Valuable lesson from a new citizen

by Larry Meyer
MRA Chairman and CEO

Ge Xiong was born in Laos in 1966. When he was 14, his family attempted to flee the political oppression and mass killings carried out by the country’s despotic Communist leadership. Both of his parents were killed during the escape, but Ge continued on to Thailand with two of his brothers and one sister (another brother and sister escaped separately).

After spending several months in a refugee camp in Thailand, Ge and his brothers and sister were able to come to the United States through a refugee relocation program sponsored by a church in Texas. They were among a plane full of refugees who landed in San Antonio in 1980 to begin a new life in a new land.

Ge’s oldest brother, Kao Xiong, had already come to the U.S. and was living in Lansing, Michigan, so Ge and his brothers and sister made the trip north to settle in with their brother. Ge entered Pattengil Middle School, beginning the task of learning the language and culture of his adopted nation. Ge remained in school, worked hard and graduated from Lansing Eastern High School in 1986.

Wanting to pick up additional skills and make himself more marketable to employers, Ge enrolled in an accounting class at Hill Vocational Center. The school’s placement program brought Ge together with the Michigan Retailers Association in downtown Lansing. We hired him as a clerk to do a variety of office tasks.

In 1991 Ge married a fellow Laotian, Ia Lo. They are now Lansing homeowners and the proud parents of five children, the oldest of whom is 10. Four of the five are school age and attend Lansing schools.

Ge has been with the Michigan Retailers Association for 18 years and is now a customer data representative, performing valuable computer database work and other responsibilities.

Why am I telling you Ge’s story? Because his situation—and his latest achievement—provide us with a valuable reminder as we head into the November elections.

On August 12, 2004, Ge and his wife took the ultimate step of embracing their new country by becoming citizens. At a ceremony at Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, the Xiongs became U.S. citizens—and immediately registered to vote. Ge can’t wait to cast his first ballot!

Ge’s story is both individually unique and typically American. He came to this country with nothing but the will to succeed, and through education, hard work and determination, he has overcome adversity to build a new and prosperous life for himself, his family and his community.

I want to personally congratulate Ge and his wife on becoming U.S. citizens. All of us at MRA know what a pleasure it is to work with Ge; we know his contribution to our organization and are delighted to count him as a fellow U.S. citizen.

Ge and his wife recognize that voting is the most fundamental of the many rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship. I hope you, too, will exercise that most precious right and go to the polls on November 2 to make your voice heard.