Earlier this year, the U.S Congress approved legislation to rename the Post Office at 6 Doyers Street in Chinatown for suffragette Mabel Lee. This morning there will be a dedication ceremony at First Chinese Baptist Church at 21 Pell St., which Lee founded in 1925.
Lee, who died in 1966, was the first Chinese woman to receive a Ph.D. from Columbia University. After the sudden death of her father, she became the leader of the American Baptist Home Mission Society. Lee participated in the Women’s Political Equality League and organized a group of Chinese American women to March in a key 1917 pro-suffrage parade. Lee created classes for Chinatown’s residents in carpentry, typewriting and other skills.
Today’s event is being organized by U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez, who pushed through the legislation. It was signed into law this past July. The ceremony begins at 11 a.m.
