July 2023 Newsletter

Hot Weather, Cool (CCB) News

Happy July! Summer is here, flowers are flowering, and CCB is California Community Building. [1] This past month was busy, and we’re excited to share updates on our sponsored legislation, recent publications, media appearances, additions to the team, upcoming webinars [2], and how we’re spending these hot summer days.

Susan Ahn Cuddy didn’t wait for her seat at the table

Before we get into all of that, we want to pick back up on our newsletter tradition of highlighting the life and work of leaders of color whose bravery made it so that we can do the work we do (regardless of whether it’s directly related to housing).

This month we are excited to highlight the life of Susan Ahn Cuddy, a Korean-American woman who broke barriers in the military and, if there’s not already one in the works, definitely deserves a 10-episode Netflix series on her life. Susan was born in Los Angeles in 1915 and her dad was Ahn Chang Ho, who is famous in his own right as one of the earliest leaders of the Korean-American community and someone who spent his entire life fighting to see an independent and free Korea. After high school in LA and a stint at LA City college, where she was captain of the women’s baseball team, Susan graduated from San Diego State University and joined the U.S. Navy in 1942.

Susan was initially rejected by the Navy due to anti-Asian racism and sexism, but – and this is a through-line from her life – she didn’t take “no” for an answer. She was eventually able to join WAVES (Women Accepted for Emergency Volunteer Service) program and, during her career in the military, was a flight simulator instructor and the first female aerial gunnery officer in the Navy. After WWII, she worked for the National Security Agency and oversaw 300 agents from her office in Washington DC. In her personal life, Susan married Frank Cuddy, an Irish-American code-breaker and colleague. When Susan and Frank were barred from marrying in a civilian chapel in Virginia and Maryland due to laws banning interracial marriage, they said nope and got married at a Navy chapel in Washington, DC instead. Retiring from government service in 1959, Susan and her husband moved back to California to be closer to her family and help run the family restaurant, Moongate, with her brother Phillip Ahn. Fun fact: Phillip was a famous actor and the first Korean-American with a star on Hollywood Boulevard. The family was #goals. [3]

Susan – who passed away at 100 years old in LA -- had a life that was aptly summarized by her son as: “She did not just get her foot in the door. She opened it wide and made a seat for herself at the table." It feels like we should all be so lucky to have a description like that when people think about our impact.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, look forward to checking in again next month!