社評 0612 華亞裔老中青走向參政之路

華亞裔老中青走向參政之路

上週六近百位的華亞裔老中青三代隊伍從美南新聞媒體中心大樓集合，乘座巴士及各自開車浩浩盪盪前往休斯敦太空棒球集合，參加了參議員惠特邁進軍市長大選之首塲全民動員競選大會。我心中感到萬般之激動和興奮，眼看着年青華亞裔青年及社區領袖高舉競選標語，這也是我們第一次非常有計劃地跨出參政的第一步。我認為，並非是我們在支持何人競選任何公職，可貴的是我們對參政之意識開始明顯增強，開始積極關心自己身邊的事務，尤其是年輕之下一代。

上午十一時，由我們華裔孩子高唱美國國歌聲中揭開序幕，来自非裔、拉丁裔、亞裔、白人社区之各族裔擠滿了現塲，台上之代表敍述了參議員多年來對各族裔之關怀及他對公共事務四十年來之無私奉獻，共同認證他是出任市長最佳人選。

主角惠特邁上台時響起一陣歡呼聲，他誓言如何有機會成為這個多元族裔之市長，他首要任務是打擊犯罪做好治安工作，對話於提高消警人員之士氣及待遇，也是當務之急。這些令人振奮的政見得到台上下之歡呼掌聲。

當大會激情結束後，我們在回程中大家相互鼓勵，我們已經為華亞裔參政之路寫下了新的歷史篇章，我同時也收到參議員之短信說：「我非常珍惜你們的支持和情義相挺，让我們共創輝煌。」

We Are All On The Road To Political Participation

Last Saturday morning nearly one hundred groups of Asians from young, middle-age and seniors all took a bus from the Southern News Group compound to Minute Maid Park to join a rally for Senator John Whitmire‘s official announcement to run for Mayor of the City of Houston. I felt all kinds of excitement in my heart. All the people were carrying campaign signs. This was also the first time we were very organized as a group to be a part of a political event.

I think it was not just that we were supporting the senator’s run to win the election to be the mayor of Houston. What is valuable is that our awareness of political participation has begun to increase significantly, especially for our younger generation.

At eleven o’clock in the morning, an Asian girl sang the national anthem and an ethnic group from African American, Asian, Latino and White communities filled up the second floor of Minute Maid Park. Representatives from different communities in the city described the senator as "kind and selfless, who has been dedicated to public affairs for more than 40 years."

Senator Whitmire told his supporters that when he becomes mayor, his first priority will be the public safety issue. He will improve the morale of the police and firefighters and improve the opportunities for small businesses in the city.

When the enthusiasm of the event was over, we felt very excited. When we came back, we really felt that we wrote a new chapter of our community's history. We also received a text message from our future mayor that read, “Thank you so much. I value your support and friendship. Together we will make a difference."