Occupational Therapy student Lydia Ott and her grandmother, Lydia Ott
When Lee Git arrived in Pittsburgh from Toisan in the Guangdong Providence of China in 1912, he was much like other immigrants of the late 1800s and early 1900s. He was in search of a better future.
He settled in downtown Pittsburgh, in a tidy area on Second and Third Avenues, bounded by Grant and Ross Streets, where other Chinese immigrants from Toisan already lived, worked, worshiped and played. It was Pittsburgh’s Chinatown—a safe, homogenous neighborhood that contributed to the culture and growth of Pittsburgh for several generations.
More than 100 years later, the neighborhood has vanished. Now the seat of city and county government and home to many Fortune 500 companies, area residents have disbursed to other parts of the city and other regions of the country. A few remnants of Chinatown remain, but its spirit lives on in Lydia Ott, a fourth-generation Chinese American Pittsburgher and student in the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program.
In her documentary “Pittsburgh’s Lost Chinatown,” Ott shares the story of her grandmother, also named Lydia Ott, who grew up at 510 Third Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Chinatown in the 1930s. She hopes it will open the eyes and hearts of others to the unique values, character and strengths that immigrant families bring to any community. And also the challenges they faced.
“The Chinese immigrants had to work in Chinatown because no one else would hire them,” the elder Ott tells her granddaughter in the film. Segregation was an issue and there was discrimination against the Asian immigrants.
Still, they thrived and contributed their culture to the fabric of Pittsburgh.
Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Ott’s 10-minute film was produced in 2021 during the rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans. It was a result of a zoom session hosted by Dr. Anantha Shekhar, senior vice chancellor for the Health Sciences, who wanted to listen to Pitt students’ experiences and fears.
“We all need to know about each other and engage in learning about populations that may not be as well known,” explains Shekhar. “Our ambition was to create a product that would expose people to a powerful story, one highlighting student experience and how every person and every person’s family has a journey that is important to how we treat each other.
“Knowing more about Lydia and her family’s history gives us more connection with and understanding of everyone with whom we share a community,” he continues.
“Celebrating the diversity of our students, faculty and staff is important to me because it influences the type of practitioners and people our students become,” says Department of Occupational Therapy Chair Juleen Rodakowski.
“I seek to reinforce issues around diversity, equity and inclusion to help all people show up and be their true selves. I believe that fostering this type of environment will facilitate learning, engagement and innovation,” she continues.
“By sharing my story—and my heart—I hope Pitt students grow into the kind of health care practitioners who are compelled to see different minority and refugee populations for the unique individuals that they are. And serve them with the respect and understanding they deserve,” concludes Ott.
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This article was featured in the Fall 2022 edition of FACETS.
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Published December 7, 2022