Taken by Yickee Photo, this photograph depicts a nighttime dragon parade—accompanied by throngs of spectators following the procession down the street. According to a banner above the parade, this scene was one part of Moon Festival activities in 1941, which aimed to benefit the United China Relief. The focus of this initiative (and the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association at large) was to raise funds for the Chinese impacted by the second Sino-Japanese War after 1937, illustrating the political interests and activism of Chinese Americans in the mid 20th century.

Born in Los Angeles, Peter SooHoo Sr. (1899-1945) was an active member of New Chinatown’s community—playing an important role in shaping its founding, citizens’ organizations, and cultural life. The Huntington Library’s Peter SooHoo Sr. papers contain photographs, correspondences, ephemera, and other materials relating to Peter SooHoo’s personal life—as well as he and his family’s dedication to professional and community activities in Los Angeles’ Chinese American spaces. The Peter SooHoo Sr. papers is part of the Huntington’s Pacific Rim collections. The collection is digitized and available on the Huntington Digital Library.

The finding aid can be accessed at SooHoo (Peter, Sr.) Papers (cdlib.org).