In 1939, the Dongs, a Chinese American family in Coronado, California, found themselves unable to rent a house amid racially restrictive housing laws that favored white buyers and renters.
Emma and Gus Thompson, a Black entrepreneurial couple in town, allowed the family to rent and eventually buy their Coronado property when nobody else would. Now, to thank the Thompsons for helping them get a toehold in American society, the Dongs are donating $5 million to Black college students using proceeds from the sale of the house.
It may enable some kids to go and flourish in college that might not have been able to otherwise, Janice Dong, 86, said about the plan to sell the family home they later purchased, as well as an adjacent property.
The Dong family will also work to have San Diego State Universitys Black Resource Center named after Emma and Gus, who was born into slavery in Kentucky.
Lloyd Dong Jr., 81, said the Thompsons gave their family a start with the land, and it is time for them to do the same for others.
Without them, we would not have the education and everything else, Lloyd Dong Jr. said.
The Dong familys Coronado properties include the Thompsons original home at 832 C Ave. and an eight-unit apartment complex next door. Family members estimate the combined value to be worth $8 million. Lloyd Dong Jr. and his older brother, Ron Dong, plan to donate their portions $5 million.
Amid the backdrop of a national conversation about reparations, this isnt a story about atonement and repair, said Kevin Ashley, a Coronado historian. The Thompsons gesture was a transaction with no strings attached; the Dongs didnt have anything to pay back.
Instead, Ashley said, the story is about honoring and recognizing the enduring impact of one familys will to help another get ahead. As the country continues to debate the merits and logistics of reparations for its history of chattel slavery, the Dong familys decision to give back to the Black community could serve as an example, he said.
Ron Dong and his wife, Janice Dong, are both retired teachers who believe that education can change lives.
Its just exactly whats appropriate, Ron Dong, 86, said about their donation.
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