Helen Zia is an award-winning Chinese-American journalist known for her advocacy for the rights of Asian Americans. She also fights for women's rights and against homophobia, as she is a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

In 1973, she became one of the first women to graduate from Princeton. Soon after her graduation, a Chinese American man named Vincent Chin was brutally murdered in Detroit, the city where she lived. Helen, alongside a lawyer named Liza Chan, fought for federal charges to be brought against Chin’s murderers. Although the murderers ultimately did not serve any jail time (they were only fined a few thousand dollars), they were charged with two counts of violating Chin's civil liberties under Title 18 of the United States Code. This case was viewed as a pivotal milestone for Asian American civil rights and a push for stronger hate crime legislation.

Since then, Helen has tirelessly worked on innumerable articles, essays, and reviews that further the causes she is passionate about, helping countless lives of Asian Americans, LGBTQ+ individuals, and women for over 40 years. She lives and works in California, where she continues to write and teach workshops to this day.