Growing up as a woman and make history is not a matter of a cup of tea. In history, there are some of the biggest moments written about Asian American women and you might not know about them. So, in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we are here writing about 5 Asian American women.
Yuri Kochiyama, Revolutionary Civil Rights Activist
Yuri Kochiyama was an American civil rights activist. She began her work in advocacy in her 30s by organizing school boycotts to demand desegregated education for inner-city children in New York City’s Harlem. Kochiyama and her husband pushed for reparations to the Japanese-Americans who had been incarcerated during World War II and a formal apology from the government in 1980. Later the campaign led to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu, First Lady of Physics
Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu is referred to as ‘First Lady of Physics’ and ‘Chinese Marie Curie’. She was at the forefront of developing the atomic bombs during World War II through her work. After the war, she conducted groundbreaking experiments but his male colleagues snubbed the Noble Prize. Despite the setback, she became the first female president of the American Physical Society.
Patsy Mink, the first woman of color in Congress
Patsy Takemoto Mink made her first waves when she was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1964, representing Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District. At that time she was one of only eight women in Congress. During her time as a Congresswoman, Pasty fought for gender equality, bilingual education, and Title IX.
Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian-born woman in space
Kalpana Chawla the first Indian-born woman who joined the crew of the space shuttle Columbia, flight STS-87 in 1996, to become the first Indian-born woman to fly in space.
In 2003, Chawla boarded Columbia again, on the STS-107 mission. During that time, the crew completed nearly 80 experiments studying Earth and space science. While it’s launching, a piece of insulation broke off the shuttle, causing it to disintegrate upon reentry to the Earth’s atmosphere. Chawla and the six other crew members were killed. For her work and dedication to her field, Chawla got the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Space Flight Medal, and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal.
Junko Tabei, the First Woman to Climb Everest
Junko Tabei became the first woman who summits Mount Everest in 1975. She became the first woman to climb all Seven Summits in 1992. Junko was also formed and presided over an all-women climbing club.
