CRE/ SJS Mabel Ping-Hua Lee: How Chinese American Women Helped Shape the Suffrage Movement

 

Mabel Ping-Hua Lee: How Chinese American Women Helped Shape the Suffrage Movement

Mabel Ping-Hua Lee -feminist pioneer, first Chinese woman in U.S to earn doctorate, advocated for rights of women and Chinese community in America

1.      Discriminatory laws unable to become a U.S. citizen

2.      Still played pivotal role for voting rights both in U.S. and China

I)                    1912 Suffrage leaders in New York invited 16-year-old Mabel to ride in the honor guard in the massive suffrage parade up 5^th Avenue

a.      Why -suffrage and women’s rights conversation not limited to U.S. but occurring globally.

II)                  Mabel Lee was one of few Chinese women living in U.S. in early 20^th century

a.      Because Congress had passed several laws against the Chinese, but  which allowed men to come and work in mines and build the railroad

b.      But negative stereotypes about Oriental Chinese presumed that Chinese were inherently passive or servile and thus unable to participate in demographic governments

c.      Racist ideas codified into who could become a U.S. citizen

d.      First law -Page Act of 1875 which targeted Chinese women -used explicit language excluding prostitutes

                                                              i.      Believed that Chinese women were immigrating for the propose of serving as prostitutes

e.      2^nd law -1882 Exclusion act -significantly shrunk number of Chinese immigrants (both men and women) admitted into the U.S.

f.        Also Denied them the ability to become U.S. citizens.

g.       They became the only people in the world ineligible to become U.S. citizens

h.      Law was renewed every ten years and extended to other Asian countries in 1924

i.        Consequently, beginning of 20^th century men the largest group of Chinese, and the vast majority lived on the West Coast or in Hawaii Territory.

III)                Mabel Lee immigrated to the US from Canton (now Guangzhou) China around 1900 at approximately 5 years old

IV)                Lived in New York City where her father was a Baptist minister in Chinatown

V)                  Her parents _Lee Towe and Lee Lai Beck (sur names, in Chinese with surnames first) were unable to immigrate under one of the very few exceptions to the Exclusion Act because they were teachers working for the Baptist Church

VI)                As teachers in China -Mabel’s mother was aware of conversations feminists were having about women’s rights in this country

VII)              Both she and Mabel’s father raised their only child as a modern woman

a.      E.g. They chose not to bind Mabel’s feet (though her mother had bound hers)

b.      Encouraged her education

c.      Her father taught Chinese classics

d.      But they sent her to a public school in New York

e.      She was only Chinese student in her graduating class.

VIII)            Under terms of the Exclusion act -Lee family and few other of those immigrating to U.S. in this period could not become citizens

a.      Consequently, they followed events and conversations in China

b.      Many Chinese in the U.S. supported the republican revolutionary -Dr. Sun Yat-sen

                                                              i.      Shared his goal of modernizing China

                                                             ii.      A vision which included women’s rights of equal education and political participation

1.      Therefore, some Chinese women in the U.S. actively supported him and conducted fundraisers on his behalf.

2.      Mabel Lee and her mother not only supported the work of Morningside Mission, but also raised money for Chinese fmine victims, worked with YWCA, and participated in Chinatown parades.

3.      Followed events in China -so in 1911 when the Chinese Revolution overthrew Chinese imperial role eventually leading to the establishment of the Republic of China (1912 – 1949)

IX)                White suffrage leaders were also interested in the Chinese Revolution

a.      Particularly as the Chinese government had enfranchised women (but each province was initially free to determine their own rules on the issue)

b.      White suffragettes were glad, but irritated

                                                              i.      Because Chinese women had won the vote before them

                                                             ii.      They wanted to learn more

                                                           iii.      So they turned to local Chinese communities to inform them

                                                           iv.      Leading Chinese women from cities such as Portland, Oregon, Cincinnati, Ohio, Boston Massachusetts and New York City were invited to speak at white suffrage meetings in spring of 1912

                                                             v.      Chinese women seized the opportunity to share the news of women’s contributions to the founding of their new nation.

                                                           vi.      They spoke of the women’s brigade that had fought with men in the revolution and celebrated the enfranchisement of Chinese women.

                                                         vii.      They also appealed to the white women to help address the needs of Chinse communities especially the demeaning immigration laws they faced

c.      In New York in 1912 Mabel Lee and several other members of the Chinatown community joined state and national suffrage leaders for a meeting at the Peking Restaurant in New York

                                                              i.      Well known white suffragettes included Harriet Laidlow (Chairman of the Manhattan Branch of the Women’s Suffrage Party, Anna Howard Shaw president of National American Suffrage Association, and the wealth patron of the cause Alva Belmont

d.      Representatives of the Chinese community included Mabel Lee and her parents, Grace Yip Typond )(wife of powerful merchant -Yip Typond) and Pearl Mark Loo (Mai Zhouyi – a teacher and missionary.

e.      All the Chinese were immigrants to the U.S. from China and not eligible to become U.S. citizens

f.        They yet cared for women’s rights

g.       Hopped that working with white suffragists would help end the biased stereotypes about China and Chinese women.

X)                  At this time Mabel was only 16 years old, but had been accepted to Barnard College

a.      She spoke of Chinese women in U.S. that endured sexism and racial prejudice

b.      Urged more equitable educational opportunities for Chinese girls and boys in New York

XI)                Her college from Chinatown -Pearl Mark Loo also called for citizenship for Chinese women in the U.S.

XII)              Both women believed that education was the key to both women’s rights and the strength of a nation -China and the U.S.

XIII)            Based on Mabel’s presentation she was asked to lead the suffrage parade to be later on that spring

XIV)            Newspapers across the country reported on her participation and printed her picture.

XV)              She was joined in the parade by her mother and other women from Chinatown

a.      Their stripped flag proclaimed “:Light from China”

b.      This countered the American myth that ours was superior culture that was needed to be shared with China.

c.      Chinese suffragists hoped their participation would refute racist stereotypes and help change US policies towards Chinese immigrants.

XVI)            White suffragist carried signs which read NAWSA Catching UP with China -carried by Anna Howard Shaw the president

a.      The slogan directed primarily at shaming American men into supporting women’s suffrage

b.      Why -they considered America progressive/modern and China backwards

c.      The enfranchisement of Chinese women suggests just the opposite

XVII)          Mabel Lee matriculated to Barnard College in New York

a.      She remained midst of suffrage conversations in both countries

b.      Oftes speaking to white suffrage audiences and giving them updates on women’s rights in China

c.      While advocating for the rights of Chinese students studying in America

d.      What she termed as the Submerged Half - Promoting girls education and women’s civic participation

XVIII)        The U.S. had created a college scholarship program -Boxer Indemnity Program

a.      Aimed to train future Chinese political and business leaders in US institutions

b.      Mabel Lee became heavily involved in Chinese Students’ Alliance

                                                              i.      National organization for those students that published a journal for its members

c.      She urged future leaders of China to incorporate women’s rights into the new republic

d.      She viewed women’s rights as important to the new nation

e.      To ignore this meant that the nation would only prolong the time when it must make the adjustment.

f.        Feminist movement was not advocating for privileges to women.b.ut the requirement of women to be worthy citizens and contribute their share to the steady progress of their country.

XIX)            When New York state enfranchised women in 1917 -Mabel Lee was still not a U.S. citizen and not able to vote

XX)              She vowed to become a feminist pioneer by entering the Ph.D. program at Columbia University -department of Political Science, Science an philosophy

a.      She earned a doctorate in Economics in 1921

b.      \first Chinese Women in U.S. history to do so

c.      Their push to change U/S. policies were not effective

d.      1924 Congress passed the Johnson-reed immigration act which placed even more restrictions on Chinese immigration and expanded it to all Asian countries

e.      Some American born Chinese women were able to exercise their right to vote -particularly in California

f.        But the numbers were small and remained so until immigration policy changed after WWII

g.       China fought as an ally of the United Sates

XXI)            Even with a PHD, Mable found limited opportunities

XXII)          So was offered a teaching position at a Chinese university but she decided to remain in the u.s.

XXIII)        When her father died -she took over administration of his mission.

XXIV)        Through this she was able to work to improve Chinatown until her own death in 1965

XXV)          Her story and many other Chinese suffragists are often overlooked in U.S. history.

XXVI)