Date: Wed, 2 Nov 1994 13:40:11 -0500 (EST) From: XIAO@scri.fsu.edu To: fcbs-c@ifcss.org Subject: a letter from Mengchu Chen ===========***==========***==========**==========***==========***=========== An Open Letter to CBS-IC.................................Mengchu Chen ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Mr. Mi Mi: Thank you for the great work you and other members of CBS-IC have done for the Chinese community. This is the first time that the ordinary Chinese people in America have fought together for their pride and have won. I think all the Chinese students are thankful to the effort by your committee. Now we can afford a break to celebrate our great victory against a Western media giant. Many of us may not have realized that this is a victory that we Chinese from the Mainland have united and stood together to fight for our common interest and pride. This is such a departure from the traditional view that we are a disintegrated bunch. I am sure that this experience helped all of you on CBS-IC to see from up-close about the importance of working together with other Chinese or Asian American organizations in the U.S., as well as Chinese students and scholars from the Mainland. This experience undoubtedly makes all Chinese, and perhaps all Asians, realize how strongly we feel that our identity and pride can't be humiliated simply because we are regarded as yellow-skinned, flat-faced people. However, this realization of our identity does not amount much here. As we may recall that the CBS report against Chinese was broadcast by a Chinese American elite. We cannot forget the bitter feeling when we were told by many institutions of the Chinese media in the U.S. that they believed that particular report by CBS. It was a shame on us all that the our embassy in Washington D.C. did nothing for us on this matter. This is the tragedy of us as a disintegrated society and people. This is why we Chinese, and Asians, are constantly assaulted. Therefore, the ultimate way to elevate our public image here in America is to strengthen our belief in the pride as being Chinese, as Asians. We want every Chinese, each yellow skinned, flat faced Asian, proud to be who we are. We are a people with high culture and morality! We are an intelligent people, diligent with proud! we are Chinese, we are Asians! Our skin is yellow and faces flat, but we are NOT to be humiliated for that! Because we are now UNITED! I must say that you people have done a great job, which can serve as a great starting point to add pride to our identity. However, one victory is not enough. We have to realize that this is a victory not only for us Chinese students and scholars from the Mainland but also a victory for all Chinese Americans. Maybe not all of us have realized that but this is certainly a victory for those from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. We have to think us as one group, one community because we have made the mistake far too many times to divide us into many sub-groups. In the past we have missed MANY opportunities to strengthen the unity in the Chinese community as well as in the larger Asian community. You might say this is not our fault, because some members of those other communities do not want to identify with us. Maybe there is some truth in this but it can be changed, and I believe it is our responsibility to make the change. Why? Because we are from the Mainland or the homeland. We are the sole, and the most important ambassadors of the Chinese culture. We have the responsibility to make the rest of them feel proud to be a member of our society. It is our responsibility to bring to them our confidence, our responsibility, and our affection. We must share our victory with them, we must tell them that our victory is also theirs. We must fight shoulder by shoulder with every Chinese American, with every Chinese media in this country. But we must let every Chinese community in the U.S. know our intentions and our appreciation of their future cooperation. This is the process to build self-confidence, integral identity, and community unity. This way if next time anybody dares to shovel dirt to any member or any group that share our identity, he is asking for a confrontation with a large Chinese community or Asian community. Here are a few of my suggestions to strengthen our ties: 1. Although the CBS case is now closed, we should not stop our propaganda campaign. CBS-IC should make an official statement and pass it on to major Chinese newspapers, magazines, regardless their political (Politics is a poison that has been severely weakening our community) preference. The victory should be celebrated by the entire Chinese Community, not just by those of us from the Mainland. 2. CBS-IC should officially thank other Chinese and/or Asian American organizations involved for their kind and precious cooperation for this matter. So we can expect future cooperation from them. 3. The same should be sent to civil right groups which have lent their assistance. 4. Official letters from CBS-IC should be sent to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and People's Congress in Beijing reporting the case. The same letters should ask for future assistance and protection from those governmental organizations if the interest of any Chinese citizen in this nation is again threatened. They have the responsibility to do so. Shame on all of us if our government does nothing to protect us. Meanwhile, it is also our responsibility to push them for it. All in all, please accept my solute to all of you on CBS-IC and other people who have fought and who are still fighting for the glory of us all. [From: mujia@brahms.udel.edu]