SCOTCH PLAINS — The Scotch Plains Public Library will present “American Flygirl: A Virtual Author Talk with SusanAnkeny” on Wednesday, May 29, from 7 to 8 p.m.
Hazel Ying Lee was a pioneering trailblazer in aviation history — yet her inspiring story and extraordinary accomplishments have been unheralded and ignored.
“American Flygirl” breaks this silence, illuminating the structural and racial barriers Lee faced to become the first Asian-American woman to earn a pilot’s license, join the WASPs, and fight for this country amid widespread anti-Asian sentiment and racist policies such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese internment camps.
Lee refused to be limited by gender, race and impossible dreams, and in less than a year, she would earn her pilot’s license and head to China to help against invading Japanese forces.
In conjunction with Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, author Susan Tate Ankeny will share with participants via Zoom Hazel Ying Lee’s unforgettable story. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link.
Ms.Ankeny is the author of nonfiction World War II history books, including “American Flygirl” and “The Girl and the Bombardier.” A former educator, she is a member of the Oregon Chapter of the 8th Air Force Historical Society, and the Association des Sauvetuers d’AviateursAlliés.
For more information or to register, go to www.scotlib.org, email library@scotlib.org or call (908) 3225007, extension no. 204. The Scotch Plains Public Library is located at 1927 Bartle Avenue.
