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John Liu is NYC Comptroller

John Liu (D-Queens) is the first Asian American to win citywide office in New York.  His triumph is by a wide margin garnering 76% of the votes compared to Republican contender, Joe Mendola, who captured only 19% votes in yesterday's general elections.<sup>[1]

[1]</sup>nytimes.com

At The Polls Yesterday: Care and Attention

My participation in past elections has been largely limited to the early morning or last-minute evening dash to my precinct.  I'm one of those who tend to vote largely along party lines, partly because of my belief in the ideals of my party and also because I do have not enough information about each candidate running.

Regardless of the ridiculously overwhelming amount of campaign materials, which clog my mailbox at each election time, I end up just as ignorant about many of these candidates.  Arguably, the over-information and misinformation shoved recklessly into my mailbox daily results in cathartic effect that leads me to more so ignore candidates with the wider carbon footprint.

Also, it does not help that in local elections the size of the forum is more limited and the chatter of other districts, counties and even states often compete with each other, drowning out what may be salient to me in the airwaves.  There's also the spin-factor that adds to the clutter.  Everyone appears to be often for and seldom against something even if the issue is communicated from opposing views.  Then there's the sound byte that sometimes trumps the essence of the campaign narrative itself.

In the local elections that just passed, I have come to realize that I am fortunate enough to have access to all such inputs to begin with.  Volunteering for an organization that advocates greater access of ethnic minorities in the polls, I realize that language is still a barrier for some.  While I've come across no serious issues that may have barred one from fulfilling his or her electoral duty, it must have been tough for those who are not yet too comfortable in their English.  Translated materials and interpreters were on hand, of course, but I can just imagine how daunting it might have been, especially for those voting for the first time.

Even then I marvel at the zeal exhibited by those who've come armed only with a few words to get them started, "Do you speak Spanish?"  I admire those who cared to ask for help even in their broken English or, more confidently, in their own native language, "Who else can help me?"

I was particularly captured by the spirit of this Bengalese gentleman.  When I asked him to fill-up an exit poll questionnaire that I just handed him, he earnestly responded, "Yes, please read me your questions and write down what I answer."  Now, I assumed he either had vision problems or else was not that familiar with the alphabet, so I complied.  After my first few questions though, turning to him, I realized that he had closed his eyes presumably to focus on the questions that I read out to him.  With his eyes closed and a serious fold evident between his brows, I sensed his intent in capturing fully every question that I gave.  He evoked the same look of attention and care as he gave me his answers.  He had just come out of the polling place, and I felt his sense of pride and accomplishment having fared just as well, or even better, answering the real questions presented to him at the ballot.

I wonder if he voted every candidate in his party.  I wonder too how informed he was on the candidates and their campaign issues before he came to vote.  I wonder if he took the time to study each flier that came to his mailbox and to listen to what the candidates have to say on the airwaves.  Did he see through their spin?  Did he isolate and identify what is important to him through all the clutter?

Returning home from my volunteer duties, I proceeded to my own precinct to vote.  I took an extra minute or so to sort through all the different names listed on the voting machine.  Some names were more prominent than others.  The rest remained a blur to me, and on those, like in elections before, I based my decision based on their political affiliation.  Next time, I said to myself, I will take greater care and attention, thanks to the inspiration brought to me by that man from Bangladesh that I spoke with this morning.

Foster: Minority Bank Exemplar?

Foster Bank¹ is one of fifteen minority banks in Illinois that are on track to success.  Seven other banks in its minority status have posted losses in the first half of this year.  In her business column today, Chicago Tribune’s Becky Yerak² seeks to unravel what has driven Foster Bank to go against such odds.  (The FDIC defines minority banks as those where the majority of the institution’s stocks are owned by "Black American, Asian American, Hispanic American, or Native American", and, additionally, where the bank’s board and the community it serves are as such.³)

According to Miss Yerak, the organization’s chief executive, Paul Byungtag Kim, attributes the bank’s positive status to the hefty portion of its loans going to commercial real estate that are owner-occupied hence less likely to become delinquent or fall into disrepair.  But, perhaps, it is also because the bank clearly embraces the diversity of the community it serves.  Miss Yerak writes:

More than 80 percent of Foster's customer base is Korean, but increasingly its main office at 5225 N. Kedzie Ave. serves Spanish-speaking and Arab customers. A branch on Devon caters to Pakistani and Indian consumers, while Russians heavily patronize its locations in Niles and Lincolnshire. Its Naperville office serves a Chinese population. To better serve its clientele, bank employees speak a dozen languages.

¹fosterbank.com
²Becky Yerak, “Foster Bank sees profits as other minority banks struggle”, Chicago Tribune, Oct. 12, 2009
³fdic.gov

1.57 Billion Muslims Worldwide: "Asia Predominates"

The Pew Forum recently released the results of their comprehensive research on Muslims worldwide.¹  The study provides the size and distribution of the Muslim population across the world. The Forum, a project of the Pew Research Center, seeks to promote a deeper understanding of issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs.²

The study brings the total estimate to over 1.57 billion Muslims in the world.

There are more Muslims in the Asia-Pacific region than anywhere else in the world combined.  The countries with the largest number of Muslims in that region are Indonesia, Pakistan and India, which together accounts for more than a third (34%) of the world’s Muslim population.  Indonesia alone houses 202.9M Muslims, just a few percent shy of the entire Sub-Saharan African region’s Muslim population of 240.6M.  In fact, the Muslim population in Indonesia and Pakistan combined (376.9M) outranks the region known to be the center of Islam, the Middle East-North Africa (315.2M).

Together, Europe (38.1M) and the Americas (4.6M) have less than a two-digit share of the total count of Muslims in the world.  The United States has an estimated 2.5M, followed by Argentina and Canada respectively who each have less than a million Muslim residents.

The 2.5M count for the U.S.A rests within the wide range of previous estimates of 1M to 7M made over the past decade.³ Various sources also indicate that the largest group of Muslims in the country identify themselves as African American and that many reside in California—although New York has a larger share of Muslims based on total state population.

In New York City, the 24th United American Muslim Day Parade is expected to draw crowds on Sunday, October 18th.⁴  The parade will be along Madison Avenue starting at 41st Street and ending at 23rd Street where there will be a Food Festival and Bazaar.  Spearheaded by The Muslim Foundation of America and supported by several other organizations, the annual parade began to achieve their objective:  “to provide a platform to the Muslim community in the Tri-State to get together and join the main stream political arena of this country as we have adopted it as our homeland”.  The parade’s theme this year is “Understanding-Tolerance-Love”, lofty ideals that hopefully translate well both within our diverse U.S. communities and the rest of our conflict-ridden world.

¹Erik Gorski, ”Report: Global Muslim population hits 1.57 billion”, Associated Press, Oct. 8, 2009
²pewforum.org
³islam101.com
⁴muslimdayparade.com

The Most American City of All: Arlington?

Campaigning for the city’s bid to host the Olympics, the President portrayed Chicago’s diversity as that which lifts its stature above all other U.S. cities.¹

"You see, growing up, my family moved around a lot. And I never really had roots in any one place or culture or ethnic group," the president said. "Then I came to Chicago. And on those Chicago streets, I worked alongside men and women who were black and white; Latino and Asian; people of every class and nationality and religion. I came to discover that Chicago is that most American of American cities, but one where citizens from more than 130 nations inhabit a rich tapestry of distinctive neighborhoods."

But, is Chicago really the most diverse and thus the most American of our cities?

Looking at the U.S. Census'² estimated population of 244 U.S. cities by racial group and Hispanic origin, let’s see how Chicago compares to a typical U.S. city.  It looks like the white population is significantly underrepresented by at least minus 21-percentage points compared to the average city.  Conversely, African Americans and Latinos are overrepresented by 16- and 7-percentage points higher, respectively. Browsing through the U.S. Census list, we come across the Texas City of Arlington.  Its population profile looking at similar measures is in fact closer to what an average American city might look like.  Consider that the differences are at most only two-percentage points higher or lower than the typical city’s population proportions by racial group and Hispanic origin.  Likewise, the equivalent population shares of Arlington’s smaller communities, including Asian Americans, more closely resemble that of the average U.S. city than Chicago does.Comparing the data of these two cities, Arlington’s diversity is more reflective of the racial profile of a typical American city.  Should Arlington’s Mayor Dr. Robert Cluck have then sought to host the 2016 Olympics, he could have practically used the words used by the President to promote his very own city, which incidentally also shares a similar slogan that President Obama used in his last campaign:  “We can.”³

Understandably, mere population counts and their distribution based on racial and ethnic groups do not account for all the many complex parameters defining a city’s diverse profile nor, for that matter, its American character.  Along with other demographic hues such as gender, age and education, there’s a rich palette that one needs to use in order to paint a city’s true and real picture, like history, culture, economy, and politics, among others.  That’s what a true Chicago fan would argue, as does one avid blogger.⁴

But, just don’t forget the rest of us who live in all the other great cities of this nation—and, yes, including Arlington.

¹Kathy Bergen, “Flat pitch to IOC: 'Without the Obamas, Chicago had nothing,' Olympic historian says”, Chicago Tribune, Oct. 3, 2009
²www.census.gov/statab/ccdb/cc07_tabD2.xls
³http://www.arlingtontx.gov/
⁴Whet Moser, ”Chicago: ‘The most American of American cities’?”, Chicago Reader, Oct. 2, 2009

John Liu Wins Democratic Primary for NYC Controller

City Councilman John Liu (D-Queens) won the Democratic primary for Controller in yesterday's runoff, winning over Councilman David Yassky (D-Brooklyn) by a margin of 56% to 44%.  If Liu beats Republican Joe Mendola in the November 3 general election, Liu will become the first Asian-American to win citywide office in New York.¹

(See related post, "Historic NYC Primaries for Asian Americans")

¹ Erin Einhorn, Celeste Katz and Adam Lisberg, "John Liu & Bill de Blasio win runoff elections for city controller & public advocate - respectively", Daily News, Sept. 30 2009

Jim Yong Kim: First Asian American Ivy League Leader

President Jim Yong Kim was inaugurated last Tuesday to become the first Asian American leader of Ivy League school.¹ Dr. Kim co-founded Partners in Health, a Harvard-affiliated nonprofit organization that provided health services in Haiti. He also served as Director of HIV/AIDS in the World Health Organization, a program that significantly raised global AIDS awareness and changed the life prospects of thousands who are currently in treatment.² In his inaugural address, President Jim Yong Kim imparted his wisdom to the student body and bequeathed upon them a greater calling ahead.

Find your passion, be persistent in achieving mastery, pursue knowledge in the way that works best for you and embrace the planet’s problems, because no one will be more prepared to fix them than you.

¹Holly Ramer of The Associated Press, “1st Asian-American to lead Ivy League school inaugurated”, Nashua Telegraph, Sept. 23, 2009
²Global Health Champions, PBS.org

Study Hard, Play by the Rules, and Speak Up.

Valerie Whitney, business writer for the News Journal, could not have better recapped her report on the theme of the last Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA)¹ meeting with the invocation expressed by guest speaker Councilman Josh Wagner (Volusia, Florida): “You need to speak up guys.”²

The councilman encouraged the estimated 100 hotel owners in attendance to participate more actively in public hearings on such issues as property taxes.  (AAHOA is scheduled to participate in two upcoming townhall meetings in Fort Myers, Sept. 23, and Tampa, Sept.24.)  The other speakers also summoned all to redefine its relationship with their local government and tourism development councils. 

Noting that already the majority of Best Western franchisees are Indian American-owned, the Florida regional director of the organization, Kirit Patidar, also urged members to play a more active role in the political process beginning with public issues that have a direct impact on their business.

But it was Bharat Patel of Econo Lodges of America Franchise Association Inc. in Sarasota, who echoing such a plea, delved into why Indian Americans who have become major players in the industry are holding themselves back.

All of us in this room have four things in common. Our parents told us to study hard, get a good education and play by the rules. They also told us not to get involved with politics. But the last eight years has taught us that the American Dream is slipping away.

There is comfort for some, including our more senior Asian Americans, in keeping with traditional tenets, but those are not enough to sustain us and succeed in the broader American landscape.  It is a difficult balancing act for some, but a necessary one, which our forefathers facing more severe circumstances in our history have more heavily invested in.  Speak up!

¹www.aahoa.com
²Valerie Whitney, “Association director: Asian hoteliers must be more visible”, Daytona Beach News Journal, September 19, 2009

Historic NYC Primaries for Asian Americans

The primary elections held last Tuesday brought Asian Americans in the forefront of New York City politics.  If victorious in the upcoming general elections, there would be milestones in the city’s history.¹

First of all, there’s John Liu who is running for city comptroller; he would be the first Asian American to hold a citywide office if wins the runoff and the general elections.  Then, there are the Asian American candidates winning the Democratic primaries for city council.  If they win the general elections, the city would have the first Korean American council member (Kevin Kim), the first Asian American to represent Chinatown (Margaret Chin), and there would be an additional Asian American council member (with Yen Chou also winning).

It’s about time!  Back in 1989 minority groups became the majority of the city’s population, only nine members of the council were African Americans or Hispanics—and no Asian Americans!  Following last Tuesday’s primaries, Hispanics, African and Asian Americans may very well consist a majority of the new city council, reflecting more closely the real face of the city’s diverse and vibrant population.<sup>2

1</sup>Shazia Khan, “Asian-Americans Win Historic City Primaries”, NY1, Sept. 17, 2009
²Sam Robert, “In Council, Minorities on Edge of Majority”, New York Times, September 18, 2009

East River Alert: Code Ordinary

The Metropolitan section of the New York Times offers a glimpse of its city dwellers’ day-to-day lives via the anecdotage, “Dear Dairy”.  This contribution from John Hacket leads the list of diary contributions today.

“As I cycle on the promenade skirting the East River near the Brooklyn Bridge one recent evening, I notice a police boat heading at a 90-degree angle toward shore. There is no place for it to moor, but it steadily approaches.

“A police officer is standing on deck, which is level with the promenade. At this stage, I’m guessing he is readying himself to tie up and climb ashore as part of some emergency police action.

“Then I notice an Asian man holding a shopping bag at the railing on the promenade, right at the point where the boat is headed. In another moment the boat pulls up and the Asian man hands over the shopping bag in exchange for money from the officer.

“Of course: Chinese delivery, the East River version.”

It shows how the Rumsfeld-Ashcroft terror alert level system is still strongly ingrained within us initialing such a reaction in thought, at least, of whatever that could be ghastly.  And, heaven forbid, we take it for granted that in New York City, Chinese take-out is not something out of the ordinary—not even for cops just taking a break from a beat that’s, well, out of the ordinary.