"The Chinese-Americans in the U.S. Political Scene" - A Panel Discussion

(The following article is taken from NACA Newsletter, No. 6, January 15, 1985)


NACA, in promoting the participation of Chinese-Americans in public affairs, co-sponsored with the M.I.T. Chinese Students' Association a panel discussion entitled "Chinese-Americans in the U.S. Political Scene" at this [NACA's national] convention. Panelists invited to speak on this topics were all veterans in public service. Among the scheduled panelists, Dr. S. B. Woo was probably the best known to the audience because of his courageous effort in seeking to be the first Chinese-American elected as Lieutenant governor of the State of Delaware. He was well-known to the Chinese-American community here because of his previous fund-raising appearances in Boston. His campaign was widely reported in all Chinese language newspapers published in the U.S. His presence in various cities had served as a uniting force in reconciliating Chinese-American groups of diverse political persuasions. S. B. Woo's successful capture of the Democratic Party nomination was considered by some to be a major achievement in itself and should pave the way for a final victory in Delaware, where registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans.

But, due to the lack of sufficient fund to confront the Republican opponent's extensive TV campaign, the election result as it was being processed a week before the convention showed that Woo was ahead by only a slim margin of votes. A recount of ballots was naturally requested by the opponent, and was granted. In order to protect his lead and to revent possible fraud, Woo and his supporters had to remain vigilant and maintain a watchful-eye over the election sites where the ballots were kept and eing picked up.

When the NACA convention was held, the recounting process was still being conducted. Thus, S. B. Woo, regrettably, was unable to join us in the convention and participate in the panel to tell us his trial and tribulations in a challenging and exhausting, but most important of all, a rewarding campaign for an elected office. Concerns over S. B. Woo's election result filled the hearts of all convention particpants. Reports repeatedly came in during the day, each giving a somewhat altered recount result. S. B. Woo's lead was dewindling. All of us lived through a suspenseful time. We now know that S. B. Woo has successfully captured the election. His decision to participate in this election will undoubtedly set an example for many more Chinese-Americans to follow. His courage will enrich the annals of the Chinese-Americans.

* Picture captions: 1. Anna Chenault; 2. Theordore Wu; 3. Julia Bloch; 4. Chia-Wei Woo

The panel discussion began with moderator Anna Chennault describing briefly her own experience in politics, and called all Chinese-Americans to be more politically conscious and to take active parts in supporting candidates of their choice. She said that she personally would cross party lines to lend support to Chinese-Americans campaigning for election.

The first panelist to speak was Julia Bloch, who flew in from a speech engagement in the Mid-west, boarding a plane there five o'clock in the morning and arriving at the site just in time to take part in the discussion. She told us a frank description of her career in public affairs. During her college years, she already determined to enter into governmental service, while most of the Chinese-Americans would seek careers in science and engineering. She had to compete in extremely unfavorable environment, and only through persistance was she able to achieve her present status.

Now, serving as the Assistant Administrator in the Bureau for Food for Peace and Voluntary Assistance in the Department of State, she held the highest appointed office among all Asian-Americans. She thanked Anna Chenault for being her mentor. She also lamented that many Chinese-Americans were afraid to enter into politics leaving the Chinese-Americans as a group with very little political strength.

The second panelist to speak was Theordore Wu, who entered governmental service through Annapolis with a background in science and technology. He called for political unity among Chinese-Americans so as to compete effectively in the present highly competitive environment. Chinese-Americans as a political entity was fragmented by ideology and would not function as effectively as other ethnic groups. The problem was so serious that to change the situation it was as if a spiritual revival of moral obligations would be called for. Mr. Wu gave a speech close to a sermon calling for precisely such a spiritual revival devoted to community unity.

The next speaker was Dr. Chia-Wei Woo, who spoke for S. B. Woo at his absence. He began by recounting their long duration of friendship. Chia-Wei Woo and S. B. Woo, though unrelated, were classmates since their high school days in Hong Kong. They had rather parallel experience after they came to the U.S. to study. They were roommates at college and both studied physics. Later, they both became professors in physics. While at the University of Delaware, S. B. Woo became a member of the Board of Trustees of the the university. So as to avoid a conflict of interest, S. B. Woo had to forsake all merit raises entitled by the faculty. A willingness to sacrifice personal gain, as witness by this act, prepared him to plunge into the campaign for Lieutenant Governorship in Delaware, a post which normally served merely ceremonial purpose. S. B. Woo was determined to give new meaning to the post with the intention to upgrade the educational opportunity for citizens of the state.

This election campaign though supported generous by Chinese-Americans in all parts of the country and many Amercian supporters, fell short of the needed expenditures. As a result, s. B. Woo had to mortage his home to finance the campaign. At the end of this speech, Chia-Wei Woo made an emotional appeal to the audience to send money to S. B. Woo's campaign headquarters. Even if S. B. Woo were to win this election, his position as a Lieutenant Governor would only pay him $16,000 per year, and he had to keep his faculty position at the University of Delaware in order to support his family. At the conclusion of his talk, some NACA members stood up immediately to present their donations to S. B. Woo.

Moderator Anna Chennault then added to the discussion by telling us her own associations with S. B. Woo's campaign. She was a staunch supporter of S. B. Woo from the beginning. She lamented also the lukewarmness of the Chinese community to Chinese-American candidates, and expressed hope that this attitude would be changed soon.

The discussion was then opened to the floor, and enthusiastic responses came from the audience. Judging from the pointedness of the questons raised and the frankness of the responses from the panelists, it was easy to detect a surge of interest in the political process from the Chinese community. NACA is therefore very pround to have co-sponsored this panel discussion at a very timely moment. [End of article]