Cheryl Chow
A small, informal unveiling ceremony is scheduled to take place on Jan. 26, 2024, for the honorary designation of South Mount Baker Boulevard between 31st Avenue South and 32nd Avenue South as “Cheryl Chow Boulevard.”
A resolution, recognizing Cheryl Chow’s exceptional contributions to Seattle’s community, was signed by Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell last month. It highlights her decades-long dedication to children and families. Starting in the 1970s with a career spanning over four decades in Seattle Public Schools, Cheryl mentored thousands of girls and young women in leadership and Chinese culture through the Seattle Chinese Girls Drill team.
Cheryl once told me her biggest regret in life was that she had to hide her compassionate side in order to get things done. She had to appear tough and “mean.” I find it true in the sense that as a small Asian woman, I am sometimes ignored or bullied by the professionally jealous or am passed over waiting in shopping lines or even pushed aside. I taught in schools where Cheryl was principal, and those were the best run schools I’ve ever been in. She was a fierce defender of down trodden students. The sexually abused sought her protection, and instead of shuffling the rare abuser into another school, she put them on probation and had them removed/fired. One committed suicide during an ensuing investigation. I believe the stories of her “meanness,” having been a target myself. Being a close friend of many years made her come down harder on me than other staff for infractions of rules (sneaking out for lunch, showing up less than 30 minutes before 1st period, opening a bank account for a student club); but I temper those memories with the good she did in schools, at the Office of the State Superintendent, on the School Board, the City Council.
Cheryl was very much underrated for now taken-for-granted accomplishments–1) first in bringing city attention to families & education—the Seattle Times sniffed its disapproval: “Education is not the business of the city” & that she should run for school board but when she did, they still did not endorse her saying she had no experience with large budgets; but as state asst. supt. she oversaw revising/updating all curriculum areas with mult-millions in budget & recruiting teachers of color to add to those curriulum committees (including me & other BIPOC staff from schools she worked in or supervised 2) low income housing (city council wouldn’t touch it due to concerted vocal, public opposition from John Fox, results: New Holly, a New Rainier Vista & first low income housing for locals in Sand Point (neighbors fiercely opposed it) 3) leading the city council to authorize new, re-vamped community centers throughout Seattle (for equity) and libraries, and of course, her legendary community service in basketball, drill team, Girl Scouts, where every now and then, abused, neglected kids continued to pour out their hearts to her.