5 years ago this week, I walked my family into the Oval Office. I watched my immigrant mom speechless as she shook hands with Pres Obama while he held my 6 m/o baby boy. Three generations of my family in the Oval with the President. I kept thinking “This is America”(THREAD)
That was the last time I was in the White House. The first time I entered that sacred building was when my mother took me as a boy. She taught me two things: 1) This house belongs to the people and 2) this building (and our democracy) is bigger than any of us. 2/14
PEOPLE’S HOUSE: I remember how proud my mom was that as an immigrant she was able to walk us into the White House. We wandered the Rose Garden. I felt connected to my government. I wasn’t intimidated, I was invited. I wasn’t excluded, instead I felt welcomed to participate. 3/14
That sense of participation stuck with me years later when I started work at the White House. The first time I ever stepped foot in OvalOffice I was so nervous, but I remembered I was invited. I had something to contribute. As an American, this building belongs to all of us. 4/14
BIGGER THAN US: During that first visit as a child, my mom bought me this medallion marking 200 yrs of Presidency. As a 7 yr old, that seemed like an impossibly big number. I tied this to my bedpost growing up. I proudly hung it by my desk when I worked there 24 yrs later. 5/14
I carried forward that sense of awe and respect, even through small gestures. I kept a pair of pristine black shoes under my desk that I would only wear when called into Oval Office. I wanted to treat that room differently. The White House demands and deserves our respect. 6/14
I was heartbroken when I saw the White House disrespected and used as a political prop. I took part in 3 events on South Lawn. Sept 11 memorial, July4 celebration and arrival ceremony for Head of State visit. That is sacred ground. Campaigning has no place at White House. 7/14
The White House is more than a symbol. It is the physical manifestation of Article 2 of Constitution with its power derived from the American people. The building is bigger than any of us, bigger than our political parties, bigger than any President who occupies it. 8/14
In this era of growing authoritarianism around the globe it’s more important than ever that we protect and reinforce the institutions of our democracy. After insurrection, we know we are not immune to this threat and Georgia voter suppression law shows attacks continue. 9/14
How do we fight against the rising authoritarianism and stop the erosion of our democracy here at home? The counterweight to authoritarianism is engraved in the very ceiling of the Oval Office. 10/14
When I first walked into the Oval, it felt so familiar from all the movies and photos I’ve seen. I felt like I knew every inch of the room. But being there in person, I noticed one thing I never knew existed - a large seal of Presidency carved in the ceiling above. 11/14
E PLURIBUS UNUM - Out of Many, One. Those are the words hanging over every President in the most powerful room in the world. It is inscribed in the medallion my mom bought me. Those are the President’s instructions - protect the plurality. 12/14
PROTECT THE PLURALITY: If authoritarianism is inversion of E Pluribus Unum, an attack on plurality and power of Citizen, then we must focus on strengthening civic life. Protect right to vote, demand transparency, fight corruption, counter disinformation, ensure diversity. 13/14
I can’t wait to step foot in the White House again and hopefully walk into the Oval Office to greet the President. When I do, I hope to tell President Biden, or any President for that matter, to look up. E Pluribus Unum. This is America. END
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I cried twice this week. Once when young woman told me “Mom was my sanctuary.” Her mom was among 8 killed in Atlanta. I cried again when I saw video of Filipino mom kicked in face in NYC. Amidst tragedy, let’s pay tribute to AAPI moms who give us strength (THREAD) #StopAsianHate
GRIT: I visited ATL this week to talk with children of victims. They all said their moms were hardworking. Long hours, careful spending to save for family/retirement. One said through tears, “She worked so hard to have it end that way.” Another said “She’s finally resting.” 2/11
ENDURANCE:Their powerful reflections hit me hard. When I was young, my mom worked night shift as hospital nurse so she could take care of sister and me during daytime. I asked her once when she had time to sleep. She said simply, “I don’t know.” Moms have superhuman strength.3/11
I cannot get this shameful video out of my mind today. Attacker yelled “You don’t belong here.” But doorman’s actions said same thing when he shut door on a broken woman lying on sidewalk. We as a nation need to talk about bystanders to hate (THREAD) #WeBelong#StopAsianHate
When that door closes, it sends a clear message. It says I’m not going to help. It says this is none of my business. It says to the woman, you don’t belong in this building; keep your problems outside. It says this is not my responsibility. 2/11
I feel like this is so metaphorical to the challenges we face as a nation right now. We as a society are having a crisis of empathy. What we are losing is that important sense of sharedness. Whether that is shared experiences, shared truths, shared space, shared identity. 3/11
I flew down to Atlanta this morning to pay my respects to those lost in the shootings and show our solidarity against hate. I’m also here to listen and hear from the community what we can do to heal. #StopAsianHate
I’ll be sharing some of those stories on this thread. I hope you’ll follow with me and keep the victims in your thoughts today.
We’re traveling from the site of the first shooting to the second. It’s a long drive, and on this drive something becomes very clear: the killer’s intent to turn his hate targeting AAPI into something even more horrible.
My 5 yr old boy came home and asked me why bigger kid kept calling him Chinese Boy. My son, confused, told the boy I’m a New Jersey Boy. He laughed it off but my eyes welled up. 50 yrs ago my parents immigrated here but we cannot shake shadow of foreignness. #StopAsianHate THREAD
I was sad because my son shared what was likely his first ever experience of discrimination. For me it wasn’t first time I heard bias about him. People told me he has cute slanty Chinese eyes or it’s great we teach him English as primary lang as if our default is foreigner. 2/13
When someone joked about whether he was born knowing Kung Fu, it reminded me of the Jackie Chan taunts I got that started “innocent” but then turned dangerous as I got older and found myself attacked by drunk men seeking to prove their strength by beating up “Jackie Chan” 3/13
I’ll never forget the feeling when I learned that my own government questioned my loyalty. Before Congress I worked in diplomacy at StateDept. I once received a letter banning me from working on Korea issues just because of my last name. I was stunned. (THREAD) #StopAsianHate
I had previously worked in Afghanistan for State. I had a top secret security clearance. But here was a letter saying we don’t trust you. What confused me more is that I didn’t even apply to work on Korea. The StateDept was proactively telling me they didn’t trust me. 2/13
And it wasn’t just me. I learned that other Asian Americans at State had same thing happen. It was called “assignment restrictions” - a bureaucratic way of saying “failing loyalty test.” politico.com/amp/news/2021/… 3/13
I was asked if murder was racially motivated if killer wasn’t yelling KungFlu? Answer is yes. The killer fetishized Asian women and targeted them to murder(dominate) because of his hypersexualized objectification. AAPI racism isn’t just about Covid. #StopAsianHate (THREAD)
The fact that the killer doesn’t see his violence as racist is exactly the problem. The killer’s actions were motivated by the way he saw Asian women. Regardless of what he said, his actions and violence spoke the truth of his motivations. 2/7
And for members of the AAPI community, his message of hate is loud and clear. It’s a message that hits at the intersection of this hate crime. We don’t need to hear his spin, now is a time to instead listen to AAPI women who sadly know this discrimination/fear personally. 3/7