Annotation Assignment: Mabel Ping-Hua Lee
In 1905, 9-year-old Mabel Ping-Hua Lee came to the United States from China.
During this time, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 banned most Chinese
immigration. Lee's family was able to immigrate because of a rare exception to the
rule. But it was impossible for Chinese immigrants to become American citizens.
Nonetheless, Mabel Ping-Hua Lee fought for voting rights for American women. In
1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified, giving women the right to vote. Yet
Chinese immigrant women had to wait more than 30 years to be able to vote.
Still, Lee continued to fight for women in the United States and in China, not only
for suffrage but for education and equality. At the same time, she worked locally to
improve life in her New York City Chinatown community.
American Suffragists Reached Out To Chinese Women
In 1911, a revolution overthrew China's emperor and created the Republic of China.
American women who fought for the right to vote were known as suffragists.
Suffragists took note that women in China had gained some voting rights under the
new government. In the spring of 1912, the activists reached out to Chinese
communities in the United States, inviting Chinese women to suffrage meetings.
Although she was only 16, Mabel Lee was among the invited speakers.
Lee and her family held important roles in New York City's Chinese community. Her
father served as a Baptist missionary pastor in Chinatown. Both of her parents
raised their daughter to be politically aware. As a teen, Lee worked in the
community Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and helped to raise
money for victims of the Chinese famine of 1907 in which millions had died.
At the suffrage meeting. Lee spoke about her beliefs in equal educational
opportunities for Chinese children in New York City. She spoke of the
discrimination Chinese women faced in America.
Lee impressed the suffragists so much that they invited her to lead a march in 1912
in New York City.
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The New-York Tribune was one of several newspapers that celebrated her role in the
upcoming parade. They cited Lee's "brilliant accomplishments." i need annotations