Lawmaker suggests Asians change their names to "easier" ones

Update, this aftenoon, several Asian American advocacy organizations issued a joint press release. It reads in part:

OCA, Asian American Justice Center (AAJC) and the Asian American Legal Defense Fund (AALDEF) express disappointment over Texas Representative Betty Brown’s suggestion at a hearing on April 7 that Asian Americans adopt “names that are easier for Americans to deal with.”   ...
 
“Representative Brown’s comments made clear that she lacks an understanding of Asian American cultures and that she in fact undervalues other cultures,” said OCA Executive Director George Wu.
 
"It is unacceptable that Representative Brown believes that the burden should be placed upon individual voters to make it easier on poll workers to ensure that the voters get to exercise their right to vote, rather than expecting that the burden lay with the government to do its job correctly," said Terry Ao, director of Census & Voting Programs at the Asian American Justice Center.  "Participation in the democratic process should unite all Americans; we should be seeking ways to encourage more voters, not inventing excuses to deny citizens their constitutional right to vote."
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I wonder if State Rep. Betty Brown has ever hung out with State Rep. Hubert Vo, one of the few Asian Americans in the Texas Legislature.  But anyway, Rep. Brown is raising eyebrows after suggesting that Asian American should change their names to make it easier for Americans to deal with.  The Associated Press reports the following:

The Texas Democratic Party is demanding an apology from Republican state Rep. Betty Brown , of Terrell, for suggesting Asian-descent voters should adopt names that are "easier for Americans to deal with."

Brown made the comments Tuesday night as the House Elections Committee discussed voter identification legislation. Brown spokesman Jordan Berry said Brown was not making a racially motivated comment but was trying to resolve an identification problem.

The comments came after a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans , told the committee that people of Asian descent often have problems voting and with forms of identification because of differences in their legal transliterated name and a common English name used on their driver's license.

It will be interesting to see how this filters out.  Depending on how aggressively OCA's national chapter goes after this issue, it could make national headlines.  Locally, the Voter ID bill has been voted out of Committee.  However, whether this will eventually make it out of Calendars, remains to be seen.  Democrats in the State House has been actively trying to block this.  The comments for Rep. Brown, nomatter what the intentions, will complicate things. 

In reality, this really hits a nerve among Asian Americans, who take pride in their family names, just like everyone else.  Imagine telling a Polish American that his name needs a few extra vowels, just to make it easier to pronounce.

Comments

[John Cobarruvias]

In order to help Apple Betty Brown, I am going to change my name to Brown.

John Brown Cobarruvias

[Rob Todd]

I saw the Democratic party is demanding an apology......do the Republicans care to chime in on this one?

[Asian American]

Not to attack State Rep. Betty Brown personally, but asking Asian Americans to change their names to make it easier, is like asking her to loose 40 lbs. so those ill fitted suits fit a little better. She's a moron.

Ok, maybe I just attacked her personally. LOL

[nyesq]

Would she tell the President to change his name too?

[John Gadd]

if name was "Long Dong" or "Hung Dong" I wouldn't change it either.

[Sandra Quinones]

I've had people stumble over my last name my whole life,......byt to suggest I change it to make it simpler is outrageous......

[frank burns]

Coming from a Republican, and from Texas to boot, I am actually surprised that her words weren't worse. I mean, the GOP hardly stands for "multicultural sensitivity group" now, does it. Rather it stands for "be white, straight, and rich like us, or get the heck out of our party -- unless we can fool you into voiting for us, in which case you are welcome, at least at the poll booths."