New York – On Sunday, May 15, 2022, well known and much respected philanthropist Dr. James S. C. Chao, and Secretary Elaine Chao, the first Asian American woman ever appointed to the President’s cabinet are Grand Marshals to lead the first ever Asian Pacific American (APA) Heritage Parade in New York City. The parade takes place along a 11-block route in downtown Manhattan between 44th and 55th Street on 6th Avenue. Both Dr. Chao and Secretary Chao were delighted to be invited to be the Grand Marshals in the first Asian Pacific American Heritage Parade in New York City. Secretary Chao said, “My father, Dr. James S. C. Chao, and I are very honored to be asked to be Grand Marshals celebrating the first ever Asian Pacific American Heritage Parade. Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander are the fastest-growing racial group in the United States representing over 6% of the U.S. population.”
Dr. Chao said, “I have been in America for over 60 years and I am honored and humbled to be Grand Marshal with my daughter, Secretary Elaine Chao, to recognize the contributions of Asian Americans and I am confident the future will bring continued progress and increasing representation in the leadership of our country.”
In 1990, President George H W Bush signed a joint resolution designating the month of May as Asian American Heritage Month. Two years later he signed it into law. For over 30 years, Americans have celebrated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month throughout the month of May.
Dr. James S. C. Chao has dedicated his life to the maritime industry and philanthropic activities to help others. He is the Founder and Honorary Chairman of Foremost Group, a highly respected American shipping company whose motto is: Honor. Integrity. Performance. He grew up in a small farming hamlet in Jiading County, outside of Shanghai. Early in his career, he advanced rapidly to become one of the youngest ocean-going sea captains at the age of 29. He then took the 4-day National Examination and achieved the highest score ever recorded.
After earning his MBA in Management from St. John’s University in New York City, Dr. Chao founded what later becomes Foremost Group. An early adopter of green technology, Foremost Group has incorporated fuel-efficient designs and technology in its fleet, which are ranked among the world’s most eco-friendly bulk carriers. For his outstanding contributions to the maritime industry, Dr. Chao was inducted into the International Maritime Hall of Fame at the United Nations.
Dr. Chao and his late wife, Mrs. Ruth Mulan Chu Chao, have dedicated their lives to promoting education and philanthropy. Scholarships from their foundations have benefited thousands of students. To commemorate Ruth’s legacy of faith, family, and philanthropy, generous gifts have been made toward the construction of many institutions including the Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Center at Harvard University, the first woman named after an Asian American in Harvard’s history.
The recipient of innumerable honors and awards, Dr. Chao has been recognized with the Horatio Alger Award of Distinguished Americans at the United States Supreme Court and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recognized Dr. Chao as an Outstanding American by Choice. Dr. Chao is the subject of a best-selling biography entitled, FEARLESS AGAINST THE WIND, a complement to the best-selling biography on his late wife, Mrs. Ruth Mulan Chu Chao, CALM AMIDST THE STORMS.
Secretary Elaine Chao is the first Asian American woman to be appointed to a President’s cabinet in U. S. history. She is the longest serving cabinet secretary since World War II. Few Americans have achieved the rare distinction of serving in two cabinet posts. She has been confirmed on a bipartisan basis to two Presidential cabinet positions: U. S. Secretary of Transportation and U. S. Secretary of Labor.
She arrived in America as an 8 year old and didn’t speak English. She received her citizenship at the age of 19. Despite her success, she has never forgotten her community and is well known for being a filial daughter. During her tenure as Secretary of Labor, for example, the Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics began to record monthly employment data on Asians Americans in its own category for the first time in history.
Prior to becoming the Secretary of Labor, Secretary Chao was President and CEO of United Way of America and Director of the Peace Corps. In each position, she was always the first Asian American to be appointed and blazed the path forward for other Asian Americans to rise in America.
Secretary Chao earned her MBA from the Harvard Business School and is the recipient of 37 honorary doctorate degrees.
Newt’s guest is David Trulio, President and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. They discuss the 35th anniversary of the fall of…
Tomorrow the House Ethic Committee is expected to discuss the fate of its report on Matt Gaetz, President-elect Trump’s choice for attorney general. The former Florida…