MABEL PING-HUA LEE
1897-1966
Advocate for Chinese-American Community and Suffragist
Written and Performed By:Ê Jamie Mustian
Setting: New York, New York, 1920
Stage Note: Election day 1920, the first election since the ratification of the 19th Amendment. In a small, cozy office Mabel sits with her mother. Mabel has hidden her true feelings, until now.ÊÊ

Ma, all women should have been able to vote today. But, our people remain in the shadows, while white women may step out and step forward to vote. We were deeply wronged by our own government and now AmericaÕs. 
God did not lead us here to Ònew ChinaÓ for nothing. I am the woman I am today because through his sacrifices, Baba paved the way for my future and for your safety here in America. Our family was guided by God in the hope of fulfilling our American Dream. I worked diligently alongside the white women for the same voting rights, but still I cannot vote. My friends and I are worthy. Why does America leave us to be forgotten? 
The sacrifices you and Baba made for me will not be for nothing. I will make you and Baba proud. I am working to raise money for the American Baptist Home Mission Society. I will teach English, and I dream of opening a medical clinic and school for our children. 
But, I cannot do this alone. I need your help, Ma, because I am now needed back home in China. Our people need me as their Ambassador. I will work to unite China and America.
Our people here in America love you. And, if you stay to help others through the church, you will help the fight for freedom and for our say in the American government. 
You and I have been patiently waiting for our turn to win the vote, but my patience has worn thin. Now is the time to fight back. ÒWe must make them understand we will not tolerate such treatment.Ó We must protest against their ignorance and racism as we deserve our voice. 
In a country as free as America, we must not be excluded.
I have you and Baba to thank for the education I received education not possible in China. I thank you for your unconditional support and love. 
We cannot wait any longer. We escaped the restrictive roles assigned to women in China. Now, America thinks it can withhold our rights, but we have God in our hearts, and we have our voices.