By Xiangming Yu
HISTORY provides another different yet extremely important perspective for the wrestling about SCA-5 (Senate Constitution Amendment 5). Just as there is always a woman behind a story, there is always history behind an incident. We respect history, no more than necessary for the sake of our long civilization, nor less than necessary as a result of being later-comer to this continent.
Hearing on SCA-5 at Cupertino City Hall on March 17, 2014 (file photo).
To the pragmatic public of this great country, the value of history, however, lies at the present and the future. Historic record may also be viewed as a balance sheet that consists of both asset and liability, and what matters the most is the equity. We Chinese, new or old, just like everybody else, come here seeking a better life not trouble, and to make friend not enemy.
We Chinese, new or old, paid or are paying our due for the benefit of being part of this community, this society, and this great country. Diligent, loyal, productive and cooperative Chinese American workers, engineers, soldiers and officers are found along side with Americans of other ethnicities, on railroad construction sites more than a century ago, on Information Superhighway programming army during the turn of the millennium, in the wars, and at the peace time.
California is beautiful and bountiful state that many of us call home. There are things one likes California about. There are things one dislikes California about. One may have one’s reason to envy the famous and rich Hollywood movie stars. One may also have one’s reason to be jealous about the young and wealthy Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. One may even have one’s reason to be unhappy about top campus college going middle-income family study heads.
To kick them out of shape or out of state, might plausibly make the envying jealous unhappy ones happy, doing so, however, will surely turn the great state of California into a totally different place to live. Movie stars, entrepreneurs, even middle-income family college students, do not reach where they are now over night.
There is history. The very highway that leads them all to success is not called racism, is not called totalitarianism, is not called discrimination, is not called revolution. The boulevard that leads everybody to one’s success and happiness is called dedication to progress and free market enterprise with some touch of social responsibility.