Mabel Ping-Hua Lee
ca.1923
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This newspaper clipping shows Dr. Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, the first Chinese woman to earn a Ph.D. from Columbia University. (She is also believed to be the first woman to earn a doctorate from Columbia.) Lee, who immigrated to New York as a child from China, was involved with missionary work and participated in the fight for women's voting rights.
The Chinese Exclusion Act limited rights of Chinese American laborers and prevented Chinese immigrants from becoming citizens. Under this act, Lee was not a citizen, and therefore was unable to vote. Yet she and others still fought for universal suffrage even without the ability to benefit directly from its success.
An outspoken feminist, Lee began writing and speaking publicly about woman suffrage while a teenager. In May 1912, she led a contingent of Chinese and Chinese American women in a New York City suffrage parade. However, her inability to gain citizenship left her unable to vote when New York granted women the right to vote in 1917 and after the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920.
The Chinese Exclusion Act limited rights of Chinese American laborers and prevented Chinese immigrants from becoming citizens. Under this act, Lee was not a citizen, and therefore was unable to vote. Yet she and others still fought for universal suffrage even without the ability to benefit directly from its success.
An outspoken feminist, Lee began writing and speaking publicly about woman suffrage while a teenager. In May 1912, she led a contingent of Chinese and Chinese American women in a New York City suffrage parade. However, her inability to gain citizenship left her unable to vote when New York granted women the right to vote in 1917 and after the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Full Citation: Unidentified Newspaper Clipping of Mabel Ping-Hua Lee; ca.1923; Case #12-943; Chinese Exclusion Act case file for Mabel Lee (Ping Hua Lee); Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, ca. 1882 - ca. 1960; Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Record Group 85; National Archives at New York, New York, NY. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/mabel-lee, December 4, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.