Contact us and tell us your legal story as a Chinese American women
Contact us and tell us your legal story as a Chinese American women
HERSTORY
1983
Lily Lee Chen became the first Chinese American woman mayor.
Lily Lee Chen was born in Tianjin and raised in Taiwan. In 1958, she came to the U.S. for her graduate study of social work. In 1966 when she started to work for the Los Angeles County, social work had already become a red-hot career track for aspiring politicians. She used the grassroots approach and won the respect of her community.
In 1983, Lily Lee Chen was elected mayor of Monterey Park, California and became the first Chinese American mayor.
陳李琬若(Lily Lee Chen)出生於天津,1948年隨 父母遷至台灣。1958年留學美國,學習冷門的社工 系,得到碩士學位。1966年起,她任職於洛杉磯郡 政府,當時社工人員已成為最熱門的行業。做為社工 人員,她於基層做起,一步一腳印,贏得當地居民的 信任,在1983年被選為加州蒙特利公園市(Monterey Park)市長,並成為美國史上首位華裔女市長。
在美國政壇上,蒙特利公園市市長的職位不高,但陳李琬 若利用她的高媒體曝光率,為華裔爭取了許多福利, 例如她協助把「亞裔」正式列為美國法律上的少數族 裔,使亞裔美人得以享受各種福利。
2001
Elaine Chao was the first Chinese-American woman cabinet secretary.
Elaine Chao served as the 24th United States Secretary of Labor in the cabinet of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009. She was the first Chinese-American woman to be appointed to a President's cabinet.
趙小蘭(Elaine L. Chao)最早接觸政治是在1983年 雷根總統主政期間,當時她獲選為白宮學者,負責政策分析與研究。
後於1986年進入美國聯邦政府,擔任聯邦運輸部副部長,當時已是聯邦政府中職位最高的華人女性。
趙小蘭於2001年被布希總統提名,並於1 月29日獲得聯邦參議員全票通過,成為美國第24任勞工部長。