>> From the Library of
Congress in Washington DC.
[silence]
>> ANGEL VU: Welcome to the Library
of Congress' annual
Asian-Pacific-American Heritage
month keynote event.
My name is Angel Vu and I have the
privilege of serving as president
of the Library of Congress
Asian-American Association.
The event today was made possible
through the combined efforts
of the Humanities and Social
Sciences division LCAAA
and LC Globe.
I ask you to help me acknowledge
the groups and individuals
who have made this event
possible, with a special thank you
to the Librarian's office
for their participation.
[applause]
>> In 1978, a joint
congressional resolution established
Asian-Pacific-American
Heritage Week.
The first 10 days of May
were chosen to coincide
with two major milestones in
Asian Pacific American history.
May 7th, 1843, which
marked the arrival
of the first Japanese immigrants in
the Unites States, and May 10, 1869,
the completion date of the
Transcontinental Railroad,
upon which many Chinese
workers labored.
In 1992, Congress expanded
the observance
into a month-long celebration
now known as the Asian American
and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
This year the White House has
once again issued a presidential
proclamation designating May
as Asian Pacific American Heritage
Month, acknowledging the men
and women of Asian and
Pacific ancestry who continue
to make many important
contributions to our nation.
This year's theme is "Unite Our
Voices by Speaking Together."
This theme encourages the various
AAPI communities to join together
to honor and acknowledge
heritage, self and community
and to celebrate diversity.
The AAPI experience varies greatly,
and all groups must join together
to communicate our
individual experiences.
Diversity is a journey, and
we cannot travel there alone.
By uniting our voices we can
raise issues and tell stories
that elevate the AAPI community.
With this theme we hope to improve
representation in the workplace
by communicating the benefits
of a diverse workforce.
Today's program draws on
our diversity of experience
and illustrates the
principle of inclusion
that enriches our understanding
of the world.
So here to introduce
our featured speaker,
please welcome the Librarian
of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden.
[applause]
>> CARLA HAYDEN: Thank you for
inviting me here to be part
of the event and for the sponsors.
I'm honored to be in a different
position of introducing the person
who usually makes sure that
my introductions are accurate,
and has been a part
of my professional
journey for quite a while.
Someone said, "Do you
need a lot of notes
and things about Roswell Encina?"
I said, "I don't think so."
But you have, in your
program, his curriculum vita.
You have his resume, and you see
he had a distinguished career
in journalism, and was a person
who was asking the questions,
who was right on the scene
in so many instances.
When the Enoch Pratt Free
Library was looking for someone
to tell the library's story,
to help us shape our message
at a pretty difficult time
in the library's history.
We were looking for that person
who would guide me as the CEO,
and who would guide the entire staff
and bring a sense of unity and sense
of purpose to what we were doing.
We knew what we were doing,
and that we had that purpose,
but we wanted to communicate
it and bring people in.
Roswell Encina was the
person that was chosen.
And I asked him, I said, "You're
going from getting the news
to making the news and what
is it about public service,"
because it was entering a different
arena, "that attracted you to this?"
And he said, "I want
to tell good stories.
I want to bring out the positive
aspects of what everyone is doing
and what the human
experience can be,"
and that's what cinched it for us.
The other part, personally
and professionally as someone
who was leading this effort
that I needed, was a no-man,
an N-O man, not a yes person.
You can find a lot of people
who'll say, "Yes, it's great
and you just go and do it.
That was a great speech, and you
look great today, you just wow."
I wanted, and the reason why I have
him here with me on the journey
at the Library of Congress
was I needed someone
that would literally go, "No.
No. You're going to wear that?
Oh, don't say that.
No." I needed someone that would
have the strength of conviction,
the courage to look me in
the face and say, "No."
That's the most important thing,
that trust, that confidence,
and that's why I am more than
pleased and honored to bring
to this stage the Library
of Congress' No-man,
Mr. Roswell Encina.
[applause]
>> ROSWELL ENCINA: Oh, boy.
Here we go.
Good afternoon to everyone.
I want to thank Dr.
Hayden, of course,
and Robert for being
here this afternoon, and,
of course, for introducing me.
Usually it's the other way around.
As she says, I'm the one who's
usually, regularly introducing her
to come up to the stage, so it's
a little weird doing it the other
way around.
I also want to thank her
for allowing me to be part
of this journey here to
the Library of Congress.
When friends still ask me to this
day, "How are you doing there?"
My regular response is like, "Oh,
it's like winning the
Power Ball of jobs."
I'm still pinching myself every
day to make sure that this is real
and I get to come in every day,
see the wonderful collection
that's presented
to us almost on a regular basis.
Most of my friends are still
envious when I post it on Instagram.
And, of course, I get to work with
a marvelous staff like all of you.
Now, I also want to thank the
Library's Asian-American Association
led by Angel Vu for
inviting me to speak today.
When she emailed me several months
ago I was like, "Are you sure?
Do you really want me?"
I'm dropping my glasses here.
I'm very humbled, and I
really appreciate all this.
I also want to thank the Humanities
and Social Services Division led
by James Sweany and the LC Globe
Association led by Megan Metcalf
for co-hosting today as well.
I also want to thank the
staff of the Asian Division.
They were very kind enough
to show me around last week.
I have a confession, that was my
first time at the Asian Division
after being here for several months,
but they were very
generous with their time.
They showed me around.
They showed me some collections
that were from the Philippines,
including these bamboo
scrolls, so it was very cool.
I know they put a display
up every month,
and I encourage all of
you to go look at it.
Now, so for being the first
African-American woman
as the Librarian of Congress, see,
I'm so used to saying that now
and typing it up for you,
I have to say it out loud.
But, no joking, get a
little serious here.
It is a very big honor
to be speaking during
Asian-American Month.
It feels very personal to
me to be talking about this.
Usually I'm writing for people and
writing about people, it feels weird
that I'm actually talking
about myself.
Today's theme of "Unite Our Voices
by Speaking Together"
is very empowering.
Whether you're Pilipino-American,
Chinese-American, Japanese-American,
Vietnamese-American, Korean-American
or whether you're Asian-American,
African-American, Jewish-American,
white, straight, gay,
we all have our voices here.
Our voices together is louder.
Our stories together
carry a lot of weight.
The theme "Unite Our Voices
by Speaking Together" should
not be read like a tagline
or a goal that we need to meet.
It should be considered like
a duty, like a call to action.
I believe everyone's voice should be
heard, something that was instilled
in me at a very young
age by my family.
When I was in grade
school, actually,
I remember my late grandmother
gathering all her grandchildren
and saying in Tagalog
[Tagalog language].
In English it means
be a star that shines.
Whether her advice was to go
out and hit it big in Hollywood,
and actually one of my cousins
actually took that heart
and is now a big soap opera
star in the Philippines.
But what she meant was
to stand out in a crowd.
It's a very grandmotherly advice, I
think, but it has helped me navigate
through life and to make
sure my voice is heard
and that someone is
always listening.
I never thought when I made a
career change more than a decade ago
that I would land right here at the
Library of Congress, or, better yet,
addressing a crowd here
in the Mumford Room.
Dr. Hayden likes to tell her story
about being an accidental librarian,
so I have another confession.
Like her, working at a
library was by pure accident.
Since I was a teenager I wanted
to be a TV reporter or anchor.
I remember watching Bryant Gumble
on the Today Show and looking
up to him and admiring him dearly.
Bryant, as you all know, was the
first African-American anchor
for a network morning news show.
He was smart, he was a good
interviewer, he was well-poised,
he was confident and
dressed very sharp.
Then I told myself, "One day I'm
going to be the first Asian-American
to anchor the Today Show."
It wasn't going to be easy, clearly.
Since I was a year old we were
living and bouncing back and forth
between the States
and the Philippines.
My parents, both who
are Filipino immigrants,
who came to this country.
My father came here in the 60s.
My mother arrived in the 70s.
My mother was a school
teacher and my father was
in the United States Navy.
Both are first generation Filipinos
from their respective families
to come to the States,
so it was a big deal.
My parents wanted to make sure
I knew my heritage and culture,
so we lived in the
Philippines off and on
since I was a kid to
when I was an adult.
My parents promised me that we
would move back to the States
after I graduated from college.
Well, it happened a little bit
faster than they anticipated.
After attending several schools here
in the States, then on U.S. bases
and a private school
in the Philippines,
I graduated high school
when I was 16.
Then I graduated college
with a Bachelor of Science
and Marketing Management
when I was only 19.
So, I was very young, and
very naive, I should say.
But true to their word we moved
back to the States immediately,
and immediately I decided,
"I'm going to go
after that Today Show job."
So I went back to school and
graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
in Communications, focus
on broadcast journalism.
For more than 12 years I hit the
streets as a reporter and anchor.
It allowed me to see the best and,
unfortunately, the
worst of humanity.
It took me across the
country reporting
on some unforgettable stories,
allowing me to witness
some glorious moments.
Like when this little seven year old
boy who was missing in the mountains
of Arkansas was reunited
with his parents
after he was missing during a
severe thunderstorm overnight
and just seeing the parents,
their relieved eyes seeing
this seven year boy alive.
Or when John Glenn returned to
space in his 70s and I was able
to cover it and watch
the shuttle launch.
And covering and watching
football fans pack Memorial Stadium
when the Baltimore Ravens had their
very first home game in Baltimore.
But, along with these good stories
come the heartbreaking ones, like,
meeting shocked families whose homes
were demolished after a tornado
in Tennessee and Alabama.
Covering the Birmingham abortion
clinic bombing and talking
to the victims' families, including
a nurse whose body was covered
with shrapnel.
And interviewing grief-stricken
mothers after their son
or daughter were murdered,
which, sadly,
I had to do on a very regular basis.
But, there were a lot
of fun times too.
You practically get to live and
experience your childhood fantasies,
like riding NASA's vomit comet.
If you don't know that is,
that's the plane that does this,
and it allows you to go zero gravity
when it's diving down,
and we did it 26 times.
I should say, I'm proud
to say I didn't puke.
That's why it's called
the vomit comet.
Then I was able to go
sky diving in Texas.
I went hiking and extreme
kayaking outside of Seattle.
I went salmon fishing in Alaska,
ice climbing in New Hampshire
and rode a biplane
while it was flying
over the stadium during
a baseball game.
Now, the stories did
allow me to use my voice,
and my grandmother got her wish.
I was standing out.
I can go on and on about my
reporting stories that I've covered,
but the best part of the job,
I was the voice for the people
who didn't have the platform or
opportunity to tell their story.
These are the stories
that impacted me the most.
Some people, like strangers,
these strangers, rather,
I will never forget, but had
the honor to tell their stories.
Like this mother from Harvest,
Alabama whose son was just murdered.
I covered the murder,
but his organs were used
to save other people's lives.
So her next mission was
to promote organ donation.
Then there was one of the
first stories I ever covered
as a young reporter, was
this man from Georgetown,
Delaware who was dying of AIDS.
Despite that his body was covered
in the effects of the disease,
he persisted and kept on sewing
the panel for the AIDS quilt.
And then there was this
Asian-American cowboy who I met
in Cheyenne, Wyoming who
was pursuing his dream
of being a bull rider
despite, you know,
Asian parents would
not approve of that.
Now, reporting was very rewarding.
Along the way I did receive
several reporting awards
and was nominated several
times for an Emmy,
but like Susan Lucci,
it never happened.
Opportunities were opening up,
but never that Today Show
door that I always wanted.
So after years of reporting on
storms, murders, political scandals
and those Black Friday
after Thanksgiving sales I
decided it was time for a change.
Plus, that dream of
being on the Today Show
as the first Asian-American was
already claimed by Ann Curry
on the Today Show and Julie
Chen on the CBS early show.
The thing was, I knew I needed a
change, I just didn't know what.
So, I'm truly grateful for
what my parents have given me.
I am an only child.
Some may say I'm spoiled,
but in Asian families they
love spoiling their children.
My parents did raise me by
spotlighting the importance
of service and giving
back to the community,
pride and heritage and
practicing humility.
And it's probably those
virtues that led me
to the Enoch Pratt Free
Library in Baltimore.
While working two jobs at the
CBS affiliate in Baltimore
and the Fox Affiliate
here in Washington D.C.,
I learned that the director
of communications positions
at the Pratt library was available.
Honestly, I was a little
apprehensive at first.
After working my entire
adult life as a reporter,
but luckily enough the Pratt
was going through a rebranding.
They had a big media night for
everybody to get a little feel
of how the library was so they
could show us the new logo,
the new tagline and the collection.
And like Dr. Hayden, she
loves to tell the story
of when she was a young
librarian when she saw Judy Zucker
on the floor at a storefront
in Chicago doing story
time to kids with autism.
Something that night at the
Pratt clicked in my head as well,
so I knew I had to try this out.
After a panel of interviews
and meeting
with Dr. Hayden I was
fortunate enough to get the job.
God, it would have been
embarrassing if it went another way.
In a matter of days of starting at
the Pratt I knew I belonged there.
It felt like an empty
canvas of opportunity.
I realized once again I found
an opportunity to use my voice.
My grandmother's advice ringing in
my head, "Make this place stand out.
Make it a star."
The Pratt Library felt like,
personally, my second act.
And along with Dr. Hayden and
the talented staff in Baltimore,
we made the Enoch Pratt Free shine.
People learned that the library
is more than a place of books,
and I was learning
this at the same time.
Whether you are a parent looking
for a place for story time
or someone looking for a job.
From meeting best-selling authors
like Tony Morrison and Pat Conroy
to hosting Vice President Joe Biden.
So you might be thinking, "How does
my whole mantra of using my voice
or standing out work while
working at a library?"
Well, I had those concerns
too when I started,
but it went away very quickly.
Because of my position at the
Pratt I was allowed to talk
and promote the library
across the city and the state.
This time my voice was
once again helping others.
People were suddenly excited
to learn about all the programs
and resources available
at the Pratt Library.
Like an elderly woman who lived
in one of Baltimore's food deserts
who was so grateful after
she was the story on TV
about the Pratt's virtual
supermarket,
that is you could order
your groceries
from the Pratt Library right next
door and it would be delivered there
and they didn't have to take
the bus or pay $20 on a cab just
to go to the grocery store.
Or a gentleman who was very
grateful that he learned on Twitter
that the library offered
career assistance.
It was very sobering and he came
back to the library one day saying,
"Thank you for letting
me know about this.
Thank you for all the help.
I was able to secure a
job at the ballpark."
But, of course, the importance
of the library became very evident
during the riots in Baltimore.
This is when all the branches
of the Pratt stayed open,
including the one smack in
the middle of the unrest.
Residents were protective of the
library and extremely grateful.
There was this one elderly
woman who came up to the desk.
You could tell she works hard
for her money, but she put $5
on that desk and said,
"Thank you for staying open."
The world was watching the Pratt
during the Baltimore riots.
From MSNBC to MTV people
were noticing,
including some folks
here in Washington.
So, it is hard to believe that
we started here at the Library
of Congress eight months ago.
As I said earlier, some days I still
can't believe this is all happening.
I'm working with some
very talented people.
It's serious work, but as this past
week has shown we can have a lot
of fun here as well.
When Dr. Hayden was sworn in
as the first African-American
and first woman to be the Librarian
of Congress it was historic.
But as Dr. Hayden is making
history, we all are too.
This past week former
President Obama received a
"Profiles in Courage Award."
During his speech he said this,
"Ordinary people doing
the right thing
who don't get attention nor seek it,
that's what has always
defined America."
He continued by saying that
that very Kennedy-esque idea
that America is not the
project of any one person,
and that each of us
can make a difference.
What the former president said
kind of hits you right in the gut.
He could be talking about all of us,
every single person who works here
at the Library of Congress.
Everyone in this institution
is part of making history.
As Dr. Hayden has set the vision
and the tone for all of us,
we have this amazing and
wonderful task to make this happen.
Whether you're preserving historic
documents or curating an exhibit
or whether you're running
a camera or interpreting
or even throwing a massive disco
party, this is what it's all about.
We are bringing something different.
There are about 181
Asian-American LC staff members.
That is just a fraction of the
total staff here at the Library,
but the greatness is in the mix.
We are all part of different
voices here at the Library,
and I'm very proud to
be part of this mix now.
I said earlier the theme
of "Unite Our Voices
by Speaking Together"
is very empowering.
You don't have to use your physical
voice to be heard, but your actions
and your words and
your work speak louder.
Remember, your work here is
benefiting someone around the globe.
In closing, I want to quote
the Philippines national hero,
Dr. Jose Rosal.
He says in Tagalog:
[Tagalog language].
>> My mother would be very
proud that I said that right.
In English he says, "He who
does not know how to look back
at where you came from will
never get to his destination."
I believe the people you meet, the
experiences you've lived shape you.
From that mother in Alabama to
that AIDS patient in Delaware,
from the librarians
at the Pratt Library,
to my new amazing family here
at the Library of Congress.
You made me, me.
So, use your voice and
as my grandmother said,
shine bright like a star.
Thank you.
[applause]
>> JAMES SWEANY: Thank you
Roswell for your uplifting message,
and thank you Dr. Hayden
for supporting this event.
We also thank you for
attending today's event.
I'm Jay Sweeney of the Humanities
and Social Sciences Division,
a division who's staff
provide reference services
and collection development in
subjects that encompass information
in the arts, humanities,
social sciences, local history
and genealogy in the
main reading room
of the Thomas Jefferson building.
In today's program we're also
highlighting the collections
of the Library of Congress.
We have pulled a sampling of the
collections in the back for you.
Collections relating to the
culture and contribution
of Filipino-Americans in the
collections, and invite you
to browse these items
after the event.
To research more, we invite you
to visit a portal coordinated
by the Library,
asianpacificheritage.gov.
This portal lists exhibits
and collections
of multiple federal agencies,
including the National Archives,
National Endowment for the
Humanities, National Gallery of Art,
the National Park Service,
the Smithsonian Institution
and the Library of Congress.
To discover the collections of the
Library I refer you to the guide
of Asian-American Pacific
Islander resources at the Library
of Congress linked to the
portal and also available
as a handout in the back.
But also for more information, too,
consult our reference librarians,
both on site and online through
our Ask a Librarian services.
Again, thank you for coming.
[applause]
>> MEGAN METCALF: Hello everyone.
My name is Meg Metcalf.
I'm the 2017 chair of LC
Globe, and on behalf of Globe
and the LC AAA we would
like to present Mr. Encino
with this certificate of
appreciation and say thank you
for your presentation today
and for making this library a
better place to work and to learn.
[applause]
>> ANDREW GAUDIO: Hello everyone.
My name is Andrew Gaudio, and I'm
the 2017 program chair for LCAAA.
On behalf of LCAAA we would like to
thank Roswell for speaking today.
It was very much an honor
to have him here today.
We'd also like to thank the
Librarian of Congress, Dr. Hayden,
for supporting today's event.
And also like to thank
the Humanities
and Social Sciences
Division and LC Globe
for being a part of
the program today.
Finally, we would like to thank
you all in the audience for coming
and for engaging in
this experience with us.
We hope that this celebration
was enjoyable
and informative for you all.
We must emphasize that Asian
and Pacific American Heritage Month
provides us with a chance to share
and reflect on how far the Asian
and Pacific American community
has come, and where it is going.
This month represents
an annual opportunity
to demonstrate the
diversity of Asian
and Pacific Americans as a whole.
Most significantly, we take the
opportunity to highlight and reflect
on the many ways the Asian and
Pacific Island heritage, culture
and achievements have enriched
this nation and continue to do so.
We have a few more upcoming Asian
and Pacific American Heritage events
this month and going into June
and we invite you and
encourage you to attend them.
On May 16th there's a showing of
a photographic epilogue entitled
"On Becoming New Americans."
And this is a pictorial
documentation of the transference
of Indo-Chinese refugees from
Southeast Asia to their entry
into the U.S. by photographer
Paul Tanedo.
This will take place in
the Pickford Theater.
On May 23rd, there
will be another film.
This one is an Indian
film called "Firecracker"
about family traditions
in South Asian culture,
also in the Pickford Theater.
And then finally on June 14th
there will be a violin performance
by Stephen Shay in the Mumford Room.
So, at the back of the
room we have a table
that has some various materials
pulled from the general collections
of the Humanities and
Social Sciences Division.
This is just a small sampling
of the types of items we have
in the Humanities and
Social Sciences Division
and in the general collections.
So we invite you to browse
at the end of the program.
And lastly, please join us
for some light refreshments.
On behalf of LCAAA, LC
Globe and the Humanities
and Social Sciences Division,
thank you again for coming
and please enjoy the
rest of the month.
[applause]
>> This has been a presentation
of the Library of Congress.
Visit us at loc dot gov.