Southwest Chinese Journal (Stafford, Tex.), Vol. 7, No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 1, 1982 Page: 1 of 16
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Southwest Chinese Journal
THE VOICE OF THE CHINESE AMERICAN COMMUNITY
Vol. 7, No. 11
P.O. Box 18603
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4th of July Message
Houston, Texas 77223
July 1-15, 1982
ii
Chinese Art at Yale
n
Happy Fourth. May the holiday be a safe one.
Once again we observe the birthday of our nation, or
more precisely the day the 13 original colonies acted
collectively to declare independence from England. No
doubt those of us who are Chinese in America could beam
over the fact that the chief celebratory device of In-
dependence Day, the firecracker, is of Chinese origin.
However, as Chinese Americans, we shouldn't fall over
ourselves calling attention to something that makes a
lot of noise, is potentially dangerous if mishandled and
after being used, just litters the street. As Americans,
we sometimes lose sight of the fact that the true meaning
of the 4th of July is not in firecrackers, but in freedom.
Perhaps it would be instructive to note the emergings of
a spirit of freedom, independence from the Asian American
community in Houston.
First of all, it is encouraging to report (however
sketchily) that Asian Americans in Houston are coming out
in the open with their grievances, choosing to exercise
their rights, as demonstrated in the Betty Waki situation.
The Waki Hearing
At the June 17 meeting of the Board of Education of
the Houston Independent School District, over 20 Asian
Americans assembled to lend support to the cause of art
teacher Betty Waki (see page 6 article, and Journal
issues //9 and 10), and Chinese Americans Glenda Joe, Dr.
Wendy Fang and Kenny Cow each faced the Board to express
their concern over Waki's displacement from Sharpstown
High School, and the Board's ethnic policies regarding
the classification of Asians. The Channel 13 newscast
that evening even featured excerpts from Dr. Fang's ad-
dress, and HISD superintendent Billy Reagan was heard to ■
remark on a Channel 2 news interview a few days later
that the incident marked the first time since he'd been
superintendent that Chinese Americans had come en masse
to voice their concerns about HISD policiies. HISD's
current announced intention to retain Waki at Sharpstown
was met with jubilation, but did not dampen the collec-
tive resolve to try to modify overall HISD policy toward
the present classification of Asians.
Other Signs
Other elements of Houston are beginning to take the
Asian American community a little more seriously, too.
Erie Calloway of the Affirmative Action Division of the
Mayor's Office has taken enough notice of Asian Americans'
contribution to Houston's commercial health that she
"'vT;
"Chinese Art at Yale" now on exhibit through August at
the Museum of Fine Arts, 1001 Bissonnet.
Photo by Tony Wong
cooperated with the Council of Asian American Organiza-
tions' Mike Chou in setting up a meeting with Asian busi-
nessmen June 29 to discuss the city's bidding procedures
in procuring go^~o and services. At that meeting, Meta
Wilborn, representing the Minority Women's Convention set
for August 20-21, made a special effort to come and in-
form members of the Asian community about her group's
desire for input from Asian women.
Asian Americans should take advantage of any oppor-
tunity, to exercise their rights as Americans, and this
requires, not isolating oneself in one's self-contained
community, but getting out into the mainstream of American
society. If you want fair treatment from the school sys-
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Southwest Chinese Journal (Stafford, Tex.), Vol. 7, No. 11, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 1, 1982, newspaper, July 1, 1982; Stafford, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth273776/m1/1/?q=Lamar+University: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.