Kathy Change
Encyclopedia
Kathy Change was an American performance artist and political activist who killed herself in an act of self-immolation
on the University of Pennsylvania
campus in 1996. Born Kathleen Chang, she legally changed her name to Kathy Change to indicate her commitment to political and social change. She was the daughter of Chinese academics who emigrated to America in the wake of the Chinese Revolution. Change was married for five years to writer Frank Chin
.
Change graduated from the Bronx High School of Science, in New York City, and briefly attended Mills College and the Bronx campus of New York University. Upon her marriage, she moved to California.
In 1976, she published a 24-page children's book, The Iron Moonhunter. The book, which she wrote and illustrated, is about the life of Chinese workers on the Central Pacific railroad in the 1800s.
In 1981, Change moved to Philadelphia. Around this time, her life was increasingly defined by her political activism, as well as her struggles with what many considered to be mental illness. (The New York Times noted that she had seen psychiatrists for off and on for her adult life, although friends were unaware if a specific illness had been diagnosed). For living arrangements, she renovated and squatted in an abandoned Philadelphia building with others.
In the later years of her life, she added an "e" to her last name, and legally changed her name to Kathy Change.
campus and around Philadelphia to protest the government, during which she danced, sang, played the guitar, waved handmade flags, and made speeches. In a packet of her writings that she delivered to The Philadelphia Inquirer
, the Daily Pennsylvanian, and several of her friends and acquaintances on the morning of her death, she explained the rationale behind her suicide:
Percussionist/composer Kevin Norton
wrote a suite for Kathy Change entitled Change Dance (Troubled Energy) in 2001 and was released late in 2001/early 2002 on the Barking Hoop label.
Drummer Tyshawn Sorey composed and performed "For Kathy Change," a quintet in her honor, in March 2011.
University police officer William Dailey was subsequently honored at a 1997 ceremony held by the school's Division of Public Safety, for attempting to prevent Change's suicide. A speech given at the event cited Dailey's "heroism under emotionally stressful and physically dangerous circumstances". Dailey noticed the flames from Change's immolation, and when he determined that the source of the conflagration was a person, he ran forward, pushed her to the ground, and extinguished the fire by rolling her and smothering the flames with his patrol jacket.
Self-immolation
Self-immolation refers to setting oneself on fire, often as a form of protest or for the purposes of martyrdom or suicide. It has centuries-long traditions in some cultures, while in modern times it has become a type of radical political protest...
on the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
campus in 1996. Born Kathleen Chang, she legally changed her name to Kathy Change to indicate her commitment to political and social change. She was the daughter of Chinese academics who emigrated to America in the wake of the Chinese Revolution. Change was married for five years to writer Frank Chin
Frank Chin
Frank Chin is an American author and playwright.- Life and career :Frank Chin was born in Berkeley, California, but was raised to the age of six by a retired Vaudeville couple in Placerville, California. At six his mother brought him back to the San Francisco Bay Area to live in Oakland Chinatown...
.
Life
Change was born as Kathleen Chang in Ohio in 1950. Her family includes several noted intellectuals. Her father, Sheldon Chang, was an engineer and a professor at the State University at Stony Brook, Long Island, New York. Her mother, Gertrude, was a writer. She had one brother. Her parents divorced while she was a teenager. Her mother committed suicide when Kathy was 14 years old.Change graduated from the Bronx High School of Science, in New York City, and briefly attended Mills College and the Bronx campus of New York University. Upon her marriage, she moved to California.
In 1976, she published a 24-page children's book, The Iron Moonhunter. The book, which she wrote and illustrated, is about the life of Chinese workers on the Central Pacific railroad in the 1800s.
In 1981, Change moved to Philadelphia. Around this time, her life was increasingly defined by her political activism, as well as her struggles with what many considered to be mental illness. (The New York Times noted that she had seen psychiatrists for off and on for her adult life, although friends were unaware if a specific illness had been diagnosed). For living arrangements, she renovated and squatted in an abandoned Philadelphia building with others.
In the later years of her life, she added an "e" to her last name, and legally changed her name to Kathy Change.
Activism
Change was drawn to political activism for diverse causes for most of her adult life. In 1990, she was named "Freedom Fighter of the Month" by High Times magazine, recognizing her activism for cannabis legalization. For 20 years she gave colorful one-woman street performances on Penn'sUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
campus and around Philadelphia to protest the government, during which she danced, sang, played the guitar, waved handmade flags, and made speeches. In a packet of her writings that she delivered to The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
, the Daily Pennsylvanian, and several of her friends and acquaintances on the morning of her death, she explained the rationale behind her suicide:
Legacy
A yearly memorial is held in her honor every year on October 22 at the peace sign sculpture on the University of Pennsylvania campus where Kathy died. The memorial attracts artists, activists and performers, among others.Percussionist/composer Kevin Norton
Kevin Norton
Kevin Norton is a percussionist and composer active in the New York City jazz and contemporary music scenes. He has performed and recorded with a diverse group of musicians, including Anthony Braxton, Paul Dunmall, Milt Hinton, Fred Frith, David Krakauer, Joelle Leandre, Frode Gjerstad and Wilber...
wrote a suite for Kathy Change entitled Change Dance (Troubled Energy) in 2001 and was released late in 2001/early 2002 on the Barking Hoop label.
Drummer Tyshawn Sorey composed and performed "For Kathy Change," a quintet in her honor, in March 2011.
University police officer William Dailey was subsequently honored at a 1997 ceremony held by the school's Division of Public Safety, for attempting to prevent Change's suicide. A speech given at the event cited Dailey's "heroism under emotionally stressful and physically dangerous circumstances". Dailey noticed the flames from Change's immolation, and when he determined that the source of the conflagration was a person, he ran forward, pushed her to the ground, and extinguished the fire by rolling her and smothering the flames with his patrol jacket.