Comic of Mabel Ping-Hua Lee fighting for rights of women and immigrants

Illustrations by Berat Pekmezci; Shutterstock.com (ribbon)

Mabel Ping-Hua Lee

She fought for the rights of women and immigrants.

March 4, 2024

As You Read, Think About: What made Mabel Ping-Hua Lee’s achievements remarkable?

On May 4, 1912, more than 10,000 people took to the streets of New York City. They were marching in one of the biggest women’s suffrage parades the nation had ever seen. One of the leaders was a 16-year-old named Mabel Ping-Hua Lee.

At the time, most women in the United States did not have the right to vote. Like her fellow protesters, Lee thought it was unfair that women did not have the same rights that men had. But as an immigrant from China, Lee had even fewer rights than most of the other women.

“In the early 20th century, women weren’t respected, and immigrant women got even less respect,” says historian and author Cathleen Cahill.

Unfair Rules

Lee was born around 1896 in Guangzhou (gwahng-joh), China. When she was a kid, her family moved to the U.S. At the time, it was rare for Chinese immigrants to do so.

The U.S. government had passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. Jobs were scarce, and many people blamed Chinese workers. The law banned nearly all Chinese immigrants from entering the country.

Lee’s parents had jobs that made them exceptions. Her father was a missionary at a church in New York City’s Chinatown neighborhood. Lee’s mother was a teacher.

Although they lived in the U.S., Lee and her family were not citizens. So they were not allowed to vote.

Speaking Up

Despite the discrimination they faced, Lee’s parents made sure their daughter got a good education. As a teenager, Lee began writing and speaking publicly about women’s suffrage. She believed Chinese immigrants—both men and women—should also be able to vote. She hoped voting would give them a say in the issues that affected them.

Lee graduated from college in 1916. That was unusual for most women back then.

Community Leader

In New York, women finally won the right to vote in 1917. The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was approved three years later, granting women across the U.S. the same right. But Lee was not among them. Most Chinese immigrants were not allowed to vote in the U.S. for several more decades.

Lee continued to work for Chinese immigrants, founding a community services center in Chinatown. And she carried on her fight for women’s rights until she died in 1966.

“Her story tells us a lot about the struggles women and immigrants faced,” says Cahill. “She’s somebody who deserves to be remembered. She lived an extraordinary life.”

Let Us Vote!

It took decades of struggle for women in the U.S. to gain the right to vote.

In the 1800s and early 1900s, most women in the U.S. were not allowed to vote. Some women were arrested for even trying.

Many women were frustrated and spoke out, including teenager Mabel Ping-Hua Lee.

In May 1912, they organized a suffrage parade in New York City.

Lee led the way. Protests like this one helped women across the U.S. finally gain the right to vote.

What was the Chinese Exclusion Act, and why were Mabel Ping-Hua Lee’s parents exceptions?
Why did Lee believe it was important for women and immigrants to have suffrage?
What are two facts you can learn from the illustrations in the sidebar, “Let Us Vote!”?

Mabel Ping-Hua Lee

Luchó por los derechos de las mujeres e inmigrantes.

Al leer, piensa en: ¿Por qué fueron notables los logros de Mabel Ping-Hua Lee?

El 4 de mayo de 1912, más de 10,000 personas tomaron las calles de la Ciudad de Nueva York. Marchaban en uno de los mayores desfiles por el sufragio femenino que la nación había visto jamás. Una de las líderes era una joven de 16 años llamada Mabel Ping-Hua Lee.

En aquella época, la mayoría de las mujeres de Estados Unidos no tenían derecho al voto. Al igual que sus compañeras de protesta, Lee creía que era injusto que las mujeres no tuvieran los mismos derechos que los hombres. Pero como inmigrante de China, Lee tenía aún menos derechos que la mayoría de las demás mujeres.

“A principios del siglo XX, no se respetaba a las mujeres, y aún menos a las inmigrantes”, afirmó la historiadora y escritora Cathleen Cahill.

Reglas injustas

Lee nació en 1896 en Cantón, China. De niña, su familia se mudó a EE. UU. En aquella época, era raro que los inmigrantes chinos lo hicieran.

El gobierno estadounidense había aprobado la Ley de Exclusión China en 1882. Los empleos escaseaban y mucha gente culpaba a los trabajadores chinos. La ley prohibía la entrada en el país a casi todos los inmigrantes chinos.

Los padres de Lee tenían tabajos que los libraban de esa prohibición. Su padre era misionero en una iglesia del barrio chino de Nueva York. La madre de Lee era maestra.

Aunque vivían en EE. UU., Lee y su familia no eran ciudadanos. Por tanto, no podían votar.

Alzar la voz

A pesar de la discriminación a la que se enfrentaban, los padres de Lee se aseguraron de que su hija recibiera una buena educación. Siendo adolescente, Lee comenzó a escribir y a hablar públicamente sobre el sufragio femenino. Creía que los inmigrantes chinos, tanto hombres como mujeres, también debían poder votar. Esperaba que el voto les diera voz en los asuntos que les afectaban.

Lee se graduó en la universidad en 1916. Eso era inusual para la mayoría de las mujeres de la época.

Líder de la comunidad

En Nueva York, las mujeres obtuvieron finalmente el derecho al voto en 1917. Tres años más tarde se aprobó la 19ª Enmienda a la Constitución de EE. UU., que concedía a las mujeres de todo el país los mismos derechos. Pero Lee no era una de ellas. A la mayoría de los inmigrantes chinos no se les permitió votar en EE. UU. sino hasta varias décadas después.

Lee siguió con su labor en favor de los inmigrantes chinos y fundó un centro de servicios comunitarios en el barrio chino. Y continuó su lucha por los derechos de las mujeres hasta que murió en 1966.

“Su historia nos dice mucho sobre las luchas a las que se enfrentaron las mujeres y los inmigrantes —dijo Cahill—. Es una persona que merece ser recordada. Tuvo una vida extraordinaria”.