The giant toy chain had said it would grant the prize, a savings bond, to the winner of its “First Baby of the Year Sweepstakes” and encouraged all "expectant New Year's mothers” to apply. At the stroke of midnight, three infants were tied for being the first newborns. Yuki Lin, born at New York City’s Downtown Hospital, won a runoff drawing.

After announcing that the girl’s parents had won, Toys “R” Us withdrew the prize from Han Lin and Yan Zhu Liu, 22-year-old restaurant workers in New York’s Chinatown. It said the contest was open only to legal U.S. residents. Although Yuki Lin is a U.S. citizen by birth, her parents reportedly are not legal residents.

The decision sparked outrage in Asian-American communities. “She was deprived of $25,000 intended to be used for her college education because of who her parents are,” said Albert Wang, a New York lawyer who launched a protest campaign.

“Toys ‘R’ Us is sending a message to Yuki and to all Americans born in the United States that she is a second-class citizen,” said Vicki Shu Smolin, president of the New York chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA).

“This incident only perpetuates the myth that if you look different, you must have come from somewhere else and are not entitled to the rights inherent to all Americans,” said OCA executive director Michael Lin.

“How does a company like Toys ‘R’ Us stick it to a baby on the first day of her life?” said New York City councilman John Liu, the first and so far only Chinese-American elected official in the city. His district, Flushing, Queens, has a large Chinese and Korean immigrant population.

The company quickly backed down and said it would award a $25,000 savings bond to all three babies.

Besides Yuki Lin, the other two recipients are babies born to a Salvadoran couple in Bay Shore, New York, and to a Black family in Gainesville, Georgia.

“We regret deeply that this sweepstake became a point of controversy,” Toys "R" Us said in a statement. “We love all babies.”

The company opened its first mainland China store a month ago.
 
 
Related articles:
Gov’t targets meat packers with criminal indictments  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home