Anna May Wong

The accomplishments of Anna May Wong were recently highlighted by the New York Historical Society.  She was a Chinese-American born in Los Angeles in 1905. She was sent to an all Chinese-American School after she was bullied in a predominantly white public school.  At the age of fourteen she was an extra in a movie called The Red Lantern. After this positive experience she dropped out of school to pursue a career in film.  Her first big break came when she was seventeen.  She played the lead character in the silent film The Toll of the Sea.  Success in the entertainment industry would not be easy.  In the early nineteen hundreds it was common for white actresses to play Asian characters in yellowface and Asian stereotypes were often unavoidable.  Even though her roles were limited her popularity soared.  In order to fight prejudice she adopted a free spirited flapper lifestyle and traveled to Europe.  In 1928, she accepted an offer to star in a movie in Berlin.  She stayed in Europe until 1935 starring in many feature films. She returned to Hollywood for a chance to act in The Good Earth, but the part was given to Luise Rainer, a white actress in yellowface.  After this rejection she traveled to China to reunite with her family.  At the end of her career she became the first Asian-American to star in her own television series.        

Read about her in Not Your China Doll by Katie Gee Salisbury

Monford Point Marines

Read about two Montford Point Marines who leave behind a legacy of courage and excellence.  They were recenlty highlighted by the Marine Times 

Hero Quotes

 

1921 Tulsa Riot

In 1921 there was a massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  It was the home for a thriving black community dubbed "Black Wall Street." It had hundreds of successful black business owners.  While the community thrived, racial tension mixed with envy and anger.   One false accusation caused an unnecessary massacre.  A 17 year old white girl who shared an elevator with a 19 year old black boy falsely accused him of assault.  Within days, her claim of assault turned into cries of rape.  Within 24 hours, the young black boy was arrested and the 35 square blocks of Tulsa was burned to the ground.  The fight for justice continues. CNN recently reported on how the centenarians's fight for justice continues.

Unsung Hero Book Suggestions

 

Unsung Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement

Read about more Civil Rights advocates that did their part in improving our society.   The article is  entitled Unsung Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement was published in AARP Bulletin Feb/2024. 

Shoulders by Naomi Shihab Nye

Published on Academy of American Poets

Shoulders

We're not going to be able 

to live in this world

If we're not willing to do what he's doing

with one another

Naomi Shihab give voice to her experience as an Arab-Ameican through poetry about heritage and peace.

Susie King Taylor

 Susie Baker King Taylor  was a slave, teacher, nurse and author from Georgia during the Civil War.  She is a testament to black strength in the face of overwhelming odds.  As a young child she was taught how to read and write in an underground secret school even though it was illegal.  In 1862 she fled to Union-occupied St. Solomon Island.  When the Union Army discovered she could read, she was charged with the responsibility of educating other escape slaves, making her the first black teacher to work in an operating Freedmen School.  After teaching freedmen for a year she was sent by Union forces to assist the 33rd U.S. Colored Troops during their Civil War campaign.  For four years she served with the 33rd as a cook, assistant and nurse. Taylor  served four years in the Civil War and never received a penny for her services. After the war she continued her work, briefly opening up a school that taught children and adults.  This week Savannah decided to rename a downtown square after her.