Wong is one of the more ubiquitous last names in China as well as in overseas Chinese communities, so it is no wonder that the Wong Family Benevolent Association is strong. Established first in San Francisco, it was founded in Los Angeles by 1870. In 1951, the Wong Family Benevolent Association moved to its current headquarters at 744 N. Broadway. The Association also owns properties in other parts of Chinatown and Arcadia.
While Anglicized spellings of their last name may vary (Wong, Wang, Huang, Hwang, Won, Vong, etc), Chinese distinguish their roots by describing their last name with such phrases as: Wong as in Yellow River 黃河嘅黃, Wong as in yellow gold 黃金嘅黃, and Wong as in yellow color 黃色嘅黃.Regardless of their geographical and dialect origins, if two share the same last name, they are family.
Said former 2006 national Wong Association president James Wong 黄景彬, “Before World War II, about 2/3 of Chinese Americans in Los Angeles were Wongs – including the paper sons.” As many Wongs are from Guangdong and Fujian province, a chain migration was established from the 1800s through the 2000s. Early on, Wongs worked on the transcontinental railroad and in laundries. Wong’s of note in Los Angeles include actress Anna May Wong, judge Delbert Wong, and artist Tyrus Wong.
Like other family associations, Wong Family Association is primarily a charitable organization that reaches out to help immigrants. Historically, the Wong Family Association had close relationships with district associations, such as Ying On Merchants and Labor Association 英端工商會, and local tongs, which helped protect small businesses in the 1880s. Today, the Wong Family Association offers scholarships, runs a women’s auxiliary and a youth group, and hosts social events such as picnics and banquets. The Los Angeles branch also has triannual conventions with Wong Family Associations of San Francisco, New York City, Chicago, Boston, Canada, and elsewhere.
Because of the numbers of Wongs, they are one of the strongest clans in the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, along with the Lees and the Lung Kong Tin Yee (Four Families) Association 龍岡親義公所.
