CONSUMERS. THEY WERE ALSO PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT THINGS. SO THIS BEGS THE QUESTION WHY AN ADMINISTRATION WOULD ENFORCE THIS TYPE OF POLICY IF IT’S ACTUALLY GOING TO DO THE OPPOSITE AND BRING DOWN THE ECONOMY? YES. I MEAN, THIS IS A GOOD QUESTION. THIS IDEA THAT YOU HAVE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF JOBS YOU TAKE AWAY PEOPLE WHO DO THESE JOBS, AND NOW YOU HAVE AMERICANS WHO COULD DO THIS JOB WHERE THIS THINKING IS WRONG IS THAT MANY OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WORKERS IN THE UNITED STATES FOR TEN, 15 YEARS. THEY HAVE ACCUMULATED AN ABILITY, AN EFFICIENCY, A HUMAN CAPITAL IN DOING THEIR JOBS IN AGRICULTURE, IN CONSTRUCTION, IN SERVICES, WHICH IS INCREDIBLY ECONOMICALLY VALUABLE. YOU HAVE TO REEDUCATE A GROUP OF PEOPLE AMONG AMERICANS IN JOBS THAT DON’T PAY SO MUCH. AFTER 1932, MEXICANS BEGAN TRICKLING BACK TO THE U.S. HERRADA GRANDPARENTS FOUND WORK AGAIN IN DETROIT, LATER BRINGING THEIR CHILDREN, TOO, AND THEY DIDN’T HAVE A CHANCE TO BUILD ANOTHER LIFE ANYWHERE ELSE BECAUSE THIS WAS HOME. THIS WAS HOME IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN. I’M DINA DEMETRIUS, FOR MATTER OF FACT, IN THE 1940S, THE U.S. BRACERO PROGRAM BROUGHT MILLIONS OF NEEDED AGRICULTURAL AND RAILROAD WORKERS IN FROM MEXICO. BUT BY 1954, THE GOVERNMENT REVERSED COURSE. IT LAUNCHED AN OPERATION WITH A DEROGATORY NAME, OPERATION –. AS MANY AS 1.3 MILLION PEOPLE WERE DEPORTED AGAIN, MANY OF WHOM HAD BECOME NATURALIZED CITIZENS. NEXT, ON MATTER OF FACT, THE BIDENS WILL STAY IN THE WHITE HOUSE UNTIL THE TRUMPS ARRIVE. THEY WILL HAVE A LITTLE COFFEE OR TEA IN THE BLUE ROOM. BUT WHY? ON MONDAY, THIS PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN WILL BE THINKING BACK TO 1801 AND THOMAS JEFFERSON’S INAUGURATION, PLUS THE IMPACT NATURAL DISASTERS ARE HAVING ON HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE RATES. INSURERS HAVE PAID OUT TENS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN CLAIMS, AND THE STORY OF AN ARENA, A COMMUNITY AND A FIGHT FOR EXISTENCE. YOU’RE WATCHING, MATTER OF FACT, AMERICA’S NUMBER ONE NATIONALLY SYNDICATED PUBLIC AFFAIRS NEWS MAON APRIL 30TH, 1789, GEORGE WASHINGTON DELIVERED THE FIRST INAUGURAL ADDRESS. THESE SPEECHES AREN’T MANDATED, BUT WASHINGTON WAS BECOMING THE LEADER OF A FRAGILE NEW GOVERNMENT, AND HE WANTED TO CONVEY HIS DETERMINATION TO MAKE IT A SUCCESSFUL ONE. SINCE THEN, EVERY PRESIDENT HAS DELIVERED AN INAUGURAL SPEECH. AS WE PREPARE FOR THE 60TH INAUGURAL CEREMONY AND ADDRESS. LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE MOMENTS. BARBARA PERRY CO-DIRECTS THE PRESIDENTIAL ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA’S MILLER CENTER. IT’S SO NICE TO HAVE YOU. THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME. GREAT TO BE WITH YOU. SO OBVIOUSLY, THE US IS THE WORLD’S LEADING SUPERPOWER. THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST OFFICIAL SPEECH BY THE NEW LEADER. HOW IMPORTANT REALLY REALISTICALLY, IS THIS MOMENT? IT’S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO HEAR WHAT A PRESIDENT HAS TO SAY, EVEN IF ONE’S BEEN REELECTED TO A SECOND CONSECUTIVE TERM OR IN THIS CASE, A NONCONSECUTIVE SECOND TERM. WE WANT TO KNOW HOW IT’S BEING KICKED OFF. HOW IS THIS PRESIDENT VIEWING THE NEXT FOUR YEARS? ARE THERE ANY NEW THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE PLATFORM FROM THE PARTY OR FROM THE CAMPAIGN THAT WE SHOULD BE ALERTED TO, AND JUST SIMPLY THE STYLE AND THE APPROACH THAT THE NEW PRESIDENT IS TAKING, I THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT NOT ONLY FOR THIS COUNTRY, BUT FOR THE WORLD WHEN IT COMES TO THE ACTUAL ADDRESS. IN SOME WAYS, I THINK FOR ANY INCOMING PRESIDENT, IT’S TRICKY, RIGHT? YOU’VE SORT OF GOT A BALANCE, YOU KNOW, REALITY WITH, YOU KNOW, HERE’S HOPE AND INSPIRATION. BUT I’M CURIOUS WHAT YOU’VE NOTICED HISTORICALLY ABOUT HOW PRESIDENTS APPROACH THAT CHALLENGE. THEY HAVE ALMOST AN IMPOSSIBLE CHALLENGE, I THINK, BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY EXPECTATIONS AND BURDENS PLACED UPON THEM AND THEIR SPEECHWRITERS. SO I WOULD POINT TO TED SORENSEN, JOHN KENNEDY WORKING ON THAT SPEECH TOGETHER FOR 1961 AND THEN HAVING IT DELIVERED SO BEAUTIFULLY BY PRESIDENT KENNEDY. THE FAMOUS LINE OF ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY WILL DO FOR YOU, ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY. I STILL HAVE PEOPLE SAY TO ME THAT THEY WERE INSPIRED BY THAT. AND THEN THERE’S THE THE HOPEFUL IN TIME OF CRISIS MODE OF AN FDR IN 1933, THE FAMOUS WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF, TO SAY TO A COUNTRY THAT’S BEING ROCKED BY A GREAT DEPRESSION AND TO JUST BE CALMING THE NATION, BUT ALSO TO SAY, HERE’S WHAT I’M GOING TO DO TO TRY TO HELP THE CRISIS AND AMELIORATE IT. SO THOSE ARE ALL OF THE THINGS THAT PRESIDENTS NEED TO DO. AND WHEN WE’RE NOT IN AN ACTUAL CRISIS, IT IS HELPFUL IF A PRESIDENT COULD BE A UNIFYING FORCE AND COULD BE POSITIVE AND UPLIFTING. DONALD TRUMP, IN HIS FIRST PRESIDENCY WAS COMING IN AS A CANDIDATE WHO WAS KIND OF LIKE BLOWING UP THE NORMS. WHAT WILL YOU BE WATCHING FOR IN THIS ADDRESS? I’LL BE WATCHING TO SEE IF DONALD TRUMP OFFERS AN OLIVE BRANCH TO THE 75 MILLION AMERICANS WHO DID NOT VOTE FOR HIM. I’LL BE LOOKING TO SEE IF HE USES LANGUAGE SUCH AS THOMAS JEFFERSON DID IN 1801. AFTER A VERY VITRIOLIC CAMPAIGN WHERE WE REALLY HAD FOR THE FIRST TIME THE TWO FIRST POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE UNITED STATES GOING AT EACH OTHER HAMMER AND TONGS, JOHN ADAMS, THE INCUMBENT FEDERALIST PRESIDENT AGAINST THOMAS JEFFERSON’S PARTY, CALLED THE DEMOCRATIC-REPUBLICANS AND FAMOUSLY AT THAT 1801 INAUGURATION, THOMAS JEFFERSON SAID, WE’RE ALL FEDERALISTS. WE’RE ALL DEMOCRATIC-REPUBLICANS. IN OTHER WORDS, LET’S ALL COME TOGETHER. LET’S PUT PARTIES AND POLITICS AND PARTIZANSHIP AND POLARIZATION ASIDE. NOW, THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN. WE HAVE TO SAY. BUT IT WAS A NICE THOUGHT. IT WAS NICE TO CALL PEOPLE TO UNITY. AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT COME FROM DONALD TRUMP. BARBARA PERRY IS A PRESIDENTIAL EXPERT, AND SHE’LL BE WATCHING THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS, AS WE ALL WILL BE. THANK YOU, BARBARA, FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU. COMING UP, SPORTS ARENAS USUALLY COME WITH AN INFLUX OF CASH, BUT WHY? PHILADELPHIA’S CHINATOWN WORRIED IT WOULD BE DESTROYED IF A NEW COMPLEX MOVED IN. AND WE HEAD TO CALIFORNIA TO FIND OUT HOW HOMEOWNERS ARE COPING WITH INSURANCE RATES THAT HAVE MORE THAN DOUBLED. AND THAT’S EVEN BEFORE THE ONGOINGAS THE DEADLY WILDFIRES I ANGELES RAGE ON NEIGHBORHOODS ACROSS L.A. COUNTY HAVE BEEN LEFT UNRECOGNIZABLE. MORE THAN 12,000 HOMES AND BUSINESSES HAVE BEEN DESTROYED. THIS DISASTER IS ON TRACK TO BECOME THE MOST EXPENSIVE WILDFIRE DISASTER IN U.S. HISTORY. AS FAMILIES SIFT THROUGH WHAT’S LEFT OF THEIR BELONGINGS, CONCERNS QUICKLY TURN TO HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE. IN RECENT YEARS, THREE OF THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST INSURERS ANNOUNCED THEY WOULD NO LONGER WRITE NEW POLICIES IN CALIFORNIA, AND SEVERAL OTHER INSURERS HAVE ENDED COVERAGE. THERE ALTOGETHER. BEFORE THESE FIRES, OUR CORRESPONDENT DAN LIEBERMAN TRAVELED TO ORANGE COUNTY TO SEE HOW IT’S IMPACTING RESIDENTS. DO YOU PAY THE ELECTRIC BILL OR DO YOU PAY THE GAS BILL? NOW I HAVE TO PICK AND CHOOSE. DURING HER 40 YEAR CAREER AS A SECRETARY, CHERIE LOVE WAS CAREFUL TO SET ASIDE ENOUGH MONEY TO LIVE COMFORTABLY IN HER MODEST TWO BEDROOM CONDO IN ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. BUT THERE WAS ONE COST SHE DIDN’T PREPARE FOR A DRAMATIC SPIKE IN HER MONTHLY HOA FEES DUE TO THE INCREASING COST OF HOME INSURANCE. IN TOTAL, I USED TO BE PAYING $240, AND NOW WE’RE PAYING 7.25. THAT’S A HUGE INCREASE. IT’S A STRUGGLE. THE CONDO COMMUNITY WHERE CHERIE LIVES WAS DROPPED BY THEIR INSURANCE COMPANY IN 2021 BECAUSE THE RISK OF A WILDFIRE HAD BECOME TOO HIGH, SINCE THEY’RE REQUIRED TO HAVE INSURANCE, THEY HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO SETTLE ON A NEW POLICY WITH LESS COVERAGE AND A HUGE PRICE TAG. I DON’T GO OUT. I DON’T GO SHOPPING, AND I SHOULDN’T HAVE TO BE IN THAT POSITION AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE, RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER FROM CHERIE, AMBER LOOR LIVES WITH HER HUSBAND AND THREE KIDS. EVERY TIME I GET THE BILL IN THE MAIL, I JUST LOOK AT IT AND IT’S DISGUSTING. AMBER WORKS AS A HAIRDRESSER AND HER HUSBAND’S AN I.T. TOGETHER THEY EARN ABOUT $100,000 A YEAR. THE MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME IN THEIR AREA. THAT’S NOT A LOT FOR A FAMILY OF FIVE IN ORANGE COUNTY. SO THIS IS ABSOLUTELY. IT’S HUGE. PATRICK PRENDIVILLE IS AN INSURANCE BROKER REPRESENTING HUNDREDS OF CONDO ASSOCIATIONS IN ORANGE COUNTY. THE TOTAL INSURED VALUE OF A CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION IS MUCH GREATER THAN A SINGLE FAMILY HOME. SO THAT RIGHT THERE IS MORE DIFFICULT BECAUSE IT’S HARDER TO FIND THAT MUCH INSURANCE FOR THE ENTIRE ASSOCIATION. DO YOU THINK THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO STEP IN AND DO MORE HERE? YES. I DO THINK THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD GET INVOLVED, BECAUSE IF YOU AGREE THAT THIS IS CAUSED BY CLIMATE CHANGE, THEN IT’S EVERYBODY’S PROBLEM. IF MY INSURANCE IS REALLY HIGH, I NEED TO ASK MYSELF, WHY IS THAT? SEREN TAYLOR IS THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE PERSONAL INSURANCE FEDERATION OF CALIFORNIA, AN INDUSTRY TRADE GROUP. EIGHT OF THE TEN MOST COSTLY FIRES ON THE PLANET HAVE HAPPENED IN CALIFORNIA IN THE LAST SIX YEARS. AND OF COURSE, INSURERS HAVE PAID OUT TENS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN CLAIMS. THOSE LOSSES FACTOR INTO FUTURE RATES. INSURERS ARE NOW STRUGGLING JUST TO KEEP UP. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? I MEAN, IF THESE COSTS DO KEEP GOING UP, WHAT’S YOUR PLAN? I’M GOING TO HAVE TO KEEP CUTTING BACK IN OTHER AREAS. I CAN’T I CAN’T MOVE RIGHT NOW WHILE MY KIDS ARE IN SCHOOL. WHAT MAKES YOU WANT TO STAY HERE? IT’S JUST HOME. PEOPLE LIVE IN A IN A SMALL TOWN, AND THEY LIVE THERE THEIR WHOLE LIVES. AND THAT’S THEIR HOME. AND THIS IS MINE. FOR MATTER OF FACT, I’M DAN LIEBERMAN IN ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, AHEAD ON. MATTER OF FACT, THE DEATH OF THIS COMMUNITY WOULD DEVASTATE US. WHY CHINATOWNS ACROSS AMERICA ARE STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE. PLUS, THIS MLK WEEKEND, REFLECTING ON THE JOURNEY OF THE DOCTOR, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR MONUMENT IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL. TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH MATTER OF FACT, SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER ATWELCOME BACK TO MAT A BIG WIN FOR PHILADELPHIA’S CHINATOWN. THE PLAN TO BRING $1 BILLION SPORTS ARENA TO THE AREA HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN ABANDONED. IT’S A HUGE RELIEF FOR ACTIVISTS WHO ARE FIGHTING TO SAVE PHILLY’S CHINATOWN. MANY POINTED TO WASHINGTON, DC’S CHINATOWN AS A CAUTIONARY TALE WHERE AN NBA TEAM CREATED AN ARENA. THERE MORE THAN 25 YEARS AGO. AND WHILE THE CITY TRIED TO PRESERVE THE FLAVOR OF CHINATOWN, LOCAL MERCHANTS WERE PRICED OUT AND THEN RESIDENTS FOLLOWED DC CHINATOWNS ASIAN POPULATION PLUNGED FROM SEVERAL THOUSAND PEOPLE TO ABOUT 300 PEOPLE. PEOPLE SAY IT’S NOT CHINATOWN, IT’S CHINA BLOCK, RIGHT? LIKE, I HOPE THAT’S NOT THE STORY OF PHILADELPHIA. PHILADELPHIA’S CHINATOWN ISN’T ALONE IN THE STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE. THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION COUNTS 83 CHINATOWNS IN THE U.S., AND TODAY, FEWER THAN HALF ARE HISTORIC. STILL AHEAD ON MATTER OF FACT, STANDING ALONG THE TIDAL BASIN IN OUR NATION’S CAPITAL. WHY A FRATERNITY WAS SO KEY IN THE CREATION OF THE DOCTOR MARTIN LUTHER KING JRFINALLY, TO PERSONAL REFLECTION AS WE MARK THE DOCTOR MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR HOLIDAY THIS WEEKEND. AS ON MANY OTHERS, VISITORS TO WASHINGTON, DC WILL TOUR THE MLK MEMORIAL, A MEMORIAL THAT WAS A LONG TIME IN THE MAKING. AT FIRST IT WAS JUST AN IDEA PRESENTED BY THE MEMBERS OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA, THE OLDEST INTER-COLLEGIATE FRATERNITY FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS AND THE FRATERNITY THAT DOCTOR KING PLEDGED IN 1952 WHILE HE WAS STUDYING THEOLOGY AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY. THEN IN 1996, CONGRESS AUTHORIZED THE BUILDING OF THE MEMORIAL IF THE FRATERNITY COULD RAISE THE $100 MILLION TO COVER COSTS AND ONGOING UPKEEP, IT WAS A GOAL THEY HANDILY MET. I WAS PRESENT AT THE RIBBON CUTTING FOR THE MEMORIAL IN 2011. IT WAS A DAY WE ALL SAW THE 30 FOOT TALL STONE OF HOPE THAT LOOKS LIKE IT’S PULLED RIGHT OUT OF A MOUNTAIN COMPOSED OF 159 GRANITE BLOCKS, THE MEMORIAL WAS SCULPTED IN CHINA AND ASSEMBLED AT THE SITE ON THE TIDAL BASIN. THE CONCEPT FOR THE MEMORIAL COMES FROM A LINE IN DOCTOR KING’S FAMOUS I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH QUOTE. WITH THIS FAITH, WE WILL BE ABLE TO HEW OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN OF DESPAIR A STONE OF HOPE, A GOOD MESSAGE COMING TO US FROM OUR NATION’S CAPITAL. THAT’S IT FOR THIS EDITION OF MATTER OF FACT, I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN. I’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE NEXT WEEK TO WATCH MORE STORIES LIKE THIS. ANY TIME, HEAD TO MATTEROFFACTTV.

JANUARY 18, 2025

This week Matter of Fact examines why mass deportations in history took a toll the nation’s economy.

This week Matter of Fact examines why mass deportations in history took a toll the nation’s economy, including the job market and Americans’ wages. Plus, how a president’s inaugural address sets the tone for their term. And, California residents struggle to find affordable homeowners’ insurance amid the threat of wildfires.

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