A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:
Lee Wong, is an elected official and Chairman of the board of trustees in West Chester Township, Ohio. During a meeting of the West Chester Township Board of Trustees on March 23rd he stood up and literally bared his chest to make a point about the discrimination and hate that Asian Americans have experienced. That moment was caught on video and went viral. Mr. Lee spoke with me about what compelled him to speak up that day and what’s happened since.
Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:
- Lee’s upbringing in Malaysia (previously British Borneo)
- What brought him to the U.S.
- The Asian hate incident that happened to Lee in 1972 and how that changed the trajectory of his life
- Lee’s 20 years of service in the U.S. army and the chest injuries he sustained during that time
- How Lee first got elected to the West Chester Township Board of Trustees
- What prompted him to speak up at the March 23rdmeeting
- The feedback and reaction that Lee has gotten since the video clip of him went viral
- The problem with Asians being perceived as a model minority
- How Lee works with the Midwest USA Chinese Chamber of Commerce to promote Asian culture and to build more bridges between Asian Americans and the community at large
- Lee’s message of hope to Asian Americans in these times of increased Asian hate incidents
- How Lee is now working on writing his memoir
- The website for Lee Wong that is in the works: www.LeeWong.us
- The voicemail that Lee received from another military service man that recognized Lee after his March 23rdvideo went viral
Related Links:
The video of Lee Wong speaking at the March 23rd meeting of the West Chester Township Board of Trustees that went viral: https://abc7ny.com/lee-wong-scars-asian-american-hate-west-chester-ohio-military-service/10454881/?fbclid=IwAR0tx9rs7QdKwaANPO0wwohb3UJA3_n0CLchV4sEu_qekuAsJSbK6WE68rA
*Note: The viral video of Lee Wong is from approximately 28:00 – 31:00
West Chester Township Board of Trustees Regular Meeting – March 23, 2021 from West Chester on Vimeo.
Atlanta Spa Shootings: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Atlanta_spa_shootings
The voicemail Lee received from another military service man who recognized Lee after his March 23rd video went viral: https://www.facebook.com/759509573/posts/10159651061469574/?d=n
Midwest USA Chinese Chamber of Commerce on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/midwestchamber
The Sun Poem by Sara Ting: http://worldunityinc.org/thesunpoem.html
Chinese Exclusion Act:
‘Model Minority’ Myth Again Used As A Racial Wedge Between Asians And Blacks: https://www.npr.org/
The model minority myth says all Asians are successful. Why that’s dangerous: https://www.
Japanese Internment Camps: https://www.history.com/
Sherry Chen (Xiafen Chen): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/