Episode 15: Recognize Who and What You Are Amidst Racism with Bruce Quan
Bruce Quan grew up in race segregated Oakland where he was forcibly restricted to social activities in the Chinese area. As a college student, the Dean of the university of California Berkeley encouraged him to leave school in 1967. In 1969 he became part of what is now referred to as the third world liberation front. He helped negotiate the formation of the ethnic studies department at UC Berkeley. This was the second such department in the county after San Francisco state six months earlier. The negotiations included a sit in shutting down the administration building.
He became the first solo Chinese American Student Body President at UC Berkeley and in the country. In that role he testified before the US Congress advocating for government support for higher education. He went on to law school and joined the Senate Watergate committee to investigate President Nixon where worked to get access to the secret white house tapes and participated in drafting the final report.
He served in several city attorney’s offices working on environmental regulation and open space land use. He also helped open up economic trade with China after Mao’s death. He worked on Chinese American social justice issues as a private attorney.
As an associate professor at Peking University, he set up collaborative programs with universities including Stanford and UC Berkeley. He also taught in the trial advocacy program at the Stanford Law School.
In his personal development, in 1970 he began studying White Crane Kung Fu with a Grandmaster in San Francisco and he has continued to practice since. He also recently released a book about five generations of his family in the United states entitled Bitter Roots.
SHARED WISDOM:
WISDOM #1 Never take for granted the freedoms of our time. Our current culture took many generations. We are creating the culture for those who come next.
WISDOM #2 The hurtful pre-judgments others have of us are always about them, not us.
WISDOM #3 Rely on instincts and boldly go past the limits others assume are real.
WISDOM #4 Choose the road you want to take, even if no one has taken it yet. They don’t yet know where it goes.
SHOW CREDITS
Charles Vogl, Host
Diana Pabalan, Associate Producer
Post Production by Podcast Fast Track
Theme Music Light Patterns
Is Written and Produced by Gil Talmi
Courtesy of Konsonant Music
Until next time, take it slower than you think you should.
