Leadership | David Chan

Barack Obama Racism and Our Country’s Future

September 17th, 2009 By DavidChan Leave a Comment

The issue of Barack Obama racism hits a nerve that threatens to derail the most basic tenets of why our forefathers came to this country. Lest we all forget, we are all immigrants to the United States, except for the indigenous Native Americans. How can we preach leadership and democracy to other countries, when we have such bigotry and disrespect for our own leaders and regular citizens?

As an American-born Chinese, I grew up during a time when people used to describe us as “Chinks” or “Slanty-eyes.” I got angry at these derogatory remarks until I realized that maybe these people just didn’t know any better. Perhaps they came from a part of the country where there wasn’t very much cultural diversity. Or, maybe, they were just afraid of other cultures that they knew little about.

But, guess what? I grew up in this country. I’m pretty much as American pie as everyone else who has lived here for any length of time. I just happen to also know how to order Chinese food, as well as Italian, Hungarian, Thai and, yes, steak and potatoes.

The thing that irks me the most, though, about the Barack Obama racism is that there are some well-heeled people stirring up the pot who should know better. One famous talk show host recently suggested that Mr. Obama is somehow causing racism throughout the country. He tried to label it “Obama’s America.”

How can any intelligent person possibly link an un-related school bus beating with Barack Obama racism? The only logical conclusion that most people have come to is that this talk show host is looking to create controversy for his own financial gain. After all, controversy does seem to sell and it certainly seems to be the tactic of today’s hyper-tensioned country.

I’m not sure when America lost its “innocence.” But, I can remember the days when Camelot died … when JFK, Bobby Kennedy and, yes, even Ronald Reagan passed through our lives. While there was controversy during their times, at least there was general civility and respect amongst their colleagues and civilians.

Who would ever have thought that a “jackass” would stand up in front of congress and call the President of the United States a liar? This is not kindergarten folks! What kind of example are we passing on to our children, let alone to the leaders of the “free world?”

The Barack Obama racism issue is not a Red State vs. Blue State issue. It is an all state issue. At a time of unprecedented unemployment, health care inequity and education disparity, how can we allow our country to digress into this shameless act of self-destruction?

Ex-President Carter may or not be right that some people do not believe that an African AMERICAN could possibly be capable of leading our great nation. But, if a person with a Political Science degree from Columbia University and a Magna Cum Laude law degree from Harvard can’t lead this country, who can? The talk show host with NO degree?

A Leadership Position to End the Domestic Violence Cycle

September 10th, 2009 By DavidChan 4 Comments

October is awareness month to help put an end to the domestic violence cycle. According to the FBI statistics, every nine seconds a woman is beaten in this country. What is less known are how high the statistics are around domestic violence against children and men, as well? In the past few months, I’ve become increasingly aware of the alarming rate at which domestic violence is growing in this country.

Through my work with Patti Austin, the 2008 Grammy award jazz vocalist, I’ve learned that domestic violence is not just an act perpetrated against a person, but a family, a neighborhood a community. Her leadership in working with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence is a model by which our nation’s leaders and people of influence should follow. Patti’s Blue Movement speaks out against this disease, helps to support the victims and encourages our nation to stand up in solidarity.

Unfortunately, the domestic violence cycle is one that all too often ends tragically. One of the perpetuators of this problem is the media. I watched with utter disbelief Larry King interview Chris Brown as if he were on a pedestal. He showed “humility?” and “remorsefulness?” and declared that “he still loves Rihanna?” How can any sane person, let alone a network buy into this type of sensationalism?

In the U.S., we treat domestic violence victims almost as if they were the cause of the problem. “She or he asked for it.” or “They deserved what they got.” We also treat the symptom, rather than the problem. In so doing, the symptom often has a tragic ending. One Midwest state reported 80 deaths attributed to domestic violence from 2002 to 2003. That’s ONE state over ONE year. Do the math … it’s staggering. Compare that with the war on terrorism. We should think again about where we spend our valuable resources. How about fixing the home front first?

One sobering report is a review of Google’s search data on trends and insights related to domestic violence. On this page it’s hard not to notice the headlines … “Broncos rookie faces domestic violence charge”, “Upshaw arrested on domestic violence charge”, “Domestic violence, child abuse, may be on the rise amid economic troubles.”

Taking a leadership position, we should work to get to the root cause before the violence begins and before it can continue. We need to recognize that the domestic violence cycle is exactly that, a cycle. It may begin at home and passed on to the young, a relationship gone south, or even a random act of “power.” However it starts the cycle needs to be broken.

I was pleased to hear the appointment of Lynn Rosenthal as the advisor to President Obama on domestic violence issues. This signals to the nation that support for the fight against domestic violence is finally coming from the top. Vice President Biden recognized the seriousness of this issue as far back as 1994, when he helped pen the Violence Against Women Act.

October may be awareness month to end the domestic violence cycle, but the cycle doesn’t begin and end in one month … it’s an every day thing.

Weighing In On the Obama Education Speech

September 5th, 2009 By DavidChan 4 Comments

The Obama education speech scheduled for Tue, Sep 8th, 2009 is one that needs to be said and heard by our nation’s young and old alike. Education is one of the areas where the U.S. has lost significant leadership to many other countries worldwide. In fact, it’s embarrassing that the “richest” country in the world puts so little emphasis on education. As stated by researcher Gary Phillips of the American Institutes for Research (AIR) in 2007, “We’re kind of in the middle of the pack [with the rest of the world]. Being in the middle of the pack is really a mediocre place to be.”

The debate about the message of the Obama education speech is the wrong place to spend one’s energy. I find it hard to believe that any politician can be accused of “spreading their political agenda” through a topic on ensuring that our children stay in school and taking responsibility for their success.

Let’s evaluate the opposite approach taken by some people who oppose President Obama’s speech. They are recommending that parents keep their children home and not listen to the President’s speech. What kind of message does that send to our children, “that education is not important or that our nation’s leader is one not to be trusted?”

At a time of unprecedented turmoil within the U.S. and abroad, we need to bring some sanity and stability back into our culture. Education at every level is a cornerstone to keeping our country from slipping into a third world state. It’s been proven that education elevates countries from the depths of poverty.

I recently finished Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, wherein he discusses the characteristics of success and how that success does not just come from the individual, but also the culture, community and family around him or her. The Obama education speech speaks right to the facts to which Mr. Gladwell reports.

Malcolm Gladwell states, “The only problem with school, for the kids who aren’t achieving, is that there isn’t enough of it. He goes on to say that the Japanese go to school for 243 days a year and the South Koreans 220 days. There are many other countries with school years far exceeding America’s 180 school days. Mr. Gladwell points to the fact that summer vacation is so indoctrinated into our society that we may never be able to make the shift to more education.

Couple this cultural problem with the fact that education is often the first thing cut during economic downturns … for example $1.3 Billion in California school budget cuts in 2009 and a proposed $4 Billion in cuts in 2010. The Chief of California State Schools, Jack O’Connell, once wrote in a press release “We can talk about courage until we’re blue in the face, but courage is just a word until it is supported by the right kind of action. And the right kind of action in this case means protecting education and investing in the future.”

The Obama education speech addresses the point to which Mr. O’connell speaks. Investing in the future means ensuring that our school age students are stimulated and encouraged to fully participate in their own education. Let’s all hope that the cards are not stacked against them.