Founder's Message

“Rule of law.” These three words are more than a phrase for me. The existence of rule of law in the United States profoundly shaped my life. It is why I founded the Asian American Affairs Association (AAAA).
 

Terminated from my position as a senior vice-president of a large American corporation for reasons that had little to do with my abilities and much more with my status as a China-born immigrant, I waged a long legal battle challenging the legality of my termination on the basis of unfair treatment due to my race and status as a China-born immigrant. My former employer was deep-pocketed and politically connected.

I, on the other hand, stood to lose both my personal reputation and everything I owned. It would have been easier not to have pursued the action, but the idea of racial identity as grounds for an employee’s losing a job he had worked hard to achieve directly clashed with my faith in America as a land of opportunity and justice.

In 2001, a Seattle civil court jury unanimously awarded me lost wages and Millions of dollars and it is one of the largest amounts in the civil right and employment lawsuits in American history. 

Despite the obstacles to fair treatment of Asian-Americans that exist in the United States, I firmly believe in the United States as both a country of opportunity and one committed to the inclusion of people of all racial, ethnic, and national backgrounds. Every American and their ancestors, except Native Americans, arrived on these shores from someplace else. The nation’s strength is solidly rooted in the contributions of newcomers seeking better lives and opportunities from every part of the globe, be it England or continental Europe, Central or Latin America, or East or South Asia.

America’s legal system is far from perfect. As we are often reminded, its courts and legal structures, and institutions do not guarantee equal treatment to all. Nonetheless, I consider it the best system yet devised.

My experiences demanding justice for no crime other than my racial and national identity have convinced me of the need for all Asian-Americans to understand that the American judicial system provides robust avenues for redressing those whose civil rights have been violated. For this reason, the AAAA is also committed to educating Asian-Americans, particularly immigrants, about the protections its laws afford them.

My hope is that the work of the AAAA will create awareness among the Asian-American community of the importance of civic participation and actively contributing to American society. To do so is both our privilege and responsibility as Americans.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all the people who have supported me and who continue to support our mission.