WHY CHINESE AMERICAN HEROES?
The history of CAH is short, but perhaps telling as to why we need to recognize our Chinese American Heroes and Notables. CAH was officially recognized as a 501 C(3) non-profit organization in July 2006. On April 16,2007 when CAH registered its domain name, we were quite concerned that “Chinese American Heroes.org” would not be available. Our concerns were misplaced. We learned that no one had registered “Chinese American Heroes” under any extension. Why not? Perhaps, as our website consultants had astutely pointed out to us prior to the domain registration that the concept of “Chinese Americans” as Heroes was just not commonly accepted.
Chinese Americans make up only 1% of our nation’s population. However, five Nobel prize winners are Chinese Americans. Three Chinese Americans have served our country as astronauts. There are tens of thousands of Chinese American doctors, engineers, professionals and “everyday people” who have made heroic, notable or other contributions that positively impact our daily lives.
Unfortunately, as we pointed out, the heroic and notable contributions of Chinese Americans are, for the most part, unknown not just to individuals outside the Chinese American community but also to Chinese Americans. It is time to remedy this problem.
SELECTION PROCESS
Who qualifies as a Hero? Who qualifies as a Notable? These two questions have generated much debate within our organization. The designation of “Hero” or “Notable” is a fluid process. One commonly accepted definition of a Hero is “someone who is noted for special achievement in a particular field.” One commonly accepted definition of a Notable is “someone whose achievement in a particular field is worthy of notice.”
As you know, parameters don’t always work. This fluid process, which may include consultation with experts, takes into consideration numerous variables including the type, quality and depth of the impact made by an individual’s contributions. Sometimes, we, in the general public, just know someone is a “Hero” or a “Notable” and there will be little debate as to their designation. Other times, perhaps due to the obscurity in the candidate’s field of contribution or the recent discovery of the value of the individual’s contributions, there may be debate as to the appropriateness of a designation.
We hope that the selections generate discussion and we hope to hear your thoughts on the selections. Perhaps, you will propose individuals you believe should be given consideration. You can do that by clicking NOMINATIONS at the main page.
HEROES AND NOTABLES WHO WISH TO REMAIN UNRECOGNIZED
Chinese American Heroes’ volunteer or staff members prepare biographies for Heroes and Notables from open sources. However, Chinese American Heroes wants every candidate to have the opportunity to review the material for accuracy and to submit a personal photograph. We have contacted or will make our best efforts to contact all potential Heroes and Notable candidates to provide them the opportunity to submit a photograph and review the material for accuracy.
Some Heroes and Notables may, for whatever reasons, wish to remain unrecognized. We respect this decision, If you have been selected to appear on our website or appear on the website but wish to not be on our website, please e-mail Chinese American Heroes by clicking CONTACT US at the main page. Chinese American Heroes reserves the right to confirm all requests prior to removing any material from the website.
If you are featured as a Notable or Hero and we have not successfully contacted you, again please feel free to contact Chinese American Heroes.
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