#MY VU BRIDGE SKIN#

For example, when we had an incident whereby a police chief made a racial slur about Vietnamese-American candidates in an interview process, I helped to organize the protest. Sandra: When I was living in Dallas, I served for 7 years as the Vice-President of the Vietnamese American Community of Greater Dallas, being the bridge between the community and the American media and local/state government officials.

Tonia: What advocacy efforts have you done for the Vietnamese American community?

#MY VU BRIDGE SKIN#

You definitely have to develop a thick skin in politics. It hurt me (and my pride) on many occasions when potential voters would slam the door or hang up the phone on me, but I remember my father in law’s words and that kept me focused. He defined a good leader as “one who knows when to open her mouth to speak, and when to close her mouth and swallow.” As an attorney, I had to speak up for myself and for others more importantly though, especially in politics, I had to learn to “swallow” my pride for the greater good to be accomplished. But I give credit to my father in law who shaped my ability to lead. So there was a natural tendency for me to keep quiet, never raise my hand, to be a follower rather than a leader. In Vietnamese culture, women are taught not to speak and to be gentle and submissive. Sandra: It means going against the flow of the current. Tonia: What does it mean to be an Asian American woman involved in politics? Sandra Vu Le, former candidate for the TX House of Representatives – District 112, doing field work with campaign volunteers.

My vu bridge