Thankfully, readers shared their reactions to our first two blogs about Asian Women. They said that the stories were rich, heavy, informative, sensitive and for some a hard pill to swallow. Throughout, the Asian women revealed lots of harsh realities and naked truths about the injustice they faced. In the end, the women stood strong through the challenges.
In our last and final blog series, I want to take the time to highlight some outstanding Asian women. Notably, each trail blazed, conquered and demanded change. At stake was how Asian, Pan-Asian, Asian American and Amerasian women were viewed and treated.
Clearly, our list is incomplete. As a result, we would love to learn more. Please feel free to share your stories with us at [email protected].
Before I go any further, I want to give my regards to the family and friends that continue to advocate in their loved one’s passion and legacy.
The Brave Women
Yuri Kochiyama
Initially, she was a Japanese American organizer. Later, she spent her life advocating for Black, Latinx, Native American and Asian American communities. “Racism has placed all ethnic people in similar positions of oppression and poverty ”, she said. Moreover, her friendship with Malcolm X helped define American civil rights in the 20th century.
Patsy Mink
Ms. Mink was the first Japanese American woman of color elected into Congress. Foundationally, she is an active member of the Democratic Party. In addition, she was an American Lawyer and Politician from U.S. State of Hawaii. Also, she was the Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.
Kalpana Chawla
She was an American astronaut and engineer. Most important, Ms. Chawla was the first woman of Indian descent to go to space. Specifically, she first flew on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator.
Anna May Wong
Ms. Wong was a legend. Initially, she was the first Chinese American Hollywood movie star and the to gain international recognition. Likewise, she was voted as “The World’s best dressed woman” in 1934.
Cecilia Chung
She is a Transgender Rights pioneer. In addition, Ms. Chung is an Asian transgender woman living with HIV. She remains a fighter for rights for more than 20 years. Simultaneously, she represents the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Also, she is the Senior Director of Strategic Projects at Transgender Law Center.
Amy Tan
She is an award winning author of the bestselling 1989 novel “The Joy Luck Club.” The book deftly portrayed Asian American family life. As a result, a popular movie version appeared in 1993. Essentially, her works explore the mother-daughter relationships and the Chinese American experience.
Lillian
A 20yr. old Asian American woman, she created an Instagram page called “thefleshlightchronicles.” Essentially, her site highlights and exposes men’s racist, fetishist and offensive messages found on dating apps like Tinder.
Tanya Edmilao
She Is a Community Organizer at Asian Pacific Islander Los Angeles. For instance, she mobilizes Queer Trans Asian Pacific Islanders (QTAPI). Generally speaking, they grow, learn and work to bring about racial and social justice issues, together.
Grace Lee Boggs
A Chinese American author, philosopher, civil rights activist and political leader based in Detroit. Surprisingly, she was a central figure in the Black Power movement. Ms. Boggs wrote pamphlets, books and started numerous programs to benefit a wide variety of people. Thus, she was internationally, recognized for her decades of work creating a vision for a better world. She died in 2015 at the age of 100.
Toni Ko
A first generation Korean immigrant, Forbes named her one of the richest self-made women. Ko’s passion for makeup inspired her to fill a gap in the beauty market. As a result, she created department store quality cosmetics at drugstore prices. In 2014, L’Oreal purchased her company, NYX Cosmetics, for $500 million. Currently, she runs Perverse Sunglasses.
Ali Wong
Ali Wong is an American actress, writer and stand-up comedian. She is known for the Netflix specials Baby Cobra, Hard Knock Wife and my favorite “Always be My Maybe”. Wong’s father’s ancestry is from China and her mother is from Vietnam.
Our Gratitude
To the above and those not on my list I acknowledge and say thank you.
To begin with, I want to give a special recognition and thanks to a couple of my AHHHH-MAZING and dear friends. April Y. (Taiwanese) and Dani (Chinese American) helped me better understand the past, present and future of the culture of Asian Women. In addition, they educated me about changes that are needed to uplift and support Asian females’ diverse sexuality.
“Our insistence that we get ours is part of the progressive, female-forward movement my generation has been championing” – April Y.
“Do I enjoy being sexy? Absolutely. But to me, sexiness comes from confidence and confidence comes from a security within oneself. And that’s a sexiness that is related to my race but not derived directly from it, and that difference is essential” – Dani
