Councilwoman Lily Bao: Paving the Way, Being the First
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the speaker, and not necessarily to the Asian American News Network or its affiliates.
Councilwoman Lily Bao is not only a successful, driven immigrant — she is the one of two, of the first Asian Americans on Plano City Council. Simply put, she has created history. Located 25 minutes north of Downtown Dallas, with one of the most concentrated areas of Asian Americans in the United States, and almost 1/5 of the city being composed of Asian Americans, Plano is an extremely diverse city of Texas.
Before Bao took office in 2019, not a single Asian American had won the race for Plano City Council. When running for City Council, she knew she was taking a risk–challenging the status quo. However, to Lily the risk was worth taking–she was determined to be the voice for Asian Americans in her city. With a strong work ethic, unwavering dedication, and support of the Asian Community, she won the election. Bao says during the election, “we really had to get our name out, our platform out, we really had to work hard. By helping those around me and making friends, I was able to reap those benefits.” Bao, along with another Asian American candidate, won the City Council race in 2019. Today, for the first time, there is a fair amount of representation within Plano’s city council, with 1/4 of the council being an Asian American.
Bao has seen her fair share of difficulties. She came to the States not understanding cultural innuendoes, living below the poverty line, and working summer jobs–but she never gave up. She remembers with a smile, “One time I had to hitchhike to get to a bus stop, and I just took it! I was determined to catch the bus. It’s life. America is the land of opportunity, it is a great nation. If you give it your all, America will allow you to reap all the benefits given.” She always kept fighting, and today she understands the plethora of hardships of coming to America and sees them as unforgettable and dearly cherished lessons.
"If you give it your all, America will allow you to reap all the benefits given."
From her struggles, Bao learned that nothing comes easy. If she desires something, it is up to her to get it. When she decided to run for Councilwoman, Lily knew she had to put her all into it in order to see a victory. “We knocked on about 50,000 doors, it’s not easy; however, it’s a hard fought battle and we made it. We even increased the voting percentage of Asian Americans drastically. I’m talking about skyrocketing numbers of Asian American voters coming out, as well as the numbers for overall voter turnout”. Her actions prove time and time again that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.
Councilwoman Lily Bao of the Plano City Council, is the epitome of hard work, empathy, and intelligence. Bao can best be described by the tried and true statement, “actions speak louder than words”. Bao looks out for the popular interest. She focuses on present problems, on her community, on the future she is leaving behind. Bao is a trailblazer, the first of many that will come from the stepping stones she has worked so hard to place. Councilwoman Lily Bao is an inspiration to young people everywhere – especially Asian Americans – teaching them to believe in their dreams, to take action and to spark change, to be the first. Her unspoken, yet heroic, actions truly speak louder than what words could ever describe.
Sarah Wang
