Jennie Chine Hansen Speech

The article is about Jennie Chine Hansen speech that was given for the Chinese American Women Oral History Project. Hansen discusses in her speech about the ways exclusion, participation and empowerment shaped not just her life but the lives of all Chinese people living in America. Hansen during her speech also talks about the brief history of Chinese Exclusion Act of 1892 and how that had a significant impact on the parents and grandparents of Chinese American women. She also talks about how there are two generations, the ones who were born in China and the ones who were born in America. She discusses how there is an alienation from her parents and other Chinese people who never learned to speak English who live in America. She refers to the idea that it was not only language that separated the older generation, but that discrimination also played a large role in alienating them. Hansen talks about how her mother was not completely constrained by Chinese tradition. Hansen discusses the struggles her family had as two different generations of Chinese and Chinese Americans.

The personal experiences that Hansen goes through and talks about in her speech can be connected and are similar to Kingston’s experiences. This is a reliable source because the author or the person who gave the speech not only has personal experience but was asked by an academic group to speak to them on their behalf. Hansen is also the President of