Mabel Ping-Hua Lee

Mabel Ping-Hua Lee was born in the late 19th century in China. Her father, Dr. Lee Towe, first moved to New York’s Chinatown as a missionary pastor. Lee won an academic scholarship to study in the U.S., which qualified her for a visa. Lee and her father’s circumstances as a student and missionary made them eligible for immigrating to the U.S., despite the Chinese Exclusion Act being in place at the time.

At the age of 16, she helped lead a 10,000 member parade for women’s suffrage, and was featured in the New York Tribune and the New York Times. She later attended Barnard College and then became the first Chinese woman to earn a PhD from Columbia University. As a student she wrote feminist articles for Chinese American students and linked the ideals of freedom and feminism in her writings.

Lee often dreamed of moving back to China, and being involved in feminist activism there. However, after her father’s death, she took over as the director of his church, and focused on looking after her aging mother. Despite not being able to move back to China, Lee continued her activism and contributed to the Chinatown community, where she opened the Chinese Christian Center, aimed at offering classes, health services, and childcare to the community. It is unknown if she ever became a citizen, as the Exclusion Act had barred her from naturalization. Thus, it is possible that Lee spent her life selflessly fighting for a right that she never got to enjoy.

📸: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service/ National Archives