Echoes From The Heart
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
By Alfred Tsang
What is one of the frequently asked questions (FAQ) confronting IACA
members (except Caucasian spouses and FCC parent members)? WHERE ARE
YOU FROM?
Why is this question asked?
Are the American born offspring of our members confronted by the question?
"Why not? Ethnic Asians are Asians where one is immigrant or native
born."
Why don't we know about it? What if they (our children) ask why they
were asked such a question? How do we respond?
"Immigrant parents are not sensitive to such question because they
came from a foreign country. Parents don't like such question from their
offspring because they don't have the satisfactory answer. Just tell
them to go back to their homework."
Typically this septuagenarian would respond, "I came to Indy from
Connecticut in 1967."
"Oh, I mean before that?"
"Well, I was in college, then I served all over in the U.S. Army
Air Corps, and in New York before that. Actually I was born in New York."
As the exchange becomes awkward and tries to move on, "I mean what
is your ethnic (sic)?"
Before the resumption of diplomatic relations by the U.S. with People's
Republic of China, I would be asked if my parents came from the mainland
or Taiwan. This just goes to show the ignorance of the mainstream in
the geopolitics-that mainland was once all China until the end of World
War II when China recovered Taiwan, a/k/a Formosa, from Japan.
Since I don't live with them or have to counsel them, I asked my grandchildren
if they had been teased in school because they are different. What else
could I expect?
Fellow Asians do ask one another the same question for the purpose of
sharing cultural and linguistic heritage and other experiences. Do non-Asians
ask us for the same purpose?
Some years ago, Phylis Lan Lin was doing an academic symposium, and
asked me if I would go to the airport to meet the arriving participants.
While I was looking at the monitor for the arrival time and gate, a
Caucasian woman accompanied by a teenager, total strangers, asked where
I was from. Seeing the troubled look on my face, she then introduced
herself as Lucille Alexander, and that she and her husband were on the
staff of Tunghai University in Taiwan. They were back in the U.S. for
the summer and visiting Indy for the symposium.
Even though the Chinese Exclusion Act has been repealed for fifty plus
years, the prejudice against Chinese and other Asians remains. Sometimes
the prejudicial behavior turns into denial of legal and civil rights
and even violence.
I have been an American longer than the majority of the population of
any race or ethnicity. I immerse myself in the activities of the mainstream.
Beyond asking where I come from, I face rejection of my birthright and
ethnic and racial slurs. I get them from all directions-the worse from
members of the intelligentsia.
The national Organization of Chinese-Americans (OCA) headquartered in
Washington, D. C. was formed about the same time as IACA. Its purposes
were almost identical in words as IACA's. It has over 50 chapters including
those surrounding Indiana in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois.
It too has the same tax-exempt status as IACA. It advocates the rights
and interests of all Chinese-Americans in the U. S. There have been
talks about IACA becoming an affiliate with OCA. Whether we do it or
not, we all benefit from its work on behalf of all us. It is a matter
of honor and responsibility to be part of it and strengthen it. This
is what I have been trying to do to get our members to take on the civic
responsibility of registering to vote and to vote in the elections.
There is fear in the mind of some that being involved in advocacy we
would be in danger of losing of tax-exempt status. I happen to know
it is not so because I prepared IACA's tax exempt application. The Internal
Revenue Code does not prohibit a tax-exempt organization from any political
activities as long as it is not SUBSTANTIALLY organized and operated
for political purpose. However, advocating or speaking out for a cause
or causes, or supporting or opposing legislation is not a political
activity in itself.
As a Life Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
I have been appointed as its Indiana state coordinator. My role is to
advocate matter of interest to the mechanical engineering community.
I am registered with the Indiana Lobbyist Registration Commission. At
a Public Affairs Leadership Conference in Washington, I joined other
engineers in visiting congressmen and senators' offices seeking them
to support certain legislation. ASME at all time has been and still
is a tax-exempt organization.
Darrel and Jeannie Allen model the new IACA t-shirts which will soon
be available to IACA members. Call Vicky Ko for more information on
colors and sizes available.
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