Remarks - Southern Women in Public Service Conference
Monday, May 3, 2004

• Good afternoon. I am so glad to be here and thank you so much for honoring me with a Pacesetter Award. I think that is such a wonderful term! I am honored to be among the women leaders who have served this great nation with vision, commitment, and dedication. I hope I continue to live up to that as director of the Women's Bureau at the U. S. Department of Labor.
  
  
• Before I go any farther, I must recognize some very special people in the audience today. First, Delores Crockett, the Women's Bureau Regional Administrator for Atlanta and several other southern states. Delores, thank you for everything that you do for the Women's Bureau and Region IV.
  
  
• Next, I want to recognize Colonial Angela Manos, who oversees Forts McPherson and Gilliam. Thank you for your commitment to our country and God bless you for your service.
  
  
• Also, the Women's Bureau is pleased to have provided 10 scholarships to military spouses from McPherson and Gilliam and I would like them to please stand up and be recognized. We are so happy to have you here.
  
  
• As Director of the Women's Bureau I will continue to do all that I can to empower women to be prepared for the 21st century workforce. Thanks to my wonderful Women's Bureau staff who I have been working with for the last 3 years the Women's Bureau is a:
  o Place for best ideas
  o Innovating Programs
  o Technology driven programs
  o Online learning with mentors, and
  o Partnerships
  
  
• I know that we will continue to strive for better jobs, better earnings, and a better living for working women in America.
  
  
• My childhood experience taught me that gender equity starts at home. As I was growing up in Korea, beef soup was a very popular and special dish that every family enjoyed. More often than not, I noticed that I did not have beef in my portion of the soup. Mine was full of vegetables - with no beef. Beef was all in my father's and brother's soup. I did not have any hard feelings toward my father or brothers. In fact, I enjoyed my beef soup without the beef (HEALTHY, VEGETARIAN, LIVE LONGER), but I have been very conscious about the missing beef and have been asking "Where is the Beef" ever since. The Women's Bureau is driven by this message.
  
  
• The first is my parents, especially my mother, who died 20 years ago. She would be so proud to know that I am the first Asian American Director of the Women's Bureau. She would never have dreamed that her little girl born in the horse year could have done so well. In fact, she waited two weeks before announcing my birth, and by doing this, she could then say I was born in the year of the goat - a more tame domestic animal that men would prefer.
  
  
• The second is Mary F. Scranton, a 19th century Methodist missionary, who made my mother's dream possible. My mother's only wish in life was for her girls to get a college degree instead of a dowry. Ms. Scranton made the choice to leave her comfortable home in the US. She traveled across the world to establish the first institution of formal education for women in Korean in 1886. She started with one student; Ewha currently has 18,000 students, and is one of the largest universities for women in the world. I wish I could tell her how many thousands of lives she changed - including my own. Without her vision and sacrifice, I would not be standing before you today.
  
  
• The third person I want to share the award with is my boss, Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. I am so thankful that the Secretary Chao and President George W. Bush appointed me as the Director of the Women's Bureau - the highest ranking Korean American in his Administration.
  
  
• I am also proud that Secretary Chao has appointed a record number of women to political senior level positions - 9 out of 18!
  
  
• Secretary Chao also has such a remarkable story. As you may know she came to America with her family at the age of 8, and she didn't speak a word of English. Her father taught her. She quickly learned the value of hard work and a good education, and this dedication has led her to be the first Asian American woman in history ever to be appointed to a Cabinet position.
  
  
• I am proud to serve a President who understands just how much women can accomplish-and has had no hesitation in appointing them to the top post in his administration. The list includes women like:
  
  
• o Elaine Chao
  o Condoleezza Rice
  o Karen Hughes
  o Ann Veneman
  o Gail Norton
  o Christine Todd Whitman
  
  
• These were NOT token Appointments.
  
  
• My experience in Illinois government, before coming to Washington, was also very important. I had the privilege to work for two Governors, Governors Jim Thompson and Jim Edgar. My work building an Asian American coalition was recognized by Governor Jim Thompson, and he made me the first Asian to be appointed to a cabinet position in Illinois History.
  
  
• Because of the revision of the 1965 immigration law and the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, an increasing number of Asians were coming to the United States. By 1980, over one half of the immigrants entering the United States came from Asian countries. This made Asian Americans the most rapidly growing minority group.
  
  
• This sudden influx of new Americans, from Asia, presented a unique set of challenges - cultural difference, a language barrier, adjustment problems, and discrimination. There were acts of violence, such as a Korean church and Thai Temple being burned down by neighbors who did not want to Asians in their community.
  
  
• To address the need for these new immigrants to be socially, economically and politically empowered, a group of 7 Asian Americans recommended to Governor James Thompson that he establish an Asian American Advisory Council in Illinois. This was May 1982, and I served as its first chair. I was the only women in that original group. In 1984, we created the Asian American Coalition Dinner Event, which was attended by 1400 Asian Americans. This was the first and the biggest. I am where I am today because of this coalition that has lasted 21 years.
  
  
• · In February 1984, Governor Thompson announced my appointment as the Special Assistant to the Governor for Asian American Affairs; the position was the first of its kind in the nation.
  
  
• I was given this honor because of my work pulling together the very diverse Asian American communities in Chicago at a time when the communities were not very visible or known to the general public. I thought I was doing this for Asian Americans, but I ended up benefiting tremendously from this volunteer work.
  
  
• In 1991, Governor Jim Edgar appointed me the Director of the Illinois Department of Labor. Through this position, I was able to address the issues of all Illinois working men and women.
  
  
• I can't go home if I don't thank my husband for his support over the years. K.C. is a wonderful man, but I usually do not listen to him. But I am glad that I listened to him at least one time. In fact, right after we got married he insisted that I go to Northwestern University for more education. I wanted to have baby. Well, I did both, and delivered my baby between semesters! I don't know what I learned because I was so sleepy, but I got my baby and a diploma, which opened many doors for me.
  
  
• In closing, I would like to leave you with four guiding principles that are dear to my heart and have always worked for me. I call them the four P's--
  
  o Positive ( the glass is always half full, not half empty)
  o Proactive ( do what you like to do and the sky is the limit)
  o Persevere (keep trying - be determined)
  o Prepared (opportunities will come along, but you must be prepared in order to take advantage of them.)
  
  
• Life is all about choices and consequences. Remember that it is important to make the right choices.
  
  
• Thank you and may God bless you and your family.