 |
| John Liu has been vocal as the only Asian-American Councilman. |
Q&A
Global Council:
New York Councilman John Liu
Political Eagle for New York's Asian-American community
By CHRISTOPHER WINDHAM
John Liu is the voice for Asian Americans 0n New York’s City Council. As the city’s first and only Asian city council member, Liu has succeeded in several public campaigns against media heavyweights Rosie O’Donnell, CBS and radio disc jockeys for broadcasting racial remarks and other behavior offensive to Asian Americans.
Liu, 40, took an unconventional path to the city council. He went to Bronx High School of Science and studied math and physics at Binghamton University in Upstate New York. Liu then went on to spend 14 years working in the private sector, including a stint at consulting giant PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
In 2001, Liu made history when he was elected to represent New York’s Flushing, Queens district, which has a large Asian American community. At City Hall, Liu holds leadership roles in transportation and education, where he led a multi-million dollar initiative to fund high-tech upgrades to local schools.
Last year, Liu made headlines with press conferences, rallies and protests held to raise awareness and express opposition to racially insensitive broadcasts and segregated programming in media.
ABC’s Barbara Walters, creator and executive producer of the afternoon women’s talkshow “The View,” was sent a letter calling for a response to derogatory remarks made by O’Donnell, the show’s host. During a broadcast, O’Donnell, in discussing Danny DeVito’s “jolly” visit to show, mocked a Chinese-language newscaster’s coverage of the event. “That you know, you can imagine in China it’s like ‘Ching chong," said O'Donnell, continuing "Danny DeVito, ching, chong, chong chong. Drunk. The View. Ching, chong.”
“I do not believe the production and broadcast of these remarks reflects the high standards of excellence held by you or the American Broadcasting Company,” Liu said in his letter. O’Donnell later clarified her comments.
Liu also led calls last year for the firing and criminal investigation of New York radio personality DJ Star for racial slurs the disc jockey directed at a rival morning radio host’s wife, who was of Asian decent. Troi Torian was subsequently fired and arrested for implying a threat of sexual abuse against the couple’s 4 four-year old daughter. Months later, Liu joined civil rights groups, church leaders and other New York lawmakers for a rally to pressure CBS to halt the airing of a version of its Survivor series, which divided contestants by race. As a result, sponsors became nervous about the show, and the segregated Survivor was eventually cancelled.
In 2005, Liu spearheaded a rally with Asian rights groups, protesting the broadcast of a derogatory song about tsunami victims by the hosts and producers of New York HOT 97’s “Miss Jones in the Morning Show." The protest ultimately led to an apology, the donation of HOT 97 proceeds to tsunami charities and the firing of some of those involved at the radio station.
Despite the results, Liu has been criticized for his frequent involvement in such high-profile events and for demanding tougher than normal penalties for offenders. What’s more, DJ Star filed a $55 million dollar defamation suit against Liu this year for issuing what Star calls false and disparaging statements surrounding his departure from radio. A federal judge recently dismissed the suit.
Lui recently sat down with Human Nature at New York’s City Hall to discuss his career path, the crusade against racism in the media and the role of today’s youth in politics.
What inspired you to become a politician?
I never inspired to be a politician. But I did become interested in serving.
You were the first Asian elected in a city that boasts one of the nation’s largest Asian-American populations. What took so long?
By far, the biggest factor is the learning curve about voting. First generation Asians were struggling to feed families. It wasn’t until the second generation did the community begin to recognize (the power of voting).
Why do you think there’s so much mistrust or cynicism of the government in minority communities?
Cynicism is generated by communities that have not had much representation. Most people expect government to help when possible and stay away when government is not being helpful. I’m disturbed by the public’s cynicism of government. It’s important that people in elected positions not forget how they are viewed by the public. NEXT
|
