Mabel Ping-Hua Lee

Picture taken from NextShark's article, "Meet the First Chinese American Woman to Fight for Voting Rights That History Almost Forgot"

Can you think of a well-known Chinese American Christian besides Francis Chan and Jeremy Lin? I sure can't, not immediately at least, let alone try to think of a well-known, influential Asian American Christian. In addition, can you think of a well-known Asian Christian, that is Christians from the Asian continent? That's a hard one for me as well.

If you can't, that is totally understandable. I think being part of the Evangelical movement in the U.S. has unfortunately blinded us from seeing influential Christians who are not white. I've posted about Eugene Cho, who is Korean American and is having a strong influence over Evangelicalism, which I welcome. Now, I want to introduce you to someone from the past who you probably never heard of before, but you definitely must: Mabel Ping-Hua Lee.

To say that Mabel Ping-Hua Lee was a titan and a remarkable woman is a massive understatement. Lee was a Chinese American women's suffrage advocate and a leader in her contemporary Baptist tradition. She was born on October 7, 1897 in Guangzhou, China, and was the daughter of a missionary pastor. When she was nine years old, Lee earned an academic scholarship that allowed her to relocate to the U.S. to attend school, and so her family emigrated to Chinatown in New York City in 1905.

Early on, Lee was involved in the feminist and women's suffrage movement, influenced by her father's religious convictions and New York City's liberal environment. She rode on horseback as a teenager in the campaign for women's suffrage in New York state. On May 4, 1912, at the age of sixteen, Lee led a parade in support of women's suffrage, which grew a large crowd of ten thousand people. In 1914, when she attended Barnard College, the women's college connected to, at that time, the all-male Columbia University, Lee wrote for The Chinese Students' Monthly about the importance and need of feminism, as well as her care for the reconstruction of China as it leaves the age of European colonialism.

In her article titled, "The Meaning of Woman Suffrage," Lee writes:

In furtherance of such a cause we students should take a leading part. To us girls especially, who are among the first to emerge, will fall the duties of pioneers and, if we do our share, ours will be the honor and the glory.

The welfare of China and possibly its very existence as an independent nation depends on rendering tardy justice to its womankind. For no nation can ever make real and lasting progress in civilization unless its women are following close to its men if not actually abreast with them.

Lee also gave speeches; here's an excerpt from her speech "China's Submerged Half":

Our [Chinese] statesmen for century back have felt the need for female education and must have wished for it. But what was the good of their mere wishing?

The missionaries came in their turn. They not only wished and prayed, but they labored. And it is largely due to their untiring efforts in the face of obstacles well-nigh insurmountable, that the present interest in women’s education owes its existence.

Now it is our turn. What are we going to do in answer to the call of duty?

In 1917, women finally won the right to vote in New York state, but Lee herself was unable to vote because of the Chinese Exclusion Act, which Barred Chinese immigrants from naturalizing; it's unclear if Lee was ever able to vote after the repeal of the Act or if she became a U.S. citizen.

Regarding her education, she majored in philosophy and history. and then later received a master's degree of educational administration at Barnard College. In 1917, she was admitted to Columbia University for a doctorate in economics . In 1921 or 1922, she received a PhD., becoming the first woman to do so from Columbia University. Her dissertation was on the economic history of China. With her PhD., Lee hoped to help her people in China in its reconstruction process; however, many factors ranging from the May Thirtieth Movement to the death of her father pushed her to remain in the U.S.

After the death of her father in 1924, Lee took over his role as head of the Baptist mission in Chinatown at the age of 28. Although she expected for this to be a temporary position, it turned into her lifelong work. Lee raised funds from the American Baptist Home Mission Society and local Chinese American organizations to created a Chinese Christian Center in memory of her father. It came into fruition in 1926 when she purchased a building in Chinatown. The center provided support for the Chinese community -- who were often marginalized and oppressed in American society -- with many services such as English classes, medical clinic, vocational workshops, and a kindergarten.

Lee was able to solely secure the property under the First Chinese Baptist Church in 1954, becoming fully independent. She believed that it was important for Chinese Christians to gain independence from the larger white-led Baptist mission, as she believed that this will allow the Chinese community to be more fully independent regardless of the larger society's marginalization of non-whites. In addition, she believed that it was important that a Chinese Christianity is to be formed, and not to follow the typical Euro-American Protestantism.

Lee never married and maintained financial independence, which was rare during her lifetime. She continued to dedicate her life and work to Christ and the Chinatown community until her death in 1966 at the age of 70.

The First Chinese Baptist Church is still operational and continues to offer social services started by Lee and continues to follow in her footsteps of advocating for civil rights.

This is the amazing life and work of Mabel Ping-Hua Lee. Fully Chinese, fully woman, and fully Christian. She selflessly labored to ensure women's suffrage, support the Chinese American community and bringing the Kingdom of God here. For that, I personally admire and salute her.

May she receive glory in the Age to Come.

References:

• Alexander, K. L. (2020). Mabel Ping-Hua Lee. National Women's History Museum. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mabel-ping-hua-lee

• Mabel Ping-Hua Lee. (2020, March 2). Wikipedia. Retrieved May 25, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabel_Ping-Hua_Lee

• Tseng, T. (2013, December 12). Asian American Legacy: Dr. Mabel Lee. Tim Tseng. https://timtseng.net/2013/12/12/asian-american-legacy-dr-mabel-lee/