I grew up in the 1950s — a time when women’s roles were traditional:
Women were supposed to stay at home and raise their children
while their husbands went to work. I watched my mother give up
her identity in support of my father. I was always terrified of
becoming a housewife and losing my identity.
In 2006, during my studies for my Master’s degree, I began
researching Chinese immigration. While reading the files of
people subject to the Chinese Exclusion Act, the stories of these
21 women spoke to me. Since their identities were in question, it
makes complete sense that I found myself buried in the archives
with them, trying to penetrate their silences and feel their fears.
I have carried their stories with me as I traveled across the United
States and their presence is felt in my home and workspace. Their
beautiful expressive faces adorn my walls and their voices
encourage me on my journey.
Re-photographing their faces and the other paper fragments in
their files has allowed me to pay respect to their identities and
come more fully in touch with my own. For the past 30 years, I have
worked in a profession, photography, that has long been dominated
by men. I have confronted the many obstacles that go with being a
woman in a man’s world, and I feel I have reached a certain degree
of personal success.
In 2007, I received a Master of Arts degree from the Gallatin School
at New York University.
This exhibit is dedicated to Professor John Kuo Wei Tchen and The A/P/A Institute.
Thank you Jovana Stokic of the Kimmel Center, John Esty Framing, Way Moy and Gee How Oak Tin Association of New York and the Chin Family Association.
