Laureen Chew (born 1948) is an American academic and actress. She is Professor Emerita of Asian American studies at San Francisco State University.[1][2] She acted in two Wayne Wang films in the 1980s, both of which were shot in San Francisco.

Laureen Chew
Chew in 1983 shooting Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart
Born1948 (age 75–76)
TitleProfessor Emerita
Academic background
EducationSan Francisco State University,
University of the Pacific
Academic work
DisciplineAsian American studies
Websiteaas.sfsu.edu/laureen-chew

Early life and education

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Chew was born and raised in Chinatown, San Francisco in 1948.[3][4] She grew up around mostly other Chinese children.[3][5] Her parents owned a laundry shop.[6] Chew attended a Catholic high school.[3]

Chew was a part of the Third World Liberation Front[7] and helped organized the Third World Liberation Front strikes of 1968 at San Francisco State University.[8] She was arrested and jailed for 20 days for misdemeanor charges of disturbing the peace, illegal assembly and failing to disperse.[6] At the end of the protest, San Francisco State established its College of Ethnic Studies.[5]

Chew graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Chinese and a MA in Elementary Education. She received her EdD from the University of the Pacific.[9]

Career

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Chew is a former elementary school teacher within the public education system.[10][4]

Chew's first film credit was on Wayne Wang's Chan Is Missing (1982).[11] Her second credit was on Wang's Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985). Much of the film was shot in Chew's home, with her actual mother acting as her character's mother in the film.[11]

Chew was the Elementary Education Department Chair 2001 to 2006. Chew was the Associate Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies from 2006 to 2012.[9]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1982 Chan Is Missing Amy [12]
1985 Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart Geraldine Tam [13]

References

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  1. ^ Bravo, Kent (October 2, 2019). "SF State celebrates 50th anniversary of the College of Ethnic Studies | SF State News". news.sfsu.edu. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  2. ^ Springer, Denize (September 22, 2008). "'68 strike at SF State - San Francisco State University". San Francisco State University. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  3. ^ a b c "APEX Express - 11.4.21 We are the Leaders All Education is Political". KPFA. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  4. ^ a b Raukko, Tanya (2021-06-04). "Maintaining Vigor for Sustained Change in Asian American Issues". Intertrend. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  5. ^ a b "The strike that led to the country's first Ethnic Studies department". KALW. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  6. ^ a b Schevitz, Tanya (2008-10-26). "S.F. State to mark 40th anniversary of strike". SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  7. ^ "50 Years Ago Students Shut Down This College To Demand Ethnic Studies Courses". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  8. ^ Bates, Karen Grigsby; Meraji, Shereen Marisol (2019-03-21). "The Student Strike That Changed Higher Ed Forever". NPR. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  9. ^ a b "Laureen Chew | Asian American Studies". aas.sfsu.edu. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  10. ^ Valverde, Kieu Linh Caroline; Dariotis, Wei Ming (2019-10-11). Fight the Tower: Asian American Women Scholars' Resistance and Renewal in the Academy. Rutgers University Press. p. 186. ISBN 978-1-9788-0636-8.
  11. ^ a b Gorney, Cynthia (1985-08-21). "The Director's American Odyssey". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  12. ^ Naves, Mario (July 27, 2022). "40 Years After Its Release, 'Chan Is Missing' Feels Even Fresher". The New York Sun. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  13. ^ "Dim Sum: a Little Bit of Heart (1985)". Radio Times. Retrieved 2022-11-03.