One Chicago alderperson is breaking barriers and using her Asian American voice to amplify others in her South Side community.
11th Ward Ald. Nicole Lee opened up about her position and why she said representation matters as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month gets underway.
Meeting after meeting at City Hall, Nicole Lee is well into serving her first full term as alderwoman of the city’s 11th Ward.
“I’m feeling good surprisingly,” she said. “I think it’s a crazy job and a lot of responsibilities—its nonstop but I feel good.”
Lee never thought she would see this day. She’s the first Chinese American and first Asian American woman to serve on Chicago’s city council.
“It still kinda blows my mind as someone who grew up in Chinatown never really picturing a time where we would have an elected official; let alone myself in a first Asian majority ward,” she said.
It’s a role she doesn’t take lightly.
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“We have a lot of history here in the 11th Ward,” she said. “The 11th Ward has produced five mayors and I’m the first woman to ever represent this ward as well—none of that is lost on me.”
The second-generation Asian American is proud of her roots and said she’s been using her voice to fight for her constituents from addressing Asian hate to language accessibility.
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“One of the things that I’ve been very focused on since taking office is ensuring basic information from the city is available in traditional Chinese so that it can be read by all of the residents here,” she said.
Lee’s ward includes Bridgeport and Chinatown. The bustling and vibrant neighborhood is filled with so much culture and history. The alderwoman said it continues to grow and thrive every single day.
“It’s so great to see compared to where we were during COVID,” she said. “We went through a lot during COVID, but I feel like we’re really starting to come back with a vengeance here and its spreading.”
As the city celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Lee is reminded of the significance of her position and why she said representation matters in this day and time.
“We have more elected Asians in the city and state than we ever had in the past and I think this is a really great time for the Asian American community,” she said. “I think we’ve come into some political power—we need to come together to raise our political voices.”
She hopes her story will inspire the younger Asian American generation to get involved.
“I tell my kids all the time,” she said. “I feel like I’m making a difference as long as I feel like I can do that I want to continue too.”
