The next is a visitor publish from Meg Metcalf, a reference librarian within the Major Studying Room, at the moment on element within the Serial and Authorities Publications Division.
“Margaret Jessie Chung has Aspirations,” the Los Angeles Herald headline learn on October 10, 1905. Margaret was a 16-year-old, first-generation Chinese language American who was educating English within the “Chinese colony” of Los Angeles, California, whereas working to assist help her giant household. She went on to graduate from the College of Southern California’s School of Physicians and Surgeons in 1916 with an M.D., changing into the first known American born Chinese woman physician in the United States. On the time, she was 26 years outdated, and the one girl and solely particular person of colour in her complete graduating class. Dealing with monumental odds and coming from an impoverished household, Margaret was capable of partially fund her early training by successful a scholarship promoting subscriptions to the Los Angeles Times newspaper. She would go on to turn out to be one of the well-known physicians of her time, serving as physician, pal and surrogate mother to lots of her army and superstar pals. Regardless of the immense recognition and socio-political affect she loved in her lifetime, Dr. Margaret Chung is a comparatively unknown determine immediately. Fortunately, curious individuals can find photographs, illustrations, quotes, residential addresses, particulars of her famend Sunday dinners, and even comic books that includes Margaret within the Library of Congress Collections.
Margaret funded the primary two years of her training by successful the Los Angeles Instances scholarship to attend the Preparatory Academy, affiliated with USC. Accompanying the July 8, 1908 Los Angeles Instances article is {a photograph} of teenage Margaret and a stunning quote from her supportive friends: “Margaret is exceptionally shiny in her research, however except she wins her approach for subsequent yr, her hope of an training should be laid apart.” Not like lots of her extra prosperous classmates, Margaret needed to work to help herself all through her college years. Regardless of this, Margaret nonetheless devoted a considerable period of time to a variety of causes. In 1912, the Southern Herald Reported Margaret was, “on the head of the motion which proposes to kind a company of American ladies for the aim of helping and inspiring the ladies in China in making the very best use of their newly acquired proper to the poll.” The article additionally famous Margaret’s participation within the Girls’s Auxiliary League of the Chinese American League of Justice in Los Angeles, a member of the Chinese Protective Association and the Chinese language Girls’s Reform Membership. Margaret was additionally a member of the Willard Literary Society, and active in athletics, significantly basketball.
After graduating along with her M.D in 1916, Margaret was unable to search out work regionally. By November of that yr Margaret moved to Chicago, the place she had an internship on the Mary Thompson Hospital provided by Dr. Bertha Van Hoosen. Van Hoosen was a lifelong advocate for women doctors and the founding father of the American Girls’s Medical Affiliation. In Chicago, Margaret was supported by different ladies navigating discrimination within the medical subject. Might Michael, a Jewish physician from England, supported Margaret’s character in an software to the Illinois State Board of Well being. Rachelle Yarros, a Jewish doctor born in Russia, helped her get hold of her medical residency, and would go on to be related to Jane Addam’s and Ellen Gates-Starr’s Hull House.
Margaret was apparently fairly fashionable on the hospital, the place she was, “…a favourite with nurses and interns to the diploma that the hospital, for the primary time, made a ruling that two individuals should stay awake in a single mattress” (Tzu-Chun Woo, 2005, pg. 64). This ruling is probably the earliest recognized written reference to Margaret’s sexuality, which many have speculated was lesbian. Whereas a historic determine’s sexuality can by no means be absolutely recognized, extra sources which help the declare that Margaret was seemingly a lesbian embrace the FBI’s “Dr. Margaret Chung File,” (United States Division of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, no. 65–35400, National Archives) and Census Information from the Nineteen Twenties which point out Margaret was residing with one other single girl. Not solely was she a pal to open lesbians like Elsa Gidlow, however her pursuits, occupation, costume and mannerisms brought about continued hypothesis as to her sexuality, as did her remaining single. Though Margaret by no means married, she nonetheless created a household of 1000’s of surrogate youngsters who referred to as her Mother.
On September 22 1940, the San Antonio Light reported that Margaret Chung was “Mom” to over 466 sons. The U.S. entered World Struggle II in 1941 and, “Through the battle, the members of the group multiplied till they numbered some two thousand, all of whom got here to suppose and converse of Dr. Chung as Mother.” (Independent Woman, Vol. 25, 1946, pg. 23). What initially started as a joke amongst Margaret’s small circle of surrogate “sons” in California would develop right into a kinship community that would come with lots of, and ultimately 1000’s of individuals. Every son had a quantity, and a spot in Margaret’s coronary heart. The newspapers report that Margaret would ship and obtain letters and presents from her “sons” from everywhere in the world. Her adopted sons (and ultimately daughters) included, “Among the most colourful personalities throughout the nation” (Chicago Daily Tribune, December 9, 1957). Along with her common Sunday suppers, Margaret’s house was the venue for a lot of a social soiree, together with a celebration for the forged of Kiss me Kate and the marriage of Pulitzer Prize successful creator Carl Clinton Van Doren (New York Times, February 28, 1939, p. 26). In keeping with an article within the Palm Springs Desert Sun (January 28, 1958, p. 12) Sophie Tucker wrote, Some of These Days, whereas a visitor at Margaret’s.
Margaret offered an unlimited quantity of help to her sons within the army, and she or he herself very badly needed to enlist. Margaret had first utilized to affix the Navy in March 1942, however was denied. By no means one to surrender simply, Margaret referred to as on a couple of of her sons to create and in the end go the laws that will create the W.A.V.E.S. (Girls Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), the WWII ladies’s department of the US Naval Reserve. The W.A.V.E.S. have been established on July 21, 1942 by the U.S. Congress and signed into legislation by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on July 30. Even though the W.A.V.E.S would by no means have existed with out Margaret’s highly effective affect, she herself was rejected from serving on account of her Chinese language ancestry. Black women were also barred from serving in the W.A.V.E.S. till 1944. Though whiteness wasn’t included within the written necessities as a qualifier for service, the recruitment insurance policies and enrollment statistics inform a special story. Of the estimated 90,000 W.A.V.E.S. who served, solely 72 were Black women.
Any girl surgeon . . . bucks heavy odds of lay prejudice {and professional} resentment at usurpation of what many contemplate to be a person’s undisputed subject and when that girl is an American of Chinese language descent she is granted even fewer errors and fewer leisure.
-Margaret Chung, Los Angeles Instances, 1939.
In January 1959, newspapers marked the passing of Dr. Margaret Chung, noting her lifetime filled with achievements, service, friendship and superstar. Though Margaret ultimately wrote an autobiography, it was by no means printed. I encourage you to study extra concerning the wonderful lifetime of Dr. Margaret Chung, and different hidden historic figures utilizing Library of Congress Collections. Get began looking historic newspapers on Chronicling America and share what you discover utilizing #ChronAm. For analysis suggestions and solutions, write to our librarians at ask.loc.gov/newspapers-periodicals.
Sources Consulted:
Sources for Additional Analysis:
- Hear from the WAVES! The Veterans Historical past Undertaking contains contributions from 829 veterans of “WAVES (Navy Reserves)” https://go.usa.gov/xVUZm
- Actress Anna Might Wong performed Margaret within the 1939 movie, King of Chinatown. See images of the gorgeous Anna Might Wong by searching loc.gov/photos.
- Be taught extra concerning the Chinese language Exclusion Act, the passage of which barred Margaret’s mother and father from acquiring U.S. Citizenship of their lifetimes: https://guides.loc.gov/chinese-exclusion-act.
*The Chronicling America historic newspapers on-line assortment is a product of the National Digital Newspaper Program and collectively sponsored by the Library and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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