Great Immigrant: Betty Kwan Chinn

Born in China, Betty Chinn has served more than nine million meals to those in need since 1984. A new Carnegie-commissioned comic series highlights Chinn’s story and the stories of other naturalized citizens who enrich American society and strengthen our democracy

By Jongsma + O’Neill & Chuan Ming Ong May 30, 2024

Immigration

Since 1980, Betty Kwan Chinn has provided transitional housing, employment, and family services to individuals in need in Eureka, California. As a child during Mao’s Cultural Revolution, Chinn was separated from her parents and became homeless for four years before emigrating to the United States. “Inside my heart, I don’t want anyone to suffer what I suffered,” Chinn says. “I would encourage anyone, no matter how big or how small, use your gift to benefit someone less fortunate than you who needs help from you.” Recognized as a Great Immigrant in 2023, Chinn has served more than nine million meals since she began feeding individuals in her community forty years ago.*

Every Fourth of July, Carnegie Corporation of New York celebrates the exemplary contributions of immigrants to American life, as part of its focus on reducing political polarization and strengthening democracy. To highlight their stories, the foundation has commissioned a new comic series that illustrates how naturalized citizens are strengthening communities across the country.

Download Chinn’s full comic here.

* 23.3% of health care and social assistance workers are immigrant women. (Source: A Snapshot of Immigrant Women in the United States, American Immigration Council, June 2023)

Eline Jongsma and Kel O’Neill lead Jongsma + O’Neill, a nonfiction storytelling studio. They are Sundance fellows, Emmy nominees, and the creators of the immersive exhibition Loot. 10 Stories, which won the 2024 XR-History Award.

Chuan Ming Ong is a Dutch illustrator whose illustrations have appeared in publications including the New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times, and Nikkei Asia.