home villages in China. Now, they're very politically powerful; the Chinese Six Companies, one of the city's oldest benevolent organizations, serves as an umbrella organization for all the family groups. The Lee Family Benevolent Association is responsible for swearing in the first Chinese American mayor of San Francisco. Chinese Community Methodist Church Lee became a lay leader in the church after he set up his dental practice in the early 1900s. Charles' father-in-law, Chan Hon, was a reverend at the church; his father, Lee Tong Hay, was also a reverend. The church was originally established for schools and to help women escape slavery and prostitution; now, the organization serves as a religious worshipping place for Chinese Americans in Oakland. The Lees become known to exemplify the Chinese Community Methodist Church's tradition of community involvement and social justice. References Yung, Judy (1995). "Unbound Feet, A Social History of Chinese Women in San Francisco". University of California Press Armentrout, Eve and Ma, Jeong Huei (1982). "The Chinese of Oakland, Unsung Builders". Wong, William (2004). "Images of America, Oakland's Chinatown". Arcadia Press. Christina Yu (2017). "Brief History of Oakland Lodge" Chinese Community UMC (2017). "Clara Elizabeth & Charles Goodall Lee" Heather Knight (2011). "Lee's Family Association: A Chinatown Powerhouse" Chinese-American history American dentists 1881 births 1973 deaths Activists from San Francisco University of the Pacific (United States) alumni American Methodist clergy 20th-century dentists Methodists from California American people of Chinese descent