By Dr. Edward Lin, Founding Patron, Life Member & 80-20 Board Member
80-20 Marks 10th Anniversary Today!
A DECADE OF POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT BEARS FRUIT
Ten years ago today in 1999, 80-20 Initiative was born—based on a vision
that in spite of being a small minority group, Asian Americans (AsAm) CAN
flex a BIG political muscle through unity and bloc voting. Against all odds,
80-20’s Founders and early supporters faced mountain-sized challenges &
a near-impossible goal. Undeterred by ridicule, obstacles and attacks from
detractors and naysayers, they steadfastly pushed forward by sheer will
and faith. And made history.
COMPARED TO NATIONAL AVERAGE, AsAm HAVE THE LEAST CHANCE (45%)
OF RISING TO MANAGEMENT RANKS in private industries, universities and
the Federal government despite having the highest educational attainment.
See: http://www.80-20initiative.
Out of the 864 federal judges, only 8 (0.9% instead of 5%) are AsAm even
though we have proportionally more legal professionals and scholars.
80-20 has steadfastly engaged in principled political battles using carrots
and sticks: rewarding politicians who promise to address our rightful civil
rights grievances by electing them and defeating those who don’t.
In the 2008 Presidential Election, 80-20 made landmark progress in gaining
written iron-clad promises from President Obama to take concrete action to
remedy the dismal inequality facing AsAm. See:
http://www.80-20initiative.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY, an unprecedented number of
AsAm are serving our nation at some of the highest levels of government.
For example:
Sr. White House Advisor: Peter Rouse (Mother is Japanese American)
Cabinet Secretary: Chris Lu, the point contact person to all the cabinet secretaries.
Steven Chu: Secretary of Energy
General Eric Shinseki: Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Gary Locke, Commerce Secretary;
Aneesh Paul Chopra, Federal Chief Technology Officer
Ivan K. Fong, General Counsel (Deputy Secretary in rank), Homeland Security Dept.
Harold Hongju Koh, Legal Counsel (Deputy Secretary in rank), State Department
Howard Koh, Assistant secretary for Health & Human Services
Rajiv Shah, Chief Scientist USDA & Under Secretary for Research, Education
and Economics
Tina Tchen, Executive Dir. of the White House Ofc of Public Engagement
Eugene Kang, Special Assistant to the President
WHEN EXECUTIVE ORDER 11246 IS ENFORCED, we will all stop being second-
class citizens; 800,000 AsAm government workers, & many more at
universities and private enterprises will finally have a fair shot at promotions
based on meritocracy.
HELP ENSURE A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR OURSELVES AND OUR CHILDREN
As we reflect on the10th Anniversary of 80-20, let us give thanks to its
visionary Founders including Dr. SB Woo (Former Lt. Governor of DE),
Dr. Larry Ho (Professor Emeritus of two endowed chairs at Harvard) and
the late Dr. Chang-Lin Tien (Chancellor of UC Berkeley). Together, along
with steadfast 80-20 supporters like you, we have moved political mountains.
These great AsAm and patriots have shown us a hard-fought birthright
and a principled path to equal opportunity—charting our destiny
through political empowerment. We must each take the civil rights
challenges and opportunities that face this nation as our own, to make
America a more perfect Union.
THE TOUGHEST FIGHT FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN.
It requires unity, dollars, commitment and perseverance from ALL of us to
get the government to DELIVER what has been promised. If you have been
with us in our long struggle, 80-20 expresses its gratitude for your
commitment and support.
If not, please do your share and join our Civil Rights Movement!
Become a dues-paying member TODAY at http://www.80-20initiative.net
Not sure if you are a member? Find out here:
http://www.80-20initiative.
Dr. Edward Lin
Director, 80-20 Initiative
Equal Opportunity and Justice for ALL Asian Americans
e-mail: elin[at]ingenious[dot]com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/
Encourage Inspire Empower
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single
garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world”
Mahatma Gandhi