For many of us, the Covid lockdown in 2020 was a nightmare. For Gom Benn Scholarship Fund board member Traci Huahn, the pandemic was her chance to make a childhood dream come true.
On May 7, 2024, Crown Books for Young Readers will release Traci’s debut picture book Mamie Tape Fights to Go to School about the historic battle by an 8-year-old Chinese-American girl and her parents to win access to California public schools.
The time was the 1880s, seven decades before Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in 1954 that ended racially segregated public schools. The San Francisco Board of Education and principal Jennie Hurley refused to allow Mamie Tape to attend their public school. In Tape v. Hurley (1885) the California Supreme ruled that it was unlawful for the San Francisco Board of Education to exclude Mamie and other Chinese American students from its schools.
Oriental Schools
The decision was not a total victory for Chinese Americans. A subsequent change in California law allowed education boards to establish segregated schools, including in San Francisco where Mamie Tape could only attend “Oriental” public schools. But Tape v. Hurley was the start of the fight by Asian Americans against school segregation and educational inequality.
Traci Huahn feels a deep connection to Mamie’s story, as a former attorney and the granddaughter of Chinese immigrants, Harold and Mary Wong from Gom Benn Village. Her dad, Stephen Huahn, was also from the Toishan area, which was also home for Mamie Tape’s parents (they “Americanized” their surname after coming to America.)
Childhood Dreams
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Traci dreamed of one day writing children’s books. By the 4th grade, Traci and her sister Trellis were spending countless hours creating their own magazines – drawing and writing about their stuffed animals, each with an elaborate backstory. She went on to study journalism in college before going on to law school and becoming a lawyer for a time. Eventually she married, had two kids (and a pup who loves belly rubs and Brussel sprouts).
Over the years she attended a few writing conferences and classes. But her life was too busy. Then Covid came in 2020. For Traci it was a now or never point in her life.
“I realized that I’d better stop waiting for ‘one day’ to arrive, and get busy writing,” recalls Traci. She took writing classes and found herself returning to a story that she had “sat on”: the saga of Mamie Tape. Her research on Mamie had reminded Traci of her own childhood experiences, being mocked for being Chinese as she walked home from school. “I was too scared to speak up for myself or tell anyone about it,” she remembers. “So it was very inspiring to me that at only 8 years old, Mamie had the courage to show up at a school where she wasn’t welcome.”
A Need for Hope
When the Covid-19 pandemic exploded and anti-Asian hate surged, Traci felt compelled to write a children’s book about Mamie. “As I researched more and more about Mamie, I quickly saw many parallels between what was happening in the 1880s and today,” says Traci. “So I thought her story could provide us with hope and inspiration.”
She connected with the KidLit community, and submitted her Mamie Tape manuscript for a critique through the Kweli Color of Children’s Literature Conference in 2021, which helps emerging writers of color to find publishers for their works. Traci’s manuscript landed on the desk of Phoebe Yeh, an editor with Crown Books for Young Readers, a division of international publishing giant Penguin Random House. Phoebe responded very favorably, and eventually made an offer to acquire Traci’s book. Crown brought Michelle Jing Chan aboard to create the illustrations.
Michelle is a queer Chinese American author-illustrator who grew up in Colorado and now lives in the Pacific Northwest. While Traci shifted from lawyering to writing, Michelle had an education in engineering and economics before focusing on storytelling.
Taking on Unfairness
Traci is excited to be launching her career as a KidLit writer with Mamie’s story. “ I hope Mamie’s story will inspire young readers to step up in the face of unfairness, and be part of the change, whether big or small,” Traci says. “I also hope they’ll recognize that even though change often comes slowly, especially in terms of racial and social justice, it’s always worth fighting for. Every little step counts.”
For Traci, her new career is no small step. “It truly combines so much of what I love, including advocating for young readers with stories that offer windows into different perspectives and mirrors to feel seen,” she says. “I hope my journey will inspire others to follow their dreams, whatever they may be.”
Traci’s book will be available beginning May 7, 2024. You can pre-order wherever books are sold, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Gom Benn families who purchase the book are invited to complete this form to receive a free signed bookplate. Connect with Traci at www.tracihuahn.com and on Instagram and Twitter/X.
