Addressing a moderate crowd in Von Cannon Hall Monday night, Cheryl Lau, vice-president of the United States General Counsel, the legal advisory bureau for Congress, and the head of Transportation Inc., which provides consulting to the U.S. transportation industry, delivered the keynote address for this year's Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
In her speech, Lau covered a plethora of topics ranging from the pursuit of dreams and goals within the Asian community, the theme of this year's celebration, to the recent controversy surrounding financial contributions to the Democratic National Committee.
After a brief introduction by Trinity sophomore Eric Chang, APAHM coordinator, Lau opened her speech with lighthearted banter, expressing her enthusiasm and desire not to bore her audience.
In the first portion of her speech, Lau described her duties as vice president of the United States General Counsel and its inevitable connection to ethics. Citing the recent controversy surrounding Newt Gingrich, she said that case was a prime example of the effectiveness of the General Counsel and its representation of lawmakers.
With her position, Lau denied that she was a "token" appointment due to her status as a minority and a woman. "Don't look for tokenism and prejudice," she said. "If you look for them, you will find them."
Lau described the Asian Pacific Americans' fight against prejudice to obtain recognition as a driving force in American policy and economy. "Growing up, I wished to be a Caucasian, but not anymore," she said. "I am proud of my heritage."
Lau also touched on trade relations between the United States and China, supporting a more open trade relationship despite humanitarian concerns. "If China is prepared to accept international trade rules, there is no reason that it shouldn't be accepted into the [World Trade Organization]," Lau said.
In addition to international concerns, Lau discussed the recent DNC scandal. She said that a political donation must come from foreign funds or be the product of an illegal transaction for it to be deemed illegal. Lau said that the media should be more sensitive to the difference between donations from an actual foreign source and an individual with an Asian-sounding surname. She spoke highly of the increase in Asian community donations to political causes and the power associated with the ethnic group in general.
"Now is not the time to back away," she said, "but to go forward and to show everyone what we are made of."
Lau went on to describe her own experiences growing up as an Asian-Pacific American in Hawaii. She credited her interest in public affairs to her mother, whom she called the unofficial mayor of her small town.
In her closing remarks, Lau lauded the value of the individual. "Life with enthusiasm is an inexhaustive force. Use it and find yourself moving forward," Lau said, cautioning members of the audience to be true to themselves and to never forget their origins. "Never forget that the answers lie out here with you all in Durham."
Lau's advice to students wishing to be politically active embodied her recipe for success in the American public arena. "There are times to become visible," she said, "and to make ideals known, but you must do this without it becoming a hindrance to those around you."
Audience members were struck by her eloquence. "I thought that she was a great speaker," Trinity junior Matt Shattuck said. "You can obviously tell that she has gotten to where she is through dedication and hard work."
Other audience members wished that she had gone into more personal details. "She was overall very eloquent and I enjoyed her speech," said Trinity sophomore Cavan Yang. "I wish that she had focused more on the DNC scandal and her own experience. She is the model that many Asian Americans pattern their lives after."
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