Talk Story: VOTE! It's Your Right.

Join us with author Cynthia Chin-Lee as she discusses women's suffrage and her process in children's book writing! In this Talk Story, we will be discussing how women of color influenced women's suffrage movement. During Summer of 2026, the 1882 Foundation unveiled a mural that changed the landscape of DC Chinatown. That mural was of Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, a Chinese American woman who fought for the right to vote, but her story was never fully told. Cynthia Chin-Lee is here to talk more about Mabel, but also other women of color and the right to vote. Presenters: Cynthia Chin-Lee is the author of 8 books, including Women and the Right To Vote by Children’s Press, an imprint of Scholastic. Her books have been translated into Chinese, French, Korean, and Spanish. The DC native will present “Mabel Ping-Hua Lee and How Women of Color Influenced Women’s Suffrage.” She will talk about the lesser known story of how women of color had a meaningful influence on the women’s suffrage movement. Cynthia’s family has long roots in Washington; her grandparents immigrated from China to the US in the late 1800s and early 1900s and settled in DC (her father’s side). Her mother’s side lived in Baltimore, MD, Harrisburg, PA, and eventually moved to DC. Her father, William Chin-Lee had his medical practice for over 30 years at 740 Sixth St, NW and ran for DC’s Delegate to Congress in 1972. Cynthia graduated from Harvard University magna cum laude in East Asian Studies and was a fellow at the East-West Center in Honolulu. She settled in the San Francisco Bay area, but has a great affection for DC where she has friends and extended family. Online Participation: Can't make it in person? No worries! Join us online using this link to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/AjQrzj26SqO7ct_J-S3mPQ