PERSONAL HISTORIES > Art Tom
Art Tom (2004)
ART TOM
Art Tom was born in Oakland’s Chinatown in 1912. He was the first
ethnic Chinese employee of the California Department of Motor Vehicles,
where he worked for thirty-seven years. He managed its Oakland and San
Leandro offices and led many of the DMV’s experimental projects,
like standardizing driver’s license examinations, computerizing its
files, and photographing driver’s license applicants. His mother,
Emma Hoo Tom, also made history. She was one of two Oakland Chinese American
women to be the first of their race and gender to register to vote in
the United States. Art still lives in Oakland. Read
the interview of Art Tom.
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