1882 PROJECT … Michael Lin, a Potomac resident, explains the importance of the 1882 Project at a meeting of the County Council on Nov. 15. Mr. Lin played a key role in the two year-old grassroots effort focused on educating lawmakers and the public on the Chinese Exclusion Laws that were passed by Congress in 1882. The laws imposed a 10-year moratorium on Chinese labor immigration—a moratorium that was later expanded to apply to all persons of Chinese descent. Although the Chinese Exclusion Laws were repealed in 1943, Congress never expressly acknowledged that the laws singling out and ostracizing Chinese persons violated fundamental civil rights until the movement started by the 1882 Project. Among those at ceremonies in Rockville that recognized the efforts of the 1882 Project were, left to right: Councilmembers Phil Andrews and George Leventhal and Ginny Gong, executive director of the County’s Department of Community Use of Public Facilities.