She Fought Racism in Early Hollywood. Now She'll Be the First Asian American on US Currency

She Fought Racism in Early Hollywood. Now She'll Be the First Asian American on US Currency
by Jessica Kariisa
Sep 16

Picture this: It’s the 1910s in Los Angeles, and the motion picture industry has just relocated from New York to its new home: Hollywood. A young Chinese American girl, enamored by the glitz and glamor of the big screen, starts skipping school to sneak onto film sets.

It’s been said that movie executives, upon noticing her, gave her the alliterative nickname “the curious Chinese child.” While still young, she came up with another name for herself — Anna May Wong — and she would go on to become Hollywood’s first Chinese American film star.

Wong fought the ever-present obstacle of institutional racism in the film industry to forge a remarkable career that spanned 40 years. She contended with limited lead roles, stereotypical casting and vast pay inequities between her and her white counterparts.