Leading By Example
Written by Jodi Chen, Public Information Officer of LACAAEA
The month of March is filled with juxtapositions between celebrations and reflections birthed by tragedies. It is in this month that we observe March 8th as International Women’s Day, celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women; yet at the same time across the globe, we watch brave Ukrainian women escaping with their young and their old or taking up arms fighting for their country. As we also commemorate the month of March as National Women’s History Month, we acknowledge the fact that throughout history, women have had to pay the ultimate price of wars waged by power-hungry men. I would be remiss to not mention that a year ago in March we experienced the horrific Atlanta spa shootings that led to the tragic deaths of eight AAPI women. It is always the mothers, grandmothers, wives, daughters, and sisters who will have to pick up the pieces of the shattered lives.
Although the Stop Asian hate movement have awakened the AAPI community to speak out against the hate crimes, we are still dealing with the fact that majority of the attacks against AAPI women are still occurring. We can’t talk about this issue only when another AAPI woman is brutally murdered. Whether or not it’s labeled a hate crime, let’s face it, with 74% of AAPI women reporting to have experienced racism and/or discrimination this past year, the results are a sobering reminder on the current state of safety for AAPI women in the US (National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum). There needs to be a long-term commitment from the community and from those in positions of power to direct resources to address the issues that AAPI women face.
This month, united in diversity, LACAAEA came together with the men and women of the African American employees association, as well as the Hispanic Managers association to each recognize trailblazing women in county leadership who are paving the way for others. Our special honorees were Erika Anzoátegui, Alternate Public Defender, Genie Chough, Chief Deputy Director for Child Support Services Dept., and Cynthia McCoyMiller, Senior Deputy Director for the Dept. of Children and Family Services. In their acceptance speeches, we were inspired through their own journeys and uplifted by their words of encouragement.
I also had the privilege this month to meet trailblazers like Honorable Lily Lee Chen, the first female Chinese American mayor in the nation, who advocated to improve her community through civic engagement. Lily understood the importance of voting rights for her minority community and worked with the Chinese Political Action Committee and the League of Women’s voters to create the bilingual voter registration handbook. She spent 27 years serving the county at the Dept. of Public Social Services and Dept. of Children and Family Services. Her experience in social work helped her see how ESL education is one way to break the poverty cycle by training a new workforce of women reentering the job market. After seeing many of the policy problems being implemented by the county and realizing that she was in no position to change them, Lily decided to put her first bid for Monterey Park city council and lost by 28 votes. She quickly experienced the ugliness of anti-immigrant resentment in politics where older White residents felt threatened by the “invasion” of Asians. Instead of requesting a recount, she congratulated her opponent and willingly returned every dollar that was contributed to her campaign, as it seems the community was not ready for their first Chinese American female mayor at the time. Subsequently in 1983, Lily won a seat by a landslide, and worked hard to designate Monterey Park as the All-American city, an award bestowed to cities that bring together residents, organizations, and government. For more on Lily’s story, go HERE.
As I ponder on what it means to lead by example, I reflect on my own journey of diversity, equity, and inclusion. I reflect on the progress we’ve made as AAPI women and the barriers we have yet to overcome. I want to create a future where the next generation can be bold and pursue their dreams and instill in them the idea that they each play a critical role in creating a culture where racial and gender equity is the norm.
The insurmountable difficult work cannot be achieved without the partnership of men and women who are empowering us and giving us the platform to speak in a system that marginalizes us and makes it challenging to break through the bamboo ceiling. Therefore, this month should not just be a recognition of women, it should also be a celebration of the men and women who are forging a pathway forward to shift mindsets and elicit cultural change.
On the 50th anniversary of LACAAEA, you’ll find in this jam-packed issue filled with in-depth stories of female champions like Sara Sadhwani, Genie Chough, and Zora Neale Hurston. We call for action from our County leadership as we highlight results from a recent survey of 1,500 LA County AAPIs who are civically engaged and mobilized for social change due to the racial discrimination they endured. Lastly, as we return to “normalcy” from this pandemic, we are reminded that our mental health does matter and the arts can heal all wounds.
Jodi brings 30+ years of professional experience, with over 14 years in Los Angeles County. Not a stranger to the county, she has served in various departments, including Child Support Services, Dept. of Children and Family Services, Fire Dept., Executive office of the Board of Supervisors and Internal Services Dept. Apart from being a dependable and an executive strategic partner, she is also an award-winning Graphics Designer. She is now a Management Secretary for the Registrar Recorder/County Clerk.
As a Southern California native, Jodi immigrated from Taiwan with her family when as a young child. She is an adventurous foodie, enjoys trying out dishes from different cultures, and hopes to travel more after the pandemic. She is passionate about pursuing leadership excellence and all things related to diversity, equity, and inclusion across racial and gender lines as well as advocating for her adult son with special needs.
