Marilyn Fong Joe

Marilyn Fong Joe grew up in Blytheville, Arkansas, raised by her mother, Ida Wy—a determined single mom who juggled parenting, cultural identity, and hard work with remarkable resilience. After divorcing Marilyn’s father when Marilyn was just a toddler, Ida took full responsibility for raising Marilyn and her brother, Jimmy. Despite only having a sixth-grade American education, Ida had also studied in China and brought back with her not only language and culture, but a deep sense of discipline and pride. She ran a small grocery store on Main Street by herself, serving mostly Black and Mexican customers in a segregated neighborhood. Marilyn remembers how her mother butchered meat, stocked shelves, and even picked up Spanish from her customers.

The work eventually took a toll on her mother’s health, leading to a year-long battle with tuberculosis that forced her to sell the store. But once she recovered, she started again—first with a tiny shop on 2nd Street and then with Jimmy’s Grocery around the corner on Mathis Street, where Marilyn spent much of her childhood. Marilyn has vivid memories of stocking shelves, helping with customers, and watching her mother push through hardship with a quiet tenacity. “I may not have had money,” Ida used to say, “but I sure was going to eat good.” And they did—most of their meals were homemade Chinese dishes: stir-fries, salted dry duck (lop op), and Chinese vegetables grown in their backyard garden.

Marilyn’s upbringing was shaped by both Southern life and Chinese tradition. The family celebrated holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas with Chinese food, and Marilyn remembers the community dances hosted in Cleveland, Mississippi, where she met other Chinese American youth across the Delta. One of those dances is where she met her husband, Shun Joe, a fellow second-generation Chinese American who—despite her mom’s initial skepticism—won her over.

As a mother and grandmother now, Marilyn feels a strong pull to keep her culture alive. In her home, she proudly displays silk paintings passed down from her mother. Her daughter even gave her son the middle name “Joe” to carry on the family name. Marilyn reflects that, “Chinese heritage is just so strong,” and she’s glad to see pieces of it continuing in her family.

Story by Kayla Evans-Kennard and Anna Custer

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