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As Delivered
Opportunities Conference 2003 for the Asian Pacific
and Hispanic American Communities
“Building on America’s
Promise”
Washington, D.C.
September 25, 2003
Good afternoon, and thank you, Alma.
Welcome to the Opportunities Conference 2003! What a tremendous
turnout!
I want to thank all of our partners and special guests—especially
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, who kicked off the Conference this morning.
Senator Hutchinson and I have talked about convening this conference. I want to
thank her for her commitment and her leadership.
I also want to thank members of the President George W. Bush
Administration: Mel Martinez, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
Emily DeRocco, the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training;
Melanie Sabelhaus, the Deputy Administrator of the Small Business
Administration; Susan Ralston from the Office of the Executive Assistant to the
President; Sam Mok, Department of Labor’s Chief Financial Officer; Shinae
Chun, the Director of the Women’s Bureau at the Department of Labor; and
all the other Administration officials who are participating in this historic
conference.
And of course, special acknowledgement to our private sector partners as
well, including Susan Au Allen, Alma Riojas, and George Herrera.
And many thanks to Mina Nguyen and her team for making all of the
arrangements come together.
And thanks to you—all 1,600 of you—who traveled from all over
the country to be here today. I hope you are enjoying this Conference, because
this Conference was created just for you.
This is the very first conference to focus on strengthening the economic
development capabilities within the Asian Pacific American and Hispanic
American communities—the two fastest growing population groups of the
21st century workforce.
And this conference is designed not only to help you, but
to help us in the federal government understand your needs so the
government can better serve Asian Pacific and Hispanic Americans. This
conference is designed not only for entrepreneurs, but for non-profits and
community based organizations as well—for all the key players who create
economic development at the grassroots, local level.
As you know, members of the Asian-Pacific and Hispanic communities are
opening up record numbers of small and medium sized businesses. You are
creating millions of new jobs and generating billions of dollars in revenues.
Non-profits, a sector I know well from serving as President and CEO of the
United Way of America, can provide very critical support for economic
development through housing, job training and other essential services.
We have pulled together a diverse menu of services for you to choose
from, depending upon the special needs of your business or organization. So, I
hope you will find lots of interesting and valuable information in today’s
Conference.
I know that for many of you who are relative newcomers and entrepreneurs
starting out in this country, it is tough to know what information, services,
programs are available; where to turn to get the right information; and how to
build a network. As you’ve heard from Alma, I came to this country as an
immigrant from Taiwan when I was about eight years old. I spoke no English. I
had to learn a lot about mainstream culture as I grew up and advanced in my
career. The process wasn’t always easy, but I have tremendous faith and
confidence in the opportunities available in our society.
That’s why I wanted the Department of Labor to initiate this
Conference today.I want you to know what’s available and how to access the
tremendous amounts of information that is often free and available.
The ability to gain new knowledge is so important—especially for
newcomers—because there is not one formula for success in
America. Our country is a great country. It’s free and open with many
different paths to advancement. Yet, sometimes, that can be very confusing.
In America, individualism reigns and there are many ways
to succeed. The key, I believe, is to know yourself, to know your strengths and
weaknesses—to listen, to learn and to be attentive to what is happening
around you.
You know, one of the most startling lessons I have learned over the
years is how many assistance programs and resources are available
in mainstream America. America is such a dynamic cauldron for all sorts of
activities. Our country is an open and democratic society, and there are so
many avenues for accessing the resources and information that we need. And, the
possibilities are so much bigger than many newcomers can envision. There’s
help out there. Most people are very willing to help. Most Americans have a
very generous heart. So, if you have a question or a concern, don’t be
afraid to ask for help.Again, that’s what today’s Conference is all
about—to let you know about the abundant resources that are available and
how to access and utilize them.
Learning how to work within mainstream American culture also means
facing some cultural differences, especially in the workplace. In my own
journey, I have had to learn to overcome many cultural differences. Let me give
you one small example and you probably have some of your own examples as
well.
Most Asians grow up in a very non-confrontational household, where
people are polite, do not contradict each other, and speak softly because
it’s good manners. My early experience in the workplace, however, was so
different. I found that people were constantly interrupting each other. I was
very shy and reserved so I never knew when to insert myself into a conversation
and give my opinion. I kept waiting for the other person to be polite and to
stop so I could have my say. And they never did!
What I learned is that I had to learn to speak up and communicate
effectively. In the mainstream society—regardless of what job you
have—it is important to be pay attention to developing effective
communication skills. Because America is a free and democratic society where
everyone can express a point of view, it’s also important to learn how to
articulate differences of opinion in a tactful way.
Even though many of you may be entrepreneurs, teamwork is key in
building a business, an organization and to strengthening a community. This
Administration, under President George W. Bush, is part of your
team and has many resources available to help you reach for and achieve your
dreams.
I’m very proud that I work for a President and Administration that
has done so much to reach out to our communities. President George W. Bush has
appointed more Hispanic and Asian Pacific Americans to top positions in federal
government than any other president in United States’ history. That’s
a tremendous record!
In fact, you can meet many of them here—we have invited Asian
Pacific and Hispanic American appointees from all around the government to
lunch today. I want to thank them for taking time out of their busy schedules
to show their support for you. And I hope you will have an opportunity to meet
and talk with them.
At the Department of Labor, we are doing our part to reach out to the
Hispanic and Asian Pacific American communities.
We are translating our publications and our Web sites on health and
safety and fair compensation into multiple languages, including Spanish,
Chinese, Vietnamese and other languages—and more translations are on the
way.
As a result of this and other initiatives, workplace fatality rates have
fallen to the lowest levels ever recorded since the first government survey was
completed in 1992. This also includes a significant drop in fatalities among
Hispanic workers, which shows that our aggressive enforcement and partnerships
are working.
We have also hired interpreters to assist non-English speakers who call
the Labor Department’s telephone center to access the Department’s
many programs and resources.
And we have ongoing programs to help entrepreneurs in your communities,
to assist faith-based institutions, and to strengthen the capacity of
non-profit organizations as well.
Last year, the Labor Department partnered with the Small Business
Administration to launch a project called Project G.A.T.E.—Growing America
Through Entrepreneurship. This program promotes small business development in
urban and rural communities, especially in historically underserved Asian
Pacific and Hispanic American populations. You can learn more about this
program, which is backed up by $9 million in grants, by visiting the G.A.T.E.
exhibit in the exhibit hall of this conference.
Many in our communities are unaware of many of these and other
resources. Again, this conference demonstrates this Administration’s
commitment to support entrepreneurs—who form the foundation of our free
enterprise system and job creation—and their economic development
partners, also, at all levels.
But, as we try to play a greater role in mainstream America, many of us
also share our concerns about how to maintain our respective cultural
heritages. For me, I have always valued my bicultural heritage—taking the
best from the American and Asian cultures. Like so many of you, when I retain
and cherish my heritage, I am honoring my parents and my grandparents who have
sacrificed so much to bring me to this country and help me be who I am
today.
Furthermore, we now live and work in a globalized economy.You are
America’s emissaries and ambassadors to the world. The heritage of the
Asian Pacific and Hispanic communities adds to the rich tapestry of America and
offers one of our country’s greatest strengths and competitive
advantages.
America is a land of great opportunity. I hope you believe that with all
your heart. If you plan, have the courage of your convictions, and
never give up, you will always succeed—maybe
not in the way you originally envisioned, but you will succeed.
Regardless of whether Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected Governor of
California on Oct. 7th, he is an example of coming to America,
having great dreams and becoming a great success! This is a story that’s
repeated all across our great country every single day.
Several years ago I saw a wonderful movie called, “Cast Away”
starring Tom Hanks. You may have seen it, too. And if some of you remember, the
main character is marooned on an island. He thinks he is doomed to spend the
rest of his life on that island and that he will never get off. But in his
heart, he never gives up. Four years later, as he is sitting on the beach
watching the tide go in and out, he notices a new wave bringing in a large
steel panel. It is a piece of debris that was drifting on the ocean. Well, he
retrieves that debris panel, makes a raft, gets off the island and gets
home.
That’s the thought I want to leave with you today. America is full
of possibilities. The possibilities in this great country are always
interesting, always there and always full of promise. Just like in “Cast
Away”, you never know what the next tide will bring. So, don’t ever
lose heart or faith and never give up.
I hope you enjoy this conference because we want to help you discover
the vast amounts of information, resources, and new thinking that are available
to help you achieve your goals.
Thank you for taking the time to be with us today and for investing in
yourself. We want to help you access the information and resources you find
helpful to building a better life!
I hope you have a great day at the Conference. God bless you and God
bless America.
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