Betty Lee Sung

Betty Lee Sung is a leading authority on the Chinese in America. Dr. Sung is Professor Emerita of the City College of New York/CUNY, and co-founder and former board chair of the CUNY Asian American / Asian Research Institute (AAARI). Her first book, Mountain of Gold, was a pioneer in its field and laid the foundation for Asian American Studies at City College of New York in 1970. She remained at the college until her retirement in 1992, having advanced to Chair of the department. In 1994, she completed a database of the Chinese immigrant records in the New York Region National Archives. In 1996, she was awarded an honorary doctorate, Doctor of Letters, from State University of New York Old Westbury, where she gave the commencement address. She is active in many organizations and has been honored by the Cosmopolitan Lion's Club, the Organization of Chinese Americans, the Asian American Higher Education Council, the American Library Association, the Chinese Communities in Houston and Philadelphia, among others.

Defiant Second Daughter: My First 90 Years

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AAARI co-founder, Betty Lee Sung, will read from her recently published memoir, Defiant Second Daughter: My First 90 Years. This is Prof. Sung’s ninth book. What started as a request by Dr. Sung’s granddaughter to learn more about her grandmother, turned into a memoir that discusses her life as the daughter of a Paper Son, teaching Asian American Studies at CUNY, and other triumphs and struggles.

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Paper Sons

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This panel discussion will discuss the history of “Paper Sons” and the impact this phenomenon had on family relationships within the Chinese community during the 20 th Century. The panel will also explore how the secretive “Paper Son” system has affected the cultural and political roles of Chinese Americans today. Paper sons were Chinese immigrants … Read more