SHE MARCHES IN CHINATOWN (released in 2023)
In 1952, Asian American girls had no extra-curricular activities until Ruby Chow created the Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team, the only one of its kind in the world. Despite gentrification, Title IX, and a global pandemic, seventy years later the drill team continues to define, represent and celebrate the evolving Asian American experience of its dedicated multigenerational participants.
This 33 minute film will be proposed to be included in Washington State history , to teach young students about the value of tradition, culture and break the stereotypes of Asian American females.
Director’s Statement
When I was a teen in the 80’s I always wanted to be a part of the The Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team but regretfully never did. Born and raised a first-generation Seattleite, my family enthusiastically looked forward to the annual Seafair Torchlight Parade. Seeing The Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team perform gave our family this kind of Asian connection to an American tradition. These girls were bad-ass. When my daughter turned 11, I suggested she consider joining the drill team so I could vicariously live through this experience. Her initial reaction was she realized she didn’t have many Asian friends in her school or neighborhood in North Seattle (besides her cousins). As a parent, I started learning more about the drill team’s background and history and as a visual artist I was astounded that this story has never been told in a film. With the rise in Anti-Asian hate and the climate of the world, I want this film to make an impact on this generation, to take better care of our blending cultures and community. Ruby Chow is my inspiration. An unintimidated, American born Chinese woman that cared about her community and made a difference. She, was bad-ass.