When Washington State Governor Gary Locke returned to campus last week for the first time since he graduated from Yale College in 1972, he was delighted to see a "vibrant, thriving student body" that reminded him of the ferment of his own undergraduate years, he said.
He recalled the May Day demonstration, civil rights unrest and anti-Vietnam War protests that colored his Yale experience, as well as more personal memories of his transition to Yale as the child of working-class immigrants. His Bingham Hall floor-mates, the governor noted, had all attended private schools and sent their laundry to a service that ironed even the underwear. Locke felt like a "fish out of water," he said, taking his dirty things to a coin-operated laundromat and hanging them up to dry in his room to save a little money.
Locke's Chubb Fellowship Lecture on Oct. 18 wove together personal recollections and current events. "Life can bestow amazing experiences and challenges," he said, referring both to his own ascent from poverty to the governor's mansion, and to the recent terrorist attacks on America.
"On Sept. 11, Americans awoke to the first great challenge of the 21st century. We awoke to the sounds of thunder and images of unspeakable horror." He called that date "the defining moment of our time."
In light of recent events and their aftermath, Locke posed this question: "What is the soul of America, and what must we do to strengthen and restore it?"
Citing Alexis de Tocqueville's analysis of America, poetry by Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes, and Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," Locke presented an optimistic and idealistic answer.
"Our national fabric is sewn from the human spirit," the governor said. "There's something about the soul of this nation that's intertwined with humankind's natural yearning for liberty and opportunity. If you visualize the American narrative, the sights and sounds that you see and hear are of a people always turning the wheels of progress forward. ... The soul of our nation is the human spirit."
To Locke, America's uniqueness resides in its diversity. "Americans have been de-fined not by common blood, birth or soil, but by a dream, a promise of freedom, hope and opportunity," he explained. When he was elected in 1996, he became the first Chinese-American governor in the United States in a state in which only 6% of the population is Asian American. A Democrat, he was re-elected in 2000 with a platform that stressed education, economic development and public safety.
Locke's grandfather came to America as a servant at a time when it was illegal for Chinese Americans to own land. His father, born in a village that to this day has no running water or indoor plumbing, served under General George Patton in the U.S. Army and participated in the invasion of Normandy before returning to Washington to open a small restaurant. His mother emigrated from Hong Kong. Locke spent his first six years in a public housing project for veterans of World War II. One of five children, he didn't speak English until he went to public school. After a bumpy start, he blossomed and was admitted to Yale, where he earned his bachelor's degree in political science and went on to receive a law degree from Boston University.
"What is it about America that drew people like my grandfather from a tiny village in China, away from family and familiarity?" he asked. "My grandfather was the American character made manifest. He, like millions of immigrants from every corner of the globe, sought a better life in America. Their determination and dreams shaped the character of America."
Locke argued for tolerance and acceptance of diverse peoples, saying, "Our nation's diversity is the well-spring that feeds our nation's soul." He praised the way the "pieces of the American mosaic" have come together in the past few weeks, bridging religious and cultural differences in the spirit of community.
Locke also defended affirmative action in his talk, while noting that his own state had banned it in a recent ballot proposition. Affirmative action means "giving qualified people a chance," he told his audience. "I believe in affirmative action, because I am a product of affirmative action. On test scores alone, I probably would not have been admitted to Yale University, but Yale had a program to bring more people of color, to encourage public school students as well as students from the West Coast. So I was a three-fer," he joked. "Yale took a hard look at me, and gave me a chance."
Locke said that he is concerned that efforts to thwart affirmative action would intensify because of prejudice against Muslims. "It's true that we have to exercise greater vigilance ... but we need to rise above those fears ... We must guard against the pollutants of hatred, bigotry and intolerance. ...
"America is unique among the nations of the world," he continued. "As a country, we are united not by ethnicity or faith, but by ideals. The result is a country of unparalleled diversity."
-- By Gila Reinstein
T H I S
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Study shows diet is linked to growing form of cancer
'Architecture or Revolution' recalls years of turbulence, innovation
Locke recalls Yale years, defends affirmative action in Chubb Lecture
Alumni to ponder intersection of law and technology
Legal scholar John Langbein is named Sterling Professor
Historian Cynthia Russett is appointed Larned Professor
Conference honors economist William Brainard
Environmental Science Center opening Oct. 26
Event to celebrate 'Cultures of Native America'
Drama school stages Chekhov's 'compassionate meditation'
Yale Opera students to perform scenes from famous operas
'Practical Logic' series opens with talk on challenge of intersexuality
Talks about Sept. 11 aftermath to focus on questions of gender
Symposium to explore 'material culture' of Colonial New York
Project teaches Head Start parents about computers, cancer
Conservation of biodiversity in China is subject of talk
Stephen Bright to speak at tea
Getting the low-down on downtown
Honoring an 'unsung hero'
Campus Notes
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