Let’s be honest. Too many Republican men are obsessed with control. They want to control women’s decisions about their bodies. They believe they have the right to decide such issues. Why? Because they think they know what is best.

Even nice guys—like Tim Scott, the Republican senator from South Carolina who now seeks the Republican nomination for president– has admitted that if he had his way, he would enforce extremely strict abortion laws. 

It is ironic that these men insist they have the right to decide—to control women. Yet these same men want minimal controls over gun purchases and possessions. And these same men who cavalierly tell women what they can and cannot do with their bodies have no clue what health or financial issues these women may face. Already in states where stricter abortion laws have been enforced, several women have dealt with life-threatening issues because doctors were afraid or not allowed to help them. 

These men also try to control the type of women with whom they associate. Donald Trump talks about who is “his type” and who is not. There is no conversation about intellect, compatibility, sense of humor, and partnership among equals. Instead, it is an analysis of looks—not that dissimilar to judging livestock at a county fair. The ultimate question is would she be appropriate “arm candy” to enhance his viral image. 

Mike Pence seems to have missed the whole concept of professional colleagues of the opposite sex—equal peers interacting with each other. He has said he will not even have a business lunch or dinner alone with a woman unless his wife is there to chaperon. Perhaps the woman might want to put the moves on him? Or he would not want anyone to get the wrong idea so why risk it?

Then there is the illustrious fist-pumping Republican senator from Missouri Josh Hawley who has just published a book called Manhood. In this enriching self-help book, he tells men how to be strong—how to take control—how to be a dominant male who rules the roost. 

This need to control filters through all aspects of life. In our community in Florida, men, most of them enthusiastic Republicans, tend to nominate each other to head neighborhood boards. They then proceed to decide what trees may be trimmed, what vendors will be employed, and what decisions will be made on pest control, etc. Former CEOs of small companies, they now have become rulers of small neighborhoods. And they have miraculously become experts on a variety of home-owner areas. Who knew? 

One neighbor patronizingly explained to me the difference between Republicans and Democrats. He said, “All you need to know is that Democrats want more government; Republicans want less.”  I started to object saying that I did not think it was quite that simple. “What about DeSantis wanting to control what books are in schools and what curriculums should be taught.” I asked. “You are mixing apples and oranges,” he said. “I know things. Listen to me.” I did and silently thanked him for confirming my thesis about Republican men.

I have collaborated with men who respect women’s intellect and experience—who are not threatened by them. I have worked with men who mentor and coach women and who help them to achieve their career goals. I also have worked with men who do not call on women in meetings and who dismiss a woman’s suggestion or idea and then proceed to restate that same suggestion or idea as their own. 

The thing about the need for control is that it seldom ends well. Think Putin, Hitler, or Napoleon. One cannot imagine that Putin’s desire to control Ukraine will end well. 

 A healthy discussion—a give and take—is a beautiful thing. It means new and innovative ideas are considered. It means one person does not have all the answers. It means people who are experts in different areas come to the table because most issues at the forefront in today’s society are complicated. It is necessary to peel back the onion—to see all sides of an issue—to find workable solutions. Strong leaders know how to delegate and trust teams to derive workable solutions. Strong leaders embrace equity—valuing the input of everyone—and do not ignore or attempt to control people with different points of view. 

Donald Trump is not a very stable genius. He is quite the opposite. Already Ron DeSantis is exhibiting his need to control—banning books, marginalizing LGBQQT+ people, and remaking Florida’s higher education system to conform to his own beliefs. 

Let us applaud leaders who embrace partnership and equity, leaders who listen to others and share power. Let us celebrate leaders who give their teams space to do their jobs and welcome alternative ideas. Simply stated, let us support leaders who do not feel the need to control everything and everyone. As Plato once said, “The measure of a man is what he does with power.” Amen.

Maria Grant was principal-in-charge of a federal human capital practice at an international consulting firm. While on the Eastern Shore, she focuses on writing, music, reading, gardening, and nature.

Hung Liu had many talents. She was a painter, photographer, video maker, and a printer. Since 2006, several of her paintings have been chosen to be woven into tapestries. In 2004 she attended the Tamarind Workshop at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, established in 1960 to advance the art of printmaking in America. There she developed a unique style of printmaking that involved layers, also in her paintings. Hung Liu won in 2011 the SGC International Award for Lifetime Achievement in Printmaking.

“Dandelion with Mallard” (2016) (32’’x31’’) (monoprint with hand leafing and hand coloring) is from a series titled Drifters. On a road trip with her husband in the summer of 2014, Hung Liu began to photograph dandelions.  Large paintings from the series are titled by location: “Deadwood,” “Little Big Horn,” and “Mt. Rushmore.” Hung Liu appreciated the fact that dandelion seeds are migratory, they cross all earth and water barriers, and then multiply in new lands. The painting and prints depict dandelions past their prime, their blossoms going to seed. Their life is ending but is regenerated by the seeds.

To offer hope in an atmosphere of despair, Hung Liu has painted a pink square on the wall, and the image of man’s hand holding a bouquet of freshly picked daisies. Daisies are an international symbol of purity and innocence. They represent new beginnings, and they bring joy. She said, “We can adopt each other’s children, so why can’t we adopt each other’s ancestors.”

“Tobacco Sharecropper” (2017) (monoprint with silver leaf) (33”x33”) depicts a barefoot and bare legged little girl helping her father pick tobacco. Hung Liu’s introduction of metal onto the surface of the print achieves a unique multicolored, mirror-like surface that reflects light. Her art education in China included painting of Russian Icons where precious metals, particularly gold leaf, were layered onto the image to increase its spirituality. Hung Liu’s inclusion of silver and gold leaf serve the same purpose. The images of the past are not lost, but brought back from history and preserved for the future.

“Sanctuary” (2019) (72”x72”) (oil with gold leaf) depicts a Mexican mother and her baby boy. Hung Liu’s concern for immigrants included those Mexican, Guatemalan, and Central American migrants arriving in large numbers at the American border. She visited the Texas border and talked with and photographed many migrants. The expression on the face of this mother displays a mixture of emotions: joy, thankfulness, relief, and many more. Previously, Hung Liu painted Madonna-like figures in different forms, both Chinese and African American. In “Sanctuary,” Hung Liu placed a solid gold leaf circle behind the woman’s’ head. It is a reference to the Virgin Mary, to the Mexican Virgin of Guadalupe, to the halo always around the head of the Buddha, and it represents the sun and hope.

Hung Liu had many talents. She was a painter, photographer, video maker, and a printer. Since 2006, several of her paintings have bkkeen chosen to be woven into tapestries. In 2004 she attended the Tamarind Workshop at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, established in 1960 to advance the art of printmaking in America. There she developed a unique style of printmaking that involved layers, also in her paintings. Hung Liu won in 2011 the SGC International Award for Lifetime Achievement in Printmaking.

“Dandelion with Mallard” (2016) (32’’x31’’) (monoprint with hand leafing and hand coloring) is from a series titled Drifters. On a road trip with her husband in the summer of 2014, Hung Liu began to photograph dandelions.  Large paintings from the series are titled by location: “Deadwood,” “Little Big Horn,” and “Mt. Rushmore.” Hung Liu appreciated the fact that dandelion seeds are migratory, they cross all earth and water barriers, and then multiply in new lands. The painting and prints depict dandelions past their prime, their blossoms going to seed. Their life is ending but is regenerated by the seeds.

The familiar Hung Liu circles and drips continue in this print. She also adds a brightly colored Mallard duck, in Chinese tradition a symbol of prosperity, abundance, and good luck.

#2 “Migrant Mother” (2015)

Hung Liu visited the Oakland County Library in California in 2015 to study the archives of Dorothea Lange and the other photographers of the WPA (1939-43) who documented the Great Depression in America.  “Migrant Mother” (2015) (66”x66”) (oil) was one of the first of many paintings and prints in Hung Liu’s exhibition American Exodus. She commented,“This landscape of struggle is familiar terrain, reminding me of the epic revolution and displacement in Mao’s China. Only, now I am painting American peasants looking for the promised land.”

Although the Dorothea Lange image is familiar to most viewers, Hung Liu said she finds “true inspiration…to discover, to excavate, to peel off the layers and try to find out what was there that got lost, for there is always something missing.” In “Migrant Mother” the face is the same as Lange’s photograph, but the poses of both mother and child are slightly altered, and a background is added. The figures are placed in a room, its dreary grey-brown color resembling a tent, not a house. A kerosine lamp and a bowl are placed on the table,

To offer hope in an atmosphere of despair, Hung Liu has painted a pink square on the wall, and the image of man’s hand holding a bouquet of freshly picked daisies. Daisies are an international symbol of purity and innocence. They represent new beginnings, and they bring joy. She said, “We can adopt each other’s children, so why can’t we adopt each other’s ancestors.”

#3 “Tobacco Sharecropper” (2017)

“Tobacco Sharecropper” (2017) (monoprint with silver leaf) (33”x33”) depicts a barefoot and bare legged little girl helping her father pick tobacco. Hung Liu’s introduction of metal onto the surface of the print achieves a unique multicolored, mirror-like surface that reflects light. Her art education in China included painting of Russian Icons where precious metals, particularly gold leaf, were layered onto the image to increase its spirituality. Hung Liu’s inclusion of silver and gold leaf serve the same purpose. The images of the past are not lost, but brought back from history and preserved for the future.

Hung Liu states: “With this new body of paintings, I would like to summon the ghosts from Dorothea Lange’s brilliant [black and white] photographs…I personally identify with Ms. Lange’s photographs since I am myself an immigrant from China and was caught up in wars and famines…forcing my family to migrate elsewhere. As an American citizen, I am very passionate about how painting American subjects remind me so much of those of my homeland.”

An exhibition of Hung Liu’s work was scheduled to open on December 6, 2019, at the Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing. The exhibition was abruptly cancelled in November.  Hung Liu had agreed to remove a few of her paintings that were considered too controversial, but the reason for the cancellation was suspect, permits to bring her work into China were denied. In an interview with Art News (2019) Liu stated, “The message is anti-war so I thought it was OK. When I talked with my Chinese artist friends about it, they just said one word: Hong Kong.” Hung Liu held a cancellation party on the day the show was supposed to open.

#4 “Sanctuary” (2019)

“Sanctuary” (2019) (72”x72”) (oil with gold leaf) depicts a Mexican mother and her baby boy. Hung Liu’s concern for immigrants included those Mexican, Guatemalan, and Central American migrants arriving in large numbers at the American border. She visited the Texas border and talked with and photographed many migrants. The expression on the face of this mother displays a mixture of emotions: joy, thankfulness, relief, and many more. Previously, Hung Liu painted Madonna-like figures in different forms, both Chinese and African American. In “Sanctuary,” Hung Liu placed a solid gold leaf circle behind the woman’s’ head. It is a reference to the Virgin Mary, to the Mexican Virgin of Guadalupe, to the halo always around the head of the Buddha, and it represents the sun and hope.

Hung Liu retired from Mills College in 2014, but she never stopped working. She died on August 7, 2021 as the result of pancreatic cancer. She was 73 years old. She was an internationally respected and beloved artist, and her work was exhibited in over fifty solo exhibitions.  Memorial exhibitions continue to be scheduled world-wide. Her paintings remind us that everyone, no matter the race, religion, or place in the world, should be respected and honored. Having come from an authoritarian country, she loved American democracy. She remarked: “The story of America as a destination for the homeless and hungry of the world is not only a myth. It is a story of desperation, of sadness, of uncertainty, of leaving your home. It is also a story of determination, and—more than anything—of hope.” (Hung Liu, 2017)