Obama's Inauguration Speech and Asian America (Mia)

By Mia Stephens

More than 1.4 million people gathered yesterday on the National Mall in Washington DC to celebrate the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama. Many in the audience claim the new president as one of their own, including African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans.

Barack Obama's inaugural address calls for both inclusion and sacrifice. He asks all of us to be "mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors." Many first and second-generation immigrants came to the New World (and later the USA) in search of the American dream. Obama credits the drive, hard work and determination of these men and women with America's prosperity and growth. He believes that the strength of America lies in its diversity and its ability to elicit the strengths of each and every culture that make up America.

Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less… it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up this long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom… for us they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

The reference to immigrants is particularly significant to Asian Americans, many of whose parents immigrated to the US during the 1960s, in search of the American dream. The late 20th century migration saw a new pattern in immigration -- largely from places like Japan and China. A number of significant Asian Americans attended the inauguration or endorsed Barack Obama, including US. Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, Congressman David Wu, Congresswoman Mazi Hirono, as the highly acclaimed fashion designer, Vera Wang.

Obama is uniquely qualified to cite the accomplishments of our forefathers because of his own unique heritage. In the words of his legislative director, Chris Lu, Obama is "…not only American, [but] his story is the quintessential American story." Many ethnicities in America can relate to Obama because of their similar goal of achieving the American Dream. Lu suggests that it is Obama's multiple identities that make him unique and a true leader, capable of leading such a diverse population.

As cited in Yang's article "Asian Pop: Could Obama be the first Asian American President?" Lu states that the values Obama places on education, hard work and the need for a sense of personal responsibility, resonate with many Asian Americans "who feel they've pulled themselves up by their boot straps, and understand the notion that what we accomplish in life is in large part a measure of who we are as people, and how hard we strive." The role of parents is at "the core of the ethical foundation many of us have inherited, that fusion of post-Confucian philosophy and immigrate ethos" often called "Asian Values." (Yang) This is not to say that Obama is Asian American but that he is a man who is redefining what it means to be multiracial. "He is not deconstructing race, but rather redefining it, the way we all are, those of us who don't fit into old categories." (Hyphen Blog)

Obama was born of a white American woman from Kansas and a black African man from Kenya. He was raised in Hawaii, which is today America's most Asian state. He spent four years in Indonesia with his Indonesian stepfather, where he attended school. His half sister is married to a Chinese Canadian, although both consider themselves to be Asian Americans. Rather than shying from his diverse heritage and unusual upbringing, Obama embrace his heritage. His multiracial transnational experience and a "third country kid," as mentioned on the Hyphen Magazines website, suggests that Obama fits in with many demographic groups like Asian Americans. (Hyphen Blog)

Obama's unique ability to relate to people of both genders and all nationalities should help unite the US. Just yesterday, the National Mall was filled with a million US citizens representing all races, ethnicities, genders and class. Obama's intention is to bring these disparate groups together. He calls for American citizens to reach out, rather than threaten, the citizens and leaders of other countries:

We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus—and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall some day pass; that the lines of the tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its roll in ensuring in a new era of peace.

The musical selection for the Inauguration of President of Barack Obama was not accidental, but rather a carefully selected and designed collection of pieces performed by artists that reflected a stance on "racial relations" for the new presidency. Obama stands behind the principal that although we are all different, we are all equal, and all American. This principle was evident as a quartet took to the stage moments before the swearing in of President Obama. Four talented musicians from mixed backgrounds; Israeli-American Itzhak Perlman, Chinese-American Yo-Yo Ma, Venezuelan-American Gabriel Montero, and African-American Anthony Williams, performed a piece composed by one of America's most notable composers, John Williams (Steinberg). The piece entitled "Air and Simple Gifts" was written specifically for this event, and included elements of Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring". The inclusion of elements of this song made this piece stand out as truly American. Copland is considered to be the greatest American Classical Composer and "Appalachian Spring" is his most famous work (Steinberg). The message that we are all equal, and all American was beautifully and skillfully conveyed by these four artists from mixed heritage performing a piece that can only be described as "a new spin on an American Classic."

For Obama, his election is a celebration of "who we are and how far we have traveled." Race and gender have taken center stage and rather than allow xenophobia to infiltrate our society, we encourages American to embrace a new global leadership role, with "duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly…" As the world becomes smaller and the economy more global, Asian Americans will be instrumental in Obama's effort.

Works cited:

Borger, Julian. "Obama Inauguration: Themes of the Inaugural Address." Gaurdian.co.uk. January 20, 2009. [http://www.gaurdian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/20/barack-obama-inaugural-address-speech] Accessed 1/20/09.

"Obama the 'Asian American.'" Hyphen Magazine Blog Online. Nov 10th, 2008. [http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/blog/2008/11/obama-the-asian-american.html] Accessed 1/21/09.

"Text of President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address." News.Yahoo.com. [ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/inauguration_obama_text] Accessed 1/20/09.

Steinberg, Martin. "Inauguration Quartet simply Filled with Hope." News.Yahoo.com January 20, 2009. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090120/ap_en_mu/inauguration_quartet] Accessed 1/21/09.

Yang, Jeff. "Asian Pop- Could Obama be the Next Asian American President?" SF Gate. July 30, 2008. [http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/07/30/apop.DTL&type=printable] Accessed 1/20/09.