A Letter from Linda Schatz

I want to talk to you about Brian Schatz, not as a politician but as a husband, a father, and a son-in-law. But first, you need to know a little about me.

I am a Kaimuki girl, born and raised by immigrant parents from China. My father escaped communism and came to Hawaii with five siblings and my grandmother, traveling for three weeks by boat to meet my grandfather, who had come a few years earlier and was working in a chop suey house as a cook.

My father was a teenager when they arrived. My grandparents, dad, uncles and aunts lived in a tiny apartment in Makiki. To help make ends meet, my dad worked after high school at McCully Chop Suey. I was told my father, having worked the evening shift, would fall asleep in class. He eventually quit school to work full-time cooking.

He went back to Hong Kong to meet my mother. They were set up to meet through extended family that came from the same village in China. They married and returned to live in Hawaii. I was born a year later.

My grandfather saved enough to start his own restaurant — Kwok’s Chop Suey on Waialae Avenue. My father worked side-by-side with him for almost 30 years until my grandfather retired and gave him the restaurant.

The restaurant was my stomping grounds as a child. My younger brother and I hung out there after school to do homework, eat dinner, and when we got older, to help out taking orders, making won ton, bussing tables, washing dishes, and eating a lot of that famous red kau yuk and char siu fried rice.

Both my parents worked long hours, never taking vacations, hoping that one day my brother and I would finish school and have a bright future. My grandparents and my parents understood the long-term value of a strong work ethic to provide for their children and ensure that future generations in their family would do better. Brian shares this very same value of hard work and taking care of family.

Brian as a husband is my partner and my best friend. He’s been my rock and my source of wisdom. As a woman, I have career aspirations and have been taught by my mother never to rely on anyone. From day one, Brian has supported me in my career efforts. He understands that being a mother and a career woman are the two most important jobs to me. He does his best to ensure that I can balance the two by being an understanding and supportive partner. He understands that this is what makes me whole.

Brian as a father knows that being a dad is his most important job. He takes being a father seriously, from ensuring our kids eat healthy to sitting at the dinner table almost every night to hear about their day. He makes sure that Tyler, our son who is six, knows what it means to be respectful and understand the meaning of fairness. With our daughter Mia, who is two, I have never seen him so loving and actually giddy to be with her. I know they are both the reason he decided to run for office. He knows it’s how he’ll make Hawaii a better place for them.

Brian believes in family. You can tell how much he believes in family because of the kind of son-in-law he is. When we were dating, he asked me about marriage. Just to set expectations straight I told him that I was going to take care of my parents one day and they would probably live with me. And yes, he still married me a year later. We live in a multi-generation ohana. My mother and father have lived with us for the last five years. Brian has embraced the culture I grew up in by showing my parents he loves their pickled pig’s feet and won ton soup. He even speaks basic Chinese around the house to my parents and the kids.

Brian and I truly understand the quality of life issues that are facing every family in Hawaii — from concerns about education, to affordable healthcare for my parents, to making sure that there will be jobs for our kids one day. We are experiencing the same life experiences as you in raising a family. Brian and I are in this campaign together, and this is a long-term commitment to make Hawaii better for Mia, for Tyler and your children.

Mahalo for all you are doing to make this a stronger community. I hope you’ll join us by making a contribution or volunteering.

Linda Schatz

(PS from Friends of Brian Schatz – Linda returned to graduate school and early this year received her Doctorate in Architecture.)