Rose Livingston

"Angel of Chinatown" redirects here. For the Angry Angel of Chinatown, see Donaldina Cameron.

Rose Livingston
Rose Livingston in 1913
Born1876[a]
New York (state)[1][2][b]
DiedDecember 26, 1975 (aged 99)
New York, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Other namesAngel of Chinatown
Occupation(s)Activist, suffragette
Known forRescuing victims of sexual slavery

Rose Livingston (1876 – December 26, 1975), known as the Angel of Chinatown, was a suffragist who worked to free prostitutes and victims of sexual slavery. With financial and social support from Harriet Burton Laidlaw and other noted suffragettes, as well as the Rose Livingston Prudential Committee, she worked in New York City's Chinatown and in other cities to rescue girls from forced prostitution, and helped pass the Mann Act to make interstate sex trafficking a federal crime.

Livingston initially thought that she wanted to work overseas as a missionary. She realized, though, that there was much good that she could do in New York. She referred to herself as a missionary and worked nights looking for pre-teen and teenage girls who were forced into sexual slavery. A small and thin woman, she was beaten and shot, sometimes spending months in the hospital recovering from her injuries. Once she rescued girls, she helped them transition into a life of freedom. She lectured about the dangers of children and young women being forced into sex work. She also advocated for women's right to vote.


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