Helen Zia is a Chinese-American

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and activist for Asian American and LGBTQ rights. She is considered a key figure in the

Asian American movement The Asian American movement was a sociopolitical movement in which the widespread grassroots effort of Asian Americans affected racial, social and political change in the U.S, reaching its peak in the late 1960s to mid-1970s. During this period Asia ...

Life and career

Early childhood and education

Zia was born in Newark,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

in 1952 to first generation immigrants from

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

. At five years old, she began working in her parents' floral novelty business. She entered

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in the early 1970s as a student in the

Princeton School of Public and International Affairs The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (formerly the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs) is a professional public policy school at Princeton University. The school provides an array of comprehensive course ...

. She was a member of its first graduating class of women. As a student, Zia was among the founders of the Asian American Students Association. She was also a vocal

antiwar An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to pa ...

activist, voicing her

Opposition to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War (before) or anti-Vietnam War movement (present) began with demonstrations in 1965 against the escalating role of the United States in the Vietnam War and grew into a broad social move ...

, a firm believer in

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

, and active in movements creating cross racial unity among low income people of color. Zia entered medical school at

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

in 1974, but quit in 1976. She eventually moved to

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, working as a construction laborer, an autoworker and a community organizer, after which she discovered her life's work as a

and writer.

Activism

Zia's time in Detroit overlapped with the murder of Vincent Chin in 1982. Zia played a crucial role in bringing federal civil rights charges against the perpetrators of Vincent's killing and in igniting an Asian American response to the crime through her journalism and advocacy work. At the time, little existed in terms of a cohesive and organized Asian American movement in Detroit, but Zia's journalism helped to galvanize the Asian American community to demand justice for Vincent Chin. She co-founded the group

American Citizens for Justice American Citizens for Justice is an Asian American civil rights group formed in 1982 in Detroit, Michigan. While the Asian American movement was already developing in the West Coast of the United States, American Citizens for Justice was a signif ...

, a Detroit-based Asian American civil rights group. In 1983, Zia was the president of the American Citizens for Justice. She has also been outspoken on issues ranging from

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

and peace to

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

and countering hate violence and

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...

. In 1997, she testified before the

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (CCR) is a bipartisan, independent commission of the United States federal government, created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957 during the Eisenhower administration, that is charged with the responsibility fo ...

on the racial impact of the news media. She traveled to

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

in 1995 to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Fourth World Congress on Women as part of journalists of color delegation. She has appeared in numerous news programs and films; her work on the 1980s

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

landmark civil rights case of anti-Asian violence is documented in the Academy Award-nominated film, "'' Who Killed Vincent Chin?''," and she was profiled in Bill Moyers' PBS documentary, "''Becoming American: The Chinese Experience.''"

Honors and awards

Zia was named one of the most influential

s of the decade by

A. Magazine ''A. Magazine'' was an East Asian American-focused magazine published by A.Media, Inc., headquartered in Midtown Manhattan and with offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco.Wan, William.Pop Culture Asian American Magazine Falters" ''Los Angele ...

. Zia has received numerous journalism awards for her ground-breaking stories. Her investigation of date

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

led to campus demonstrations and an overhaul of its policies. Zia received an honorary Doctor of Laws from the Law School of the City University of New York for bringing important matters of law and civil rights into public view. In August 2020, Zia was one of three recipients of the NAAAP100 Award from The National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP). She received it alongside activist

Cecilia Chung Cecilia Chung ( zh, 鍾紹琪) is a civil rights leader and activist for LGBT rights, HIV/AIDS awareness, health advocacy, and social justice. She is a trans woman, and her life story was one of four main storylines in the 2017 ABC miniseries ''Whe ...

, businessman Ryan Patel, and youth advocate Symington W. Smith. In 2022, Zia was honored by the Museum of the Courageous along with

Kym Worthy Kym Loren Worthy (born December 5, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the prosecutor of Wayne County, Michigan since 2004. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she is the first African-American wo ...

and Kim Trent to "celebrate historical and contemporary courageous acts that have stood up to hate and shifted our country towards justice."

Published work

Zia's latest work, ''Last Boat Out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao's Revolution'', was released in January 2019. In January 2000, Zia authored ''Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People'', a finalist for the prestigious Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize. Former

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

quoted from ''Asian American Dreams'' at two separate speeches in the White House Rose Garden. In January 2002, she co-authored with Wen Ho Lee ''My Country Versus Me,'' which reveals Lee's experiences as a Los Alamos scientist who was falsely accused of being a spy for the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in the "worst case since the

Rosenbergs Julius Rosenberg (May 12, 1918 – June 19, 1953) and Ethel Rosenberg (; September 28, 1915 – June 19, 1953) were American citizens who were convicted of spying on behalf of the Soviet Union. The couple were convicted of providing top-secret i ...

." She contributed the piece ''Reclaiming the Past, Redefining the Future: Asian American and Pacific Islander Women'' to the 2003 anthology '' Sisterhood Is Forever: The Women's Anthology for a New Millennium'', edited by Robin Morgan. Zia was the executive editor of ''

Ms. Magazine ''Ms.'' is an American feminist magazine co-founded in 1971 by journalist and social/political activist Gloria Steinem. It was the first national American feminist magazine. The original editors were Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Mary Thom, Patricia Ca ...

'' 1989 to 1992 "Helen Zia." Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., vol. 18, Gale, 2004, pp. 421-423. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Accessed 22 Feb. 2017. Zia also serves on the board of directors for Women's Media Center. Her articles, essays and reviews have appeared in numerous publications, books and anthologies, including ''

Ms. Ms. (American English) or Ms (British English; normally , but also , or when unstressed)''Oxford English Dictionary'' online, Ms, ''n.2''. Etymology: "An orthographic and phonetic blend of Mrs ''n.1'' and miss ''n.2'' Compare mizz ''n.'' The pr ...

'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper tha ...

'', '' Essence'', ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * ''The Advocate'' (LGBT magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States *''The Harvard Advocate'', a literary magazin ...

'', and ''

OUT Out may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 * ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander * ''Out'' (2002 film), a Japanese film ba ...

''.

Personal life

In June 2008, Zia married her partner Lia Shigemura in San Francisco, making them one of the first same-sex couples to legally marry in the state of California.

References

External Resources

Official Website

2022 Interview with NPR on Vincent Chin's Death
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zia, Helen 1952 births Living people Activists from the San Francisco Bay Area American anti-war activists American civil rights activists American journalists of Chinese descent American magazine editors American women journalists American writers of Chinese descent American feminist writers American lesbian writers LGBT rights activists from the United States Members of Committee of 100 Writers from Detroit Writers from Oakland, California Writers from San Francisco Princeton School of Public and International Affairs alumni Writers from New Jersey LGBT journalists from the United States LGBT American people of Asian descent LGBT people from New Jersey Women magazine editors American women journalists of Asian descent 21st-century American women