Chinese American Hero: SB Woo
June 23, 2009
Name in English: SB (Shien Biau) Woo
Name in Chinese: 吴仙标 [吳仙標]
Name in Pinyin: Wú Xiān Biāo
Gender: Male
Birth Year: 1937
Birth Place: Shanghai, China
Profession (s): Physics Professor and Political Activist
Education: B.S. in Mathematics and Physics from Georgetown College in Kentucky; Ph.D. in Physics from Washington University in St. Louis.
Awards: He is the only person historically to have received a written tribute from the Faculty Senate of the University of Delaware thanking him for “his courage, integrity, and independence of thought (that) enabled him to set a performance standard of the highest quality” as a University of Delaware trustee. Congressional Record, In Recognition of S.B. Woo, February 5, 2007, Page S1574
Contribution (s): Dr. Woo was on the faculty of the University of Delaware for 36 years until he retired in 2002. He was a Founding President of the Faculty Bargaining Unit as well as a Trustee of the University of Delaware. He was also an Institute Fellow at the Institute of Politics, the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
In 1984, Dr. Woo was elected Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Delaware, thus becoming the nation’s highest ranking Chinese American public office holder at the State level. He served one term, from January 1985 thru January 1989. In March 2000, Dr. Woo formally announced that, for the rest of his life, he would not run for public office nor accept any political appointment and that he would change his political affiliation from Democrat to Independent. By this switch, Dr. Woo shifted his personal political aspirations into non-partisan political activism for the greater Asian American communities.
Dr. Woo was a founding member of 80/20 Initiative, a Political Action Committee founded to encourage Asian American political participation in the presidential electoral process. The 80/20 Initiative strives to reach a large Asian American population through the internet to recommend the Presidential candidate who will work for equal justice and equal opportunity for Asian Americans. The objective is to shift from a traditional overall 50-50 voting pattern for a Democratic or a Republican presidential candidate to approximately a 80-20 bloc voting based on the recommendations of a non-partisan endorsement committee elected by 80/20 Initiative members.
A life-sized picture of Dr. Woo is on display in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
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5 Responses to “Chinese American Hero: SB Woo”
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Dr. Woo has a LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/sbwoo
He is inviting all Asian Americans to connect with him there.
I have had the pleasure of working and knowing SB through the years since he ran for US Congress in the 80s. He is very dedicated to our Asian American community and works extremely long hours for our cause. Our community will be forever indebted to SB.
S.B. Woo is a true hero of the Asian American community. Many leaders have noble goals for changes as he. Some make large sacrifices to work for the changes as he. Only he has the political skills and acumen to obtain President Obama’s written promise to enforce equal opportunity laws for Asian Americans and appoint Asian American federal judges. Google and join 80-20 Initiative.
S.B. Woo, enough can not be written about this self-aggrandizing individual. What hasn’t he taken credit for in the last 20 years.
80/20 is what it is, people who are 80 years old and have about 20 minutes of their time to think about issues. This group represents only Chinese Americans in upper income brackets. 80/20 is a non-issue where it is established. True it’s creation got people interested in the issues, however it has failed to deliver anything but maybe a house party or two.
Please write about people who actually help the community and not think they are the community.
I first met SB Woo while pursuing my Master’s at Columbia Journalism in the mid 80s. He was one of the key subjects of my Thesis, but little did I know he would become one of my greatest role models. He did what seemed impossible back then — a Chinese American immigrant elected as Lt. Governor — one of the highest posts in a state with a population of less than 1% Asian American. In his own way, he proved that in America, anything is possible. SB invited me to join his team, and though flattered, I never thought of leaving journalism for politics. But I was drawn to his passion to repay the country that gave him so much. And repay her in a unique way - through a lifetime of insight as an educator, scientist and immigrant. Accepting his offer to enter public service was one of the best decisions of my life. Nearly 25 years after we met, SB continues to inspire me - through his honesty, integrity and moral compass…and through his problem-solving philosophy of seeking win-win outcomes. He has shown immense courage, always trying to do the right thing - no matter what the political cost. And always ready to persevere - no matter how tough the obstacles. Along the way, SB has been a great American, challenging us to live up to the best ideals of our Founding Fathers.