Ep 137 | Lee Wong: American Patriot Bears His Chest for Asian Discrimination

Jun 28, 2021

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A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

Lee Wong, is an elected official and Chairman of the board of trustees in West Chester Township, Ohio. During a meeting of the West Chester Township Board of Trustees on March 23rd he stood up and literally bared his chest to make a point about the discrimination and hate that Asian Americans have experienced. That moment was caught on video and went viral. Mr. Lee spoke with me about what compelled him to speak up that day and what’s happened since.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Lee’s upbringing in Malaysia (previously British Borneo)
What brought him to the U.S.
The Asian hate incident that happened to Lee in 1972 and how that changed the trajectory of his life
Lee’s 20 years of service in the U.S. army and the chest injuries he sustained during that time
How Lee first got elected to the West Chester Township Board of Trustees
What prompted him to speak up at the March 23rdmeeting
The feedback and reaction that Lee has gotten since the video clip of him went viral
The problem with Asians being perceived as a model minority
How Lee works with the Midwest USA Chinese Chamber of Commerce to promote Asian culture and to build more bridges between Asian Americans and the community at large
Lee’s message of hope to Asian Americans in these times of increased Asian hate incidents
How Lee is now working on writing his memoir
The website for Lee Wong that is in the works: wwe.LeeWong.us
The voicemail that Lee received from another military service man that recognized Lee after his March 23rdvideo went viral