Chew, Susan
Susan Chew was born in 1927 in Victoria, British Columbia. Growing up on a farm just outside the city, she and her ten siblings helped their parents, Chew Dang and Yee C. Loo Chew, with the family’s vegetable garden business. She later moved to New Westminster, British Columbia, where she was a successful business owner. In 1956, Susan made headlines in New Westminster, British Columbia, and across the country when she was denied tenancy in an apartment when American buyers of the building found out that she was Chinese. The community rallied around Susan, so the original owners cancelled the sale of the building. Susan was able to move in without further incident. Over the years, Susan has taken on a number of work, community and entrepreneurial roles: as a Cub Scout leader, journalist, hula dance performer, travel agent and tour guide, model, designer, actress, radio host, boutique owner, public speaker and real estate agent. After spending many years in Toronto, Ontario, she now resides in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The Narcissus Queen beauty pageant is held annually in Hawaii. The reigning 'Queen' becomes an ambassador for Hawaii’s Chinese community. This clipping features a photograph of the 1961 'Narcissus Queen' title-holder, Stephanie Loo, arriving in Vancouver, British Columbia, on an official visit. Susan Chew, seen on the right, is filming footage of the arrival. Coverage of these pageants in the English language magazine Chinatown News in the 1950s and 1960s reveals close links between the Chinese communities of Canada and Hawaii during that period.
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