1882 Foundation

05/22/2026

Want to know how Mabel Ping-Hua Lee helped shape American history in 1912? Today, a public mural in Washington, DC’s Chinatown honors her legacy. ➡️ Click to learn why: https://1882foundation.org/mabel/

05/15/2026

Even highly educated and respected Chinese immigrants were forced to navigate restrictive immigration laws during the era of Chinese Exclusion.
This 1937 radiogram references Mabel Ping-Hua Lee and her return permit while communicating with U.S. immigration authorities.
By then, Mabel was already a prominent educator, minister, and community leader in New York’s Chinatown. Yet her movements and legal status were still subject to scrutiny and documentation.
History is not only found in speeches and photographs.
Sometimes it lives in the paperwork people were forced to carry.
To learn more about Mabel Ping-Hua Lee and the mural honoring her legacy in Washington, DC’s Chinatown:
https://1882foundation.org/mabel

05/14/2026

📖 Join us in Locke for a conversation with author Madelyn Postman!

We’ll be joined by Madelyn Postman to discuss her new book, Staring into the Sun. Madelyn is a descendant of Joe Shoong, the founder of the grocery chain National Dollar, and the first Chinese-American millionaire. Light refreshments will be provided!

📍 Sunday, May 31
🕠 12:30–3:30 PM
📍 Locke, CA
🎟️ Free admission — RSVP encouraged!

05/13/2026

05/12/2026

✨Introducing our new limited series! Our intern, Jake Somsel, has spent his internship researching Chinese American veterans to help shine a light on their history. 🪖Over the next few weeks, we will be showcasing his research on our social media pages!

🇺🇲 Our first Chinese American Veteran is Edward Day Cohota, who served during the Civil War. He spent over 30 years in the United States Army, later settling - in Nebraska to open a restaurant and raise a family. Despite his decades of service, he was still denied U.S. citizenship because of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act.

Stories like Edward’s remind us how much has been contributed—and how much has been denied.

To learn more about Edward, check out our website!

05/12/2026

✈️What started out as just a vacation…turned into a discovery of family history. Journalist Ian Gill met up with his mother in Hong Kong—and uncovered a whole other life she had led before becoming his mother.

Billie faced great challenges growing up in Shanghai, and again while working in Hong Kong during the height of World War II. After leaving China in 1937, she did not return until 1993 —when she came back with her son, Ian Gill.

What would it feel like to uncover a story like this in your own family?

Join us on May 23, at the Chinese American Museum () at 1:00PM to learn more about Billie’s journey. Get your tickets today with the link below!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1985599612893?aff=oddtdtcreator

05/10/2026

🍀Last March, our Echoes and Futures Talk Story explored local Chinese American history through two iconic sites - Downtown Sacramento’s Confucius Temple and Locke’s Star Theater.

🗣️We were joined by threes featured speakers- Brian Lee, Clarence Chu, and Willam Burg- who shared history and legacy , in these spaces. - Five community storytellers—Carol Lee, Norman Fong, Henry Fong, Alfred Yee, Penny Redman- brought them to life through personal stories and memories. ⛩️

What do these places mean to the communities around them—and what should their future look like?

Thank you to everyone who joined us forthis full house to learn, reflect , and imagine n what comes next. Together, we can honor the legacies of these cultural sites through preservation, collaboration, and imagination!

Thank you, Muzi Li Rowe, for capturing these moments!

05/09/2026

🤔Did you know? Separate but equal segregation applied to Chinese Americans too.

👉However, the definition of race and color, as applied to Asian Americans, was often unclear. Even after the Gong Lum v. Rice decision, not all white schools forced Chinese students out. This shows that race was far more malleable than it is often presented.

What does this tell us about how race has been defined—and redefined—in American history?

Last year, we hosted an event exploring the history of this case and its lasting impact. Journalist Adrienne Bear, author of a book on the Lum family, joined by Susan Brownell —who is related to the attorney who represented the Lums.

Want to learn more? Check out our Youtube channel! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URyc72hEJkU

05/08/2026

Few people know the story of Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, the Chinese American suffragist who rode horseback at age 16 in New York’s 1912 women’s suffrage parade.
But when women legally gained the right to vote in 1920, Mabel herself was still denied that right because of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.
That did not stop her.
Mabel attended Barnard College and later earned a Ph.D. in Economics from Columbia University in 1921, becoming one of the first Chinese women to earn a doctorate in economics.
After the death of her father in 1924, Mabel led the First Chinese Baptist Church in Manhattan’s Chinatown for 40 years.
At a time when Chinese immigrants faced exclusion, discrimination, and isolation, the church became far more than a place of worship. Under Mabel’s leadership, it became a vital community center offering:
• English classes
• Typewriting instruction
• Vocational training
• A health clinic
• A kindergarten she personally taught in
To learn more: www.1882foundation.org/mabel

05/06/2026

Mabel Ping-Hua Lee’s message is beginning to emerge on the wall in Washington, DC’s Chinatown.
“VOTE. IT’S YOUR VOICE.”
More than a century ago, Mabel marched for women’s suffrage in New York City — even though, because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, she herself was denied the right to vote.
Now her story is rising, brick by brick, as this mural continues to take shape.
We can’t wait to share more of the journey with you!

Mabel Ping-Hua Lee was a Chinese American suffragist, scholar, and community leader who believed that democracy depends on equal opportunity for all.

05/06/2026

🎬 Join us next Wednesday for a community movie night and panel discussion at UC Davis!

We’ll be screening three films exploring Chinese American life and history in the Sacramento Valley: Chicago Cafe, Rising, and Voices of the Valley.

📍 Wednesday, May 13
🕠 5:30–8:00 PM
📍 Cruess Hall, Room 1002, UC Davis
🎟️ Free admission — RSVP encouraged!