LexSeeHer begins Women's  History Month with an eye on International Women's Day as we welcome special guest Leta Hong Fincher, author of Leftover Women. This landmark book first shone a light on the resurgence of gender inequality in 21-st century China in 2014. Now, almost 10 years on, women in China continue to experience a dramatic rolling back of rights and hard-won gains. The updated, 10th anniversary edition of Leftover Women was named one of the best books of 2023 by China Books Review.

Join this in person event for a lively discussion and thought-provoking conversation. Co-moderated by Jessie Steigerwald (LexSeeHer) and Melanie Lin (CAAL).

Attendance is on a first-come basis.

Leta Hong Fincher has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, Dissent Magazine, Ms. Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar and others. As a long-time TV and radio journalist based in China, she won the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award, the Cowan Award for Humanitarian Reporting and other journalism honors for her reporting. The 10th anniversary edition of Leta's first book, Leftover Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China (2023), was named one of the best books of 2023 by China Books Review. Leta's second book, Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China, was named one of the best books of the year by Vanity Fair, Newsweek, Foreign Policy Interrupted, Bitch Media and Autostraddle; it was also a New York Times New and Noteworthy pick. The New York Public Library named Betraying Big Brother one of its essential reads on feminism in 2020.

Leta is the first American to receive a Ph.D. from Tsinghua University's Department of Sociology in Beijing. She graduated from Harvard University magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in East Asian Languages and Civilizations and won a Harvard Foundation award for contribution to race relations. She was awarded a Shaw fellowship and Walter Shorenstein fellowship for her master's degree in East Asian Studies from Stanford University. She is currently a Research Associate at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University.

Jessie Steigerwald founded LexSeeHer in March 2020 and joyfully serves as the organization's President. Among Jessie's activities for LexSeeHer, she leads the Research Team and coordinates the annual 1769 Spinning Protest Tableau. She is organizing the 2024 Unveiling Ceremony, the Living Herstory project, and the Coordinated First Look events which will run throughout Lexington's celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Lexington.

Jessie helped establish the Lexington Community Coalition and worked with a large team of volunteers to create the Coalition Mask Network. The group sewed more than 32,000 masks during the height of the pandemic shut-down.

Presented in partnership with LexSeeHer and the Chinese American Association of Lexington (CAAL).

This program is made possible by the generous donors to the Cary Library Foundation.