Asian Avenue magazine - October 2014

asian avenue magazine

Connecting Cultures Linking Lives

SPRING

INSTITUTE

promotes language and culture in

COLORADO

October 2014 Volume 9 Issue 10

JOSHUA KOSLOSKI becomes U.S.A.’s youngest

WORLD

TAEKWONDO CHAMPION

TAMAI TOWER

residents enjoy downtown perks

COLORADO BREWERIES PREPARE FOR GREAT AMERICAN BEER FESTIVAL

Harry Budisidharta

Think Smart.

Criminal Cases | Domestic Violence | DUI

(303) 377-3474 2012 Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Recipient Awarded by the Arapahoe County Bar Association & Asian Pacific American Bar Association

Dear Asian Avenue readers, As that Colorado breeze turns colder this month, I hope you are somewhere warm reading this issue of Asian Avenue magazine. This month, our cover story highlights Asian-American brewers in Colorado including David Lin of Comrade Brewing Company, David Wang of Caution Brewery and Phil Kao of Stem Ciders.

As the Great American Beer Festival is underway early October at the Convention Center, this is the perfect time to enjoy some Colorado brews or apple ciders.

As a continuation to last month’s cover story on Sakura Square, our staff writer Mary Schultz conducted interviews with residents of Tamai Tower. Read their stories about the perks of living in downtown Denver and the importance of having a sense of Asian community.

A strong advocate in our Asian community is Korean-American Michael Song, who recently became the Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Colorado Attorney General. Featured as our spotlight, Michael is a mover and shaker in Colorado’s Asian community and devoted to public service. We are lucky to have him as General Counsel for Asian Avenue magazine and congratulate him on his new position!

Another congrats is in order for Joshua Kosloski, who has become U.S.A.’s youngest world taekwondo champion. From Aurora, Colo., Joshua sets an example to other young people that if you are disciplined and work hard, there’s nothing you can’t do. He looks forward to continuing his training and eventually competing in the 2020 Olympics. We believe in you Joshua!

Last month, the first Asian community public policy forum invited Colorado candidates to speak at the Denver Athletic Club. The event drew nearly 200 attendees and emphasized the importance of voting in the upcoming election. We would also like to thank Cynthia Coffman, current Chief Deputy Attorney General of Colorado and candidate for Colorado Attorney General 2014, for meeting with Asian community leaders to share in stories of public service and her commitment to Colorado citizens. Check your voter registration information at www.govotecolorado.com and be ready to vote on November 4. We all have a voice!

We are excited to announce our fourth annual Asian Avenue Halloween party will be held on Saturday, October 25 at Downing Street Grill. Come for the music by DJ Guest and join the costume contest! We will see you there!

asian avenue magazine

staff & support

Publisher & Founder: Christina Yutai Guo President: Annie Guo Senior Designer: C.G. Yao Designer: Jonathan Nguyen Marketing Coordinator: Chun Guo Staff Writer: Patricia Kaowthumrong Staff Writer: Mary Jeneverre Schultz Staff Writer: Brenda Velasquez Photographer: Trang Luong Intern: Mai Choua Lee Intern: Monica Lin Intern: Akemi Tsutsui

advisors group

General Counsel: Michael C. Song Patty Coutts, Donna LaVigne, Nestor J. Mercado, Sum C. Nguyen, Alok Sarwal, Peter Warren, John Yee, Nai-Li Yee, George N. Yoshida

contributing writers

Harry Budisidharta, Ryan Lucas, Amy Ng, Christa Saracco, Alok Sarwal, Harrison Tu

contributing photographers

Community College of Denver, Korea Weekly Focus

on the cover

Asian-American brewers are in the Denver market and gearing up for the annual Great American Beer Festival.

Photo by Jonathan Nguyen.

subscriptions

To subscribe, e-mail marketing@asianavenuemag azine.com. A one-year subscription is $25 for 12 issues, a two-year subscription is 40 for 24 issues.

Please make checks or money orders payable to Asian Avenue magazine. For details about special corporate or group rates, please call during business hours: Monday - Friday, 9am to 5pm. Shipping and handling included.

Annie Guo, President Asian Avenue magazine

advertising

Asian Avenue magazine offers businesses the most cost-effective way to reach consumers in the Denver/Boulder metro areas and beyond. For more information, call during business hours or e-mail us at marketing@asianavenuemagazine.com for our media kit and ad rates.

editorial 40

To submit story ideas, letters to the editor or event calendar listings, e-mail editor@asianavenuemagazine.com.

Asian Avenue magazine (ISSN 1932-1449) reserves all copyrights to this issue. No parts of this edition can be reproduced in any manner without written permission. The views expressed in articles are the authors’ and not necessarily those of Asian Avenue magazine. Authors may have consulting or other business relationships with the companies they discuss.

Published by Asian Avenue Magazine, Inc. P.O. Box 221748 Denver, CO 80222-1748 Tel: 303.937.6888 Fax: 303.750.8488 www.asianavenuemagazine.com Asian Avenue magazine is in association with the Colorado Asian Culture and Education Network.

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October 2014 | President’s Note

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Find Inside >> Table of Contents

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Event Calendar Spotlight Michael C. Song joins Office of the Colorado Attorney General

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Rising Star Aurora’s Joshua Kosloski becomes World Taekwondo champion

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Hula is my culture

ON SCENE

Enigma of China by Qiu Xiaolong

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Cover Story: Breweries Asian-American brewers are received with open arms as they join Colorado’s brewing scene

October 2014 | Table of Contents

Inside Story Spring Institute celebrates 35 years of intercultural learning Features Stories from the residents of downtown Denver’s Tamai Tower

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Book Reviews China Dolls by Lisa See

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Cynthia Coffman meets with Asian community leaders over Korean barbecue

Asian Roundtable of Colorado organizes first Asian community public policy forum for Colorado candidates

Aurora hosts Korean open house

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Community College of Denver’s Confucius Institute celebrates 10th anniversary

CAHEP provides health fairs this fall

Dan Matthews shares Korean adoptee story at Auraria Campus

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National News Legal Column: Voting Rights Amendment Act Chinese Idiom “Preparedness Forestalls Calamities”

Take Home Some

CaSH

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Management reserves all rights. Gambling a problem? Call 1-800-522-4700.

upcoming events Spirit & Sworded Treks

October 3-19, Fri-Sat-Sun, 7pm Saturday, October 18, 2pm, not 7pm

Germinal’s 73rd Avenue Playhouse 7287 Lowell Blvd. Westminster, CO 80030 Cost: $20 ticket For tickets or more info, call 303-455-7108 or visit www.theatre-esprit-asia.org.

Theatre Espirit Asia has been invited by Germinal Theatre, one of the most respected and established theatre companies of Colorado to reprise Spirit & Sworded Treks at their theatre, for a limited three-weekend run. Spirit & Sworded Treks, directed and performed by Maria Cheng, swept the awards at the 2014 Colorado Theatre Festival in August, winning six awards—which was more than any other theatre company. Cheng is an artist of the first magnitude.

Emily Griffith Film Festival

Asian Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours

Wednesday, October 15, 6pm to 7:30pm Charles Schwab 9401 E. Panorama Circle, Englewood, CO 80112 Cost: Free For more info, visit www.acccolorado.org.

Meet team leaders from Charles Schwab and preview the model of their new corporate campus!

Company representatives will showcase their college-to-careers program with students from Metropolitan State University of Denver. Network with Chamber members and leadership! Light snacks and refreshments will be served.

APDC Flu Shot Clinics

Wednesday, October 22, 2pm to 5pm Thursday, October 30, 3pm to 5pm

October 10, 11 and 12

Asian Pacific Development Center 1537 Alton Street, Aurora, CO 80010 Cost: Free For more info, call 303-923-2920 or visit www.apdc.org.

With an array of stories, you’re sure to find a film that inspires you, all while supporting a great cause: providing opportunity for education at Emily Griffith Technical College. These powerful films feature immigrants and refugees that are moving, fun and uplifting and which highlight the strength of the human spirit. Emily Griffith has one of the largest and longest-standing programs serving refugees and immigrants in the state.

Now we are devoting a three-day film festival to the refugee and immigrant experience.

Don’t get the flu. Don’t spread the flu. Get vaccinated. Flu shots are available at the Asian Pacific Development Center. APDC is partnering with the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of Colorado, a nonprofit health care agency, to provide seasonal influenza vaccines. Tell your friends and family, and bring them in to get a shot.

Sie Film Center 2510 E. Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80206 Cost: Tickets start at $15 For more info, visit www.emilygriffithfilmfestival.org.

Taste of Indonesia

Friday, October 24, 6pm to 7:30pm

Double Ten Banquet

Saturday, October 11, 6pm to 9pm

3155 S. Vaughn Way, Aurora, CO 80014 Cost: Adult $35 | Senior/Student $30 For more info, contact Nelson Ho at 303-220-9177 or Nancy Tan at 720-220-8300.

Double Ten National Day commemorates the October 10, 1911 revolution, which led to the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and establishment of the Republic of China. In Denver, the celebration is an opportunity to share culture and heritage with the community at large. The celebration will include a formal dinner, keynote speakers on the history of Chinese Coloradans, a slideshow of tourist destinations in Taiwan, and traditional Chinese folk dances and Asian performances.

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October 2014 | Event Calendar

cultural performances. The peacock dance has delicate hand movements and follows traditional ‘Gamelan’ music. Each movement is meaningful and happy which is why it is the welcome dance to greet guests of honor. Other performances include the Golek dance, Javanese Gamelan (brass xylophone percussion), Giring dance from Borneo and Sajojo dance from Papau.

Friends of ENCA Farm Nourish Saturday, October 25, 11am to 1pm

Posner Center for International Development 1031 33rd Street, Denver, CO 80205 Cost: $40 pre-sale, $45 at door, $15 students For more info, visit www.encaorganicfarm.com.

Enjoy delicious Filipino cuisine and sip some of Denver’s best coffee. All proceeds benefit Friends of ENCA Farm’s organic farming and environmental conversation work in the Northern Philippines.

Brunch will be prepared by guest Chef Heidi Peterson, and include Longganiza Hubad Fried Eggs made to order, garlic rice, Kamote home fries, Pandesal buns with varied fruit spreads, Buko and fresh fruit salad with coconut cream, Kalamansi lime bar cookies, coconut-mango chiffon cake and “broken glass” jell-o like you’ve never seen!

Women in NAAAP

Sunday, October 26, 1pm to 4:30pm

Galleria Office Towers, North Tower, Suite-PH 720 S. Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO 80246 For more info, contact Lillie Ben at 303-805-4800.

The vision of Colorado WIN! is to develop leaders through honing leadership skills. In an environment that promotes ‘sister-ship’ relationships, WIN! is about the participant honing her leadership skills to qualify her for leadership roles. She reinforces her confidence in herself and her competence in her abilities by applying the knowledge that she gains from the education and mentoring programs.

Election Day

Tuesday, November 4

The Hall – International House 1400 W. Elizabeth Street, Fort Collins, CO 80521 Cost: Free admission For more info, contact 970-988-4865, arcinda@prodigy.net or visit www.arcinda.org.

ARCINDA (The Arts and Culture of Indonesia) will host Taste of Indonesia featuring dances and

Every voter now receives a mail ballot. If you want to vote at the polls, you can surrender your mail ballot and vote in-person at a voter service and polling center. To do so, go to www.GoVoteColorado.com to find your polling locations. Here, you can also check your status. Log in to your voter record to see if your mail ballot has been sent. If you have more questions, contact your local county clerk and recorder.

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MICHAEL C. SONG

leaves private practice for public service

and joins the Criminal Justice Section of the Office of the Colorado Attorney General While Korean American Michael Song is new to the Denver area, he brings years of legal experience to the mile high. Recently leaving Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell, he will be joining the Office of the Colorado Attorney General working specifically on marijuana policy.

Song served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Hawaii and the District of Columbia where he tried cases in U.S. District Court and briefed and argued appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals. While in the District of Hawaii, Song prosecuted complex public corruption, whitecollar criminal matters and special jurisdictional matters on federally-owned property.

In the District of Columbia, he investigated and prosecuted major felony crimes. Song also participated in several long– term criminal investigations with specialized federal and state law enforcement task forces. In 2008, he received the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Achievement Award. He has tried over 40 cases, including 15 jury trials, and conducted over 100 grand jury investigations.

Song served as a law clerk to The Honorable Royce C. Lamberth of the U.S. District Court in the D.C. Circuit where he oversaw the hearings of numerous mediation settlements and class action suits against the government,

drafted mediation final orders and memorandum orders for discovery motions and motions for summary judgment, and performed substantial document review for several jury trials in U.S. District Court.

In 2005, Song graduated from the University of Texas with a juris doctorate degree from the law school and a master’s degree in public affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. He earned an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business in 2000 and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1995.

As the General Counsel for Asian Avenue magazine, Song has dived into Colorado’s Asian-American and Korean community by joining associations and organizing community meetings and events. He believes in the importance of bridging the cultural gaps with younger generations.

In an interview with Korea Weekly Focus, he says “I believe that I can be a good source of information and set a good example for young people who want to be motivated and have clear goals.” He regularly gives of his time to mentor young people, especially law students.

“I want to make our community better,” he says. Contact Michael Song at Michael.Song@state.co.us.

Spotlight | asian avenue magazine

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That Special Ability

Joshua Kosloski becomes U.S.A.’s youngest world Taekwondo champion

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By Ryan Lucas | USA Taekwondo

In life and in sports, greatness lies on the fringe of the definable and the indescribable.

Expressing the term in words is like reaching to grab a curl of smoke, its slow turn and roll evident to the eyes but impossible to touch.

Taekwondo coaches around the country—and now the world—are looking on in wonder as they try to explain the talents of Joshua Kosloski. Quiet, studious and unassuming, the high school freshman is also unfazed at all times on the taekwondo mat.

Late last month at the 2014 World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) World Cadet Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Kosloski (Aurora, Colo.) fought to five straight victories in the flyweight division, winning a gold medal. In all, he outscored his opponents by a 44-4 margin, an astounding performance for an athlete competing on a world stage for the first time.

Kosloski, USA Taekwondo’s August Athlete of the Month, is atypical in that he thrives on intensity, standing tall with the hard breakers of pressure crashing upon him.

“I wouldn’t even say that’s just rare at his age; I’d say that’s rare for everyone,” Master Bill Pottle of Korean Academy of Taekwondo in Aurora, Colo., one of Kosloski’s numerous current coaches, said. “I tell most of my students that however they do in practice, they’ll probably do 80 percent as well at a tournament.

“They could be nervous, there could be something going wrong that day—maybe they couldn’t eat, maybe that got called and then were told to wait—and that kind of stuff happens all the time at tournaments.

“It’s really rare to see people who can just raise their game up so much when it counts. You see that often in great athletes in other sports: the higher the stage, the higher the game. They just deliver, and it’s almost like they’re affected positively by nerves instead of the negative impact most people feel. Joshua’s a rarity in that respect.”

Even in the finals in Azerbaijan, when he faced Russia’s Andrei Kanaev—who’d already defeated him earlier in the year at the U.S. Open—Kosloski never strayed in his approach.

“It was the same as a regular tournament,” he said, referring to his method of remaining in the moment at all costs, including in overtime of the championship match, when he landed more strikes just under the threshold of scoring to defeat Kanaev for the title.

Kosloski’s relentless desire to improve keeps him moving forward as a competitor. Throughout the year, he cross trains on a regular basis with Master Henry Cruz of Manila Taekwondo (Union City, Calif.), Master Dean Vargas of Quest Taekwondo (Redondo Beach, Calif.), Master An-

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October 2014 | Rising Star

dre DeOlivera of Champion Taekwondo Academy in Thornton, Colo. and several others—all while maintaining a spot on the honor roll in school.

Success is a natural consequence of a tireless work ethic. Since 2008, Kosloski has earned more than 60 medals—most of them of the gold variety—at major national events.

“Number one is that he just works really, really hard,” Pottle said of Kosloski, who also competes in AAU Taekwondo. “I think few people understand just how hard he works, how many classes he goes to, how many miles he runs and how many tournament he goes to.”

Kosloski also seeks to learn from as many elite martial arts personalities as possible. Whether having USA Taekwondo Assistant National Team Coach Russ Gale in his corner or speaking to Isle of Man luminary Aaron Cook for advice, Kosloski is untiring in his drive for competitive knowledge.

Each year, Kosloski squares off against a continuous line of opponents, a process that keeps his growth on the mat a constant. The push to win also spurs his development.

“With sparring, there aren’t many styles that he hasn’t seen,” Pottle said. “Whether they use the front leg, the back leg, like to spin a lot or like to attack, it doesn’t matter; he’s already sparred many people with each style, so I think that’s really helpful for him.

“For his age, he’s very experienced. But he’s always been smart with how to win. Even when he was a little kid and just playing games at the dojo, he’d always just find that way to win.”

In the future, Pottle believes that his star pupil’s savvy and motivation will only strengthen. As he prepares for the junior level and beyond, all the ineffable qualities that define Kosloski’s greatness will press him on to the fore of the sport, Pottle said.

“If I were a betting person, I would definitely not bet against Joshua,” Pottle said. “Any level of this sport is achievable to him—Olympics, Olympic medals, anything—because he definitely has that special ability.

If you are interested in cross training with Joshua at any of the locations he trains with or if you would like him to come train with you, please message him at his Facebook athlete page www.facebook.com/joshuakosloskitkd. Joshua is looking for a sponsor, even as a World Champion. His parents are open to travel anywhere or any tournament that fits their plans and budget. Joshua’s goals are to use his success to find out if his mother has any living biological family in South Korea; to medal at Junior Worlds; to medal at Senior Worlds; and to medal at the 2020 Olympics.”

Golden Shanghai Asian Restaurant

● The Best Chinese Restaurant by 710 AM Restaurant Show ● The Best Chinese Restaurant by the 1430 KEZW Restaurant Show ● Voted 2007 Top 100 Chinese Restaurant in the US

1412 S. Parker Rd. A-134 Denver, CO 80231 (303) 743-7666 (303)743-9079 (303)743-8210 Inside Story | asian avenue magazine Inside Story | asian avenue magazine

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Book Review

China Dolls

by Lisa See

Reviewed by Mary Jeneverre Schultz

Asian American entertainers enchanted the U.S. with their talents

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hen Judy Garland, Clark Gable and Shirley Temple entertained the American public with their acting, dancing and singing, Asians and Asian Americans were showing their talents in nightclubs and touring around the United States.

Those forgotten times are fading away as most of those entertainers are aging gracefully or moving on to the next life. If it wasn’t for the historical fiction of Lisa See, perhaps those stories would have stayed buried in someone’s attic. In her recent and ninth book release, See traced the stories of three women trying to break into the entertainment world pre, during and post-World War II years.

“If I wanted to write these stories, I needed to do it right away,” said author Lisa See. “These people were not getting younger.”

In fact, one of the original female nightclub entertainers passed away two weeks ago at age 93.

Summary of Book Three women share the passion of entertaining as dancers and singers. Three is a crowd and this saying is apparent throughout the book when all three friends don’t always get along together at the same time.

The theme of women friendship is weaved throughout the book through the good and bad times. Each of the three women represents part of Chinese culture. Even one of the three pretends to be Chinese but really is Japanese American. Her family background becomes a dominant theme during the later years of World War II. On the day of the scheduled phone interview, See was just storing away all the costumes and paraphernalia she collected as part of her research, which included the time period during 1938 to 1948. Of course, this time frame included the World Fair of San Francisco, the Great Depression and World War II. Her research included interview original entertainers from those times and oral histories collected by the Chinese Museums in both New York and San Francisco. She also connected in a fortuitous fashion with Eddie Wong, executive director of Angel Island, a foundation aimed to preserve the immigration history of Chinese through the western part of the United States.

“I couldn’t believe people’s generosity,” See said, adding Wong provided her older drafts of his playwright about Chinese entertainers.

Throughout the book, apparel and the fashion of the time were described in amazing details. “I’ve never written so much about clothes until this book,” said See, who interviewed the son of the Chinese Frank Sinatra, Larry Ching, and Jodi Long, who traveled with her parents touring around the United States.

As career writer, See gives this simple advice to new writers: “Write 1,000 words a day which is four pages. In two weeks, you will have a chapter.”

She also shares that passion is essential as part of a writing career.

“Look for the stories that are meaningful for you,” said See, telling the stories of those who aren’t able to share them freely.

Mary Jeneverre Schultz loves historical fiction. Follow her on Twitter @Jeneverre.

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October 2014 | Book Review

Title: China Dolls Author: Lisa See Publication Date: June 2014 Price: $27.00 ISBN: 9780812992892 About Lisa See In her beloved New York Times bestsellers Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, and, most recently, Shanghai Girls and Dreams of Joy, Lisa See has brilliantly illuminated the strong bonds between women, romantic love, and love of country.

Ms. See was born in Paris but grew up in Los Angeles. She lived with her mother, but spent a lot of time with her father’s family in Chinatown. Her first book, On Gold Mountain: The One Hundred Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family (1995), was a national bestseller and a New York Times Notable Book. The book traces the journey of Lisa’s great-grandfather, Fong See, who overcame obstacles at every step to become the 100-yearold godfather of Los Angeles’s Chinatown and the patriarch of a sprawling family.

Ms. See serves as a Los Angeles City Commissioner on the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Monument Authority. She was honored as National Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women in 2001 and was the recipient of the Chinese American Museum’s History Makers Award in Fall 2003.

Ms. See lives in Los Angeles. To learn more, please visit her web site at www.LisaSee.com. You can also follow her adventures on Twitter and Facebook.

Upcoming Denver Event

Denver Kappa Book and Author Dinner Thursday, November 6, 7:00 p.m. – Denver, CO Dinner, talk, and signing Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center, Denver, CO For more information, visit www.associations.kappakappagamma.org/ denver/pages/all-things-book-author.php

Book Review

Enigma of China: An Inspector Chen Novel

by Qiu Xiaolong

Reviewed by Mary Jeneverre Schultz

China, the Internet, mystery and intrigue roll up in this detective series

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nigma of China, book eight in the Inspector Chen series, demonstrates how the Internet can ruin a reputation of public figures, particularly in communist China.

With the onset of flash mobs and those incognito, the Internet could turn in a powerful force in influencing the general public to like or dislike a popular figure.

“I was inspired to explore the inner workings of the Internet,” said Qui Xiaolong during a recent phone interview. “I wanted to explore the why and how issue.”

Summary of Book The first chapter opens up to a suicide of a city official. Inspector Chen and team doubts the suicide reasoning and begins investigating how the Internet affected the death and surrounding circumstances. Throughout the book, vivid descriptions of China landscapes allow the readers to step into the country.

Another surprising part of the book are poetry composed by Inspector Chen and well-known Chinese prose throughout the novel.

The poetic side of Inspector Chen brings readers to learn about his soft people skills yet be a force during his investigative styles.

Xiaolong, who just returned from a book festival in France, shared the forceful attitude of the Chinese government disallowing use of Google and Facebook to the general population. “In recent years, the Chinese people are fighting against this corruption,” he said. “They are exposing the (corruption) not by government nor committee but by Internet users.”

The author retells an actual case of the “expensive cigarette,” in which a city official accepted these gifts but the general public through the Internet exposed the injustice of receiving such favors.

“Corruption is everywhere in the world,” he said. “What makes it different in China is the fact that it has lots to do with the one-party system.”

Xiaolong enjoys writing about his homeland to share cultural insights to his worldwide readers. “In this age, my readers are global.”

Translated in 20 languages, Xiaolong did not know his writing career would bring him to a world stage. “I just wanted to write about China.”

He advises the beginner writer to “just try and don’t obsess on how it will work out.”

When Xiaolong isn’t writing, he enjoys fishing, golfing, reading and cooking. His favorite writer is T.S. Elliot. As for future plans, one of his novels is being made into a movie.

Title: Enigma of China: An Inspector Chen Novel Author: Qui Xiaolong Publication Date: 2014 Price: $25.99 ISBN: 978-1-250-02580-7 About Qiu Xiaolong

Qiu Xiaolong was born in Shanghai, China. He is the author of the award-winning Inspector Chen series of mystery novels, Death of a Red Heroine (2000), A Loyal Character Dancer (2002), When Red Is Black (2004), A Case of Two Cities (2006), Red Mandarin Dress (2007), and The Mao Case (2009). He is also the author of two books of poetry translations, Treasury of Chinese Love Poems (2003) and Evoking T’ang (2007), and his own poetry collection, Lines Around China (2003). Qiu’s books have sold over a million copies and have been published in twenty languages. He currently lives in St. Louis with his wife and daughter.

Contact Qiu at qiu@qiuxiaolong.com, or visit his website at www.qiuxiaolong.com.

Book Review | asian avenue magazine

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Mary Jeneverre Schultz Asian Avenue magazine

Asian brewers are marking their territory in Colorado

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October marks the month of beer festivals throughout the world, especially in Germany.

However, as the craft beer industry grow by leaps and bounds in Colorado, several Asian Americans are trying to penetrate this dominant European and American beer industry. In fact, KWGN reported the last week of September indicating 250 active craft brewers in Colorado.

“Craft brewing is growing in popularity across the United States, especially in Colorado,” said Joe Nguyen, a reporter of the Denver Post, who blogs about beer. He enjoys the lagers of Caution while he recommends the coffee stout from Comrade.

As beer lovers, brew tourists and devoted drinkers descended on Denver the first weekend of October to attend the annual 33rd Great American Beer Festival (GABF), consider dropping by several Asian brewers locally in Denver if you could not obtain tickets to this sought-after annual event.

team Danny and Betty Wang paired its beer, Lao Wang Lager, with food from Danny’s parents restaurant called LAO Wang Noodle House, located on 945 S. Federal Blvd., in Denver. Before the beer was created, both Danny and Betty set the course on making beer after a tour at a Fort Collins brewery. The couple juggles between the two locations, one just south of Interstate 70 on 39th Avenue while the other is situated on Wadsworth in Lakewood.

David Lin started his beer career in Texas.

He moved to Colorado to learn the art of brewing beer at Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora. Last April, he established Comrade Brewery on Iliff Avenue. (Asian Avenue magazine, July 2014) Phil Kao of Stem Ciders created a product that was not readily available in Denver. So he and his business partner began blending beverages that he and his friends would enjoy, establishing his tasting room on Walnut Street in downtown Denver early 2014.

Origins At Caution Brewing Co., husband and wife-

Great American Beer Festival For more than 30 years, GABF has been

October 2014 | Cover Story

bringing great brewers, beers and beer lovers together. The event has grown and evolved as beer consumer’s thirst for quality and diversity continues to grow and is the largest ticketed beer festival in the U.S. GABF captures the innovative zest of the brewing community in the format of a public tasting in which attendees are presented an opportunity to try a vast array of beers from producers all across the country.

Coupled with a private competition and awards ceremony, the overall event showcases the U.S. as the most diverse brewing destination on the planet.

This year, the GABF competition will include approximately 5,700 entries from more than 1,300 breweries. In the festival hall, more than 700 breweries will be sampling around 3,500 beers from all over the country. The festival sold out in 32 minutes during the public ticket sale earlier this year, compared to sales in 2007, the festival sold out the week of the event.

Betty Wang of Caution Brewery shares “it’s a hit and miss” to enter GABF while Kao of Comrade Brewing has entered five of its brews

into the competition. The brews from Comrade include: • Superpower IPA • Superdamp IPA • DEFCON Red • Comrade Bashleigh • Koffee Kream Stout You can find Comrade at Booth K15. However Kao of Stem Ciders said GABF doesn’t offer a cider category in its annual competition.

Stem Ciders is collaborating with the Denver Beer Company, producing their combo brew and cider at location during the GABF week.

Who are these Asian-American brewers?

Caution Brewery, owned by Danny and Betty Wang, provides two locations: one in Lakewood and the other in Denver, close to I-70 highway. The husband and wife team are both 38 this month. Danny is Taiwanese-American while Betty is from Germany. The Chinese/ German combination shows in their brews.

With a show of humor, brews are named in different ways and attractive labels.

Depending on her mood, Betty Wang enjoys a mix of Wild Blonde Ale and Card Your Mom, a Belgian Saison. Or Wang might mix Card Your Mom and Hippity Hops Chrysanthemum IPA. Taiwanese-American David Lin offers 12 beers at any one time at his brewery, Comrade Brewing Company. Lin selected Colorado for his brewery for its relaxed regulations and the high-quality water. His work experience includes working at a Texas brewery. He also worked at Dry Dock Brewery in Aurora from 2010 to 2011, learning the brewing process.

“I also liked the weather, too,” said Lin, who is 31 years old.

The popular choice from Comrade is the Superpower IPA with flavors of huge pine and grapefruit hop aroma.

Chinese-American Phil Kao, raised in Michigan, followed his wife to Colorado for school.

After graduate school, completing mechanical engineering, he discovered a niche for cider beers and established Stem Ciders. The 32-year-old lives 12 minutes away from his tasting room, situated within an industrial zone.

Kao enjoys Le Chene cider. During the winter, Banjo Cider is the preferred drink while the summer choice is Remedy Cider.

Family support While spouses and significant others support their husbands’ endeavors, parents of these Asian-American brewers are still questioning the validity of owning a brewery. Lin shares his father comes from a banking background while his mom has worked at IBM for many years.

As for Kao, his parents wanted him to continue his career in mechanical engineering.

Atmosphere Both breweries and cider tasting room offers Trivia, live entertainment and food trucks later in the week, especially weekends. Large, comfortable tasting rooms allow brew tourists to visit the different locations throughout Denver.

The 3,200-square-foot building of Stem Cider feels like a barn landed in the middle of metro Denver while the eastern location of Caution feels like someone’s garage, complete with board games and a pinball machine. Set between automotive businesses, Comrade offers an over-sized seating area with options to open up to sunny weather.

The Great American Beer Festival is a three-day annual event hosted by the Brewers Association, where visitors from around the world come to Denver, Colo. to sample more than 2,000 different American beers.

Unique qualities Stem Cider offers bluegrass-type music. Every Thursday, Kao invites musicians of duo or trios to perform in its transplanted barn. The benches bar tables and bar counter, complete with bag hooks, were customized by Kao’s father-in-law, a retired woodworker. Most patrons compliment the craftsmanship of these beautiful bar fixtures.

Comrade Brewing plays on the theme of Communism, apparent on its website and a hint of décor throughout the interior area and the names of the brews. As for growlers, Caution wins in this category, selling stainless steel containers. Other popular selling items include its mini-growlette, similar to a fancy water bottle. Regulars collect the different colors sold on location.

Future plans Caution will begin canning its brews this fall. Comrade hopes to offer up to 20 brews at any one time. Stem Cider hopes to release its newest cider, Pumpkin Cider on October 18.

Lin sums it for everyone, “I want the brewery to be a destination.”

Mary Jeneverre Schultz enjoys stouts and cider beer. Follow her on Twitter @Jeneverre.

Left to right: David Lin of Comrade Brewing; Gary Valliere, radio host of American Craft Beer; Betty and Danny Wang of Caution Brewing Colorado Breweries | asian avenue magazine

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Beers

• Lao Wang Lager • Wild Blonde Ale • Honey Matrimony Brown Ale • Hippity Hops chrysanthemum IPA • Big Bunny Cascadian Dark Ale • Toaster Bat Black Smoked Robust Porter

Awards

2014 4th Annual Jefferson County Fair Beer Fest Winner :: Best Of Show - Lao Wang Lager, Best Ale - Honey Matrimony Brown Ale, Best Lager - Lao Wang Lager.

2013 Colorado State Fair :: Speciality category - Big Bunny CDA, bronze medal 2013 Third Annual Jefferson County Fair Beer Fest Winner :: Best Of Show - Lao Wang Lager, Best Speciality - Card Your Mom Saison, Best Lager - Lao Wang Lager.

2012 Chef ‘N Brew :: Most Unique Brew 2012 Second Annual Jefferson County Fair Beer Fest Winner :: Best Of Show Lao Wang Lager, Best Lager - Lao Wang Lager.

2012 Colorado State Fair :: Speciality category - Lao Wang Lager, bronze medal 2011 First Annual Jefferson County Fair Beer Fest Winner :: Best Of Show - Lao Wang Lager, Best Ale - Honey Matrimony Brown Ale, Best Lager - Lao Wang Lager

Danny Wang of Caution Brewery

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October 2014 | Cover Story

Customer

Local neighborhood Travelers on a layover at DIA

Atmosphere

East location feels like someone’s garage while the tasting room is located in Lakewood.

Price Point Pints: $5 Flights: $8 to $11 Growlers: $23 to $40

Distribution

• Lucky Pie • Lobby • One up • Monkey Barrell • Hard Rock Café • Woody’s in Golden

Contact Information

12445 E. 39th Ave., Unit 314, Denver, CO 80239 1057 S. Wadsworth Blvd. #60, Lakewood, CO 80226 (970) 315-BREW Email: info@cautionbrewingco.com

Social Media

www.cautionbrewingco.com Twitter: @cautionbrewing www.facebook.com/cautionbrewingco www.untappd.com/cautionbrewingco

Ciders

Distribution

• Banjo • LeChene • Remedy • Crabby Neighbor

Awards Phil Kao of Stem Ciders

• Falling Rock Taphouse • Old Chicago • World of Beer

Contact Information

Great Lakes Cider & Pear Festival • Bronze for Malice • Silver for Banjo

2811 Walnut Street, Suite 150 Denver, CO 80205 (720) 443-3007 Email: heyyouguys@stemciders.com

Customer

Social Media

Non beer drinkers Those on gluten-free diets Adventure drinkers

www.stemciders.com Twitter: @stemciders www.facebook.com/stemciders

Price Point

Pint: $6 to $8 Growler: $18 to $24

Located in the heart of the RiNo district, Stem Ciders specializes in dry hard ciders.

Colorado Breweries | asian avenue magazine

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David Lin of Comrade Brewing Company

Beers

• Yellow Card American Blonde • DEFCON Red • Koffee Kream Stout • Superpower IPA • Better ChocoLATE Than Never • Northwest Coast Wheat • Comrade Bashleigh • Eisenhower • Donny • Yellow FeberSuperdamp IPA • The Specter

Awards

2014 Colorado State Fair Gold Medal Winner 2014 Colorado State Fair Silver Medal Winner

Customer

Neighborhood resident Lover of American brews

Price Point

Pints: $4 to $6 Growler: $12 to $16 Special release growler: $20 to $32

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October 2014 | Cover Story

Distribution

• Falling Rock Tap House • The Kitchen • World of Beer (Cherry Creek and Lodo) • Historians Ale House • Backcountry Pizza & Taphouse • Jake’s Brew Bar • Hops & Pie • Dad & Dudes Breweria • Homegrown Tap & Dough • Mercantile Dining & Provision • Hard Rock Café • Old Chicago • Lucky Pie • Asbury Provisions

Contact Information 7667 East Iliff Avenue Denver, CO 80231 (720) 748-0700 E-mail: contact@comradebrewing. com

Social Media

www.comradebrewing.com Twitter: @ComradeBrewing www.facebook.com/ComradeBrewing www.instagram.com/comradebrewing

Spring Institute promotes intercultural learning

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pring Institute for Intercultural Learning is a not-for-profit, training and consulting organization with a focus on language and culture. We work with people and organizations all over the world, enabling communication and increasing cross-cultural understanding. Spring Institute’s mission is to empower people and organizations to succeed across languages and cultures.

For 35 years, Spring Institute has provided language training, direct services, technical assistance, interpretation and translation, facilitation and consulting services for individuals, communities, organizations, and corporations regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Originally founded as an Institute to help international students strengthen their English skills, Spring Institute expanded its focus after the U.S. passage of the Refugee Act in 1980, to help new refugee arrivals acquire English language and pre-employment skills after their resettlement. Initially working with new arrivals from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, Spring Institute has since worked with receiving communities, immigrants and refugees from across the globe. Its major areas of focus include language acquisition, culturally competent com-

munication, and health and workforce development.

Spring Institute provides many direct services to our Colorado communities, including to immigrants and refugees. Some of its larger programs today include: • The Interpreter Network: Language interpretation for medical and social services is provided in over 80 languages, with over 12,000

Myrna Ann Adkins, CEO of Spring Institute

hours of interpretation provided in 2013.

• English as a Second Language (ESL), ABE and GED classes: Located in schools, libraries and workplaces, ESL classes served more than 600 newcomers from across the globe in 2013.

• Colorado Welcome Back: This program

helps foreign-trained health professionals re-establish careers in health care in Colorado, through educational case management, placement readiness training and program referrals.

Currently the program has more than 430 active participants.

• Project SHINE: Project SHINE focuses on helping immigrant and refugee elders navigate our healthcare system and engages them in preventative health activities in their communities.

SHINE volunteers invested over 6,700 hours in 2013, making a remarkable impact: Over 50 refugees attended 9 Health Fair; over 500 refugees received a winter coat through Project SHINE’s coat drive; 150 people were trained in grocery shopping; 40 people received a library card; 75 people received CPR/First Aid Certification; and many participants attended community field trips including yoga, health, dance, and adult education.

• Cross-cultural communication and cultural orientation: Spring Institute provides workshops, training sessions and curriculum support for refugees, newcomers, foreign-trained professionals, au pairs, communities with changing demographics and companies with a diverse workforce.

Inside Story | asian avenue magazine

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Residents of Tamai Tower share their personal experience living in downtown Denver By Mary Jeneverre Schultz

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et in an enviable position of the heart of downtown Denver, the 199-residential Tamai Tower overlooks the ballpark district with sounds of the crowds after the echoes of baseball bat striking the ball.

Some residents enjoy the panoramic views of the mountain peaks in the west while others are satisfied with the scenes of the financial district on the east side.

“I love the views,” said Ben Sawamura, 63, who was born on the same block back in 1951.

Sawamura moved in Tamai Tower December 1972, several months after the building dedication, making him one of the original tenants. However, urban living took him away from Tamai Tower when he married his wife. He returned to Tamai Tower four years ago and enjoys the great accessibility to his medical appointments and grocery stores.

town and finding everything I need.” Morita said. “They will have to kick my butt out because I ain’t going out peaceful.”

While Chico Inouye, sister of Ken, has lived in Tamai Tower because her family is nearby and feels the convenience plays an important factor in finding a retirement home after commuting to the Tech Center for many years. At 80 years old, she enjoys finding cultural activities at Sakura Square.

Cheng Khoo, also known as Ms. Khoo to residents, enjoys living in a multi-cultural area. She shares her favorite hobby, playing mahjong (September 2011 issue of Asian Avenue).

Convenience of downtown living Ken Inouye, 85 years old, did not need a

car when he moved to Tamai Tower 28 years ago. He and his wife, Amy Inouye moved from rural Sedgewick. He and his wife are able to visit their temple, a block away.

While Mike Shibata, 64 years old, enjoys the easy access of the cultural events occurring in downtown Denver. His favorite artists include violinist Josiah Bell and pianist Jonathan Bliss, who have toured Denver several times in the past.

The daughter of Mary Morishige moved her mother to Tamai Tower back in 1989, opting for the conveniences of temple services and grocery store of Pacific Mercantile. Five years ago, Morishige’s son, Preston, moved in with her to assist with her driving to Lakewood for weekly bowling activities and living comfortably in downtown.

At 77 years old, Barbara Morita finds quiet solitude during the weekends as younger tenants are away.

“It’s a good place for the convenience of bus transportation, walking around down-

Ben Sawamura

Ken Inouye

Mike Shibata

October 2014 | Feature

Journey to Tamai Tower Each resident found Tamai Tower in a different way. Both Inouye and Shibata answered the classifieds for jobs at Tamai Tower. Inouye worked as a full-time maintenance supervisor while Shibata moved from San Francisco to manage administrative duties of Tamai Tower.

Adult children discovered Tamai Tower for their parents as a convenience location as in the case of Mary Morishige. While other residents, such as Ben Sawamura, Barbara Morita and Chico Inouye, was well aware of Tamai Tower and moved into the complex intentionally for its easy access.

Historical moments of Sakura Square Inouye reminisced about the visit of Japanese royalty visiting Sakura Square in 1994.

He showed a framed photograph of the Emperor and Empress visiting with the residents of Tamai Tower. “It was an unscheduled visit and residents only had an hour notice to prepare for it,” he said.

Explaining further, Inouye believed he would not have been able to be so close to them if it occurred in Japan. Inouye recalled how others were in tears and touched by the event of shaking hands with them.

“Sakura Square is the center of Japanese community for Colorado,” Inouye said.

Annually, temple members, residents and community come together for the Cherry Blossom Festival, scheduled in June.

Affiliation with Temple Most residents of Tamai Tower selected the apartment complex for its close prox-

imity to the Denver Buddhist Temple. Mary Morishige, who is the great, great-grandmother of five, great-grandmother of 27 and grandmother of 11, appreciates the close proximity of the temple’s site. “My youngest daughter found this apartment complex for me,” said Morishige, who moved from Las Vegas to be close to her daughter in Arvada.

It’s like family Ms. Khoo, 100 years old, created a mahjong club. She taught residents of all nationalities. “They did not know how to speak to each other but wanted to learn this game,” said Ms. Khoo, who moved to Tamai Tower 30 years ago. When she became ill, the club could not continue under her but Ms. Khoo enjoys talking about the comraderie it created among the residents.

Inouye reminisces a time when residents would take care of each other better than their own family members. He recalls a time when a former resident tripped over the sidewalk and asked a taxi cab driver to take her to Tamai Tower for more assistance. Inouye was present to assist her through this crisis.

While Inouye shares numerous stories of “family.” Both Morita, who retired as a truck driver with her husband, George, and Chico

Mary & Preston Morishige (mother and son) Barbara Morita & Chico Inouye

Inouye, who retired from the financial service industry, teased each other about their physical frailties and how they can stand each other as friends.

History of Tamai Tower The Denver Buddhist Temple is responsible for building a controlled-rent apartment tower for a growing senior population. Tamai Tower includes a shopper center comprise of a grocery store, restaurants, travel agency, medical offices and a parking garage.

(September 2014 issue of Asian Avenue) Since July 2014, the 40-year-old mortgage from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, expired, allowing housing at Tamai Tower to enter into a fair housing market.

Future of Tamai Tower Considered the gateway to downtown Denver, the nonprofit entity of Sakura Square is exploring many possibilities.

While tenants expressed hesitancy of new changes, they are allowed to continue their lease indefinitely.

Mary Jeneverre Schultz walks daily around downtown Denver and passes Tamai Tower all the time.

Follow her on Twitter @Jeneverre.

Cheng Khoo Tamai Tower | asian avenue magazine

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Hula is my culture.

By Yvonne Siu-Runyan | Hope, Breath, and Light When anyone asks me, “What is dear to you?” my response is, “Dancing hula. It takes me away to another place. Hula is my culture—it’s in my blood, in my soul, and it makes me happy.”

Hula is the art of storytelling through dance and every part of the body is involved. For any hula to be done well, one must interpret the story and its layers of meaning—to look beyond the literal meaning of the poetic words and dance from the heart. To be the hula, one must read deeply and metaphorically in order to interpret both the literal translation as well as the multiple metaphors in the story. The essence of hula is to go inward, to touch one’s center—to feel the words and their layers of meaning. Then, and only then, can hula be truly danced with mana,the light and power within.

I take heed from my Auntie Winona Kapuailohiamanonokalani Desha Beamer (1923–2008), who we affectionately called Auntie Nona. She constantly reminded us to “Dance from the heart!” It is a hula dancer’s obligation to dance hula with ha (breath) so that others feel the beauty and understand the multiple layers of meaning of the dance. So I read and re-read both the Hawaiian words and the English translation to remember the mo’olelo (story) as well as to understand the deeper meanings of the oli (chant) or mele (song): the poetic layers of the Hawaiian language. Without this kind of understanding, it is difficult to dance hula from the heart with expression and meaning.

When dancing hula, I live the dance and remember not to do empty motions. Similarly, when I read, be it fiction or nonfiction, I live the book.

Without reading, my soul would die. Ever stay up all night reading a book because you are so enthralled and lost track of time? I have.

My father would tell me,“Moe moe time. Go to sleep. Stop reading under the covers or you will damage your eyes and be tired tomorrow.” Usually I heeded my father’s words, but there were some books that I just couldn’t put down. It was worth being tired the next day.

My self-selected reading diet during my K-12 years comprised books mostly related to the Hawaiian Islands and its many cultures.

I was sick of Dick, Jane, Sally, and their dog, Spot. I really disliked reading the basal texts. The assigned readings in grades K-12 just didn’t excite me.

Fortunately, while in elementary school, once a month parents would drive the students to the only public library on O’ahu. The

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October 2014 | Feature

elementary school I attended didn’t have classroom or school libraries. Going to the only public library on O’ahu was a real treat and it fostered my love for libraries and the many books they housed. Just walking up the cement stairs and passing the stone lions guarding the entrance made me feel as though I was entering another world, one filled with wonder and joy. To this day, I still love the smell and feel of a library—with all its books and other media housing so much knowledge and so many adventures.

Anticipation and bliss washed over me as I counted down the days until the next library visit. Once there, I plopped myself in the folk literature section. I loved reading tales from China, Japan, the Philippine Islands, India, and those written by Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm. And I adored reading stories about the Hawaiian deities such as Maui, ancient hero and chief; Pele, Goddess of Fire; Ku, God of War; and Lono, God of Agriculture. Reading about these Hawaiian deities grounded me in dancing the hula and knowing my roots. Through reading Hawaiian folklore, I learned the importance of pono (goodness, uprightness, morality) as well as what is valued in my culture.

Every book I read changes me in some way. Like everyone else, I am a work in progress, and reading helps me become more insightful, and, I hope, a better person.We all need to reach back to learn about our heritage in order to reach out to others, and move forward with hope, breath, and light.

Yvonne Siu-Runyan, Ph.D., is professor emerita at the University of Northern Colorado and past president of the National Council of Teachers of English. Dr. Siu-Runyan has taught Grades K–12 in the states of Hawaii, Michigan, Ohio, Colorado, and California. In addition, she has worked as a District Reading Specialist and Language Arts Coordinator for Boulder Valley Schools, and has taught undergraduates, post-baccalaureate students earning their teaching certificates, master’s degree candidates, and doctoral students. She is published in refereed journals and books, has presented workshops and papers at local, state, national, and international venues, and has served on and chaired local, statewide, national, and international committees. Dr. Siu-Runyan has been involved in education for over 45 years.

Cynthia Coffman meets with Asian community leaders

By Annie Guo | Asian Avenue magazine Photo credit: Korean Weekly Focus On September 26, Asian community leaders sat down with Cynthia Coffman, current Chief Deputy Attorney General of Colorado and candidate for Colorado Attorney General 2014, to share in stories of public service and share in bites of Korean barbecue at Silla restaurant in Aurora, Colo. At the table included: • Michael Song, Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Colorado Attorney General • Jessica Oh, news anchor, 9News • Annie Guo, President, Asian Avenue Magazine • Hyunjoo Kim, CEO, Korean Weekly Focus • Alice Lampier, reporter, Korean Weekly Focus • Moses Suh, attorney, Denver District Attorney’s Office • Michelle Yi, Communications Director, District Attorney for the 18th Judicial District • Ryan Chun, 3rd year student, University of Denver Sturm College of Law • Aurora Ogg, Republican National Committee Asian Liaison Coffman engaged the group that her passion for public service, which she says stems from her Southern Missouri roots and her parents. She belives in public integrity and holding business owners and consumers alike accountable.

Working in the Attorney General’s Office has allowed her to defend the state constitution, protect consumers as well as business owners’ rights, support public safety and improve water and environment. She believes in helping citizens and protecting Coloradans.

She champions the message that she will help Coloradans “from the classroom to the courtroom, from the family room to the board room.”

ABOUT CYNTHIA COFFMAN Cynthia Coffman is a dedicated public servant, attorney and leader.

Her legal career began 22 years ago in the Georgia Attorney General’s Office. As a courtroom attorney, Coffman defended the state’s juvenile justice system and public health department.

Coffman’s first job in Denver was working for the Colorado General Assembly’s Office of Legislative Council. She staffed the Senate Judiciary Committee and assisted with a study of the state’s adult parole system. After a brief time in private practice, she was recruited by Jane Norton to join her senior management team at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Coffman served first as the agency’s Director of Legal & Regulatory Affairs and later as its Deputy Executive Director. She serves as vice chairman of the Safe2Tell™ board of directors. Safe2Tell™ is a nonprofit organization providing students in all Colorado schools with the ability to prevent and report violence by making anonymous calls, web and text reports.

A native Missourian, Cynthia graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia and completed law school at Georgia State University in Atlanta. She is married to Colorado U.S. Representative Mike Coffman.

Her stance on classroom education as presented on her website is: “Students who describe their school environment as safe are better learners, have higher test scores and are more likely to graduate from high school. Some of our country’s leading school safety experts live here in Colorado and have partnered with the Attorney General’s Office to provide training and programming for school administrators, teachers, and law enforcement officers. I look forward to growing this community outreach effort as your next Attorney General.”

For more information, visit www.cynthiacoffmanforag.com.

On Scene | asian avenue magazine

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Colorado candidates speak to Asian community

By Adam You | Colorado Asian Club

Governor John Hickenlooper

Former Congressman Bob Beauprez

Senator Mark Udall

Congressman Cory Gardner

Former Speaker of House Andrew Romanoff

Congressman Mike Coffman

Asian Roundtable of Colorado hosted the first Asian community public policy forum at the historical Denver Athletic Club on September 27. This event was sponsored and promoted by more than 30 local Asian organizations and attracted nearly 200 people in attendance.

The speakers included former Speaker of Colorado State House Andrew Romanoff, Congressman Cory Gardner, Governor John Hickenlooper, Congressman Mike Coffman, Senator Mark Udall and Former Congressman Bob Beauprez.

These distinguished speakers are also the candidates for the three hottest contested races in Colorado, the

Asian Roundtable of Colorado organized the first Asian community public policy forum on September 27, 2014.

Aurora Sister Cities International hosts Korean open house

Aurora Sister Cities International invited distinguished leaders in Colorado’s community to attend the Korean open house on August 14 at the Aurora Municipal Center.

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October 2014 | On Scene

6th Congressional District, the U.S. Senate and the gubernatorial. Each speaker were allotted 20-minutes to communicate to their Asian constituents their views toward jobs, education and immigration, the three topics most interested the local Asian community.

The speakers were introduced by Kim Nguyen of the Denver Channel and Jessica Oh of 9News. Participants thanked and appreciated the bi-partisan support of these speakers to the local Asian community amid their busy schedule in the final days of their campaign season and wish for more public policy engagement similar to this in the future.

Aurora is working to revitalize its sister city relationship with Seongnam, Republic of Korea. As part of that initiative, Aurora Sister Cities International (ASCI) held an open house, August 14 at the Aurora Municipal Center. Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan provided an overview of the many benefits to Aurora in partnering with this progressive and dynamic Asian city.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for Aurora and the Republic of Korea as we strengthen ties and develop new initiatives for international trade and development, cross cultural programs, education and medical collaboration,” said Mayor Hogan.

Seongnam is the tenth largest city in the Republic of Korea, with a population of approximately one million, and the country’s first planned city.

As the hub of Korea’s high tech research industries, Seongnam is home to information industry complexes such as Pangyo Techno Valley and the Uirye Medi-Bio Valley.

ASCI is an integrative model that employs a globally, knowledgeable and culturally literate leadership to engage a multitude of partners, sponsors, volunteers and ambassadors in helping build bridges to the developed and developing world. For more information, visit www.aurorasistercities.org.

10th anniversary celebration of the Confucius Institute

By Christa Saracco | Community College of Denver

A lion dance opened the event.

Chancellor Yuejin Fan, from CCD’s partner school, University of Jinan, Shandong province and CCD President Everette J. Freeman

Vibrant colors, rhythmic drums and the traditional lion dance to chase away evil spirits and ensure good fortune opened up the 10th anniversary celebration of the Confucius Institute and Global Confucius Institute Day on Saturday at the Community College of Denver (CCD). This annual celebration of Chinese culture featured the tastes, sounds and music of China.

Chancellor Yuejin Fan, from CCD’s partner school, University of Jinan, Shandong province traveled from China for the celebration and spoke about globalization sparking a bright future for the two schools’ cooperation on the continued development of CCD’s Confucius Institute.

Local Chinese dancers performed at the celebration.

Photos provided by Community College of Denver.

Over the past ten years, Hanban, the Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language has established over 450 Confucius Institutes in 100 countries worldwide. CCD is proud to be the only community college worldwide to be selected to host a Confucius Institute.

“We are proud to share the Chinese Culture with our community,” said Jane Lim, Director of the CCD Confucius Institute, “and look forward to continuing to serving the community of Denver.”

Confucius Institute is open to the public from Monday to Friday 10 a.m.

– 3 p.m. and offers going events and activities for the general public.

Learn more at www.CCD.edu/ConfuciusInstitute.

CAHEP provides health fairs for Colorado communities

By Alok Sarwal | CAHEP Last month, the Colorado Alliance for Health Equity and Practice (CAHEP) provided health screenings to Colorado communities. CAHEP staff and volunteers set up health fairs at churches and community centers to serve the following populations: Korean, Filipino, Chinese, Burmese, Vietnamese, Hispanic, Islamic and refugee.

In October, CAHEP will continue its health fairs in partnership with Walgreens, University of Colorado School of Pharmacy and Connect for Health Colorado. Most screenings are free or low cost and walkins are welcome. See page 5 for a list of dates and locations or visit www.cahep.org for more information.

On Scene | asian avenue magazine

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Dan Matthews shares experience as Korean adoptee Amy Ng University of Colorado Denver

DAN MATTHEWS is a unique figure within the Asian American community. There are rarely any mainstream prominent Asian or Asian-American faces in pop culture, and even less recognized is the fact that there are adopted Asian Americans.

The Korean adoptee rapper performed at the Auraria Campus on September 18. That same evening, parts of Dan Matthews’ documentary about his journey to find his birth parents was shown and discussed. Matthews talked about being an Asian adoptee to Caucasian parents and how he adjusted to a society that labels people as “either or.” He talked about the fact that one didn’t have to choose between being “Asian” or “American,” but that the lines are blurred and it is possible—if not necessary— to be both at the same time.

The evening’s program was packed with more than 80 Asian-American college students and members from the Colorado Heritage Camps for Adoptive Families (HCAF).

Sweetser, executive director of HCAF, spoke about the importance of Asian adoptees finding role models that look like them and understand their cultural roots.

Sweetser shared how Matthews has volunteered for HCAF for several years and how he is an inspiration and role model for many adoptees.

For more information call 720-873-6243 or visit our website today at: www.ColoEggDonor.com William Schoolcraft, MD • Eric Surrey, MD • Debra Minjarez, MD Robert Gustofson, MD • Jennifer Brown, MD

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October 2014 | On Scene

President Obama names Jenny Yang to head Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

P

resident Obama has appointed an Asian American, Jenny R. Yang, to serve as the Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The appointment runs through June of 2017.

Jenny Yang, 44, who now lives in Washington with her husband and two sons. After graduated from high school, She earned a B.A. from Cornell University in government, and a J.D. from New York University School of Law. She previously worked as a senior trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

“Fifty years ago, this nation made a fundamental promise to its people to assure equality of opportunity at work. Congress created the EEOC to make good on this promise,” she said in the release.

“It is a tremendous privilege and responsibility to serve this remarkable agency in fulfilling this promise to our nation.”

Allan Fung advances in race for Rhode Island Governor

R

epublican Allan Fung advanced to the general election in the Rhode Island Governor’s race.

Fung is the mayor from Cranston and will face Democrat Gina M. Raimondo in the general election.

“As a native Rhode Islander, I share their concerns, their pains,” Fung said after his victory speech. “I’ve lived it throughout my life. … I’m the proud, proud son of immigrant parents and lived the American dream. I want that same opportunity for the next generation of Rhode Islanders.”

Fung’s parent are Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong.

Clara Hong is one to watch on ‘THE VOICE’

C

lara Hong made coaches Gwen Stefani, Adam Levine and Pharrell Williams turn their chairs within seconds of her ultra-cool rendition of Rickie Lee Jones’ “Chuck E.’s in Love” in NBC latest season of its signature singing competition The Voice.

Clara recently made the decision to put college on hold to pursue music full-time. She auditioned for The Voice to prove to her parents that she’s made the right decision.

Stephanie Chang poised to make history as first Asian American woman in Michigan Legislature

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n Detroit’s 6th district, Stephanie Chang, of Taiwanese descent, defeated six other candidates in the Democratic primary, which means she would become the first Asian-American woman to serve in the state Legislature if she wins the general election in November.

That’s expected because the district is heavily Democratic.

After graduating from the University of Michigan, she became an assistant to longtime Detroit activist Grace Lee Boggs. She worked with the Detroit Asian Youth Project, helping Hmong and Bangladesh-American youths in Detroit and Hamtramck.

For the first time, high school students of color surpass whites

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s American K-12 students go back to school this fall, the U.S. Department of Education projects that for the first time, students of color will comprise a larger percentage of public school students than white students.

Out of 50 million projected public school students, 49.7 percent will be white, while the other 50.3 percent will be African American, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American, Native Alaskan, and multiracial. But white students will still be the single largest racial group, with 24.9 million.

According to the Pew Research Center, “Since 1997, the number of Hispanic students nearly doubled to 12.9 million, and the number of Asians jumped 46 percent to 2.6 million. The number of black students expected in schools this fall, 7.7 million, has been relatively steady during this time.”

“A numerical majority of non-white children is a significant milestone,” said Cynthia Liu, founder of K-12 News Network. “But as we go forward we must be even more conscious that unless that numerical majority translates into true democratic, economic, and political power, we’ll continue to wrestle with unequally resourced schools and inequality in access and quality of education.”

What happens when grown-up kids tell their parents ‘I love you’ for the first time

Some parents and children tell each other “I love you” daily. With others, the love is felt but never actually spoken.

Steven Lim, a YouTuber who uses his video channel to explore Asian-American cultural issues, decided to focus on these three small words in his latest video, “Asian Parents React To I Love You.” “The way Asian parents love their kid is so unique, so powerful, so amazing, but rarely spoken, which oftentimes leads to misunderstanding. I’ve always known my parents love me and that their love is stronger than anything else in the world. And so finally it just hit me -- why not just call my mom and tell her I love her? ” Lim explained.

“Oh, thank you son! I love you, too. You are the best son today,” one mom responded. See video at: www.youtu.be/26en95whUAk. National News | asian avenue magazine

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What is the Voting Rights Amendment Act? In this month’s legal column, I will talk about the Voting Rights Amendment Act (VRAA) and why all of us need to contact our representatives and tell them to support this bill.

History of the Voting Rights Act

In order to understand VRAA, we must first talk about its predecessor, the Voting Rights Act (VRA).

The VRA was enacted in 1965 and it prohibits discriminatory voting practices that prevents ethnic minorities from voting. Most experts consider VRA to be the reason for the decline in discriminatory voting practices over the last 50 years.

At the heart of the VRA is Section 5, which requires jurisdictions with a history of voting discrimination to submit any proposed changes in voting procedures to the US Department of Justice.

This preapproval process is known as “preclearance” and it is designed to stop discrimination before it occurs. Section 5 is designed to work together with Section 4(b) of the VRA, which spells out the coverage formula that determines which jurisdictions are subjected to preclearance requirement. Both sections are critical in enforcing the mandate of VRA.

Shelby County v. Holder

In April 2010, Shelby County, a suburb located in Birmingham, Alabama, filed suit in federal court seeking to have Section 5 of the VRA declared unconstitutional. The case eventually reached the US Supreme Court and the Court ruled that the coverage formula in Section 4(b) is unconstitutional because it was based on decades old data. While the Court did not invalidate Section 5, the decision still rendered Section 5 useless because it struck down the formula that determined which jurisdictions are required to submit for preclearance.

Prior to the ruling in Shelby, nine states (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia) and

parts of six states (California, Florida, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, and South Dakota) were covered under Section 5. After the ruling, several states immediately passed laws designed to dismantle voting protections for minorities.

Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014 (VRAA)

In January 2014, both the House and Senate introduced the Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2014 (VRAA) to address concerns raised by the US Supreme Court in the Shelby decision. The House bill (HR 3899) was introduced by Representative James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), John Conyers (DMI), Bobby Scott (D-VA), and John Lewis (D-GA).

The Senate version (S.1945) was introduced by Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT).

The bill would create a flexible formula that would be updated annually to determine which jurisdictions require preclearance for voting changes. The bill would also enhance the power of federal courts to stop discriminatory voting changes from being implemented and allow the attorney general to appoint federal observers to monitor elections in jurisdictions with history of voting discrimination.

The Senate has held one hearing on the VRAA since it was introduced, and the House has assigned the bill to the House Judiciary Committee.

However, the House has failed to take any action and has not set a date for hearing.

We need your help! Please contact your representatives and tell them that this issue is important to your community. Tell them that you want the bill to be set for a hearing as soon as possible and ask them to support the bill.

Many people within the Asian American community continue to face discrimination when they try to vote and we must pass VRAA so that we can safeguard our community’s right to vote.

About HARRY BUDISIDHARTA

Harry received his law degree from the University of Colorado Law School.

He has his own law firm and is the current president of the Mile High chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, the oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organization in the United States. You can contact him at harry@denverfirm.com Harry would like to thank Anthony Bowman from Asian Americans Advancing Justice for his help in drafting this column and for the background information regarding VRA and VRAA.

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October 2014 | Legal Column

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