Hilda Yen

Hilda Yank Sing Yen or sometimes Yan, was one of the leading figures of Chinese American society for some decades. Coming from a high-profile family traditionally serving Chinese governments and society, she left the East while continuing to be a bridge of cultures. Initially proving herself in university, she worked in diplomatic circles leading to the League of Nations for some years and then, inspired by aviator Li Xiaqing, she embarked on extended flights across the United States, speaking on international peace, pointing to the needs of China against the looming aggressions of the era, and then working with the United Nations. A major transition was her conversion to the Baháʼí Faith in 1944 and she was centrally involved in the religion achieving its registration as a non-governmental organization with the United Nations, where she then continued her work for several years. Ultimately she was disappointed in the international community's lack of embrace of a spiritual-religious commitment as the basis of an international peace and withdrew due to these concerns. Along the way, she married twice, with two children from the first marriage though she died divorced.

Early years and family Her date of birth is conjectured from conversion from eastern calendars. Late in life she adopted the date of January 17 though most of her life she used November 29 as her date of birth. The year is similarly a matter of conjecture: around 1904 to 1906, however her father's paperwork has listed her birth year as 1902. Her parents were Fu Ching Yen and Siu Ying Chow, the extended family being prominent under Sun Yat-sen. Her baptismal name was Hilda. and his brother Her family returned to China and then back in the States again for more work in public health, when at the age of about 16 she took the university entrance exam as a cultural exchange student without permission of her parents and won entry into Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts. With Li Xiaqing back in the States, they conceived a plan of flying from city to city from 1938 speaking about the spread of war and the need of assistance for China and boycotting Japan's aggression. In 1939, a plane was donated – "The Spirit of New China" Her injuries were severe but not life threatening. Considering her situation miraculous considering the plane crash suggested the beginnings of a change in path for her life later to be realized. Li finished their scheduled presence. Yen was discharged May 11 and she continued her advocacy on land for a time before returning to air travel in another plane. Her involvement in peace activities brought her into contact with Julia Goldman -she credits meeting Julia Goldman with re-introducing her to the Baháʼí Faith though it did not take her attention centrally for some years yet. Events in China soon led to a return to China where her father served in the cabinet of Chiang Kai-shek. However, she made it out of Hong Kong on a cargo plane Through her increasing contacts with the Baháʼís, she asked to attend the 1944 Baháʼí Annual convention as an observer. And she dwelt on the turning point of her plane crash more during a radio interview later published in World Order (see Baháʼí literature#Periodicals).

She then attended the Bretton Woods Conference on world economics, and the Dumbarton Oaks Conference and the formation of the United Nations initially in San Francisco with a mixture of optimism in the steps being taken and disappointment the spiritual essence of unity was not being recognized more strongly: "We cannot have lasting peace without first turning to God." and served related interests for the advocacy for women. She was credited with playing a major role for the recognition of the Baháʼí Faith as a non-governmental organization.

She soon met and married John Gifford Male on May 15, 1948; in 1946, he had secured a job in the United Nations Secretariat in the Human Rights division following being Eleanor Roosevelt's private secretary. Standards at the time required a wife to not work in the UN however she was able to continue work in the UN through the NGO status of the Baháʼí Faith. She was also able to retrieve her children, Doreen and William, from now communist China though her family had managed to serve that government as well. William married and had two sons, one of whom, Ronald Chen, was the Public Advocate of New Jersey and is a law professor and former dean of Rutgers Law School. She helped celebrate achievements like the banquet in honor of the Xth volume of the Baháʼí World with Baháʼí notables Firuz Kazemzadeh and Helen Elsie Austin in 1950, continued giving talks, as well as trying to further the importance of the awareness of religion as a force for peace inside the UN.

Yen was disappointed in the UN and the general efforts towards international peace – its lack of putting religious motivation at the heart of international peace seemed to result in much lack of progress. and wrote a memorial.