In 2002, a Chinese grabbed the front page of major Massachusetts newspapers with the eye-catching headline China Dragon Awakening, and Huang Yi was elected the first Chinese senator in Massachusetts.

In the interview room of the Brighton Radio and Television Building, Huang Yi smiled and threw aside the newspaper with his photo, and the beautiful hostess opposite blinked her big sapphire eyes and asked curiously: "Today's midterm elections are over, Mr. Huang Yi was elected as the first Chinese senator in Massachusetts with a high vote, which is a very happy thing, but please forgive me, you don't seem to be happy." ”

Facing the hostess's question, Huang Yi smiled helplessly and said: "Indeed, I am the first Chinese senator in Massachusetts, I should indeed be happy, I should open a bottle of champagne, or simply go to the bar to get drunk, and thank all my supporters, but ......"

At the end, Huang Yi sighed, and then said: "Since 1785, when Chinese first set foot on American soil, more than three million Chinese have come to settle in this new continent, either in business or farming, and even opened banks and insurance companies, promoted the development of the American capital market, and even helped many suffering Americans in several financial crises. ”

"It has been 217 years since 1785, and in the past two hundred years, black slaves have been emancipated, black brothers have opposed racial discrimination, Hispanics have immigrated on a large scale, and blacks have broken their traditions to participate in politics and even run for president of the United States, but in Massachusetts, the most educated and democratic New England region, the first Chinese senator has not been born until now, which is really a kind of helplessness. ”

Huang Yi exhaled a long breath and continued: "Actually, we Chinese are not inferior to anyone in terms of intelligence, industriousness and bravery, but we only lack the enthusiasm to participate in politics. ”

"But isn't Mr. Huang Yi elected as our Senator of Massachusetts as he wished?"

"Of course, this is the beginning of Chinese participation in politics, but this road has taken a bit long, do you know when I started to participate in politics? It was in 1990, a full 12 years before I reached the position of state senator," Huang Yi looked up at the hostess and asked, "Do you know what my first election was like?"

The hostess didn't dare to look directly into Huang Yi's bright eyes, she could only shake her head evasively and say she didn't know.

Huang Yi didn't care about the hostess's faux pas, but recalled: "That year, when I first participated in the campaign, I went to the community I was running for to ask voters for signatures, you know this is a must-have, that community is a community that I carefully selected, and it is a community with a relatively high concentration of Chinese Americans, but you would never expect that there were not a few signatures of my Chinese Americans that day, but there were a lot of signatures from Hispanics and British. ”

Huang Yi said with a wry smile: "It's really ironic, I played the slogan of the Chinese running for parliament, and the Chinese themselves do not support it, but others support it." ”

......

Back on May 15, 1990, at the main entrance of the Vinda community in the northwest corner of Fenway District, Zhou Ming's team was filled with an atmosphere of dazed and pessimistic.

Ye Ning looked at the pessimistic expression on Zhou Ming's face, and immediately pointed the finger at Huang Yi: "Huang Yi, didn't you say that Chinese Americans are a bullied and discriminated race in the United States, and all Chinese Americans can dream of hoping that there will be a senator or even a president of the Chinese themselves?"

"That's right, since I immigrated to the United States seven years ago, I can hear my parents at home nagging Americans and even this American society about how we are discriminated against at home, how we Chinese are bullied, and even the U.S. federal government has passed the Chinese Exclusion Act that discriminates against Chinese people. Huang Yi said, "And I...... I also knew this since I was a child, so I joined this Chinese Overseas Students Mutual Aid Association. ”

"So now," Ye Ning looked at Huang Yi seriously, and asked him word by word, "Why are the Chinese compatriots in this Vinda community so unwilling to support us, even if they are just to sign us?"

Faced with Ye Ning's questioning, Huang Yi didn't know how to answer, he wanted to prove that he wasn't lying, but the facts in front of him made him not know how to explain it at all.

Huang Yi's performance made others dissatisfied, Li Yang accused Huang Yi and said: "You won't be playing us, right? ”

"I definitely didn't fool you!" Huang Yi almost jumped up in a loud defense, "But...... I really don't know why this is happening. ”

"I don't know what this will happen, I think you did it on purpose, you have lived here for seven years, such a long time is not enough for you to become an American, but it is completely enough to understand the basic situation here!"

Huang Yi gradually lost his courage when he questioned the doubts of his classmates in the finance class, and finally he lowered his head and just muttered in a low voice: "I don't know, I really don't know!"

In the end, Zhou Ming stood up and relieved him: "Okay, don't blame Huang Yi, I believe he definitely didn't mean it, and it's unlikely that he will play us, not only me, but you have also known him for so long, what kind of person is he, don't you know?"

"Teacher, of course we all understand what you said, but what's going on with this matter right now?" Li Yang asked, and the other students in the finance class also looked at Zhou Ming curiously.

"In fact, Huang Yi didn't lie to us, his parents must have expressed their complaints about bullying and discrimination against Chinese Americans in front of him more than once since he was a child, otherwise he would not have such a deep memory, which is almost all imprinted in his heart, and since we arrived in the United States, we can see and hear this ourselves. ”

Zhou Ming continued: "Of course, the Vinda community where we are now is not an exception, we have yellow skin, they will not integrate into American society very well, even if they live in a high-end community with more money, they will still be discriminated against." ”

"Teacher, we are all confused about what you said, since they are discriminated against, they must also want someone to stand up and speak for them, hoping that there will be Chinese elected parliamentarians or even presidents, but they don't want to! Isn't this contradictory?" Ye Ning asked suspiciously, and the other students in the finance class, including Huang Yi, nodded desperately, obviously they all had the same doubts as Ye Ning.

Zhou Ming shook his head at this and said: "Actually, there is no contradiction at all, because whether it is Huang Yi's parents or the Chinese compatriots in the Vinda community, their complaints are just words. ”

With Zhou Ming's words, everyone was silent, and all the students in the finance class, including Huang Yi, although they had not experienced the social life of firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea, their smart brains could also make them understand.

"They do complain, they hate being bullied and discriminated against, and they want someone to stand up and help them, but at the same time they don't want to do much, they don't have political enthusiasm, or they are afraid that we will ask them for money when we campaign. What's more, they may think that going to the polls takes up their working hours and delays them from earning money. ”

Zhou Ming paused at this point, and then continued with a wry smile: "Doesn't it feel ridiculous? I obviously want to change, but I don't want to do something, and as a result, I can only repeat the cycle from generation to generation and be bullied. ”

"What a poor person must hate!" Chen Shu said with hatred that iron does not become steel.

Everyone agrees with Chen Shu's words, but at the same time, there is another question in front of them: what should they do now?

"Teacher, why don't we change our strategy and go to other ethnic groups to get signatures? Since our compatriots don't support us, let's find our own way and win the election first. Li Yang proposed.

Ye Ning immediately objected: "This is not allowed! We are a Chinese organization, and the purpose of our participation in the election campaign is also to make decisions for the Chinese compatriots, how can we say that we will give up if we give up?"

"But our compatriots are like this now, they don't want our support, they don't want to help us run for election, they gave up on us, it's not us who gave up on them!" Li Yang stressed.

"But our elector is Huang Yi, a Chinese-American, and we are already an ethnic group that has been discriminated against, and there are even people who are targeting us behind our backs, so what can we do if we give up seeking help from other Chinese Americans......?

Ye Ning said Omar's name in a hurry, and the scene suddenly became quiet again, Ye Ning immediately covered her little mouth, and looked at Zhou Ming nervously with a pair of beautiful big eyes, for fear that she would say Zhou Ming's sadness.

Zhou Ming glanced at Ye Ning, patted her little hand with a smile and said, "It doesn't matter, the matter has already passed, you don't have to be so nervous." ”

"Teacher, why don't we think of a way on Omar's side again?" Ye Ning asked tentatively.

Zhou Ming waved his hand and said: "No, we are not the Chinese we are looking for, for us, we still have to be self-reliant! As for Omar, we will wait for him to come to us." Now, I agree with Li Yang's opinion, since our compatriots don't support us, then let's go to find people who support us, in short, collect our signatures first. ”

Zhou Ming then changed his words and continued: "This is very unfortunate news, but since the object we seek support has changed, then our rhetoric and policy may also change, so we will stop here today, go back and discuss it well, and come back tomorrow, what do you say?"

Regarding Zhou Ming's question, all the students in the finance class and Huang Yi shouted in unison.

"Alright, let's all line up, let's go back. ”

After Zhou Ming finished speaking, he left with everyone, but when they returned to the bus, something unexpected happened.

I saw several vehicles with state legislature plates driving over, surrounding Zhou Ming and them, and finally Old Brook got out of the car.

"Good afternoon, my Chinese friends, and I hope you will not be surprised to see me, although I have very unfortunate news for you. Old Brooke said.