Gary Faye Locke
H: Frankly speaking,
when we Chinese talk about your name "Luo Jiahui" in Chinese,
we still think of you as the first governor of the United States.
How is your comment on this deep impression?
L: Well, I am very proud of my Chinese heritage,
my Chinese culture.
I am very proud to be the first Asian American governor,
anywhere in the continental the United States,
the first Chinese American governor in the US history.
And it has always been my objective
to be as good governor as possible.
So if I do a good job,
I could actually encourage more Chinese Americans,
Asian Americans, people of color to aspire to politics.
I think if I've been a successful governor,
I can help break the "glass ceiling"
and encourage children of all backgrounds, all cultures
to have big dreams
and realize that if they work hard
and those dreams can come true.
So I am very proud of
what I've been able to accomplish as a governor
and I am very proud of the support I received
from Asian Americans and Chinese Americans
throughout the United States
when I first run for governor.
I am very proud of the messages of congratulations I received
from around the world when I won my election.
I am proud to have achieved so much.
But I realize that my success is not the result of just my work,
but really the work of my entire family,
and our entire clan and going back many generations.
My success is really the manifestation,
the evidence of the success of all Chinese in America,
and is evidence of how far the Chinese have come in America.
I am very much Chinese and have grown up
with Chinese culture, traditions and Chinese values—
Chinese values of respect and honor,
especially honoring our elders and our ancestors,
value of working hard, emphasizing education,
and taking care of your members of the family.
And those values, Chinese values have served me as governor.
I have used those values. I mean, those values are part of me.
And they reflect who I am. They are part of who I am.
And who I am has influenced my policies
as a governor of the state of Washington.