Chinese-American immigrant rights activist May Ying Chen was born in Hong Kong and grew up in San Francisco, California.
Chen’s activism began in the early 1980s, when she worked with refugees and immigrants from Southeast Asia who were settling in the Bay Area. She became a leader in the movement to support these communities and advocate for their rights and co-founded the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA), a grassroots organization that works to empower low-income Chinese immigrants in San Francisco. The CPA provides a range of services to the community, including language classes, job training, and political education. It also advocates for policy changes that would improve the lives of immigrant families.
Chen has received many honors and awards for her activism, including the Asian American Hero Award from the San Francisco Giants, the Women’s History Month Award from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chinese Historical Society of America.
