“We are the children of the migrant worker/ We are the offspring of the concentration camp/ Sons and daughters of the railroad builder/ Who will leave our stamp on America.  We are the children of our Chinese waiter/ Born and raised in the laundry room/ We are the offspring of the Japanese gardener/ Who will leave his stamp on America.  Sing a song for ourselves/ What have we got to lose/ Sing a song for ourselves/ We’ve got the right to chose.

Foster children of the Pepsi generation/ Cowboys and Indians ride (red man ride)/ Watching war movies with the next-door neighbor/ Secretly rooting for the other side.  Sing a song for ourselves.  What have we got to lose/ Sing a song for ourselves/ We’ve got the right to choose.

We are the cousins of the freedom fighter/ Brothers and sisters all around the world/ We are a part of the third world people who will leave our stamp on America…”

– A Grain of Sand (1973)

As Asian-Americans, it is crucial to recognize that we too have a voice in our society.  However, your voice should always be educated and informed.  It should be booming and confident when necessary, calming and reassuring in times of despair, and only silent when we have to listen.  The struggles and issues occurring in our own neighborhoods, our country, and the world, are not isolated events that we can ignore; to do so would be to deny our heritage, to abandon our “cousins,” “sisters,” and “brothers.”  A common phrase amongst Asian-Americans is – “Know History, Know Self. No History, No Self.”  So, take the lyrics of this song – meditate on it – and adopt it as your own cultural anthem.  You are emerging leaders - continue to strive for a hate-less world; an equal and safe society.

Are some people born leaders?  Maybe.  But know that there are both bad and good leaders.  Let me leave you with these few lines of advice.  Good leaders often have a role-model (a hero) not because they aspire to be someone else, but because they believe that their hero/heroine did something beneficial for humanity.  Some leaders claim to represent their “people,” but good leaders should strive to be inclusive of ALL their people.  This includes the rich, the poor, the greedy, the healthy and infected, the young and old; everyone.  To begin ignoring a group, a single person, would pave a path for neglect.  Be aware that minorities can exist even within your own “group” and that you cannot afford to ignore them.  Lastly, it is okay for good leaders to be sad, make mistakes or endure obstacles, but leaders never give up; not even in the face of defeat.  Leaders, even when you feel as though you have lost or failed, know that you will always be survived by our youth who will continue your work …

The world will always need champions and champions come from all walks of life.  If you have the chance to meet one, embrace him/her and lend your support.  Leaders are only as strong as their factions, where from the faction, rises a new leader, and so the cycle continues.

(This blog is dedicated to Chris Iijima – My Hero.)

Adam Chang.  J.D. Candidate, Class of 2012.  University of Hawaii, William S. Richardson School of Law.