A strong woman from history. Meet Mary Tape.
In the late 1800s, San Francisco had operated a segregated, but public, school for children of Chinese parents; however, the city cut public funding for the school in 1871, forcing parents to find other means of educating their children. Mary and her husband thought finding another means to educate their children was unfair and sued the city for the right to public education and won.
Mary’s daughter Maddie was excluded from public school after the funding cut, and her and her husband fought for Maddie to go to public school like other children.
The case is Tape vs. Hurley and the SCOTUS found the exclusion of Maddie as a Chinese US American from public school based of her ancestry unlawful.
The victory came at a cost. In order to prevent Chinese children from attending public school with white students, San Francisco school officials set up a new school for children of Asian ancestry to further exclusion. Chinese and Mongolian children could now only go to the new school.
Stay informed and learn about people and their humanity. Inclusion matters. For more information about diversity and inclusion in Hollywood movies, TV and streaming content, and how to write and live inclusively, check out my book, “How To Write Inclusively: An Analysis & How To Guide.” As The Inclusive Screenwriter, I consider my works as a contribution to my craft.
Also, check out stories about those erased from history on the, “Inclusive Storytelling,” podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and the vodcasts on YouTube.
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