Korean-American Man Breaks Down Crying Because Of What Obama Said To Him At The White House
The story of Gary Lee, a former White House Aide, and proud Korean-American man has gone viral.
1. I’ve never tweeted before but today felt like a good day to start.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
In the face of President Trump’s “Where are you from?” remark to a Korean-American woman, Lee decided to share his experience with former President Barack Obama.
2. President Trump made a lot of upsetting remarks this week including this one. “Where are you from?” is a question that many Asian Americans dread. https://t.co/D7ue8db1Vb pic.twitter.com/rwgrx7OQrb
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
Gary Lee decided to leave the White House in 2011 for a Fulbright Scholarship in South Korea and went to greet Obama on his last day of work.
3. This struck a chord with me not only bc I’m Korean-American, but also bc I worked at the White House, for President Obama. I left the WH in 2011 for a Fulbright scholarship in Korea. President Obama knew I was leaving to learn more about the culture and language of my parents.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
What Barack Obama said that in that moment had Lee smiling in delight.
4. On my last day, I went into the Oval Office and POTUS greeted me by saying, "안녕하세요". Hello, in Korean. I’m lucky bc @PeteSouza captured that exact moment. pic.twitter.com/sKl5ie0DLM
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
Lee shared his passion for public service and how unsure he had been of his future prospects.
5. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to work in public service. It was a lifelong dream to be in government. But I didn't know anyone in politics.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
He explained that during his last year of college, he decided to try his luck at being a part of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign team.
6. In early 2007, my senior year of college, I mailed my resume and a cover letter in a manila envelope to the Obama for America headquarters in Chicago. Two weeks before graduation, I received a phone call that a correspondence volunteer had found my letter in a mail pile.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
The opportunity led to Lee going all the way to the White House with Barack Obama.
7. She gave my letter to her boss, who then called and asked if I wanted to move to Chicago to work on the campaign. That's how I got hired on the campaign. That's how I ended up at the White House. That's how I got to work for President Barack Obama.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
Following his departure photo with Obama, he ran into actor Kal Penn. At the time, Kal was Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement.
8. After my departure photo with POTUS, I left the Oval Office in a daze and ran into @kalpenn in the West Wing lobby. I recounted the interaction with the president and he started tearing up. "Why are you crying?" I asked.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
Kal explained to him why Gary’s interaction with Barack had moved him to tears.
9. He replied, "think about what you just said. How incredible that is. On your last day of work at the White House, after your years of service, the first African-American president greeted you in your parents' native language." I started crying too.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
Gary went on to explain the sacrifices his Korean immigrant parents had made for their family.
10. My parents could never have fathomed such an idea. My mom came to the US when she was 18, my father when he was 26. They worked multiple full-time and part-time jobs, opened a small business, and at one point, had only $20 in their checking account.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
Lee conveyed that all that his parents couldn’t have even imagined how far his success would go.
11. They made incalculable sacrifices so their sons could have the opportunities they never had. They sacrificed so we could achieve whatever we wanted to. They could have never imagined that their eldest son would work in the White House.
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
He continued to ponder where else in the world it would be possible for oppressed minorities to have the ability to achieve so much.
12. In what other country is that even possible? In what other country are you allowed to dream, and despite all odds, pursue and achieve your dreams? In what country could a chubby, 90s Hip Hop and R&B-loving Asian kid from NM end up working for @BarackObama?
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
Gary expressed his love for the nation that he had spent so long working for as a public servant.
13. What a beautiful, incredible nation of immigrants we are. 🇺🇸
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
He finalized his thread with a greeting for Korean-American Day and Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.
14. Happy Korean-American Day and MLK weekend. As Dr. King said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." -end-
— Gary Lee (@whoisgarylee) January 13, 2018
Gary Lee’s wonderful story has moved the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. The tweets have amassed over 139,000 retweets and 815,000 likes since he first posted them.
