Smeared Type

From left to right: Alice Wong, Chau Le Williams, Jian Ping and Charles Fan. FAPAC, Houston. May 12, 2009

It was inspiring to be at the Federal Asian Pacific American Council’s annual conference (24^th) in Houston earlier this week. The theme of this year’s week-long conference is Leadership to Meet the Challenges of a Changing World. Mr. Farook Sait, President of the Council, addressed the attendees several times during the two days I was there. He is one of the most eloquent and inspiring speakers I’ve ever met. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet and talk with him in person.  

I felt honored to be a panelist at the conference and delighted to meet with many people. Among them, Mr. Kin Wong, Co-Chair of the Conference, Mr. Charles Fan, Immediate Past President of the Council, Ms. Alice Wong, Senior Advisor at the State Department who introduced me at my panel, Ms. Marina Milton, Chair, Program Committee, Mr. Pushparajan Arokiaswamy, Executive Secretary, Ms. Chau Le Williams, former President of the Council, Mr. Hillol Ray, Poet Laureate, and more.  Many talented, high achievers. In fact, it was the first conference I had ever attended in the US that had so many Asians under one roof. I felt the energy and bonding of the group and became more conscious of the role that each of us should play in our daily life and responsibilities as an Asian, an immigrant, in this adopted country that we now call home.

I was the sole panelist on the plenary “Yes, You Can, Overcoming Adversity.” I talked about Belief and Optimist, Persistence and Patience. I also encouraged everyone to cast away the limitations we tend to set over ourselves and pursue the dream(s) and passion we possess. The one-hour-and-fifteen-minute session flew by. In the end, many people in the audience left their names and e-mail addresses for further communication. I felt privileged and encouraged.

I had to leave the Conference to get back to my work in Chicago. I wish I could have stayed longer, attending some sessions and engaging in more inspiring discussions.

Jian Ping, author of Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China. Visit www.mulberrychild.com.

Last Sunday, I attended the round table talk on diversity organized by the Center of Asian Arts and Media. Nancy Tom, Executive Director of the Center and a close friend, invited me to the event. Nancy, as always, dressed elegantly and greeted everyone going through the door with a warm smile and friendly handshake. Petite but full energy and enthusiasm, Nancy wasted no time in introducing me to the people around her. Lily Zhang, from the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago, Yuchia, Director of the Center of Asian Arts and Media, Erikka, partner of Akira clothing store… Nancy was proud to bring a group of people together.

We soon sat around a circle at the studio of Earnest, a city planner and chatted. As we munched on cheese, fruits and nuts and sipped wine, we covered many areas on diversity—from Nancy’s experience of being openly discriminated as a Chinese growing up in the US, to Erikka’s success as a young, successful entrepreneur in clothing business, to Lily serving as a bridge between the West and East, and Peter, a professor at the Audio Arts and Acoustic at Columbia College, teaching students in Acoustics, we shared our stories and learned about the importance of persistence and reaching out.

We were a group of diversified people, from ABC (American Born Chinese), to FOB (fresh off the boat, or rather first generation Chinese immigrants), to Hispanic descendent and Eastern European origin, we marveled at the melting pot that brought us together and talked about the opportunities and challenges we face today. It was wonderful to learn the stories of persistence by new immigrants and the importance of us playing an active role in improving the presence and equalities of Asians and other minorities in this country we now all call home.

Nancy Tom eventually turned to me to talk about my perspective. As always, she gave me a big plug by introducing Mulberry Child, my latest book. I talked about reaching out to others in corporate America, playing an active role in enhancing the communication and understanding between the West and East… By the end of the two-hour meeting, I was full of pride and elation. I know we are lucky to live in an era when various voices are heard and faces accepted.

Jian Ping, author of Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China. www.mulberrychild.com