August 3, 2016 International Examiner

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

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August 3, 2016 – August 16, 2016 — 1

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WSU ethnic studies professor deals with controversial fallout over syllabus

By Chetanya Robinson IE Staff Writer

What John Streamas says was the most miserable hour of his life started with something small: a few words in a syllabus. Streamas is half-Japanese, and teaches in Washington State University’s Department of Critical Culture, Gender, & Race Studies. When he sat down to design his syllabus for a class on multicultural literature—a class which showcases writers like Sherman Alexie and Octavia Butler—Streamas included a line in the course policies section about being inclusive, and didn’t give it too much thought.

“Reflect your grasp of history and social relations by respecting shy and quiet classmates, and by deferring to the experiences of people of color,” a section of the original syllabus read. And so it remained, Streamas says, for years.

Streamas says he never imagined what came next.

The syllabus caught the attention of conservative media site Campus Reform, who Streamas said emailed him on a Thursday in late August 2015 about his syllabus, specifically about his use of the word “defer.” Streamas was surprised at the attention, especially over this word.

He hadn’t thought there was anything controversial about what he wrote.

“It’s a literature class and we’re reading books by writers of color,” he said. “If you’re reading a novel written by a novelist of color, when you’re reading the book you’re automatically deferring to that experience.”

Also, as Streamas puts it, deferring is a normal Streamas part of life—children defer to parents, and soldiers to their higher-ups. And he notes that the word has connotations of respect and being voluntary.

But this wasn’t how Campus Reform saw it—nor Fox News, which ran a three-minute video on the syllabus featuring Campus Reform editor Sterling Beard.

“It’s back to school time all across the country, but some college students at Washington State University are in for a rude awakening,” the broadcast began.

The Campus Reform and Fox News stories also focused on two other professors, Rebecca Fowler and Selena Lester Briekss, both graduate students teaching in the same department as Streamas. According to the syllabi for Fowler’s class, students could be penalized for using words like “illegal alien.” Briekss’ syllabus advised students not to use terms like “tranny” or “referring to women/men as females or males.”

“The contortions are endless,” the Fox News host remarked in the video, in which Campus Reform editor Beard was asked to comment on the syllabi of the three professors.

“The problem is when you’re engaging in controversial material that these courses cover, even if you want to honestly question or want to learn, you always run the risk of offending a fellow classmate, especially if you are expected to defer to the experiences of non-white students,” Beard offered.

The host of the Fox News segment finished by saying, “Alan Bloom, the professor, wrote about the closing of the American mind decades ago—it seems like it’s only getting worse.”

Streamas said he never watched the Fox News broadcast when it ran on a Saturday last August. The following Monday, Streamas, Fowler, and Breikss were called to separate meetings with administrators. He didn’t know what it would be about, but he was told it would include the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, two co-provosts, an Attorney General representative, and the chair of Streamas’s department.

“I kind of figured it was bad news but I was hoping when I went to this meeting that they were going to tell me, ‘Hey, we heard Fox News raised this thing over your

Inside

Pacific Reader 2016 Against Forgetting Nagasaki and Nuclear War: An Interview with Susan Southard | Page 9

Find Community, Find Unity: An Interview with Sharon H. Chang | Page 10

. . . PROFESSOR: Continued on page 12

Community mourns three killed in Mukilteo shooting IE News Services

Jordan Ebner, Anna Bui, and Jake Long were fatally shot early Saturday, July 30 at a house party over the weekend in Mukilteo. Another person, Will Kramer, was injured and taken to Harborview in serious condition. All the deceased were 19 years old.

Police arrested the suspect, Allen Ivanov, two hours after the shooting. Ivanov was booked into jail in connection with the shooting and appeared in court the following Monday. According to the Seattle Times, Ivanov will be held without bail.

The Everett Herald reported that a preliminary report from the Mukilteo Police stated that Bui and Ivanov were previously in a relationship and Ivanov attacked out of jealousy.

The city of Mukilteo is providing counseling services at the Rosehill Community Center throughout the week.

Bui was a student at the University of Washington-Bothell campus, and Kramer is a student at the University of Washington-Seattle campus. Ebner was a student at Everett Community College.

Ivanov is also a student on the Bothell campus. All deceased and the shooter previously attended Kamiak High School in Mukilteo.

Gov. Jay Inslee expressed sorrow for the victims of the shooting and support for the investigation. He spoke at the Sunday vigil. Ana Marie Cauce, president Anna Bui, Jordan Ebner, and Jake Long were shot and killed at a house party in Mukilteo on July 30. of the University of Washington, also The shooting has shaken the community. of Latter-day Saints the following day. expressed grief and sympathy for the Mourners gathered on Saturday, July 30 and Another vigil took place at the University of victims’ families. a vigil was held at the Church of Jesus Christ Washington-Bothell on Monday, August 1.

2 — August 3, 2016 – August 16, 2016

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

IE OPINION

Sick of it—Combating powerlessness in the face of sexual harassment and sexual assault

By Heidi Park Guest Columnist

https://goo.gl/13VmDQ. SCIDpda is a citychartered community development agency with the mission to preserve, promote, and develop the area as a vibrant community and unique ethnic neighborhood. SCIDpda essentially acts as a liaison between the City of Seattle government and community to improve public safety in the neighborhood.

Four is the number of times I’ve been sexually harassed in the last week. One is the number of times someone has touched my body without my permission. Seven is the number of blocks I walk to and from work. When I first returned to Seattle, strange men would yell lewd sexual comments as they drive by or walk past me. These incidences are not isolated and occur with alarming frequency.

• Get involved in changing all forms of oppression, especially against women.

API Chaya is a nonprofit organization located in the Chinatown-International District that supports Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islander survivors and families impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as human trafficking survivors from all communities. API Chaya engages communities to change societal conditions that enable domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking, and all forms of oppression, especially violence against women and the most vulnerable in our society

Multiple friends of mine have expressed their concern for my safety— hoping I would finally purchase mace or a Taser. Other friends have offered me rides even though I live seven blocks away from work. I count myself lucky to have such thoughtful and caring friends.

But it dawned on me that they have also experienced sexual harassment or even assault. So what’s the difference?

What’s the difference between sexual harassment and sexual assault?

Sexual harassment, which includes acts of sexual violence, is a form of sex discrimination that violates and is prohibited by federal and state laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. If you are experiencing sexual harassment, the decision to report sexual harassment and/or seek help is very personal and complex. Seek support as soon as you are ready. Even if you feel your safety may be compromised, you can still take steps: • Be direct with your harasser, if you can.

• Say no or let them know that what they are doing is offensive.

• Keep a detailed record of what happened; include dates, times, places, names of persons involved and witnesses.

If you do not know the harasser’s name, try to provide a description of their appearance or physical traits. Don’t keep

IE STAFF

Established in 1974, the International Examiner is the only non-profit pan-Asian and Pacific Islander American media organization in the country. Named after the International District in Seattle, the “IE” strives to create awareness within and for our APA communities. 409 Maynard Ave. S. #203, Seattle, WA 98104. (206) 624-3925. iexaminer@iexaminer.org.

Chinatown-International District residents avoid coming out at night due to safety concerns. • Photo by Travis Quezon

it to yourself. You may not be the only victim of your harasser. Speaking up can help you find support and protect yourself and others.

Sexual assault as defined by Washington State law is:

• Nonconsensual (meaning lack of freely given agreement) sexual touching of the genitals, anus, or breasts—either directly or through clothing.

• Nonconsensual sexual penetration, however slight, of the genitals or anus by a body part of another including the mouth or the use of objects.

• Forced display of the genitals, anus, or breasts for the purpose of sexually arousing another.

What can we do?

I found helpful in combating the loss of feeling safe in my own neighborhood:

• Report the incident. Seattle-Chinatown International District Preservation Development Authority (SCIDpda) has its Chinatown-ID Incident Report online at

• Become an expert on eliminating sexual violence and abuse towards women. Check out King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC)’s Frequently Asked Questions at http://www. kcsarc.org/FAQ. KCSARC provides sexual assault-related services for people of all ages in King County, WA, while working toward the ultimate goal of eliminating sexual violence and abuse from our communities.

YOUR OPINION COUNTS Please share your concerns, your solutions, and your voices.

Send a letter to the editor to editor@iexaminer.org with the subject line “Letter to the Editor.”

Sexual harassment and sexual assault awareness is so vital. Here are a few actions

IE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ron Chew, President Gary Iwamoto, Secretary Arlene Oki, At-Large Jordan Wong, At-Large Edgar Batayola, At-Large Heidi Park, At-Large COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER Lexi Potter lexi@iexaminer.org

BUSINESS MANAGER Ellen Suzuki finance@iexaminer.org

DISTRIBUTORS Joshua Kelso Makayla Dorn Maryross Olanday Tiger Song

editor@iexaminer.org

STAFF WRITERS Chetanya Robinson Alia Marsha

NEWS EDITOR Izumi Hansen

INTERN Anakin Fung

news@iexaminer.org

CONTRIBUTORS Bob Shimabukuro Sharon Lee Jacqueline Wu Pinky Gupta Jon Gould Yayoi Winfrey Jeff Nguyen Tamiko Nimura Michael Schmeltzer L. McKee Chizu Omori

EDITOR IN CHIEF Travis Quezon

ARTS EDITOR Alan Chong Lau

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CHIEF COPY EDITOR Anna Carriveau STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Isaac Liu

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INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

August 3, 2016 – August 16, 2016 — 3

IE OPINION

Reality Check—Let’s Catch a Breath

By Bob Shimabukuro IE Columnist “It’s guys like you that put Nixon in the White House,” Tom said. “Of all the stupid things to do.”

I was shocked. This was one of the very few times he had admonished me for anything. He had always supported my endeavors.

Despite all the crazy things that were going on, I was feeling a little better about my chances of living at least five more years. I sat down on June 11, to write a soothing (sort of) article about how this was not the craziest Presidential Election year. At least not as crazy as ... say 1968.

I had just come home from “Rock for Rice” (a fundraiser for Asian Counseling and Referral Service) headed by Geo (aka Prometheus Brown) and Daniel Pak, feeling good and not being able to go to sleep right away. So I started to write about my brother Tom accusing me of doing something stupid, by not supporting Hubert Humphrey.

Suddenly, “Orlando,” “mass murder,” “gay Latinos,” and I don’t remember what else streams across my screen. I follow the story for a little while, start thinking about my other brother Sam, then decide, “I can’t deal with this now.” I shut down the computer, went to bed. I hardly slept.

I was writing about Tom because our whole family was going back to Honolulu for his inurnment. Tom wanted his ashes/ urn to be as close to our parents’ urns as it could be. Though he died in September, with so many people in the family working on a school schedule, we decided that a summer date was best.

Different family members were in charge of different things, and my brother Ned and I decided we’d take care of the program. I was going to emcee and say a few words about Tom. By the time the Seattle chapter of the family left for Honolulu, the whole world situation had turned too bizarre and there is no way 1968 is even relevant. 2016 has become its own special year.

This has been my mind flow, of events in Hawai‘i and the world in brief (this list does not even include refugees from wars in Africa; the indigenous people in North, South, and Central America; French labor, and Okinawans fed up with the U.S. military presence.): • June 11, Rock for Rice • Morning, June 12, Orlando killings • June 19, Father’s Day, Zen Uncle dies • July 7, Philando Castile shot and killed by police in Minnesota • June 23, Brexit vote day, Brexit wins • July 7, Alton Sterling shot and killed in Baton Rouge • July 10, Five officers shot in Dallas

• July 19, Trip to Maleakahana. Zenwa Uncle used to be the groundskeeper/ caretaker and Fumi Auntie was the cook/ housekeeper for the Spalding/Cooke family beach home at Maleakahana, which is now a State Park.

Scattered Sam’s ashes in the Park a few, well, now lots, of years back.

A July 19 sunrise in Maleakahana. • Photo by Bob Shimabukuro

• July 14, Leave Seattle, arrive in Honolulu around 2:00 p.m.

• July 15, Got up early to watch the sun rise off the horizon. It was indescribable.

I decided to wake up every morning early to see the sunrise. Every morning was different because of the cloud cover.

• July 15, Nice attack (84 killed) • July 16, Services for Tom Tom Shimabukuro, a man driven by the most basic traditional cultural value of our parents, Zenshu and Yasuko, that families survive and thrive only when we all “stick together.” And the most basic subset of that community value lies in the role of the eldest son. As Tom always said, “It’s good if you’re a rich man’s son, but if you’re a poor man’s son, it’s really bad.”

He took on his responsibility seriously and never questioned it: He was the eldest son, he paid all the debts, and ensured that the following generations would not be as “poor as we were growing up.”

Along the way, he became the first Asian American student body president at Punahou School in 1953, graduated with a B.A. and B.S. from Columbia University, worked for RCA, Page Communications, U.S. Defense Communications Agency, GTE Sprint and other communications companies, and was considered an expert in Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT—satellite dishes) and later, fiber optics. He was an engineer whose gift was being able to explain technical matters to non-technical people. He traveled to a

lot of places, and helped set up and was responsible for communications networks in Vietnam, Thailand, China, India, Africa, and the European Union, to name a few. He never had a real home until he retired.

• July 17, The morning after the services Sunday morning sitting on one bench Kailua Farmers Market.

Stay watch da kids play, and thought about Tom’s ramen, inarizushi & sugah, And Zenwa Uncle’s talking dis & dat And about life, hard work, death, rebirth Yesterday was good fun; remember, talk story ‘bout Tom. But tiring too, need for concentrate; Today, no need concentrate My mind drifting all over da place.

I tell myself, OK fo’ drift today, Bob. Tomorrow different, maybe.

• July 17, After Farmer’s Market, go Ukulele Festival.

• July 17, Baton Rouge shooter kills three police officers • July 18, Ned’s friends come over, play some music, good time for all

No mo’ white ash, brown dirt No sign of Sam at Maleakahana Just the posts from the fern garden.

All da oddah stuff green think dis da last time can see Sam spot When old, hard time travel.

Shed some tears, walk away.

Greenery one sign of new growth for Sam. I know, I know, he no care about dat kine thinking, but wen make me feel better thinking that way.

• July 20, Services for Zen Uncle (102 years old). Another happy/sad time.

• July 21, Just before we go to the airport, I hear about the behavioral therapist who got shot, while trying to help his autistic client get back to his group home. Police say it was a mistake. The SWAT team said they thought the autistic man had a gun and so were trying to save the therapist’s life. But he accidentally hit the Black therapist instead. This so bizarre I don’t know what to think. A SWAT team guy aims at a guy with a toy truck, “trying to save the therapist,” misses his target and hits the Black therapist instead. We are supposed to believe that? Good thing that the SWAT team guy bad marksmanship; good thing he didn’t kill the therapist. But what was he doing on the SWAT team?

• July 21, Return to Seattle. Glad to get home. But the first thing I hear as we reach the airport gate: Trump giving his acceptance speech. Real hard to take.

In 1968, I was watching TV. California Presidential Primary. Bobby Kennedy shot. Pandemonium on TV. Cathie walks in the door. She watches for about 10 seconds, then asks, “What’s going on?”

“Bobby Kennedy shot. Think he’s dead, but they no like say.”

After a moment, she says quietly, “This country’s really f****d up.”

I nod my head in agreement.

Today, I think, even worse.

Still, I think about Tom’s comments.

Because there’s that question again that’s lingering for a lot of folks, at least of my Facebook friends. Does withholding a vote for Humphrey = a vote for Nixon?

Does withholding a vote for Clinton = a vote for Trump?

Let’s Catch a Breath, then keep moving.

4 — August 3, 2016 – August 16, 2016

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

IE OPINION

Asian American Studies and American Ethnic Studies matter

DONATE to NAFCON’S Typhoon Relief Program For info on how to donate, visit nafconusa.org.

By Heidi Park Guest Columnist While we honor retiring American Ethnic Studies University of Washington (UW) professors Gail Nomura, Steve Sumida, and Tetsuden Kashima, the advocacy and work that they did to ensure that UW is committed to the Asian American Studies program, many community members are starting to mobilize urging UW to retain the three positions and conduct a quick and efficient search to fill the positions without delay. The Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA) organized the writing of a letter that requests for additional faculty positions to support the increasing diversity at UW. Professor Gail Nomura noted, in a recent International Examiner article, that the American Ethnic Studies department does the major lifting of diversity teaching on the UW campus. She argued that this reason alone, especially when paired with a “Race and Equity Initiative”-driven president, should be enough to fill the

Retiring American Ethnic Studies UW professors Gail Nomura, Steve Sumida, and Tetsuden Kashima.

needed faculty. Nomura questioned where the money that would otherwise pay the three retiring professors is going.

Nomura is not alone in wanting to know where that money will go. The Commission and community leaders are hoping that the letter will urge President Ana Mari Cauce and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Robert Stacey to strongly consider the community request and support for the Asian American Studies program.

Retaining and increasing faculty positions in Asian American Studies will promote

understanding and improve the campus climate at the University of Washington and help fulfill the goals of the Race and Equity Initiative.

If you are or your organization is interested in learning more about how to support the Asian American Studies program at UW, you can email the Commission on Asian Pacific Americans Affairs voicing your support at capaa@ capaa.wa.gov. You can also donate online to the UW AES program online at https:// aes.washington.edu/support-us.

Letter: Support Asian American Studies program The following is an August 1, 2016 letter to UW President Ana Mari Cauce from the State of Washington Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and API community leaders calling for the retaining of three positions in the university’s Asian American Studies program. Amidst an already limited number of faculty to teach Asian American Studies at UW, three professors recently retired from the American Ethnic Studies department: Steve Sumida, Gail Nomura, and Tetsuden Kashima. UW is currently looking for temporary lecturers for next year, and will begin searching for full-time faculty once they hire the temporaries.

Dear President Cauce, With three vacant faculty positions in Asian American Studies (AAS) in the Department of American Ethnic Studies, the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs is concerned about the future of the Asian American Studies program. The Commission works to improve the wellbeing of Asian Pacific Americans by ensuring their access to participation in the fields of government, business, education and other areas (RCW 43.117). We write in support of retaining the three positions within the program, as well as a quick and efficient search to fill these three tenure track positions.

The Commission and community leaders urge the President and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences to retain and increase faculty members in Asian American Studies.

There is widespread interest in the Asian Pacific American community for a speedy, yet quality search. We believe that supporting faculty in AAS will promote understanding and improve the campus climate at the University of Washington.

While the Race and Equity Initiative at UW seeks to support and sustain diversity and inclusion at the UW, this alone is not enough.

According to UW’s Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity, 28.2% of undergraduates identify as Asian. With over one quarter of the undergraduate population identifying as Asian, it is important that these students have an opportunity to learn about their history and

identity. The AAS program has the unique ability to support this goal by empowering students through curriculum and having representation within faculty and staff.

Compared to the freshmen class of 20152016, the 2016-2017 freshmen class at UW is becoming more diverse, with a 10% increase in underrepresented minorities. This population includes Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders that would greatly benefit from a supportive academic environment that the Asian American Studies program provides.

Many Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander students have felt invisible and marginalized, and the retirement of Professor Sumida is of particular concern to Pacific Islanders as he taught one of the few courses on campus focusing on Native Hawaiian culture. Hiring Pacific Islander and Southeast Asian faculty who represent or can teach courses about their cultures can serve to inspire and mentor these students.

Across the nation and in Washington State, Asian American leaders advocated for the creation of Asian American studies programs at colleges and universities. In the 1970s, local leaders held sit-ins to ensure Asian Americans were represented in faculty and administration.

Today, Asians and Pacific Islanders are the fastest growing populations in the United States. For students of all ethnicities, AAS offers an opportunity to learn more about the history, cultures, and perspectives of the numerous ethnic groups represented by this program. Retaining and increasing the number of faculty positions in AAS will better serve a growing diverse student population that seeks representation in academics, programs, faculty, and staff.

The Commission and community leaders urge the President and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences to strongly consider our request and support for the Asian American Studies program. We believe that retaining and increasing faculty positions in AAS will promote understanding and improve the campus climate at the University of Washington and help fulfill the goals of the Race and Equity Initiative.

Sincerely,

Ty Tufono Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs Michael Itti Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs Santino Giovanni Camacho ASUW Pacific Islander Student Commission Sam Le ASUW Asian Student Commission Diane Narasaki Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Lua Pritchard Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Van Dinh Kuno Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Vang Xiong Toyed Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Dori Peralta Baker Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Lin Crowley Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Brian Lock Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Jacqueline Wu OCA Greater Seattle Chapter Dorothy Wong Asian Pacific Directors Coalition James Hong Vietnamese Friendship Association Ay Saechao Southeast Asian Education Coalition Tony Vo UW American Ethnic Studies Alum Sameth Mell Cambodian American Council of Washington Bopha Cheng Cambodian American Council of Washington Rich Stolz OneAmerica Sarah Baker Seattle JACL

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

August 3 2016 – August 16, 2016 — 5

IE OPINION

New affordable housing proposed for Little Saigon at 1253 S. Jackson Street by Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI). • Rendering courtesy of Runberg Architecture Group

Rents Too High? We Need More Affordable Housing

By Sharon Lee Special to the IE Families and individuals living in Seattle are experiencing the highest level of rent increases in the nation. Seattle’s rents have soared 9.7 percent from a year ago. This is nearly four times the national average, according to a recent Zillow report. The typical monthly rent in the Seattle metro area now surpasses $2,000 for the first time. This is $620 more than the U.S. average.

Even with an increase in Seattle’s minimum wage, how can working families afford such high rents? Over half of Asian renters, 55 percent, earn no more than 50 percent of the area median income—or less than $45,150 annually for a family of four. Sixty-six percent of black renters earn no more than 50 percent of the area median income. We know that people of color are hardest hit by rent increases as 48 percent of renters of color living in Seattle are cost burdened, or paying more than 30 percent of their income for rent.

Seattle is not alone in rents that are increasingly unaffordable. Our neighbor, Portland, has the next largest growth in rents at 9 percent. Across the country, over half of poor renters are paying 50 percent of their income for rent. And over 25 percent are paying over 70 percent of their income for rent!

The Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) and other nonprofit housing organizations are working hard to build more affordable housing so that Seattle residents are not forced to leave

the city because of skyrocketing rents.

LIHI completed 61 apartments for lowincome seniors at Ernestine Anderson Place at 2010 S. Jackson Street in 2014.

In 2015, 50 apartments for seniors at Cheryl Chow Court in Ballard and 57 affordable apartments at August Wilson Place in Bellevue were completed.

In Seattle’s University District, 49 apartments were recently constructed at The Marion West at 5019 Roosevelt Way NE. Lease-up is now underway.

Construction is progressing well on Abbey Lincoln Court, located next door to Ernestine Anderson Place at 2020 S. Jackson Street. When finished in October, the building will include 68 affordable and energy efficient apartments for families with children, couples, and singles. The property is located across the street from Washington Middle School, Franz Bakery and next door to Blanche Lavizzo Park, a children’s playground.

Abbey Lincoln Court, named in of honor American jazz vocalist, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist Abbey Lincoln, will feature 68 units, including studio, one-, two-, and 3-bedroom apartments and townhouses in a six story building in Seattle’s Central Area. The project will serve those making 50% and 60% of area median income (up to $53,760 for a family of four). The building, at 2020 S. Jackson St., will stand next to its sister building, Ernestine Anderson Place, and is designed by Runberg Architecture Group and constructed by Walsh Construction Co. A Grand Opening is planned for November. Stay tuned for details. • Photo by LIHI

shared community space for community gatherings, events, exhibits and programs that serve residents of Little Saigon, the ID, and the larger community. Office space for LIHI will be located in back of the community space and parking will be located below. LIHI looks forward to future meetings in Little Saigon and the In Little Saigon, LIHI has begun the ID to discuss the design, program, and process of developing approximately 80 housing needs in the community. units of affordable housing for families Michele Wang of Runberg and individuals at 1253 S. Jackson Architecture Group is the architect.

A Street (the site of the old Washington contractor has not been selected yet.

Alarm Building) just west of Rainier Avenue S. The First Hill Streetcar stop LIHI is seeking funding from the Seattle is located in front of the property. The Office of Housing and King County. design for the storefront area includes Construction is planned for February Abbey Lincoln Court is named in honor of famed jazz vocalist, songwriter, and civil rights activist Abbey Lincoln.

She passed away in 2010. The building includes studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, including townhouses and live-work space.

2018, with completion in late winter 2019. See rendering.

Founded in 1991, LIHI is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The LIHI Gala is set for October 21 at the Four Seasons Hotel. LIHI owns and/ or manages over 1,800 housing units at 50 sites in six counties throughout the Puget Sound region.

For questions on the new housing in Little Saigon, contact Robin Amadon, Ramadon@LIHI.org at 206-957-8050.

For info on LIHI go to www.LIHI.org.

Sharon Lee is executive director of Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI).

6 — August 3, 2016 – August 16, 2016

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

IE NEWS

Making art accessible: 21 Progress Social Justice Art Gallery

By Jacqueline Wu IE Contributor Imagine a space where communities of color come together and express themselves through art. What issues will appear on canvas? What stories will be brought to life? What would that look like? On Thursday, July 21st the Social Justice Art Gallery Opening and art lending library was hosted by 21 Progress.

21 Progress is a community organization that provides programs that empower leaders among the people of Washington and advances bold ideas for economic and social justice. As a testament to their mission, the idea of the Social Justice Art Gallery was put in motion when former intern, Francesca Gatuz, applied for a grant with the City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.

The concept behind the gallery is to focus on artists of color and to make art accessible to communities of color through the formation of an art lending library.

“Art creates community building by recognizing other forms of expression.

This way we can feel empowered,” said Losa Berhane, 21 Progress BOLD summer intern who organized the opening.

Social Justice Art Gallery is different by fostering community and empowerment for people of color.

Fenny Perez, who attended the art gallery, studied art history in college and works at a local art college. Perez said many of the pieces at the gallery left an impression.

“I feel that I can come to a space like this and I don’t have to explain myself,” Perez said.

The piece that Perez felt most drawn to is Ruben Reyes’ El Sueno Americano.

Inspired by his parents and childhood, Reyes’ four panel life-size portraits of migrant field workers is intended to highlight the marginalization of migrant workers. Reyes’ piece was awarded first place in the gallery’s collection and will be available for the lending library.

The public will be able to fill out check request slips for the Reyes and other pieces selected for the art lending On Thursday, July 21st the Social Justice Art Gallery Opening and art lending library was hosted by 21 Progress. • library starting July 29.

Photo by Jacqueline Wu “I hope that we can continue on this Spaces such as the 21 Progress However, the formation of an art Social Justice Art Gallery is important lending library is not new to Seattle work and that next year we can host for artists and communities of color. or the nation. There are several places another gallery opening,” said Berhane.

There are not many spaces within the within the nation like Minneapolis city or nationally, that is accessible for that has an art lending library open to 21 Progress is located at 409 Maynard artist of color to display their art or the public. In 2013, the Art Lending Ave. S, Ste 202, Seattle, Washington for communities of color to have their Library (ALL) opened in the Delridge 98104. Selected pieces will be available experiences reflected through art. neighborhood of West Seattle. But the as part of 21 Progress’ art library.

19 people from 14 countries naturalized on Flag Day

By Pinky Gupta IE Contributor Refugees from Iraq, Mohammad Ali and his wife Adem Kadhim became proud parents after they were sworn in as citizens on Flag Day. They said they are proud of their choice to secure a future, and better opportunities, for their daughters.

Kadhim recalled the grueling journey that her family has gone through, which she said is finally paying off.

“The kids will be happy and proud [of] us … for their life [that we gave them in the United States],” Kadhim said.

It took about five years for the couple to complete the naturalization process. Ali came to the United States with his wife and eldest daughter Aya in 2011 after the situation got worse in Iraq.

Since coming to the United States, Ali said he has become more confident and more familiar with the English language. Ali is working as a shuttle driver for Microsoft.

While contrasting his past life in Iraq with his new life in America, Ali said that “Iraq is messed.”

“I can provide my children safety and a good education in the USA,” Ali said. “They will have a better future here.”

Ali came to the United States knowing few words of English, and learned the language while living and working here; but he said he is proud that both his daughters will know English better than him.

“My kids will know the English language better than I do,” Ali said with a smile on his face.

Kadhim said she has become an entirely new person and that her citizenship has brought both new freedoms and new responsibilities.

“I can practice my freedom in the United States more than before and I am part of the strongest country,” she said.

One of those freedoms is access to education. In Iraq, Kadhim only completed a high school education. Here, she is studying business technology at Kirkland Community College. She said the strength of her new country helps her and that she now has access to financial aid that makes her education accessible to her.

“It is important to get education here to work,” Kadhim said. Her family cannot do without her financial support. But she said she is always worried about her parents who are still living in Iraq.

In 2014, Aden braved the dangers of Iraq to check on her parents and brothers and to see whether she could bring them to the United States. The situation, already bad, had worsened after ISS invaded. “There is death everywhere,” Kadhim said.

But she returned to the United States, leaving her family behind. When asked why,

she explained: “The process to bring them [to the United States] is tough and long now.”

Kadhim and Ali were among 19 people from 14 countries who took their oath of naturalization at the Naturalization Ceremony on Flag Day, June 14, at Seattle City Hall. They hailed from Canada, Finland, India, Iraq, Jamaica, Mexico, Philippines, Romania, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. The event was jointly supported

by One America and Seattle City Club.

The ceremony included three fifth-graders’ readings of their awardwinning essays on “Why I’m Glad America is a Nation of Immigrants.”

They were selected from among their peers in a statewide competition. For one of the winners, 10-year-old Truc-Vy Lam, the topic was personal. She wrote her essay on the story of her parents and grandparents, who emigrated from Vietnam.

Lam read from her essay: “America welcomes everyone from many countries.

America helps people who escaped from war; who escaped from Communism.

America gives immigrants better lives and education. On the other hand the hand the immigrants make America become a nation of multi- cultures.”

Another winner, Kody Mikelson, expressed himself in a poem. He urged his audience to recognize that the United States is made of the mingled heritage of all its immigrants, the precious things that they bring with them from their homes— the customs, stories, and beliefs.

The winner of the essay contest was Jens Bishop.

Lorena Gonzales, Seattle’s first Latina City Council member, congratulated the new citizens and asked them to continue their civic engagement in this country.

Gonzales urged them to help their government understand and meet their needs, adding. “Elected officials need to hear from you … about your experiences living and working in Seattle. … Your struggles and successes are our struggles and successes,” Gonzales said.

Hyeok Kim, Seattle’s first female AsianAmerican Deputy Mayor congratulated and welcomed the new citizens. Kim emigrated from South Korea at the age of 5.

“Seattle is making a mark in the world,” Kim said. “It is welcoming the global nation of immigrants that call Seattle home.” She emphasized that the city and its officials value new citizens as assets to the Seattle community.”

At the end of the ceremony every new citizen had small souvenir American flags which were distributed at the event and they immediately registered to vote and completed their passport applications.

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

August 3 2016 – August 16, 2016 — 7

IE COMMUNITY

Hura•iti Mana brings Polynesian dance to Seattle

By Rhea Panela IE Staff Rayann “Ray” Onzuka is a Polynesian dancer in Seattle originally from Hawai‘i with a culturally diverse background—her mother is Native Hawaiian, Chinese, and Black, and her father is Japanese. When teaching Polynesian dance, Onzuka goes by her Hawaiian name, Kalei‘okalani, which means “the lei of the heavens.”

“I was actually a very shy child, and [dancing] was my way to creatively express myself,” Onzuka said.

Onzuka started dancing when she was six years old, but instead of joining her older sister’s hula group, she joined a Tahitian group instead. After developing her passion for dance, she began teaching Polynesian dance at the age of 14 and participating in competitions at the age of 16.

“It taught me how to be a leader and it really gave me confidence,” Onzuka said. “I took it on my own to compete in solo competitions in high school and that opened new doors for me because I started traveling to compete.”

After traveling to different islands in Hawai‘i and making it as far as Japan, Onzuka found her way to the continental United States after visiting her sister in Seattle. She said moving to Seattle distanced her from her passion for dance at first, but picking up a job teaching Tahitian dance at Seattle University helped her share what she cared so much for with others.

“I realized, ‘Wow, there are actually people who are interested in my passion as well,’” Onzuka said. “[Teaching] gave me an opportunity to share it. From there, I joined Hawai‘i Club and I taught dances with them for about seven years. After my last year teaching, I realized I still wanted to keep dancing, keep teaching and sharing this with other people.”

Onzuka works at The Wing Luke Museum as the Visitor Services and Events Manager. The Wing Luke Museum connects the Seattle community to the history, cultures,

Polynesian dance teacher Kalei’okalani Onzuka (right) with dancers from Hura•iti Mana. • Courtesy Photo

and art of Asian Pacific Americans. The mission of The Wing Luke Museum resonates with Onzuka’s own goal to share her culture with others.

Onzuka formed her own dance group, Hura•iti Mana, to help spread Polynesian cultural awareness. The group’s mission is to “empower women and men to become hura•iti, or skilled dancers, through lessons in Tahitian, Hawaiian, Samoan, and Maoristyle dances,” according to their website.

Currently, Onzuka is the only instructor for the group.

When creating choreography for performances and lessons, Onzuka said she pays close attention to the experience of her dancers.

“I keep in mind being exciting, explosive, powerful because that’s the core of Tahitian

dancing,” Onzuka said. “But I still keep in mind traditional movements, ones that have been passed down, and movements that are completely contemporary.”

However, she noticed stereotypes associated with the stories behind the dances slowly becoming lost in the entertainment aspect of Polynesian dancing. Although she wants to use dance as a catalyst for empowerment and creative expression, she said she loves performing and sharing the dances with others who might not have been exposed to Polynesian culture.

“I love the energy of it and the way we can celebrate everything we’ve worked for,” Onzuka said. “The line that I walk is culture versus entertainment, or how can those two be together? Commercializing or monetizing a cultural tradition, that’s always the

balance I’m trying to find. The stereotype is often hula dancers, coconuts, and there’s no background or context to it.”

She expressed her desire to continue teaching the Polynesian dances and their legends that overlap through multiple cultures.

“I love the story of Pele, the goddess of fire,” Onzuka said. “Pele’s really powerful, dangerous, exciting, but tells a great story of love and passion and anger. She’s a great symbol.”

The symbolism of the dances Onzuka teaches are similar to Pele’s, she said, and so is her passion to teach. In the future, Onzuka hopes to expand Hura•iti Mana and organize competitions with other Polynesian dance groups in Washington and hopefully compete in other states.

Kyu Lee, the UW graduate who made ‘Gangnam Style’ famous

By Rhea Panela IE Staff

Kyu Lee, a Korean American from Mercer Island, took the world by storm when he introduced K-Pop star PSY to Scooter Braun, the talent manager of Justin Bieber and the British-Irish band The Wanted.

With Lee’s help, PSY’s song “Gangnam Style” gained worldwide popularity and it became the first YouTube video to reach one billion views in 2012.

Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1978 at the U.S. military base in Yongsan, making him a natural born U.S. citizen. He graduated from the University of Washington in 2000 with degrees in business and drama before moving to L.A. and working at Sony Pictures Entertainment. He recently coproduced a film called Operation Chromite about the Battle of Inchon during the Korean War, featuring Liam Neeson in the role of General MacArthur. The International Examiner spoke with Lee about his experiences working in the entertainment industry.

Kyu Lee

IE: Growing up in Seattle where there are not as many big entertainment companies as there are in Los Angeles, how did you try to get your name out there and enter a career in entertainment?

Kyu Lee: When you’re a student, you don’t know how to put your name out there.

It was more about, “I need to find a job.

What am I going to do after I graduate?” It was a sense of urgency rather than putting

my name out there. When I was in college, I wasn’t a starter, I wasn’t a big player on the [football] team but I was able to be involved in a lot of social events, being invited to a lot of celebrity events in the Seattle area and that sparked my relationships in the entertainment industry.

When I was a sophomore or junior at UW, I was invited to the Richard Karn’s “Star Days.” [Karn’s] an actor who costarred with Tim Allen in a sitcom called Home Improvement and Richard was a huge advocate of cancer research through Fred Hutchinson in Seattle. He would invite Whoopi Goldberg, Samuel L. Jackson, and these old legends, and local celebrities like Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. I was one of a few Huskies that were involved in these events. At the end of the day, it’s really about networking and being at the right place at the right time.

IE: How did you get your start in L.A.?

Lee: The funny story there is, I went to stay at a friend’s house. He’d mentioned that the coming weekend it was the weekend of the Academy Awards. To be more exact, it

was March 25th of 2001. I was like, “We’re in L.A. Why can’t we just go to the awards?

Why do we have to watch it on TV? I want to see it in person.” ... So I went. Just in case I might get lucky, I dressed the part. I wore my suit that I wore to my job interviews and carried a couple of my resumes just in case.

I found my way behind the awards ceremony, away from the red carpet. There was this one area where craft services was walking in and out, media, and security ... and I noticed some Asian faces that were in this area. It happened to be Chow Yun Fat, [director] Ang Lee, and Zhang Ziyi and all these people who were famous Chinese actors. I thought, “Wow, how could this be that there’s Asian people at the Academy Awards?” I didn’t know it was the cast of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. They were nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film, Cinematography, and Art Direction. They had won four Oscars that year.

When I was in that area, I was so shocked.

Everything was so surreal. I got curious so KYU LEE: Continued on page 12 . . .

8 — August 3, 2016 – August 16, 2016

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

PACIFIC READER

Pacific Reader 2016 As August approaches, the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki looms ahead once more. This event changed forever the way we view our own precarious existence as a species on this planet. In our annual Pacific Reader book review supplement, this summer we cover several issues. In any discussion about the atomic bombing of Japan, Hiroshima gets the dubious distinction of getting the most attention simply because it was bombed first. That is changing with Susan Southard’s award-winning book, Nagasaki: Life After Nuclear War. What’s ironic is that the city wasn’t even a primary target but was chosen after another city had a thick cloud cover.

Southward looks beyond the event by following the lives of survivors who were only teenagers at the time and the toll its taken both physically and psychologically. She also looks at how policies of censorship and denial have clouded coverage of this history in the media.

Asian and multiracial people are one of the fastest growing self-identified groups in America. Local author Sharon H. Chang goes to the source interviewing the parents of multiracial families in her groundbreaking book, Raising Mixed Race: Multiracial Children in a PostRacial World. These are our feature stories in Part 1 of our annual summer issue of Pacific Reader. Rounding out the issues are a number of book reviews in every category imaginable as we attempt to cover books by or about Asian Americans and new titles on Asia. Once again, a big debt of thanks go out to the publishers, our reviewers, and you, our readers for your continued support. It wouldn’t happen without you. Join us again for Part 2 of Pacific Reader our second issue in August. Meanwhile enjoy the summer and don’t forget to bring a book with you wherever your journey takes you.

—Alan Chong Lau, IE Arts Editor and coordinator of Pacific Reader

Hoshida Family Story paints complex picture of WWII incarceration

By Chizu Omori IE Contributor “An hour and 20 minutes and 1942 will end, heralding 1943! I’ve never dreamed of greeting a New Year in an internment camp. ... It was unthinkable that the country which has been my home for practically all my life would turn me into their enemy. Sometimes I cannot believe that this is real and feel as though I am in a horrible nightmare. But this is real!” *** Taken From the Paradise Isle: The Hoshida Family Story, edited by Heidi Kim (University of Colorado Press) is a book that takes us right into the direct experience of the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, for it is based on letters and writings of a man who was picked up in Hawai‘i and later incarcerated in many facilities on the mainland. Taken From the Paradise Isle is a memoir by George Hoshida who was arrested, apparently, for his Buddhist and judo activities and he passed through military and INS camps at Kilauea, Sand Island, San Antonio,

Lordsburg, and Santa Fe before being paroled to join his family in the WRA camp at Jerome, Arkansas. He happened to be Issei but his wife was Nisei, and she and their children (minus a daughter who was in a nursing home) chose to join him on the continental United States, even if it meant life in an incarceration camp, and so they moved from Hawai‘i to Jerome.

During this four-year period, Hoshida and his wife Tamae exchanged letters while she was still in Hawai‘i and he also kept a diary and sketched many pictures of various aspects of his life during those long years. He decided that he would document his ordeal and put it together so that his family and others would know about what happened to him and his family.

Editor Heidi Kim has done a masterful job of combining his work and official documents and adding her research to give us a very good and comprehensive picture of this family’s difficult experience.

Comparatively few were picked up from Hawai‘i and so those Hawai‘i residents who were incarcerated were viewed with suspicion by their fellow Japanese Americans in Hawai‘i. The thinking

was that they must have been guilty of something to merit such treatment, and this was another side effect of the government’s oppressive policies. Tamae was lucky in that their many relatives helped and cared for them and also social services were available to meet their needs.

Hoshida was very aware that he was a victim of prejudice and only because of his

association with the Buddhist Church and his judo. He was also aware that perhaps an informer was the reason he had been singled out, and so his imprisonment was doubly infuriating. The correspondence with his wife is on the surface bland because neither wanted to burden the other with bad news and the letters were subject to censorship.

However, one can read between the lines and pick up on the anxiety and uncertainty of their situation.

Tamae decided that she did not want to endure the separation from her husband so with her children, she moved to Jerome, Arkansas, site of one of the incarceration camps and was able to join George. In order to do this, she gave up their house and so they had a difficult time upon return to Hawai‘i.

Here is another story about how America’s policy of imprisoning Americans of Japanese ancestry during WWII affected one family. As we accumulate these stories, we are getting a deeper, more complex picture of the heavy toll that this policy had on our community. It was a tragedy whose effects are still with us.

Compelling vocation in Burmese poetry anthology

By L.McKee IE Contributor

by Ko Ko Thett & James Byrne (Northern Illinois University Press, 2013) starts in the midst of political “What I hate most in this whole world is upheaval when the 1962 That scumbag named Truth coup d’etat replaced Burma’s Whose fat face is democratic government with Scarred with chicken pox. a military dictatorship. It In this life moves forward from here to You don’t need four, five, or six. present day Myanmar, just You only need two. recently emerging from years Just two, real love and in isolation. The work of these An authentic foe.”

15 writers together is what the From A Sun-Ripened Song best anthologies are all about.

by Maung Chaw Nwe The poems speak strongly in the individual voices of each The timeframe for Bones Will Crow, writer, but also come together in a chorus An Anthology of Burmese Poetry, edited

of shared history and the groundbreaking of new traditions.

Zeyar Lynn’s introduction is a fascinating overview of Burmese poetics and the cultural tensions of moving from more formal constructions at the turn of the century to the lyric to language poetry and beyond.

There is the loneliness of exile in this writing, the loneliness of never having left, the solitude of writing, of camaraderie, the thrill of making choices for one’s voice. I kept finding myself folding down the corners

of every other page. Readers will find compelling vocation in this book, all the more wonderful in that this is the first collection of modern Burmese poetry available in the United States.

The anthology is skillfully edited by Ko Ko Thett and James Byrne—Thett is also a contributor and translator, and Byrne a translator. The organization is chronological, with each set of poems prefaced with a short bio of the writer.

The poems are presented in both Burmese/Myanmar and English, in the hands of a number of translators. This is an important collection!

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

August 3 2016 – August 16, 2016 — 9

PACIFIC READER

Against Forgetting Nagasaki and Nuclear War: An Interview with Susan Southard

By Tamiko Nimura IE Contributor In an election year when United States presidential candidates discuss “access to the nuclear codes,” it’s crucial to fight against historical amnesia and to remember the human cost of nuclear war.

Anyone needing an education in that cost (or a reminder) should read Susan Southard’s remarkable book Nagasaki: Life After Nuclear War.

The book’s publication coincides with the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Because Hiroshima was the first Japanese city to experience a nuclear attack, Americans might know its story in more detail. But, as Southard writes, “[the] invisibility of Nagasaki is so extreme that ‘the bomb’ is often expressed as a singular event for both cities.” Southard’s account provides a detailed and well-documented corrective to that invisibility, giving a portrait of the city before and after the war, as well as following the lives of five hibakusha (people affected by the atomic bomb) for decades.

As might be expected, Nagasaki is not reading for the faint of heart; the graphic details of people’s injuries and death scenes, particularly in the first four chapters, can be excruciating. “The entire city convulsed,” writes Southard, at the beginning of the chapter describing the bombing. Despite media blackouts and societal stigma, however, a few hibakusha lived to tell their stories and speak against the use of nuclear weapons. How they recovered, and how they decided to live for many decades after, is just one of the many compelling reasons to read Southard’s book.

With training in journalism and creative nonfiction, Southard is also founder of the Essential Theatre company in Arizona.

I spoke with her over e-mail about the making and shaping of Nagasaki: Life After Nuclear War.

Tamiko Nimura: The prologue of Nagasaki briefly covers your connection to the subject. Can you talk a bit more about the deeper connections that led you to write this book? You lived in Japan for some time, and served as substitute interpreter for one of your subjects, Taniguchi-san. I’m curious to know more about how you decided to take on the daunting task of a narrative nonfiction book—rather than, say, a play, given your background in theater.

Susan Southard: I think there were many deep connections that converged when I began working on this book.

Although our minds don’t work in a linear way, I’ll try to explain these connections somewhat chronologically. The first was my visit to Nagasaki when I was 16, living in Japan for a year-long study abroad program. I joined my high school senior class for a week-long field trip to Japan’s

southernmost island of Kyushu, where Nagasaki is located. Standing side-byside with my Japanese schoolmates inside the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, my friends and I stared into the glass cases of devastating photographs and melted artifacts from the bombing. I knew very little about the Pacific War and felt overwhelmed by the impact of the bomb on hundreds of thousands of people and the fact that my country had used this horrific weapon on the people of a country I loved. Although it wasn’t conscious at the time, I think this memory was in some way formative in my sense that as Americans we need to understand and reexamine the effects of our some of our military actions on others.

As you mentioned, many years later I served as a substitute interpreter for Mr. Taniguchi, a Nagasaki survivor, for two days when he was on a speaking tour in the United States.

He was 16 at the time of the bombing, and his entire back was instantaneously burned off. I was spellbound by Taniguchi’s story of survival and his choice to speak across the world on behalf of those who died beneath the mushroom cloud and in the months and years that followed from their injuries and radiation exposure. The next year (1987), I visited Mr. Taniguchi in Nagasaki and met other hibakusha as well. Their stories stayed with me, and as the years passed and they aged, I kept thinking about them and wondering what it would be like to come to the final years of one’s life and look back on the experience—and survival—of nuclear war. This was the pressing question that led to my initiating research for the book.

As for why I chose narrative nonfiction as the means to tell Taniguchi’s and others’ stories, my work in theatre is focused around our audiences’ personal stories.

Essential Theatre, the company I founded 26 years ago, performs an international art form called Playback Theatre, in which members of the audience tell stories from their lives, and then watch as our company of actors and musicians bring the stories to artistic life using music, movement, metaphor, and scenes. It’s improvised, interactive performance designed to honor people’s individual experiences, reflect the diversity of human experiences, and celebrate our common humanity. So I’m

process the details of these accounts yourself, as a writer, as a human being?

(I am thinking about Dr. Akizuki, who you describe as someone who becomes emotionally and mentally “depleted” from his work with hibakusha, but That said, I can tell you that when I comes to believe in the power of story as went to Nagasaki in 2003 to do my first redemption.)

SS: Yes, yes. I read hundreds of survihibakusha interviews for the book, I had no clue how daunting a project the book vors’ stories to try to understand, in some small way, what it was like that morning would ultimately become!

TN: Can you describe the process in August 1945 and in the years to come. of writing the book?—it interweaves Their stories are harrowing and so hard to so much of the big-picture historical take in. There were two things that kept context with the personal accounts of me going: First, the survivors themselves. the hibakusha. How did you research Except for Mr. Taniguchi whom I had met and synthesize so much material? What when he was 57, I met the hibakusha in was the biggest challenge in writing the my book when they were in their 70s and 80s. Their unique personalities, experibook? ences, and perspectives were captivating SS: Writing the book was a complex to me. I wanted to understand as fully as and arduous process—though very ex- possible what they had gone through, and citing as well. In ultimately I wanted readers to know them addition to inter- as I did. This helped me get through the viewing, translat- ghastly realities of their stories. ing, and finding Second, early on after I’d started my the best way to tell the individual sto- interviews and research, I discovered that ries of the five sur- there was no book that told the full story vivors whose sto- of the long-term aftermath of nuclear war. ries are featured in The urgency to tell this very important the book, I spent story kept me going when the content I years studying the was writing about was overwhelming.

TN: Is there anything left out of the history of the city, the Pacific War, book that you wish you had been able the medical ef- to include? fects of radiation SS: There was a great deal I had to cut, on the body, post- for length and to strengthen the narrative, war Japan, and the which was definitely hard at times. And a hibakushas’ long book, with its inherent limitations, can’t journey of post- begin to capture all the stories, over many nuclear survival. I years, of the hundreds of thousands who hired an amazing survived. Ultimately, though, I think—and researcher, Robin hope—that the book fulfills my goal to tell LaVoie, who sup- the story of the Nagasaki bombing and its ported the project aftermath through the eyes of five young with commitment men and women who had survived. and skill. SyntheTN: I borrow this question from my sizing the larger historical stories writer friend, Tara Austen Weaver— with the survivors’ personal experiences what is one question that you wish was incredibly challenging and took a lot people would ask you about the book? of time and thought.

SS: It’s a great question, one that no one has ever asked me! I would love to The biggest challenge was structure— finding the structure for the book, for each talk with people more about the moral chapter, for each section of each chapter, and ethical implications of our decision and often for individual paragraphs—that to use the bombs—not only on hibakusha, could integrate both the intimate and their children, and generations beyond, but larger aspects of a 70-year story. When I on what we as a country consider ethical found the right structure for whatever I was during wartime. How has our decision to working on (often after countless efforts use of the bombs and our justifications for that failed), the narrative felt like it had its doing so impacted how we define ourselves own life, which was thrilling. Finally, after as Americans in the 21st century? A very 12 years, the manuscript was completed. It hard and very important, question, I think. was a profound experience, in large part because of the survivors themselves and On the evening of August 6, Seattle the profound pleasure in knowing them. will commemorate the atomic bombings TN: So much of the material in of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in its annual the book is haunting and horrific, Green Lake event “From Hiroshima to particularly the first few chapters Hope: A Floating Lantern Ceremony.” about the bombing and its immediate For more details, see the website http:// aftermath. How were you able to fromhiroshimatohope.org. trained in listening to people’s stories and creating narrative structures to bring them to life. That, and because history and research-based nonfiction is my favorite to read, narrative storytelling seem like the natural choice for Nagasaki.

10 — August 3, 2016 – August 16, 2016

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

PACIFIC READER

Find community, find unity: An interview with Sharon H. Chang

By Michael Schmeltzer IE Contributor Scholar and activist Sharon H. Chang didn’t just write a sociological book examining racism in the United States.

She wrote the historical, personal, and often neglected account of multiracial Asian children in America. Raising Mixed Race is a well-researched, nuanced book that balances academic vigor with interviews from 68 parents about raising mixed-race children inside a preexisting societal framework that invalidates their experiences and renders them invisible.

It is as much a manual on empowering communities as it is one on dismantling biases within them.

After reading her book I was able to interview Chang via email and ask about challenging family, building community, and her next project.

Michael Schmeltzer: Parental indoctrination, as you point out, contributes to harmful attitudes regarding race.

Having interviewed parents of multiracial Asian children for your book, do you have advice on how to confront a partner or parent who holds some damaging beliefs?

Sharon H. Chang: This is such an emotional and sensitive issue. It’s one thing to confront a stranger or someone you know distantly. But how do you confront someone Chang you love, with whom you hold a valued relationship, who may be a treasured member of your family?

Not so easily answered and the price paid for a confrontation that does not go well here is so high—a price most of us don’t want to pay. That said, I think there are ways to do this that can be successful and rewarding for everyone.

One, it will take time. These racial beliefs we all live with have been deeply entrenched in our society for four centuries. Patience is hard when you’re in pain but if it comes to you, it will be a gift.

Two, it will most likely be messy. The first confrontation may go well but probably won’t. You may question your approach, yourself, what you said, what you did ... but don’t give up! Which leads me to: Three, find support for you and your worldview and know the best ways for self-care. When things don’t go well it can feel devastating. We need support when we feel like that so we can re-center, find our power, heal and maybe try again. And finally, remember there isn’t a one-sizefits-all approach because every person, every relationship is unique. So while the advice of others may be helpful—you are what knows best for you in the end. Do what feels right.

MS: You mention multiracial families often have to “deplete healthful energy” when dealing with intrusive, white-normative ideas. What are ways these families can energize themselves while still tackling issues of identity?

SHC: Find community, find community, find community. Find unity. Find others who are going through what you’re going through so you can vent, commiserate,

hug, cry, and then strategize, share ideas, thoughts and resources for strength. I think real flesh human beings come first, if you can (that’s not always possible if you live in an isolated and/or non-diverse community).

Next, grow your library of resources whether it be books for you, books for your children, movies, film, TV shows, YouTube vids, websites, magazines, whatever. Don’t stop at a few good things.

Keep collecting. It’s very disorienting to deal with intrusive, white-normative ideas. Conflict can often leave one feeling hurt, confused and riddled with selfdoubt. Have not only people but stuff you can go to, hold, read, receive, so that you can re-orient right away, re-affirm your struggles and who you are, and feed your spirit.

MS: In various interviews you cite the birth of your son in 2009 as one of the catalysts for this book. Can you describe what it was like raising a multiracial Asian child while simultaneously researching the history and effects of systemic racism on multiracial Asian people?

SHC: Awesome and hard. It’s been other-worldly raising a multiracial Asian child with a multiracial Asian partner while being myself multiracial Asian.

On the one hand every day is a happy revelation. There’s so much less exhaustion when you don’t have to constantly hide, repress, get pissed about or explain your mixed experiences/choices to a nonmixed family member (whether white or a person of color). On the other hand, doing research on multiracial Asians and systemic racism at the same time has been saddening because it repeatedly drives home over and over how little understanding was given or available to me when I was growing up. And frankly, how little is given or available still. It continues to feel like a constant uphill battle convincing others that mixedness is something belonging within larger conversations about race and racism. I still see multiracial issues relegated, pushed, invisibilized into the margins as silly, superfluous and secondary. That is going to have to change as young people increasingly claim mixed identities.

MS: Are there lessons we as multiracial Asians (and our allies) can learn from other civil rights movements?

What can we do to encourage an intersectional, “collaborative resistance,” as you call it?

SHC: To the first part of this question: yes, yes and YES. Of course. There is always so much to be learned from any and all civil rights movements. One of my goals with Raising Mixed Race was not only to affirm the experiences of

mixed race Asian peoples but also to get those same people excited about learning others’ work and about doing solidarity work.

To the second part of this question: I think the most important things we can do for that solidarity work are to (a) really know how to practice receptive (versus predatory) listening, and (b) constantly look inward, self-challenge and ask big questions. No one—repeat no one—will be able to do solidarity work if they do not know how to receive the experiences of others in a non-judgmental way and if they have not examined their own power, privileges, oppressions and position within the larger framework. It just won’t work. As a friend once smartly said, “Do you first.”

MS: I understand your next project is about gendered racism.

I’d love to hear how it connects or extends the work you did for this first book.

SHC: Great question. I didn’t get into gender much in the first book. Yet I interviewed a lot of Asian women and couldn’t help observing that while a notable number of these women were politicized— an equally notable number often went into intense denial during our conversations about race.

I would hear things like: “I’m fine,” “race hasn’t impacted me,” “my life is good” at the beginning of an hour. Then that denial would quickly unfold. At the end of the hour I would hear things like “oh wait I remember ...,” “you know actually one time ...,” or “now that you say that I’m thinking about...,” followed by pretty stark stories of discrimination and revelations about internalized oppression.

I had to ask myself the question, what is going on for Asian American women that makes it so difficult to acknowledge their experiences within a racist society?

At the same time I was noticing in my

research that many resources on the racial experiences of Asian Americans (funneled through stereotypes crafted by the majority) too often collapsed those experiences into a monolith and failed to nuance by gender, class, etc.

For instance, the way Asian men first arrived and were treated in the United States is entirely different than the way Asian women arrived and were treated.

But we don’t often hear about that. In a connected example, Asian Americans don’t experience sexual stereotypes in the same way at all. Asian men are typically emasculated while Asian women are hypersexualized. Why? And what about queer, LGBTQ, non-binary? Now while this all needs much deeper thought from every angle and Asian men certainly face real obstacles—an inarguable truth is that the histories, stories, and realities of Asian women and queers are often subsumed by the histories, stories and realities of Asian men. It was clear more light needed to be shone on the differences of lived lives within Asian America. Which is what lead me to my next project examining Asian American women, sexism, and gendered racism (which will be co-authored with sociologist Joe R. Feagin). Just finished interviewing over 70 women!

MS: Near the end of the book you state that “knowing accurate history is a form of resistance.” This struck me as such an important, powerful line. What are ways we can encourage our schools to teach a more accurate history in the classrooms?

SHC: This is tough because there are so many structural and institutional barriers to bringing accurate histories into our classrooms. Without breaking down those systemic barriers (e.g. racism in publishing, school funding, high-stakes testing, hiring, student resegregation, etc.) it will always be enormously difficult to teach transformative history to our children. Still I see certain fierce teachers and parents in particular make great strides in this arena by being strategic, subversive, determinedly asking for more, offering critique, protesting and pushing back. And not giving up! I think it must begin at this grassroots level with individuals, with us, with our communities, with caregivers, parents, educators saying hey! Enough is enough. I don’t see my child, our children, reflected in curriculum and I want better now.

Squeaky wheel, right?

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

August 3 2016 – August 16, 2016 — 11

IE COMMUNITY

Announcement ‘Feeding the Hungry Ghosts’ at Shoreline on August 20

The ancient Chinese tradition of “Feeding the Hungry Ghosts” comes to Shoreline as a participatory art-activity available for visitors to the Celebrate Shoreline Festival on Saturday, August 20 from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Cromwell Park, 8030 Meridian Ave N, Shoreline, WA 98133. The event is free.

While the Festival goes till 9:00 p.m., the art activity runs from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and features several tables with preassembled joss paper crafts as well as build-your-own joss paper objects, including a wide variety of “extreme” joss (called zhizha in Hong Kong), such as paper luxury goods ranging from iPhones to wads of 100 dollar bills to Rolex watches, prepared food items, and Gucci handbags. Joss objects are all originally intended to be burned as an offering to ancestors, both recent and remote, so that they enjoy themselves in the afterlife.

Artists Shin Yu Pai and Eddie Tang will share joss-related arts projects, including literary art and original joss paper art. The public is invited to make joss objects and either burn them, keep them, or contribute them for a planned Contemporary Joss Art exhibition at Shoreline City Hall.

JACL honors AES professors

A Sensei*tional 3 Celebration! honoring American Ethnic Studies professors Tetsuden Kashima, Gail Nomura, and Stephen Sumida happens Saturday, August 27 at 11:30 a.m. at the Lee Activities Center, Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church, 3001 24th Avenue South, Seattle 98144.

Vets Hall from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Projects happening in the Little Saigon neighborhood will be highlighted, including the new affordable housing proposed for Little Saigon at 1253 S. Jackson Street by Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI). Light refreshments will be provided.

70th Anniversary Celebration of Cathay Post 186 to honor WWII Veteran members

A special luncheon to honor Cathay Post 186’s World War II members and celebrate their 70th Anniversary happens on August 24.

At the end of WWII, the Cathay Post 186 was formed by returning Chinese American Veterans because discrimination prevented them from joining existing Posts. The Cathay Post provided an outlet for community and social service to the community.

Over the years, the Post has assisted needy veterans, marched in parades, participated in and still conducts the annual Hing Hay Memorial Day ceremony. It has supported Kin On, The Wing Luke Museum, the Asian Resource Center, Chong Wa Benevolent Association, the Chinese Community Girls Drill Team, Children Christmas Party, Moon Festival, the New Year’s dinner and dance, and many, many other community events and organizations.

The program at the luncheon will include a special preview about the Cathay Post adopted as a TV documentary with Ron Chew as narrator, recognizing and awarding Cathay Post’s scholarship winners and short speeches from community leaders like Ambassador Gary Locke. The dress Join JACL for an afternoon of social- is business casual. izing, light refreshments, a short proThe event happens at Palisade (Elliott gram, entertainment, and good company Bay Marina) 2601 West Marina Place; in thanking the retiring professors for Seattle, WA 98199 on August 24 from their many years of dedicated service 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Cost is $110/ to our community while teaching Asian person. (This includes a full course meal: American Studies at UW. Soup/salad, Prime Rib, King Salmon; The event is free and open to the or Organic Braised Chicken; choice of public, but RSVPs are requested. If you deserts and a glass of wine which covers plan to attend, please RSVP by emailing the actual cost of the meal.)

Lillian Hayashi at: uw3sensei@hotmail.

To register, contact Lloyd Hara at com. hara9@comcast.net or (206) 283-9681.

Donations are welcome to help cover Provide your name, address, phone, costs of the event and to help fund a email, and the number of any additional commemorative gift in the names of the guests and their names. Make out the three honorees. Please make your check check to: Cathay Post 186 and mail to: payable to “Seattle JACL” with a notation Lloyd Hara, 466 Smith St. Seattle, WA “UW Event” and mail to: Seattle JACL, 98109. Registration must be received by PO Box 18558, Seattle, WA, 98118. All August 19. donations made will be tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

IDEA Space open house to talk about Little Saigon projects

The quarterly IDEA Space open house happens Thursday, August 11 at the Nisei

Visit iexaminer.org for more announcements

12 — August 3, 2016 – August 16, 2016

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

IE ARTS

WSU ethnic studies professor harassed after Fox News report . . . PROFESSOR: Continued from page 1

syllabus but we’re supportive of you’—I was hoping that’s what it would be.”

It wasn’t.

“Their minds were already made up,” Streamas said. With a laugh he added, “In that sense it was not a meeting, it was more like a sentencing.”

According to Streamas’ account, administrators asked him to change his syllabus. The meeting was supposed to last a half hour, but lasted 55 minutes instead, because Streamas said he argued.

The objections of the administrators seemed to be that some people could misconstrue the words in these syllabi.

“The logic of that is if this were a math class and I had a student who thought that 2 plus 2 equals 35 then by her logic I would have to revise my syllabus for that student, which nobody ever does,” Streamas said.

Streamas said administrators denied the meeting had anything to do with the Fox News story—but he notes that the meeting involved only professors named in that story, and only the phrases in their syllabi identified in the Fox News and Campus Reform stories.

Streamas later changed the syllabus to “deferring to each other’s experiences.”

“To me that just proves the word deferring is not a problem word, and that what they really were upset about was the idea of deferring to people of color,” he said. “You expect that of Fox News because they’re racist, but you don’t expect that of administrator of your own university.”

Streamas considers himself an idealist.

He entered teaching to reach masses of people, especially people of color, he said.

Over the following weeks, Streamas was sent masses of hate mail. One of the worst emails he received contained profanity, multiple uses of racial slurs against African Americans and Latino American

. . . KYU LEE: Continued from page 7

I moved closer and ran into a couple of security guards. They thought I looked suspicious. You know, when you’re a kid and you run into a cop, you kind of freeze and that’s what happened to me.

The ignorance of these guys, they thought I couldn’t speak English. They were like “Sorry.” They thought I was part of the crew of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and let me in. I was able to weasel my way into the Academy Awards. When Crouching Tiger won their awards, people thought I was a part of that team and they were congratulating me in the process.

IE: How did you get involved with Operation Chromite? Was it a joint project between Hollywood and the Korean entertainment industry?

Lee: Operation Chromite was a film that was put together seven years ago with a producer by the name of Taewon Chung. He owns Taewon Entertainment, which is one of the biggest entertainment companies in Korea. He and this writer put this together and had been wanting to do it for a while. About a year and a half ago, they took it back off the shelf.

immigrants, a call for “White pride,” concluding that “Trump will build a fine wall!” At one point, a man called Streamas to tell him he knew where he lived.

Attacking a literature class is uniquely harmful, Streamas believes.

“When you control the way literature gets taught, in a way you’re controlling the literature. And to my mind you share the same kind of politics as people who would burn books.”

Streamas also feared that the administrators responsible for conducting annual review of his work would not judge him fairly.

For her part, Fowler said the Fox News reports left out the context of her work. Though it’s in her syllabus to punish students for using terms like “illegal immigrant,” she said any sort of punishment would be more symbolic than substantive. Out of 1,000 points needed to get an A, for example, she might dock just one or two. Fowler works as an advocate for undocumented immigrants, and she said she is always concerned about ways these people are dehumanized.

Her aim is to break students’ reflexive habits in language.

“They made it an issue of free speech, and that’s nothing new,” she said of the Fox News broadcast. “Really it’s about how hate speech is somehow preserved.”

Fowler said she immediately agreed to change her syllabus at the meeting, and the administrators seemed relieved she didn’t challenge them. “But I knew the writing

was already on the wall—what was I going to say?”

The next day, when Fowler handed out syllabi to her class, she told her students about the changes and why she didn’t agree with them, using it as a teaching moment.

“Then I felt sick to my stomach that I never, ever said, ‘this is wrong,’” Fowler said.

The three syllabi attracted national attention when the Washington Post covered the controversy. In response to that article, Washington State Rep. Matt Manweller introduced legislation in Olympia that among other things would prohibit universities from punishing students for committing microaggressions, or face a minimum fine of $500.

A letter signed by John F. Stephens, executive director of the American Studies Association (ASA), was sent a letter to WSU administrators— the university’s dean, two provosts, and interim president Dan Bernardo, expressing its concern about Streamas’s treatment by Fox News and Campus Reform, and urging the administration to support him.

“At ASA, and as individuals, we are all too familiar with the power of conservative media to wrench a phrase from context and manufacture hysteria,” the letter read.

“Given a long track record of such instances, particularly involving Fox News, it ought to be a best practice for administrators to proceed with great patience, caution, desire to come down on the side of free speech,

and circumspection in avoiding seeming acceptance of the substance of the attack.”

The letter went on to defend the language in Streamas’ syllabus as an example of necessary critiques of whiteness mounted by ethnic studies scholars like Streamas.

WSU College of Arts and Science dean Daryll DeWald declined a request for an interview for this piece. In response to a request for comment, WSU interim coprovost Ron Mittelhammer referred to a letter to Stephens of the ASA, signed by President Bernardo.

The body of the letter is two-paragraphs long. In it, Bernardo acknowledged that WSU administrators met with Streamas to clarify the meaning of “defer” in his syllabus, and asked him to change it. The letter goes on to say that administrators did not force this action, and the only purpose was “to protect free speech rights, most notably those of our students.”

“It was evident that Professor Streamas’ intent was not to stifle speech but to create a respectful environment for all students in the course. We appreciate that he took the concern seriously, and we consider the matter resolved,” the letter read.

Streamas contends that saying he wasn’t forced to change his syllabus is disingenuous.

“They applied all kinds of pressures— which, given their race and positions, I would regard as racialized and gendered— to get the syllabi changed. That may not be ‘force,’ but it is certainly harassment and coercion,” he wrote in an email.

Streamas sees the way he was treated as racial harassment, as it targeted the work of himself, a person of color, for censorship.

“These three white administrators, who know nothing about the politics of race and gender, which happens to be the very field in which we specialize, were committing the very injustices about which we teach,” he added.

Taewon has been a mentor to me for the past 10 years. A year and a half ago, he brought up a project called “9-15.” It was an abbreviation for September 15, 1950, the day of Operation X-Ray where General MacArthur, who was the head of the U.N. Armed Forces was located in Japan at the time and given a secret mission to officers in Korea to Incheon at the time of the war, where China and North Korea had invaded all of Korea. It was a successful mission which in turn created the 38th parallel which divided North Korea and South Korea.

IE: Have you ever experienced any setbacks or obstacles as an AsianAmerican in showbusiness?

Employment

“These three white administrators, who know nothing about the politics of race and gender, which happens to be the very field in which we specialize, were committing the very injustices about which we teach.”

I thought it’d be cool to get a big actor to play General MacArthur. We joked around about getting all of these people to play the role—Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, Al Pacino, John Travolta— all the big military guys who would fit the role. All of a sudden, we looked at MacArthur’s side profile and we looked at Liam Neeson and we thought, “Oh my God, he looks exactly like him!” There was that spark of confidence in me who wanted to make that happen. It’s all because of the relationships that I’ve built over the past 10-to-15 years that I was able to bring [Neeson] to Korea.

Lee: I never used Asian-American as an excuse. I think many minorities tend to use the excuse of because I’m a minority, there’s always a glass ceiling.

I think white people could use that same excuse if they were in Asia or in Africa.

No, I don’t think being a minority is too much of a hardship, I think it was more of a challenge.

I use sports as an analogy. If you have home court advantage, then you have a little more pride and confidence and experience to overcome certain obstacles during your game. Working in the United States where the population is predominantly Caucasian, it’s an obstacle you have to compete with. That’s always the way I thought of it. I didn’t think of it as me being Asian, I just thought of it as if I was playing for the visiting team and some days the referee doesn’t see you and you win, and some days the referee doesn’t see you and you lose. You win with class and you lose with class, and that’s something I’m a huge advocate of.

Security WA State Convention Center (WSCC) is accepting applications for Full-Time Security Officer.

Must have experience working directly with the public & strong customer service skills. Officers are responsible for the safety and security of the facility, property & occupants. Requires HS diploma or GED and at least 2 years security experience.

Visit www.wscc.com for further info or to download an application.

Applications are also available at the WSCC Service Entrance, 9th and Pike, Mon-Fri, 8a-5p. WSCC applications must be completed for consideration. Jobline: (206) 6945039. EOE.

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

August 3 2016 – August 16, 2016 — 13

14 — August 3, 2016 – August 16, 2016

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

IE COMMUNITY RESOURCE DIRECTORY Arts & Culture

Professional & Leadership Development

Asia Pacific Cultural Center 4851 So. Tacoma Way Tacoma, WA 98409 Ph: 253-383-3900 Fx: 253-292-1551 faalua@comcast.net www.asiapacificculturalcenter.org Bridging communities and generations through arts, culture, education and business.

Education 3327 Beacon Ave S. Seattle, WA 98144 ph: 206-725-9740 info@deniselouie.org www.deniselouie.org Multicultural preschool ages 3-5 years old. Now enrolling Private Pay full-day ($900/mo) and part-day classes ($500/mo) with locations at ID, Beacon Hill, and Rainier Beach.

Housing Services HomeSight 5117 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 ph: 206-723-4355 fx: 206-760-4210 www.homesightwa.org HomeSight creates homeownership opportunities through real estate development, home buyer education and counseling, and lending.

InterIm Community Development Association 310 Maynard Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 Ph: 206-624-1802 Services: 601 S King St, Ph: 206-623-5132 Interimicda.org Multilingual community building: housing & parking, housing/ asset counseling, projects, teen leadership and gardening programs.

Executive Development Institute 310 – 120th Ave NE. Suite A102 Bellevue, WA Ph. 425-467-9365 • Fax: 425-467-1244 Email: edi@ediorg.org • Website: www.ediorg.org EDI offers culturally relevant leadership development programs.

Senior Services

Social & Health Services

Cathay Post #186 of The American Legion Supporting veterans for over 70 years Accepting new members - contact us today to learn more!

P.O. Box 3281 Seattle, WA 98144-3281 Email: cathaypost@hotmail.com Phone: (206) 762-4058

1601 E Yesler Way, Seattle, WA 98122 ph: 206-323-7100 www.keironorthwest.org rehabilitation care | skilled nursing | assisted living | home care | senior day care | meal delivery | transportation | continuing education | catering services

International District Medical & Dental Clinic 720 8th Avenue S, Seattle, WA 98114 ph: 206-788-3700 email: info@ichs.com website: www.ichs.com

We make leadeRS Queen Anne Station, P.O. Box 19888, Seattle, WA 98109 info@naaapseattle.org, www.naaapseattle.org Fostering future leaders through education, networking and community services for Asian American professionals and entrepreneurs.

Facebook: NAAAP-Seattle Twitter: twitter.com/naaapseattle

Senior Services Horizon House

900 University St Seattle, WA 98101 ph: 206-382-3100 fx: 206-382-3213 marketinginfo@horizonhouse.org www.horizonhouse.org A welcoming community in downtown Seattle, offering seniors vibrant activities, independent or assisted living, and memory care.

The Kin On Team is ready to serve YOU! www.kinon.org

Southeast Seattle Senior Center 4655 S. Holly St., Seattle, WA 98118 ph: 206-722-0317 fax: 206-722-2768 kateh@seniorservices.org www.sessc.org Daytime activities center providing activities social services, trips, and community for seniors and South Seattle neighbors. We have weaving, Tai Chi, indoor beach-ball, yoga, dance, seniororiented computer classes, trips to the casino, and serve scratch cooked lunch. Open Monday through Friday, 8:30-4. Our thrift store next door is open Mon-Fri 10-2, Sat 10-4. This sweet center has services and fun for the health and well-being of boomers and beyond. Check us out on Facebook or our website.

Social & Health Services Asian Counseling & Referral Service

3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S, Seattle, WA 98144 ph: 206-695-7600 fx: 206-695-7606 events@acrs.org www.acrs.org ACRS offers multilingual, behavioral health and social services to Asian Pacific Americans and other lowincome people in King County.

601 S King St. Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-682-1668 website www.apicat.org Address tobacco control and other health justice issues in the Asian American/Pacific Islander communities.

Kawabe Memorial House 221 18th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144 ph: 206-322-4550 fx: 206-329-3330 connie.devaney@gmail.com We provide affordable, safe, culturally sensitive housing and support services to people aged 62 and older.

Bellevue Medical & Dental Clinic 1050 140th Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98005 ph: 425-373-3000 Shoreline Medical & Dental Clinic 16549 Aurora Avenue N, Shoreline, WA 98133 ph: 206-533-2600 Holly Park Medical & Dental Clinic 3815 S Othello St, Seattle, WA 98118 ph: 206-788-3500 ICHS is a non-profit medical and dental center that provides health care to low income Asian, Pacific Islanders, immigrants and refugees in Washington State.

Fearless Asians for Immigration Reforms (FAIR!) ph: 206-578-1255 Info@ItShouldBeFair.com www.ItShouldBeFair.com

Free and confidential support for undocumented Asians and Pacific Islanders. DACA screenings, financial assistance, legal help, scholarships, DACA renewals, and consultations for service providers. Benefits include: work permit, $$ for school, protection from deportation, driver’s license.

7301 Beacon Ave S Seattle, WA 98108 ph: 206-587-3735 fax: 206-748-0282 www.idicseniorcenter.org info@idicseniorcenter.org IDIC is a nonprofit human services organization that offers wellness and social service programs to Filipinos and API communities. ph: 206-624-3426 transia@aol.com

Merchants Parking provides Chinese Information & Service Center 611 S Lane St, Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-624-5633 fax: 206-624-5634 info@cisc-seattle.org www.cisc-seattle.org Creating opportunities for Asian immigrants and their families to succeed by helping them make the transition to a new life while keeping later generations in touch with their rich heritage.

Seattle Chinatown/International District Preservation and Development Authority ph: 206-624-8929 fx: 206-467-6376 info@scidpda.org Housing, property management and community development.

Legal Services

Organization of Chinese Americans Asian Pacific American Advocates Greater Seattle Chapter P.O. Box 14141 Seattle, WA 98114 www.ocaseattle.org

Legacy House

Public Interest Law Group, PLLC 705 Second Avenue, Suite 1000, Seattle WA 98104 Ph: 206-838-1800 Email: info@pilg.org www.pilg.org PILG attorneys Hank Balson, Wendy Chen, and Nancy Chupp provide information, advice, and representation in areas such as employment discrimination, unpaid wages, and other violations of workers’ rights.

convenient and affordable community parking. Transia provides community transportation: para-transit services, shuttle services, and field trips in and out of Chinatown/International District, and South King County.

803 South Lane Street Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-292-5184 fx: 206-838-3057 info@legacyhouse.org www.scidpda.org/programs/legacyhouse.aspx Description of organization/services offered: Assisted Living, Adult Day Services, meal programs for lowincome seniors.

Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs GA Bldg., 210 11th Ave SW, Suite 301A Olympia, WA 98504 ph: (360) 725-5667 www.facebook.com/wacapaa capaa@capaa.wa.gov www.capaa.wa.gov Statewide liaison between government and APA communities.

Monitors and informs the public about legislative issues.

OCA—Greater Seattle Chapter was formed in 1995 and since that time it has been serving the Greater Seattle Chinese and Asian Pacific American community as well as other communities in the Pacific Northwest. It is recognized in the local community for its advocacy of civil and voting rights as well as its sponsorship of community activities and events.

2500 NE 54th Street Seattle, WA 98105 ph: 206-694-4500 info@youthcare.org www.youthcare.org

Working to prevent and end youth homelessness with services including meals, shelter, housing, job training, education, and more.

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Call Washington Apple Health at 1-855-WAFINDER (1-855-923-4633). Choose Amerigroup.

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

August 3 2016 – August 16, 2016 — 15

IE ARTS

Films: ‘My Love’ touches the heart, Eddy Zheng’s Story at Wing Luke

By Yayoi L. Winfrey IE Contributor My Love, Don’t Cross That River opens the same way it closes, with an elderly Korean woman sitting in the snow sobbing in anguish.

But between the documentary’s beginning and ending is the sweetest love story ever seen onscreen. Byong-man Jo, 98, and Gye-Yeul Kang, his 89-year old wife, have been married for 75 years, yet they still cling to each other like young lovers. Whether they’re raking leaves or shoveling snow together, they can’t help but play like kids—tossing foliage or snowballs at each other.

In their ramshackle house near a river, they cook as a team. Gye-Yeul sometimes spoonfeeds her husband and even bathes him as if he were a baby. Holding hands while they sleep with the lights on, they emanate love.

Even when recounting the deaths of several of their younger children, or when they endure arguments among some of their surviving adult kids, the couple never allows their love for each to be overshadowed. Wearing colorful, matching traditional clothes, they pick flowers, go on outings with other seniors, or play in the yard with their dogs, Freebie and Kiddo. But an ominous cloud looms nearby.

Soon, we’re the horrified witnesses to this intimate fairytale’s abrupt ending. The biggest grossing independent film in South Korea, this movie touches the heart and reminds us of the fragility of life.

‘My Love, Don’t Cross That River,’ screens August 12–14 at SIFF Film Center. *** Parched is the name of this feature narrative, but it also describes the women in the rural Indian village of Ujhaas who thirst for freedom from the aridness surrounding them. Relegated to being sex objects or servants for the men in their homes, three women friends slowly come to the realization that they need a drastic change. Even though Rani (Tannishtha Chatterjee) herself suffered as a teen bride, the widow is blind to her misogynistic 17-year-old son. Buying him a 14-year-old girl, Janaki (Lehar Khan), Rani verbally abuses her especially after she discovers the girl cut off her beautiful hair in an effort to escape the marriage. In their hut, Rani derides the teenager even as she comforts Lajjo (Radhika Apte), her best friend who constantly suffers at the cruel hands of her alcoholic husband. Unable to conceive, Lajjo is shocked when their liberated prostitute

My Love, Don’t Cross That River

friend Bijli (Surveen Chawla) suggests that Lajjo’s spouse just might be the sterile one— for how could it not be the woman’s fault? An outsider, Kishan (Sumeet Vyas), who helps the women sell their embroidery is even beaten for attempting to financially liberate them. Longruling traditions flanked by male dominance finally overcome the three friends as they seek the well of life they’ve been forbidden to drink from for so long.

‘Parched’ was released on home entertainment platforms this summer after its limited theatrical run. *** In Breathin’: the Eddy Zheng Story, the viewer is taken behind the scenes at San Quentin prison for a stark encounter with the failures of the criminal justice system.

Eddy Zheng was just 16 years old when he helped commit a robbery and kidnapping.

Tried as an adult, he was sentenced to seven years to life. But even though he was a model prisoner, he was turned down for parole 10 times. In prison, Zheng, who emigrated from China with his family, learned about his roots and understood that lack of knowledge had gotten him in trouble in the first place. After circulating a petition to get Asian studies onto the prison school curriculum, Zheng was thrown into solitary confinement. Filmmaker Ben Wang follows Zheng into parole board and deportation hearings, court appearances, and community centers where at-risk youth are warned to avoid actions that could cause them to end up behind bars like Zheng.

The Seattle premiere of ‘Breathin’: the Eddy Zheng Story’ features a Q&A with Eddy Zheng and Ben Wang on August 4 at 6:00 p.m. at Wing Luke Museum.

Seoul to Busan so she can spend her birthday with her mother (the wife he’s divorced), little does he dream of the nightmare awaiting them.

Scorned as a fund manager with little empathy for people, Seok-woo yearns for a materially satisfying life for both himself and his daughter.

But the cost is spending so little time with her that he doesn’t even realize he’s given her the exact same gift twice. At the train station, a passenger jumps on at the last minute along with a sinister-looking man. Soon, an attendant is attacked. As passengers and crew fight, they become infected and turn into zombies.

Outside, whole cities go up in flames as bloody zombies rush alongside the tracks. Stopping at the stations is out of the question. As the passengers thin out, the remaining survivors include a muscular blue-collar tough guy with a pregnant wife, two elderly sisters, two teens that started out with a bunch of noisy school kids in their baseball uniforms, and a coldblooded businessman. Determined to survive at any cost, Seok-woo admonishes Su-an to stop helping those weaker than themselves.

But when the survivors arrive at a safe zone,

they sing the peaceful surrender of “Aloha Oe” written by Hawai‘i Queen Lili‘uokalani.

‘Train to Busan’ is now playing at AMC Loews Alderwood Mall 16, Cinemark Century Federal Way, and SIFF Cinema Uptown. *** One Night Only takes place on one night only—the longest one night ever. From the time he’s released from a Thai prison until the movie ends, Gao Ye (Hong Kong pop idol Aaron Kwok) is on a constant gambling spree. When a prostitute, Momo (Zishan Yang), appears at his door, he dupes her into one moneymaking scheme after another on a quest to hit the jackpot. From betting on MMA fights to street racing wearing a blindfold, Gao thrives on high stakes. As the couple wins, loses, then wins and loses again, they find themselves romantically drawn to each other.

But a surprise revealing their entangled past awaits them on this endless night.

‘One Night Only’ screened at Regal Meridian 16 in June.

*** With its alluring production design, Train to Busan keeps the viewer captivated and on edge.

Things are just too pretty not to be dangerous.

When Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) agrees to take his daughter, Su-an (Kim Su-an) on the train from

Answers to this puzzle are on Wednesday, August 17.

16 — August 3, 2016 – August 16, 2016

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

IE OPINION

Children’s Alliance a beneficiary of Ruth Woo’s mentorship

By Jon Gould Special to the IE Among Ruth Woo’s many contributions to humanity was a positive and enduring impact on Washington’s children and on my career as a child advocate. As I think about Ruth, there’s a big smile on my face—the same smile that many people reveal at the mention of Ruth’s name.

By the time I met Ruth Woo in 2004, she was already a legend. An elder in our community, Ruth was a mentor, advicegiver, and a unique power broker.

A dozen years ago, the Children’s Alliance was advocating to save health coverage for children in low-income families in our state. We needed action from outgoing Washington governor Gary Locke. A colleague, Tony Lee, suggested that Ruth Woo could help and he set up a breakfast meeting for the three of us at Zeena’s on First Hill.

I recall that meeting like it was yesterday. I was in new territory and was nervous. There was a lot at stake. Ruth was a serious power broker. And, among the elected leaders she helped rise to power was Gary Locke.

I was surprised and delighted when Ruth began by sharing her concerns that children in our state weren’t getting a fair shake. I shared the Children’s Alliance’s

draft strategy, Ruth adjusted and improved our approach, and by the end of breakfast, we had a viable plan.

A month later—Ruth having opened the door for us—I led a delegation of kids health advocates into Governor Locke’s office (my first time in those high back chairs!). When Governor Locke greeted us with, “I hear that Auntie Ruth has a role in this,” I knew we were off to a good start.

We pitched the plan and had a detailed dialogue with the Governor.

After some back and forth with the Governor’s staff, Governor Locke accepted our plan and took executive action to save health coverage for thousands of Washington kids. I’m still amazed. If this campaign had been a football game, our efforts amounted to a Hail Mary. Our pass was caught, children got the health care they needed, and my confidence as an advocate soared.

I enjoyed many subsequent early morning breakfasts with Ruth and mutual friends at Zeena’s or the Silver Fork on Rainier Avenue. We talked about policy, politics, family, mushrooming, and more. Sometimes I would schedule other breakfast meetings at Zeena’s or the Silver Fork, hoping that I’d see Ruth there strategizing and eating her beloved grits.

When we reminisced about her role in saving children’s health coverage a dozen

Ruth Woo. • Photo by Jon Honda

years ago, Ruth never accepted any credit.

She insisted that she really didn’t do anything.

As I reflect, I see clearly what Ruth did and the unique and refreshing nature of her style. As an elder in our community, she opened doors and created an enduring pathway to power … and then she stepped back. Ruth didn’t need to be “in the room.”

In fact, she expressly didn’t want to be in the room. She had confidence and trust in those to whom she offered advice and access.

What a gift to me and the generations of mentees that Ruth influenced!

I, like many others, was attracted to the magnetism that Ruth radiated. And, I delighted in the mischievous thread that ran through her presence—she loved to gossip! Ruth had created her power base through values, relationships, and connections. In a departure from what is often the norm in politics, Ruth didn’t use money or positional power. It was all about relationships. She was an independent thinker, deeply rooted to her values.

I—and thus the Children’s Alliance— was honored to be a beneficiary of Ruth Woo’s mentorship. From our first meeting to our last phone conversation, Ruth Woo always made me feel like a rock star. I am grateful for her wonderful life and so many contributions to our community.

The Children’s Alliance sends our condolences to Ruth’s family and friends. And, we celebrate her life with a commitment to furthering her values.

There will always be a smile on my face when I think of Ruth Woo. Jon Gould is Deputy Director at Children’s Alliance, a statewide public policy advocacy organization that works at the state and federal level to ensure that all children have what they need to thrive. He can be reached at jon@childrensalliance.org