Curated by author and legal scholar Chang C. Chen, Herstory: The Legal History of Chinese American Women illustrates the struggle for Chinese women to attain citizenship, dignity and recognition under the law. The exhibit will be on display through May 31.
The first Chinese women began arriving in the United States in 1785 as domestic workers and merchants’ brides. Over the next 200 years, Chinese American women were part of a complex, often painful legal tradition, as they worked to secure their civil rights in the United States. Blending multimedia artwork, historical documents, and bilingual text, Herstory documents these stories and gives voice to the women whose struggles paved the way for more equal treatment today.
Curator Chang C. Chen, officials from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, and Taiwanese actress and singer Li Min Chang will speak at the opening reception on Thursday, March 14, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the Library North, First Floor Exhibit Area.