SACRAMENTO — March 8 is International Women's Day, a day that recognizes the contributions and achievements made by women around the world.
In the Sacramento region, two women have made it their mission to give a voice to the Chinese women of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta whose selfless dedication built strong families and shaped their community.
"[My mother and my father] married in 1930," Corliss Lee said. "My father owned a gambling house, and my mother ran a department store."
Lee shares fond memories of her family, growing up in the Chinese community of Locke, just north of the community of Walnut Grove in southern Sacramento County.
The town of wood-frame structures built more than a century ago — by the Chinese and for the Chinese — sits along the delta. Its picturesque look appears frozen in time.
Looking back at her childhood, Lee credits her grandmother, a Chinese immigrant who raised 10 children; her adoptive mother, a successful businesswoman; and her older sister, a project aeronautics engineer, for showing her the way.
"I was very fortunate to have these women be so powerful and break barriers along the way, and it taught me to be able to not be afraid to work in a man's world," she said.
There's also her aunt Ruth Jang, a military veteran who reached another milestone.
"This is my aunt. She's the one that's 102 now. She served in the WWII," Lee said.
It's through her upbringing and the influential women in her life that drew inspiration.
"The experience I had with women in the delta really was the impetus for me to start studying the other women in the delta because I knew how strong our family was," Lee said.
It didn't take long for Lee to team up with film director Min Zhou. Together, they produced "Voices: Chinese Women of the Delta," a documentary featuring the Chinese women of the Sacramento delta who went unrecognized for far too long.
"The Chinese culture is such a man-dominated culture and women were largely ignored," Zhou said.
Zhou, who's from Santa Clara, first discovered Locke while on a tour of the historical town.
"Standing on Main Street, I felt like, 'Oh, my god. This is wonderful land.' It's like a time capsule taking me back to the 19th century," Zhou said.
Through her research, Zhou found that no matter their backgrounds, the Chinese women of the delta made sacrifices for the greater good, Often putting others first and living as second-class citizens.
"World War II veterans, teachers, farmers, housewives — even though they are housewives, they care about the community, supported other poorer families, even they were poor, too," Zhou said.
These women often put others first and lived as second-class citizens.
"Their voices were very little because no one cared about their voices. Nobody heard about their stories. No one bothered to sit down and hear about their stories," Zhou said.
It's through their documentary that Lee and Zhou aim to right a wrong and honor a generation of resilient women who lived in Locke.
"Here in this land, this land of freedom, I need to tell their stories," Zhou said. "I need to give them a voice."
"Voices: Chinese Women of the Delta" is being featured at the California Museum on March 22 at 1 p.m. Zhou and Lee will host the screening and be available for questions from the audience.
"I think it's important to tell their stories, so we know to celebrate their achievements," Lee said. "And there was a lot that they achieved. They broke barriers. They were pioneers in so many ways."
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( How two women are giving voice to Chinese women of the Sacramento delta )
Also on site :
- Education Ministry rehabilitates 70 schools since Assad regime’s fall
- In the wake of Myanmar quake
- The $6 billion Vatican Bank was beset by scandals, disastrous investments—and ties to the mafia. How Pope Francis tried to fix it