nwasianweekly.com
Jan. 26, 2008

Chinatown/I.D. should build Lee statue, not UW

Last month, we reported on a class at the University of Washington dedicated to erecting a monument to Bruce Lee. The students of the Bruce Lee Dedication class argued that Lee is one of the most famous students of the University of Washington, and he has not received his full recognition from the university simply because he is a minority.

We feel this class, and the students’ efforts, were worth covering. It was interesting news, and we applaud the students’ initiative. And we certainly don’t deny that institutionalized racism is pervasive in our educational system.

But we think that students in this case are fighting a pointless battle. They should seek to honor and commemorate minorities who have contributed to the University of Washington community, not merely attended. Lee left the university without graduating, in order to focus on his martial arts studio.

That is how he should be commemorated, as a brilliant martial artist and a cross-cultural icon. But as a student? It would be no service to the university or its thousands of students toiling away in classrooms, libraries and dorm rooms to erect a monument to its most famous dropout. It simply conveys the wrong message.

A monument to Lee on the UW campus might mean that the university is addressing the lack of recognition of minorities, as the Bruce Lee Dedication class hopes. But it would also mean that the university is conferring recognition on a celebrity simply because he is a celebrity — who happened to attend the university for a while — and not for his academic achievements.

A more appropriate venue for a Bruce Lee memorial would be in the Chinatown/International District neighborhood. It was here he put down roots in Seattle, years before he reached international success. And it should fall to this community to honor him, not the University of Washington.

The Lee Family Association, an organization that recognizes anyone of Chinese descent with the family name Lee, would be the most natural group to spearhead the campaign, and there is no shortage of community members who could contribute, as well. Perry Lee (no relation) has amassed one of the largest collections of Bruce Lee memorabilia, which he loaned to InterIm for a community exhibit a few years ago. They requested permission from Bruce Lee’s widow and daughter to mount the exhibit at InterIm, and, of course, any type of homage to Bruce Lee would also require the blessings of the Bruce Lee family. There are many such informal celebrations of Lee’s life that already happen. It’s time for a formal tribute, an official statue.

Lee certainly deserves more recognition in this town. But the University of Washington should be left to memorialize scholars who both gained from and gave back to the school. The commemoration of Lee is the responsibility of the Chinatown/International District, a place he never dropped out of.

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