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18-year-old Lee returned to San Francisco on May 17, 1959, after
spending his childhood in Hong Kong.
Lee's daughter, Shannon, who is CEO of the Bruce Lee Foundation,
said the honor is a testament to her father's enduring legacy as
a bridge between cultures.
“From young people who found confidence and possibility in his
philosophy, to families who finally saw themselves represented
on screen, to athletes who still draw on his teachings of
discipline and inner strength, his reach is profound," Shannon
Lee said in a statement.
Haney called Lee the epitome of the best of California.
“At a time when Asian Americans were too often absent from or
stereotyped on screen, Bruce Lee helped generations see
themselves represented with strength and dignity,” he said in a
statement.
The foundation and various Asian American organizations hope Lee
will be celebrated every year with voluntary commemorative
activities around the state such as cultural exhibits, public
events and classroom lessons.
Born in 1940 to Chinese parents who were touring with an opera,
Lee was allowed to have birthright citizenship. A few months
later, the family returned to Hong Kong where Lee became a child
actor and began learning Chinese kung fu. He moved back to the
U.S. in 1959 and enrolled in the University of Washington in
Seattle two years later. He dropped out and threw himself into
practicing and teaching martial arts.
In the ‘60s, Lee found work in Hollywood, most notably as Kato
in the TV series “The Green Hornet,” but studios wanted him to
play racist stereotypes and paid him less than his white
counterparts.
He pivoted back to Hong Kong and soon became a megastar of
martial arts flicks, including “The Big Boss” and “Fist of
Fury.” Lee died in 1973 at 32 after an allergic reaction to pain
medication.
Lee's name and likeness remain popular. Fans gather on his
birthday. A treatment for a proposed TV action series he wrote
inspired the HBO Max show “Warrior.”
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