Back in 1939, the Dong family struggled to find a home to rent in Coronado, California due to racially restrictive housing laws targeting Chinese Americans. A Black couple, Emma and Gus Thompson, were the only landlords willing to let the Dong family rent an apartment from them, eventually letting them purchase their entire eight-unit apartment complex. Now, 85 years later, the younger generation of the Dong family is selling the home once again. As a thank you to the Thompsons for allowing their family to get a start in American society, the Dongs are using proceeds from the sale of the house to donate $5 million to Black college students. The family is also working with San Diego State University to name the Black Resource Center after Emma and Gus, who was a former slave in Kentucky who went on to become a thriving entrepreneur. Llyod and Ron Dong, who are responsible for selling the complex, say that they owe their successes in life to the Thompsons, and believe that investing in education can help provide similar opportunities to others struggling to reach their dreams.Â
Image via NBC NewsÂ
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