Chiu Chun Mah Wong Chiu Chun Mah Wong is an unsung hero. She, like many under-appreciated immigrant women, made many sacrifices so her children and grandchildren could have a better life. Chiu Chun Mah was born in 1927 in Sik King Hung Village, Toishan District, Canton, China. Life in rural China was so hard that her father Mah Faton had to immigrate to Canada in order to support his family. He tried to see his family as often as he could, but visits were rare. Chiu Chun’s mother, Mah See, raised Chiu Chun and her brother Bill as best she could. World War II broke out in 1937, making it impossible for Mah Faton to be with his family. When the Japanese invaded Canton, Chiu Chun had to run to the hills with her 5-year-old nephew Bennie on her back. She tried to quiet the child, who was hungry after seeing others eat. Her mother and sister-in-law were physically unable to hike the hills and had to hide in the house. Chiu Chun’s mother became ill and died during the war because she could not get medical care. Chiu Chun was a teenager. At the age of 18, Chiu Chun was engaged to a “gum sahn haak,” (Gold Mountain man) through a matchmaker. Tom Wong brought his bride to the U.S. to start a new life. They settled in Ukiah, CA, where they worked at their uncle’s laundry. They had two daughters, Shirley and Jane. They then moved to San Francisco where they operated a laundry in the Haight Ashbury District. They had another daughter, Jean, and they moved to the Sunset district to work yet another laundry. The last daughter, Betty, was born in 1960’s. The laundry building was condemned so the Wongs had to give it up. Tom subsequently found another job at someone else’s laundry and then at the US Postal Service. In 1960’s, the immigration department threatened deportation because Tom was not a legal citizen; he was a “paper son.” Both Tom and Chiu Chun had to fight for their right to stay in the US. They become citizens and continued to work to ensure their daughters would have a better future. Chiu Chun became a seamstress in Chinatown. She worked long hours and was paid per piece. She retired in her 60’s and even managed to visit her homeland several times. She kept in touch with her distant relatives, who are still in her village, helping when she could. She instilled the values of hard work, honesty and integrity in her daughters, qualities that she hopes will carry over to the next generation. Today, she receives much joy from seeing her grandchildren: David, Denise, Kristina, Kevin, Rebecca, Brandon, Vanessa, and Mira and her great grandchildren: Sofia and Patrick. Honored by Jean Wong |
