Label
16 Pioneers of the SF Chinatown YWCA
The women in the early days of SF Chinatown lived in an isolated community. They were discriminated upon and dominated by tradition and provincialism from within. In the spirit of Christianity, the SF Chinatown YWCA was founded in 1916 to give them the opportunity for self-expression, socialization and empowerment. Education in English, adaptation to a new environment, skills training and leadership nurtured the participants. Clubs for girls were organized and well supported.
The first location was an abandoned saloon on Stockton Street. In 1929, sixteen members formed a campaign committee:
Mrs. Chan Bo Kay, Mrs. Chan Mun Kam, Mrs. Ted Chan, Mrs. Chin Toy, Mrs. Gordon Chinn, Mrs. B.S. Fong, Mrs. Arthur Hee, Mrs. Ruth Jue, Mrs. B. Y. Leong, Mrs. Look Fong, Mrs. Quan Yick Sang, Mrs. T.Y. Tang, Mrs. B.S. Wong, Mrs. S. K. Wong, Mrs. Daniel Wu, Mrs. Tse Kei Yuen.
Their dream was to build a “Y” building in Chinatown. Ironically, the archive recorded the names of their husbands. Some of the spouses were well known. Name recognition was imperative in this financial campaign.
Mrs. Florence Tang, Mrs. Emily Fong accompanied by Mrs. Jick Jun Wu drove over 3,500 miles, as far south to San Diego and as far north to Seattle, to contact the Chinese on the Pacific coast. These sixteen women raised $25,000. The land cost $9,453 and the YWCA of San Francisco contributed $30,000. A beautiful structure on 965 Clay Street, designed by Julia Morgan at a cost of $37,701, was dedicated on October 8, 1932. Thousands of women and girls have been served and womanhood exalted in Chinatown because sixteen women dared to dream.
In 1996, the YWCA of San Francisco, which owned the building, sold the property to the Chinese Historical Society of America. The Chinatown YWCA now operates in smaller quarters at 940 Powell Street.
Mrs. Florence Tang etched and painted a dragon next to the fountain court of the Clay Street building. This may well symbolize the spirit of these sixteen women. We salute and commemorate these sixteen pioneers, the avant-garde of Chinatown women.
Text by: Wilmer Fong, son of Mrs. Emily Lee Fong, aka Mrs. B.S. Fong who was one of the campaign committee members.