How Asian American Women Fought for Garment Workers’ Rights

Billie Jean King during the final of the 1978 US Open Women's Doubles tennis tournament

Judy Garland seated next to Senator John F. Kennedy

Rachel Chang is a freelance contributor who writes for Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, AFAR, Lonely Planet and the Washington Post.

Rachel Chang

Rachel Chang is a freelance contributor who writes for Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, AFAR, Lonely Planet and the Washington Post.

Rachel Chang Archives | HISTORY

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HISTORY

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America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian—the U.S. president—would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.

U.S. Presidents

Immigration, the movement of people living in one country into another country, is a fundamental aspect of human history, though it was as controversial hundreds of years ago as it is today.

Immigration

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have played vital roles in shaping the nation—from building the Transcontinental Railroad to advocating for labor law changes to fighting in multiple wars. They made these contributions while also facing persistent discrimination and violence throughout U.S. history.

Asian American & Pacific Islander History

From raising families to leading armies, women such as Catherine the Great, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen Amanirenas, Queen Elizabeth I, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin and countless others have played a vital role in history.

Women’s History

The U.S. government, with its three branches of government and a system of checks and balances, is responsible for governing the 50 states and all districts and territories of the United States.

U.S. Government and Politics

Sports and recreation are an integral part of human history, from the ancient Olympics to the Kentucky Derby, Jackie Robinson, Negro League Baseball, the Super Bowl and more.

Sports

Though the 19th century saw the rise of populism, the labor movement and Jacksonian democracy, it also ushered in the Gilded Age, when men like Cornelius Vanderbilt and J. P. Morgan wielded vast control over politics and business.

19th Century

During the 1980s, conservative politics and Reaganomics held sway as the Berlin Wall crumbled, new computer technologies emerged, AIDS ravaged the United States, especially the gay male community, and blockbuster movies and MTV reshaped pop culture.

Rachel Chang

Stories

From Sinatra to Streisand: 100 Years of Celebrity Political Endorsements

How American Chinatowns Emerged Amid 19th‑Century Racism

How Billie Jean King Led the Equal Pay for Play Battle

When 20,000 Asian Americans Demanded Garment Workers’ Rights—And Won