Cheryl Chow – Museum of Chinese in America

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Cheryl Chow, From the International Examiner, Vol. 12, No. 17, September 4, 1985. Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) Newspaper Collection.

Cheryl Chow (May 24, 1946 – March 29, 2013) was an educator, councilwoman and queer community member who dedicated her life to public service in Seattle.

In serving her community, Chow followed the example of her mother, Ruby Chow, who made history as the first Asian American on Washington’s King County Council when she was elected in 1973. Her mother was a beloved public figure who notably founded, led and sustained invaluable support for the Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team. Chow joined the team as a child and later took over directing the team, maintaining this leadership position for close to fifty years. Through this role, Chow fostered a space of empowerment and community for the over one thousand Chinese American young women who joined the team during her years as instructor.

Chow held numerous positions during her career working in Seattle schools. She began by teaching health and physical education, coaching sports, and mentoring students. She later worked as a principal at Franklin and Garfield high schools, as well as Sharples and Madison Junior High Schools. She also served as president of the Seattle School Board and as an area director for Seattle Public Schools.

In addition to an impressive career in education, Chow was a Seattle City Councilwoman, serving from 1990 to 1997. She carried into this position her commitment to the success and welfare of children as well as the greater Seattle community. She helped create a Families and Education Levy to finance after-school programming as well as the construction of several community and recreation centers. She also instituted Urban Rest Stops for unhoused individuals and social programs for youth engaged with Asian gangs in the city. In 2013, the Seattle chapter of the Organization of Chinese American awarded Chow the Golden Circle Award for her achievements, both in impacting the young people she mentored personally as well as those she impacted with her public policy.

In 2012, Chow decided to come out to the public after being diagnosed with central nervous system lymphoma. Her choice to come out publicly was another instance of her devotion to the betterment of her community. She did so with the purpose of encouraging other LGBTQ+ people to be proud of who they are, to not be afraid. Soon after coming out, she married Sarah Morningstar, her long term partner with whom she had one daughter, Liliana Morningstar-Chow. Sixteen days after their marriage, Chow passed away from her illness.

By Nikolai Gottesdiener, Bloomberg Arts Intern at MOCA Collections