Cars are Dangerous

Some people blanch when I tell them Jada and Aaron walked to and from school by themselves when they were 9 and 7.  My suburban friends in particular often asked me if I was scared for them, perhaps out of a heightened sense of the city being big and bad.  Without being too snarky, I would point out that from a safety standpoint, it was far less dangerous to walk a well-trafficked two blocks to school than to drive to school; or, even worse, to walk or bike to school at the same time that others are frantically racing their two-ton steel boxes to the same drop-off spot.  

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 Here are a few excerpts from a book I recently read, "Washington: A Life," by Ron Chernow.

Mount Vernon would be George Washington’s personality writ large, the cherished image he wished to project to the world. Had the estate not possessed profound personal meaning for him, he would never have lavished so much time and money on its improvement. It was Washington’s fervent attachment to Mount Vernon, its rural beauties and tranquil pleasures, that made his later absences from home so exquisitely painful. He believed in the infinite perfectibility of Mount Vernon, as if it were a canvas that he could constantly retouch and expand. There he reigned supreme and felt secure as nowhere else.

Shoot Your Shot

I love the anecdote at the end of this article about Kobe Bryant's arrival in the NBA.  He had famously air-balled four straight shots at the end of a critical playoff game, costing his team the series.  A local press guy saw Kobe after the game and offered him some words of encouragement so as not to hang his head down.  Defiantly, this was Kobe's response:

“He looked at me, he kind of sneered. He was like, ‘I’d take every damn one of those shots again.’ There was no reluctance or remorse, or anything. It was like, ‘Fuck that. I would take every one of those shots again.’”

I'm not here to litigate Kobe Bryant's career or mentality.  He was a complex person with more than his share of fans and naysayers.  His induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, posthumously, earlier this month, has elicited all of those takes.

My point today is that in life, sometimes we have to shoot our shot.  And that means sometimes we will miss.  Sometimes, we will miss badly, over and over again.  

15 Years at the Firm

Fifteen years ago yesterday, after having just graduated from Penn with my MPA, I started a new job as a consultant.  I'd had one other full-time job before that, running a non-profit.  I was a new dad, to a 1-year-old baby girl we'd just adopted from China.

That kid is now a teenager.  And that new hire is now president of the company.  It's been a great ride, with hopefully much more good to come.  I'm thankful.

Finding Our Voice

The Asian experience in America is pretty diverse, befitting the various countries of origin, socio-economic statuses, and life experiences we all hail from.  My particular slice is fairly well-educated and affluent, so I do not claim to represent the fullness of the Asian-American story.  And of course, even within that thin slice, my observations represent over-generalizations masking over a wide range of perspectives.

All that said, it does seem like many people like me are finding our identity and voice in similar ways here in the year 2021.  How many times this year have I heard someone, who looks like me and whose family upbringing resembles mine, say that through all of the racism they've directly experienced or traumatic imagery they've consumed over the years, they just put their head down and tried to avoid drawing attention to themselves.  

And then this year we decided enough is enough.  

Whether through splashy initiatives or in the grassroots act of speaking up through one's social networks, Asian people are pouring out their grief over past wounds, pushing back against harmful stereotypes, and expressing outrage over unconscionable acts of violence against our elders.  We are breaking through the culturally engrained shells we encased ourselves in.  We are done with turning the volume down; we are demanding to be heard and to be taken seriously.

This Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I trust that my brethren are finding ways to embrace and celebrate our Asian roots.  May this year be a turning point in what that expression looks like.  We are finding our voice, and along with much to be joyous and grateful about, there is also pain, and we are ready for others to hear that part of our story.

What Am I Working On

As has become my custom every few months, here's what I'm working on now at work. I won't repeat anything from last time that I happen to still be working on, and for confidentiality's sake I have to blur some of the details for some of these studies.

* Calculating the economic impacts and catalytic effects of a membership association that provides support services and business certification to minority-owned firms.

* Making the case that public sector investment in small business training programs produces a compelling return in terms of jobs created and tax revenues generated.

* Deconstructing the financial and programmatic structure of a specific category of social services that are paid for by the government by provided by private entities.

* Providing background research for an arts organization interested in expanding its offerings to be more inclusive in who it serves and who it features.

* Economic and social impact study for a large private university in New Jersey.

* Estimating the economic consequences of an urban university in the South building up its downtown campus.

* Conducting primary research to understand the effects of COVID on the availability of minority- and women-owned businesses to contract with a big city government.

* Facilitating the formation and utilization of an advisory council to ensure that a large-scale sporting event secures human rights and amplifies social impact.

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Here are a few excerpts from a book I recently read, "Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta," by Brian Kolodiejchuk.

 

Mother Teresa's understanding and practice of making vows was also greatly influenced by her cultural background.  Having been raised in a family that was strongly rooted in its Albanian traditions, she was acquainted with the highly revered and treasured practice of besa (as it is known in her native language) or "word of honor."  Because besa demands absolute fidelity to one's given word, it has an almost sacred character as an oath or vow; it cannot be broken, even at the cost of one's life.  Mother Teresa would later explain: "They [Albanians] have a word, besa, which means even if you have killed my father and the police are after you, if I have given you my word, then even if the police kill me, still I will not disclose your name."  In light of her upbringing, Mother Teresa's private vow took on added gravity: She was determined to be faithful to her word given to God, even at the price of her life.

Asian Authors

 

Amplifying Asian authors in honor of Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month: 

The Future of Humanity: Terraforming Mars, Interstellar Travel, Immortality, and Our Destiny Beyond Earth (Kaku)

All You Can Ever Know (Chung)

Last Boat Out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao's Revolution (Zia)

Sick: A Memoir (Khakpour)

The Bonesetter’s Daughter (Tan)

When Breath Becomes Air (Kalanithi)

The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir (Bui)

On Such a Full Sea: A Novel (Lee)

Assume Nothing: A Story of Intimate Violence (Selvaratnam)