Author and renowned speaker Eric Liu led a virtual lecture on Oct. 15 discussing the importance of citizenship, civic engagement and voting.
Liu, the son of Chinese immigrants, is the author of eight books including “The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker” and “You’re More Powerful Than You Think: A Citizen’s Guide to making Change Happen.”
Liu worked as a White House speech writer under Bill Clinton. Liu has also authored multiple TED Talks around power and voting and is the founder of Citizenship University.
During the lecture, Liu focused on explaining his formula for citizenship: power plus character equals citizenship.
“You are a human being, and every human is wired to try get other people to do what is that we like them do in every circle of relationship,” said Liu on the concept of power.
Liu states that civic power has six different sources: people power, money power, power of ideas, power of force, power of state action and power of social norms.
According to Liu, power also follows three laws: power compounds, power justifies itself and power is infinite.
“We are living through a time right now, with everything else that’s going on, inequality, concentration of wealth, reckoning anew with the deep structural racism and racial injustice in our country, oh, and by the way, a pandemic,” said Liu. “All of these things are forcing us to do one of two things: either roll up and hide or start asking yourself ‘How do I show up and step up and stand up and find my voice?’”
Liu continued the discussion about character, pointing out that civic character is made by those around you and a sense of responsibility.
The lecture wrapped up with questions concerning how to participate in civic engagement. Liu discussed that there are many ways including voting and organizing.
This event was sponsored by ETSU Student Government Association and ETSU’s Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement.
