The wise words presented
below are from Alice Huang who has
donated $240,000 to SELF. She is a retired professor from Harvard,
a retired Dean of Science at New
York University, and a member of the Division of Biology at California Institute of
Technology. She has also been a Board member of
80-20 PAC for many years, as well as that of many other non-profits such as the
Rockefeller Foundation, Johns Hopkins Univ., Univ. of Massachusetts, Keystone
Center and Public Agenda. She was the President &
Chairperson of AAAS, American Association for the Advancement of Science, which is
the world's largest general scientific society. Her spouse is
Dr. David Baltimore, a Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine.
Alice even pilots her own airplane. :-)
She is
definitely one of our best and brightest, because unlike many
other "successful" AsAms, she remains an integral part of our
community, and she has the courage and substance to speak out
& fight for our equal opportunity.
Why I support 80-20 and why you should too!
"After
living in this country for more than 90% of my life, I am still asked questions
like, where are you from? and receive comments on how good my English is!
Caucasian minority immigrants in the U.S., once they lose their accents, can
pass as White Americans; but we Asian American immigrants will not be able to
easily blend into this country's majority population. Despite our educational
attainments and earnings, both of which are higher than the average American's,
we stand out and can easily become targets of racial harassment or
discrimination. To avoid this we need to whole-heartedly participate and
contribute in every aspect of American society to the extent that we become
indispensable and gain enough influence and power in the economic, military,
and political realms to protect ourselves.
This is because racial
bias, and worse prejudice, is alive and well in the United States. On top of
that the populace is prone to hysteria and fear of those who appear to be
different. U.S. history is full of examples of racial laws passed by Congress
to prevent Blacks, Chinese, or Mexicans from exercising their full civil
rights. The internment of Japanese during the Second World War and their loss
of homes and property stand out as examples of what can happen due to mass
hysteria. Despite the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1968 and declaration
of the unconstitutionality of the Anti-Miscegenation laws in 1967, these rights
are not always fully enforced. More recently, after 9/11, besides the continued
debates in the U.S. about limiting immigration, there were even questions
concerning the rights of naturalized citizens and whether they could be jailed
or deported without trial.
As Asian Americans most
of us are still focused on our individual families and remain comfortable in
the protective social niches that are isolated from mainstream America. Look
around us. We cannot ignore that: (1) our children, who volunteered to join the
armed forces to fight for the U.S., are often harassed to the extent that they
have resorted to suicide as the only way to escape their tormentors; (2) our
children's racial profile rather than their capabilities determines their
entrance into the college of their choice; (3) we are too slowly entering the
power structure of professions compared with those of us who fully qualify due
to our training and capabilities; and (4) increasingly there is open resentment
of recent wealthy Chinese immigrants who purchase desirable real estate or have
the poor taste to build "McMansions".
Although we all hope
that our and our progeny's contributions will be gradually recognized and
rewarded, we cannot totally ignore the possibility of a sudden reversal of
fortune for Asian Americans. Such a reversal could easily happen if the
relationship between the governments of the United States and any one of the
Asian countries increase in animosity or distrust leading to open warfare. As a
group we should accept that self-promotion is an acceptable behavior in
successful democracies. That is where 80-20
becomes so important. Unlike other Asian
American associations and societies, it is not focused on just educational and
cultural exchange. It promotes Asian Americans through political action as its
primary goal and secondarily to prevent the stereotyping and denigration of
Asian Americans through tasteless venues such as entertainment and in a variety
of other circumstances.
Why is 80-20 trying so
hard to raise financial support? Only with a strong
and sustained financial base will we be able to attract a professional staff
dedicated to educate and involve Asian Americans of all ages in the democratic
political process and provide the tools for self-interested activism. We need
to forge a strong coalition with other Asian American organizations so that by
strength in numbers we can increase our political influence. Staff is needed to
engage in wide surveillance of activities that prevent the advancement of Asian Americans, make these activities known, and solicit and coordinate appropriate
action to counter these activities. This is the right time for 80-20 to
succeed, and if does not, it will be because we are still too provincial to see
the opportunity we have to provide future security for ourselves and our
children.
For all the above
reasons, I have directed my main philanthropic efforts
recently to 80-20, hoping that a strong
financial base in its educational arm will bring together more like-minded
Asian Americans who are fully aware of racial history and the unpredictable
nature of human society. Gradually, through political and civic education, my
hope is that 80-20 as a political action committee will be able to gain
strength and influence to fight for justice and fairness for ALL Asian
Americans and at the same time educate a cadre of Asian American leaders who
will dedicate themselves to being selfless public servants and exemplars of
what we can offer to this country.
Why does 80-20 need to
raise money? Beside what have been mentioned above it also needs to forge a
strong and lasting coalition with other Asian American organizations. Join
us and help us to accomplish all this by donating as generously as you
can."
S.B. Woo, a volunteer
President, 80-20 Asian
Am. National Educational Foundation, Inc.
80-20's Top 10 Accomplishment , published 3 years ago.
