Merle Woo
Encyclopedia
Merle Woo has worked as a spokesperson, teacher
, poet
and activist throughout her life.
mother and Chinese
father, Helene Chang and Richard Woo, in San Francisco on October 24, 1941. She grew up in San Francisco’s Chinatown
with her mother, a clerical worker, and her father, a butcher and ginseng salesman. Helene Chang was born in Los Angeles, where her father worked as a ginseng salesman and traveling Methodist minister. The Changs immigrated to Shanghai, China, when Helene was little, but at ten they sent her back to the United States
alone to live in an orphanage run by white missionary women. She ran away from the orphanage at age sixteen to start a different kind of life. After having an abusive first husband, she married Richard Woo, Merle Woo’s Chinese father. Richard Woo emigrated from southern China and entered the United States as a paper boy (using false documents.) He worked two full-time jobs most of his life.,,
, Richard and Helene Woo sent Merle to Catholic schools, which they thought were better than public schools. Merle Woo earned her B.A. in English from San Francisco State University
(SFSU) in 1965. She married while in college and later had two children, Emily and Paul. While pursuing an M.A. in English literature at SFSU, Woo witnessed firsthand the 1968–69 Third World Student Strikes at SFSU, which radicalized her politics. She speaks of being a beneficiary of such campus activism, because of the resulting establishment of ethnic studies, the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), and affirmative action, which she believes helped her to get jobs. After finishing her M.A. in 1969, she started to teach in the Educational Opportunity Program at SFSU. During her years in the EOP, Woo attempted to make English learning more relevant to her students of color and began to incorporate Third World literature into her teaching.,
She came out as a lesbian in the late 1970s and has been fighting for Lesbian
, Gay
, Bisexual & Transsexual rights ever since.
Woo is a writer and university lecturer in Asian American, Women, and Lesbian and Gay Studies at the University of California
Berkley. An outspoken lesbian, mother, and leader in Radical Women and the Freedom Socialist Party, Woo criticizes the racist, sexist images of Asian American women in the American media, where they are often portrayed as demure, invisible, and subordinate "model minorities."
Her uncompromising support for student protests against racist and conservative policies at the University of California at Berkeley caused the administration to fire her twice. Both times, she lodged free-speech lawsuits and won reinstatement.
In 2003, Woo teamed up with Mitsuye Yamada and Nellie Wong to create “Three Asian American Writers Speak Out About Feminism.”
Merle Woo published one of her works in the feminist anthology, This Bridge Called My Back
. In her “Letter to Ma,” she tries to show her mother that her liberation can reinforce her pride, culture and experiences as an Asian American woman rather than take away from them. In “Letter to Ma,” Woo describes her frustration with her mother’s inability to understand and connect with Woo’s life of activism and dealing with her homosexuality. Woo tells of her silent relationship with her mother and addresses social issues such as racism, sexism, oppression and exploitation as problematic themes in her life. Her letter intends to illuminate aspects of Asian American women’s experiences and empower Asian American cultures.
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and activist throughout her life.
Biography
Merle Woo was born to a KoreanKorea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
mother and Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
father, Helene Chang and Richard Woo, in San Francisco on October 24, 1941. She grew up in San Francisco’s Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
with her mother, a clerical worker, and her father, a butcher and ginseng salesman. Helene Chang was born in Los Angeles, where her father worked as a ginseng salesman and traveling Methodist minister. The Changs immigrated to Shanghai, China, when Helene was little, but at ten they sent her back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alone to live in an orphanage run by white missionary women. She ran away from the orphanage at age sixteen to start a different kind of life. After having an abusive first husband, she married Richard Woo, Merle Woo’s Chinese father. Richard Woo emigrated from southern China and entered the United States as a paper boy (using false documents.) He worked two full-time jobs most of his life.,,
School, Activism and Career
Although they were not CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, Richard and Helene Woo sent Merle to Catholic schools, which they thought were better than public schools. Merle Woo earned her B.A. in English from San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
(SFSU) in 1965. She married while in college and later had two children, Emily and Paul. While pursuing an M.A. in English literature at SFSU, Woo witnessed firsthand the 1968–69 Third World Student Strikes at SFSU, which radicalized her politics. She speaks of being a beneficiary of such campus activism, because of the resulting establishment of ethnic studies, the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), and affirmative action, which she believes helped her to get jobs. After finishing her M.A. in 1969, she started to teach in the Educational Opportunity Program at SFSU. During her years in the EOP, Woo attempted to make English learning more relevant to her students of color and began to incorporate Third World literature into her teaching.,
She came out as a lesbian in the late 1970s and has been fighting for Lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, Gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, Bisexual & Transsexual rights ever since.
Woo is a writer and university lecturer in Asian American, Women, and Lesbian and Gay Studies at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
Berkley. An outspoken lesbian, mother, and leader in Radical Women and the Freedom Socialist Party, Woo criticizes the racist, sexist images of Asian American women in the American media, where they are often portrayed as demure, invisible, and subordinate "model minorities."
Her uncompromising support for student protests against racist and conservative policies at the University of California at Berkeley caused the administration to fire her twice. Both times, she lodged free-speech lawsuits and won reinstatement.
Literature
Woo has created a poetry collection, “Yellow Woman Speaks.” The collection focuses on topics such as racism, sexism, love, and sex, among others. “Yellow Woman Speaks,” was expanded and reissued by Radical Women Publications in 2003.In 2003, Woo teamed up with Mitsuye Yamada and Nellie Wong to create “Three Asian American Writers Speak Out About Feminism.”
Merle Woo published one of her works in the feminist anthology, This Bridge Called My Back
This Bridge Called My Back
This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color is a feminist anthology edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldúa. The anthology was first published in 1981 by Persephone Press, and the second edition was published in 1984 by Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press...
. In her “Letter to Ma,” she tries to show her mother that her liberation can reinforce her pride, culture and experiences as an Asian American woman rather than take away from them. In “Letter to Ma,” Woo describes her frustration with her mother’s inability to understand and connect with Woo’s life of activism and dealing with her homosexuality. Woo tells of her silent relationship with her mother and addresses social issues such as racism, sexism, oppression and exploitation as problematic themes in her life. Her letter intends to illuminate aspects of Asian American women’s experiences and empower Asian American cultures.