Dr. Margaret Chung (1889-1959) was the first known Chinese-American woman to become a doctor. Not only did she care for all her patients, she also “adopted” more than a thousand U.S. soldiers during World War II.
Dr. Margaret Chung (1889-1959) was the first known Chinese-American woman to become a doctor. Not only did she care for all her patients, she also “adopted” more than a thousand U.S. soldiers during World War II.
While motherhood can take many forms, to mother is to usher forth new generations through care, work and imagination. For the entire month of December, we’re celebrating mothers — including those who raised children who went on to lead the civil rights movement and school desegregation efforts, such as Alberta King and Louise Little, as well as mothers of movements like Lorena Borjas who started the Latinx trans movement. All of the women featured this month were dedicated to the survival of children in their work and to imagining better futures for the next generation.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, Sara Schleede, Abbey Delk, and Alex Jhamb Burns. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
Original theme music composed by Miles Moran.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I'm Anna Malaika Tubbs, the author of The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of MLK, Malcom X and James Baldwin Shaped A Nation. My work focuses on motherhood, through the lens of feminism, intersectionality, and inclusivity, and I’ll be your guest host for this month of Womanica.
This month, we’re talking about mothers: women who ushered forth new generations and new futures through their care, work, and imagination. Some had their own children, and some didn’t -- but they all were committed to the practice of mothering.
Today, we’re talking about the first known Chinese-American woman to become a doctor. Not only did she care for all her patients, she also “adopted” more than a thousand U.S. soldiers during World War II. All of them called her “Mom.”
Let’s talk about Dr. Margaret Chung.
Margaret Chung was born on October 2, 1889 in Santa Barbara, California to two Chinese immigrants. The California Margaret was born into was hostile. Just seven years before her birth, the U.S. passed the Chinese Exclusion Act. The law banned Chinese immigration and restricted Chinese-Americans already in the country. And it fed into anti-Chinese racism that had been brewing, especially in California.
Growing up, Margaret always knew she wanted to be a doctor. For fun, she would stitch together banana peels like she was operating on them. Her parents were strict Presbyterians, and Margaret's ultimate goal was to become a Presbyterian medical missionary.
So, Margaret enrolled in medical school at the University of Southern California. She was the only woman, and only person who wasn’t white in her class. Margaret started going by “Mike,” and dressing in mascline clothing. In all her class photos, Margaret blends in: her hair is slicked back, and she’s wearing a suit coat and tie, just like all the men around her.
Margaret had a hard time finding work after graduating in 1916. Her dream of becoming a medical missionary was crushed after the Presbyterian missionary board rejected her application -- three times! – because of her race. Eventually, she moved to Chicago to intern at the Mary Thompson Women’s and Children’s Hospital. She was incredibly popular with both the staff and her patients.
A few years later, Margaret returned to Los Angeles and began working at the Santa Fe Railroad Hospital, operating on injured industrial workers. At the same time, the entertainment industry was booming. It was the beginning of Hollywood as we know it now. And Margaret capitalized on it. She set up a private practice and became a plastic surgeon to movie stars like Mary Pickford.
In 1922, Margaret moved to San Francisco. Three years later, she founded a hospital in the city’s Chinatown, specifically to provide care to Chinese women. It took a while for the community to warm up to her – Margaret practiced Western medicine, which many Chinatown residents distrusted. Plus, she dressed like a man, she was known to date men and women, she drove around in flashy sports cars, and frequently carried a parakeet in a cage dangling from her wrist! Basically – she was a radical icon before her time, who refused to be anything resembling traditional. And for some, that was a lot to take in.[Please feel free to add your own thoughts here, too!]
But over time, Margaret built a reputation for herself as a trusted physician and surgeon. Her office walls grew crowded with signed celebrity photos.
Then, in the 1930s, Japan invaded China. Steven Bancroft, who was part of the U.S. Navy Reserves, reached out to Margaret asking if she knew of a way for him to join the Chinese military. She didn’t, but Margaret liked Steven. She invited him and his pilot friends over for dinner, and they quickly hit it off.
Margaret started spending a lot of time with the young military men: eating dinners, camping, hunting. One night, one of the men told Margaret she was like a mother to them. But, he pointed out, since Margaret had no husband, the men had no father. Margaret responded: “that makes you a lot of fair-haired bastards!” From then on, those men were known as “the fair-haired bastards,” and Margaret was their “mom.” Over time, word of Margaret’s care spread, and her group of fair-haired bastards expanded from seven to dozens, and then hundreds, of men. Her name also graced headlines across the country, and her story inspired a comic book series, and a Hollywood film.
Meanwhile, Margaret was also looking for ways to help China in their conflict with Japan. She tried to volunteer as a front-line surgeon in the war. Instead, she was recruited for another mission: assembling a team of American pilots to assist China in their fight against Japan.
Those pilots joined the ranks of Margaret’s “fair-haired bastards.” And as the second World War ramped up, thousands of Americans headed off to fight overseas. Margaret began adopting more and more U.S. soldiers, offering them encouragement, care, and support.
She gave each of her “sons” a green jade Buddha pendant, and sent them gifts and daily letters. Every Sunday, she hosted lavish dinners at her house, inviting her “sons,” their guests, and a rotating cast of celebrities she knew from Hollywood -- including the likes of John Wayne and Ronald Reagan. The task of doing the dishes fell to the highest ranking military official in attendance.
At the same time Margaret was supporting her adopted sons in the military, she was also lobbying the government to create more opportunities for women to participate in the war effort. Because of these efforts, in 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed an act creating the U.S. Naval Women’s Reserve, or WAVES. But, even though her advocacy helped start it, Margaret’s repeated applications to join were rejected, due to her race and rumors about her sexuality.
By the end of World War II, more than 1,500 servicemen and women, and celebrities called Margaret “mother.” In recognition of her efforts during the war, Margaret received the People’s Award of China and a citation from the Red Cross, signed by President Harry S. Truman.
Margaret retired soon after the war ended, and her “adopted sons” bought her a house in Northern California. Margaret lived there until she died of cancer in 1959. Her funeral was attended by hundreds of her “children.”
All month, we’re talking about mothers. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to co-creators Jenny and Liz Kaplan, for having me as a guest host.
Talk to you tomorrow!