First and third Wednesdays each month.
CELEBRATING OVER 40 YEARS
FREE EST. 1974 — SEATTLE VOLUME 43, NUMBER 21 — NOVEMBER 2, 2016 - NOVEMBER 15, 2016
THE NEWSPAPER OF NORTHWEST ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COMMUNITIES. FIND YOUR INSPIRASIAN.
CATHAY POST
AMERICAN LEGION #186:
Community and Patriotism
Photo By Tuyen Tha
n
2 — November 2, 2016 – November 15, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
IE OPINION
Reading, writing, surviving Portland time By Bob Shimabukuro IE Columnist
When you’re lost in the rain in Juarez And it’s Eastertime too And your gravity fails And negativity don’t pull you through Don’t put on any airs When you’re walkin’ on Rue Morgue Avenue They got some hungry women And they really make a mess out of you Bob Dylan, “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues”
Wednesday
I thought I was going into a depression spin. Again. Alice didn’t seem to be too concerned. “Oh, you always go through this when the days keep getting shorter. You’ll be okay.” Well, she was right. Again. But still, mo’ different when you old. Joints hurt. Walk hurt. Sciatic nerve pain going’ down my legs. Hard fo’ breathe, means hard fo’ talk, too. What I goin’ do? Fo’ fun? Fo’ take care my family? Fo’ live 100 years? Fo’ make bettah world? Hard to figure anyting out, when my brain goin’ roun’ and roun’ with all kine stuff, no can concentrate on one thing. The odda day, was looking all around for bag of sweet potato chips Alice wen buy for me. Know I wen put it somewhere. Couldn’t find it. Later on, I like eat some ice cream. Found the potato chips in the freezer. And ice cream in the refrigerator part. But that’s okay ‘cause the ice cream made with coconut milk so the ice cream nevah melt.
Thursday
Wen put one frozen patty in the frying pan. Get two pieces bread, put in the
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.
Recent front page headlines of the Seattle Times describe outcome of Malheur refuge case and chaos at the Standing Rock pipeline protest.
toaster. Cut up one avocado. Get ketchup. Flip the patty. Get the toast out. Put the ketchup and the avocado and kim chee on the toast. Remember I needed to take some meds. Turn off the burner. Go take some meds. Get distracted, but do get back to the kitchen. Put together and eat the sandwich. Did the puzzles in the paper. Thought, “Geez, that wasn’t very filling, still feel hungry.” So I went to frying pan to clean it to cook another patty, and lo and behold, the patty I cooked was still in the pan. Duh, I had just eaten a lettuce, avocado, and kim chee sandwich. Was good though. Was like small kid time. My bruddah Roy wen eat kim chee sandwiches all the time. So, fo’ now, can only write, talk little bit, with other folks, maybe use other folks’ words too. And try play ukulele (with slightly deformed fingers).
Friday
Woke up this morning, looked at the newspaper. Saw side by side stories with these headlines: “ACQUITTED: Jurors side with leaders of armed takeover and Oregon’s Malheur refuge”; “Pepper spray, chaos at pipeline protest (Standing Rock Sioux).”
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 Rachtha Danh
Just raw anger. Went back to bed. Later, got up, looked at the paper. Still ticked off, but realized, not despondent. Mo’ lively, mo’ angry than depressed. Easier to think wen angry. Wen’ walk (with walking sticks) back and forth thinking. About all kind stuff that happening like the acquittal of Malheur Refuge occupiers and the attack on Dakota Access Pipeline Protestors. But then started thinking about Portland. ‘Cause that’s where the trial of the Malheur Refuge occupiers was. Hard time live there. Try forget incidents. But hard, yah? Gotta learn where no can go, eat or say anyting you want. Watch out for white barbers with straight razors. Stand for the Star Spangled Banner unless surrounded by five National Lawyers Guild lawyers. And you make friends very carefully. Used to listen to Bob Dylan songs and replace key words to make them more relevant. And this morning found myself singing, “When you’re lost in the rain in Portland/And it’s Christmas time too/ And your gravity fails/And negativity don’t pull you through/Don’t put on any airs/When you’re walkin’ on Broadway Avenue/They got some angry white folks/ And they really make a mess out of you.” Easy to get depressed. Shouldn’t be only two choices, angry or depressed. These are books that I’ve read/reread over the last few years that I turn to for ideas on organizing and writing. These books I list are ones that give me hope. They stimulate my brain. And they’re all connected with a common thread that would resonate with what my dad and uncles were thinking. I think it’s about Stories. Narratives. Truth. Dreams. These are Angry, Depressing, and Hopeful times for me. Maybe you can help me with this. Let’s catch a breath. Then keep moving.
EDITOR IN CHIEF Travis Quezon editor@iexaminer.org
NEWS EDITOR Izumi Hansen news@iexaminer.org
ARTS EDITOR Alan Chong Lau
DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR Rhea Panela rheapanela@iexaminer.org
DIGITAL MEDIA SPECIALIST Anakin Fung STAFF WRITER Chetanya Robinson
CONTRIBUTORS Bob Shimabukuro CHIEF COPY EDITOR Joshua Talosig Anna Carriveau Nick Wong Sylvia Coulson ASSISTANT EDITOR Roxanne Ray Alia Marsha Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Yayoi Winfrey Isaac Liu arts@iexaminer.org
Photo by Bob Shimabukuro
Bob’s Book List
Jeff Chang: Who We Be Naomi Klein: Shock Doctrine & This Changes Everything Michelle Alexander: The New Jim Crow John A. Powell: Racing to Justice Grace Lee Boggs and Scott Kurashige: The Next American Revolution E. F. Schumacher: Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered James Lowen: Lies My Teacher Told Me More Recently: Mira Shimabukuro: Relocating Authority: Japanese Americans Writing to Redress Mass Incarceration Karen Ishizuka: Serve the People: Making Asian America in the Long Sixties Barbara Earl Thomas: Heaven on Fire
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INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
November 2, 2016 – November 15, 2016 — 3
IE OPINION
Announcements Chinatown International District Clean air survey
The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is conducting a year-long study of air pollution in the Chinatown International District and Yesler Terrace. InterIm CDA’s WILD youth program and the Healthy Communities Program are partnering with Puget Sound Clean Air Agency (PSCAA) to support their air pollution study in the Chinatown International District and Yesler Terrace. PSCAA needs your help by November 30 to take a short, 2-minute survey to tell PSCAA where you see or experience air pollution. Your input will help decide where they put monitors to measure air pollution levels. To take the survey, visit https://www. surveymonkey.com/r/XMRVNCV.
API Chaya appoints new executive director
API Chaya recently appointed Joanne Alcantara as executive director. A Chinese and Filipino immigrant, Alcantara was born in the Philippines during Martial Law and moved to Seattle to escape the violence of the Marcos dictatorship. She is a Women’s Studies graduate from Wesleyan University and previously worked at the Asian and Pacific Islander Women and Family Safety Center leading the Youth Program and Queer Network Program. Alcantara has worked as a community organizer and advocate for women’s rights, including being a founding member of GABRIELA USA, an overseas chapter of GABRIELA Philippines, a progressive
Employment Volunteer Program Manager
Filipino women’s alliance. She said that she is excited to return to API Chaya’s work after spending several years in Juneau, Alaska. API Chaya is dedicated to serving survivors in crisis and raising awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault in the Asian, South Asian and Pacific Islander communities, as well as human trafficking in all communities. API Chaya will be holding an Eastside Party at The Woodhouse Wine Estates (15500 Woodinville-Redmond Rd. NE C600, Woodinville, WA 98072 on November 10 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Asian Thanksgiving at Tai Tung supports Walk for Rice
Hing Hay Coworks presents Asian Thanksgiving to benefit Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) Food Bank located in the Chinatown International District, the only provider in the state that regularly offers foods that meet Asian Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) dietary needs. Get your tickets to a special event called Asian Thanksgiving at Tai Tung on Saturday, November 12 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to benefit ACRS Food Bank here: https://cidpopup.ticketleap.com/hhc4acrs. You can avoid the service fee by contacting one of the event hosts and making payments via Venmo or Facebook. Also, between now and December 23, please bring the following preferred food items to these locations: • Hing Hay Coworks, 409 Maynard Ave S, Seattle WA 98105 • Eastern Cafe, 510 Maynard Ave S, Seattle, WA 98105
Since 1935
Tai Tung Restaurant
Banquet Facilities - Catering - Delivery
Responsible for overall coordination of agency Volunteer Program, including all non-elected agency volunteers to support the mission and strategic vision of ACRS and serve the community. Volunteers coordinated include event and ongoing volunteers (individuals and groups), as well as interns and AmeriCorps Members. Qualifications: Bachelor's degree with two (2) years experience in volunteer management, general supervision, event planning, fundraising, marketing or public relations; or 4 years relevant experience. For more information, visit https://acrs.org/careers/currentopenings/. Send resume & cover letter to: hr@acrs.org.
Come Enjoy the Oldest Chinese Restaurant in Town!
655 S King St, Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 622-7372 Mon-Thurs 11am-10:30pm Fri-Sat 11am-12am Sun 11am-10pm
• Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS), 3639 MLK Jr Way S, Seattle, WA 98108 Preferred food bank items include rice and noodles. Preferred protein and pantry items include canned tuna, salmon, chicken, mackerel, mung/red beans, soy sauce, seaweed and cooking oil.
Small business owner workshop, November 17
Tabor 100 and City of Seattle Office of Economic Development are co-hosting a workshop for small business owners, particularly for minority, refugee, and immigrant businesses. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about available resources to help grow your small business, the benefits of State certification, and preparing to do business with the City of Seattle. This workshop will take place on Thursday, November 17 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Nagomi Tea House (519 Sixth Ave. so.) Refreshments and complimentary parking will be provided. To RSVP, email staff@ tabor100.org. Tabor 100 is a grassroots organization to promote economic empowerment and political advancement for African Americans.
Ethnic Chamber of Commerce Coalition event held
The Port of Seattle Headquarters was the site for the October 13, 2016 Ethnic Chamber of Commerce Coalition event for information and networking. Ted Fick, CEO of the Port of Seattle, and Port Executives were the keynote speakers. Mike Sotelo, founding member of the ECCC, introduced them. The topics were minority community engagement, economic development, and work force development opportunities. Organized by the Office of Social Responsibility (OSR), the event was attended by the Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce, King County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Korean American Chamber of Commerce WA, Greater Seattle Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce, and the Filipino Chamber of Commerce. In the November 13 issue of the International Examiner, there will be an interview about the Port of Seattle with Luis Navarro, Director of the Office of Social Responsibility and Peter McGraw, the Maritime Media and Officer, Public Affairs.
4 — November 2, 2016 – November 15, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
IE NEWS
I-124 seeks to protect hotel workers from sexual harassment By Alia Marsha IE Assistant Editor Voters have until November 8 to vote for or against I-124, an initiative drafted by the Unite Here Local 8 union. If it passes, hotels in Seattle will have to comply by new rules that seek to protect workers, many of them immigrants and women of color.
The initiative has four main concerns: protecting workers from widespread sexual harassment they receive from guests; keeping housekeepers from having to clean too many rooms; requiring hotel employers to give healthcare subsidies to some workers; and maintaining worker retention when a hotel undergoes a change in control. If this initiative passes, many immigrant workers in the industry, especially Chinese and Filipina housekeeping workers, will see a huge impact in their work.
One of the things that this initiative requires from employers is equipping hotel housekeeping staff and other workers with panic buttons. In 2012, New York City’s largest hotels agreed to add this button after a push from a union group. Yan Deng is an immigrant from China who came to the United States in 1999.
She has been a housekeeping staff at a large hotel in Downtown Seattle for a little over two years. She said she has not experienced sexual harassment first hand, though she has heard plenty of stories from her friends and colleagues. Deng said she has a lot of back pain from the amount of work she has to do.
including Grand Hyatt, Sheraton, and Shannon said that she thinks I-124 will Hilton. pass because voters often don’t read long Opposition also comes from different ballot measures, and will therefore miss places, and the think tank Washington the flaws of the initiative.
Policy Center is one of them. Erin Shannon, the Director of the Center’s Center of Small Business, has produced an analysis of I-124 where she wrote “I want to let everyone know how hard that the “restrictive set of one-size-fitshousekeeping work [is] and how easy to all labor regulations” is ultimately unfair to employers, employees and guests, and get injury,” Deng said. Deng first heard about the initiative only benefits Unite Here Local 8. One issue Shannon said she has with early this summer, when Unite Here Local 8 was surveying hotel workers. Eunice I-124 is the sexual harassment portion of How, an organizer with the union, said the initiative. She said that the proposed that they were able to survey over 100 set of rules is forcing employers to “investigate and prosecute” alleged crime hotel housekeepers. “We worked on this law with workers’ against the hotel workers. Moreover, she input because workers are the experts of said that it’s “problematic” that employers their own lives and their own jobs,” How cannot report sexual harassment to the police without the worker’s consent. said. The hotel where Deng works, and a dozen other hotels in Seattle, has given hundreds of dollars in donation to a committee that is contesting the ballot measure. It is called the Committee For Equal Application of Laws. From the beginning of summer to early September the committee has gathered donations amounting to $258,578 from hotels
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Shannon said that overall the initiative benefits the union because it incentivizes hotels where workers are unionized.
How disagrees. “I-124 sexual harassment protection applies to all hotels, union and non-union,” How said. “And I-124 workload and health insurance standards are lower than those under employee negotiation agreement in hotels like the Westin.”
The initiative has gotten endorsements from newspapers, the Seattle City Council, Mayor Ed Murray, as well as groups that support sexual harassment prevention, immigrant rights, and unions. Hotel workers are excited too, How said. “They want change,” How said.
As the general election fast approaches, the International Examiner sent a few questions to local candidates. To read the Q&As in full, check out iexaminer.org.
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
November 2, 2016 – November 15, 2016 — 5
IE NEWS
APCC celebrates 20 years with new Point Ruston facility By Shelby Mang IE Contributor The Asia Pacific Cultural Center is celebrating 20 years in the community with a new 390,000 square foot facility on Pierce County’s developing Point Ruston waterfront. The facility will offer a space for the APCC’s average 6,000 monthly visitors to gather and multiply. With new jobs, housing units, cultural suites, a grocery store, food courts, a gift shop, and a library, this new facility is expected to now attract 400,000 visitors annually. Since 1996, the APCC has worked toward their mission to bridge the gap between the Asian Pacific cultures and the greater Tacoma community. “In America we are identified as ‘Asians,’ and actually we don’t even know each other,” APCC Founder/President Patsy Surh O’Connell said. Twenty years ago, Surh O’Connell and a group of six Asian Pacific community members decided to create a space to share their cultures and learn from each other. Currently, the APCC organizes various youth programs, monthly gatherings, community education classes, and an annual Asian New Year Celebration at the Tacoma Dome. The nonprofit nearly came to an end in 2010 due to a lack of funding that made finding a replacement executive director challenging. But then Lua Pritchard, one of the APCC’s founding board members, took the reigns as executive director in May of that year.
The APCC’s new waterfront facility will grow the organization’s space from 10,500 square feet to 390,000 square feet. • Photo by Shelby Mang
“I couldn’t watch it go away knowing that I was available and that I could do something about it,” Pritchard said. Since 2010, Pritchard has worked with Surh O’Connell to move the organization through offices, literally the size of a closet, to the 10,500-square-foot space the organization occupies now. Beyond its community outreach programs, the APCC offers Asian Pacific individuals the opportunity to find their identities in their native culture. “Some people actually cry when they get here for the first time,” Pritchard said. “They actually have tears, they say: ‘I can’t believe there’s a place that looks like me.’” One thousand jobs at the APCC’s new facility will be intended for students, including jobs for students to perform their culture’s traditional dances and songs. The community between cultures is growing, too. In one given day, Pritchard said, up to five different cultural groups could be meeting in different rooms at the APCC.
“They’re all co-mingling, they’re all getting to know each other,” said Pritchard. “It’s a community. It’s a real community.” The APCC’s new facility will offer 47 cultural rooms, one for each of the organization’s represented Pacific Rim nations to display art and cultural artifacts. School-aged kids around Pierce County receive hands-on education about an Asian Pacific nation through the APCC’s Treasure Trunk program. At any teacher’s request, the APCC sends a nation’s cultural expert and a trunk filled with its artifacts into the classroom to educate students about the culture’s traditions, history, and customs. Cultural workshops hosted by the APCC also allow government agencies to receive cultural education. Particularly, the APCC works with Joint Base LewisMcChord to train deploying soldiers on the cultures they will encounter abroad. In a workshop, 30 to 50 soldiers spend up to five hours learning about a nation’s history, current issues, greetings, customs, cuisine, language and dress to help bridge the cultural gap. Cultural classrooms in the Point Ruston facility will host such cultural workshops for both soldiers and community groups beyond. The APCC’s Promise Leaders of Tomorrow youth program works closely with atrisk Tacoma high school students working toward earning their high school diplomas. Efforts include holding students accountable for attendance, ensuring that students have the language skills necessary for success, and keeping students’ parents involved.
Promise Leaders of Tomorrow has done so well that it is attracting students beyond the Asian Pacific community, Pritchard said. “African-American kids, Hispanic kids, are being attracted over to our program because we treat them like we’re their family,” Pritchard said. “We accept everyone. We can’t say no.” The Point Ruston property, in its huge expanse, will only help to further the APCC’s mission. Half of the facility’s 200 housing units will be reserved for low income seniors. Rooms for cooking demonstrations will host the organization’s monthly Taste of Asia cuisine-sharing events. The new facility, projected to cost some $87 million, will be funded by a combination of state, federal, and private contributions. Pritchard said that with that much space, she would never run out of things to do, and that virtually every program will be expanded. Surh O’Connell predicts the new building will be bustling with visitors. The organization plans to break ground in 2018, and be open to the public by 2020. Moving forward with a new facility and 20 years to celebrate, Pritchard has high hopes for the APCC’s future. “I foresee someone from the UN will seek out APCC,” Pritchard said. The UN might want to know how the APCC brings 47 countries together, she said, because “if it’s working here, they gotta know why and how.” The APCC’s 20 year anniversary celebration will take place this November 3 at the Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. For more information, visit www.asiapacificculturalcenter.org.
Bush Garden seeks community stories, keeps bar open for another year By Heidi Park IE Contributor Within the last year, the Chinatown International District community has had to say goodbye to many pillars of the community, like Donnie Chin, Ruth Woo, and Bob Santos. The neighborhood will soon have to say goodbye to another community pillar: Bush Garden.
the bar and karaoke lounge will remain open for at least another year while the redevelopment plans are being finalized.
Bush Garden owner Karen Akada Sakata said: “As development plans move forward, I am hopeful to find another space in the International District to continue the long history of Bush Garden being a community gathering place and home to so many. I am grateful for the support Bush Garden is the second oldest shown to the Bush Garden family for all Japanese restaurant in Seattle and of these years.” Washington state. The restaurant opened Bush Garden was the place where in 1957 in its current location, which was people go after services, fundraisers, to originally owned by Roy and Joan Seko. In 1996, the Sekos sold the business let off steam, or gossip. It was the home to Karen Akada Sakata and Masaharu base for the generations who share those Sakata, the current business owners. At experiences. Sakata said, “It’s hard to sum its height, Bush Garden used to have five it up and I loved that it was that place.” hostesses, four bartenders, 23 waitresses, Bush Garden has been a staple in the and a photographer. Legendary baseball community, acting as a venue for people player Joe DiMaggio and actor Shirley from all walks of life and a meeting place for community leaders and activists. MacLaine ate at Bush Garden. Last January, the building that Bush Garden is located in was sold by George Liu and Assunta Ng to Solterra, a real estate development company, for $5 million, according to a King County Assessor’s office report. Although the restaurant side closed on October 29,
Bill Tashima, a former president of the Seattle Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and a long-time board member of Nikkei Concerns, shared memories of going to Bush Garden with activists like Tatsuo Nakata, an emerging leader and activist in the community who
When community leader “Uncle” Bob Santos passed away in August, the community flocked to Bush Garden to remember him. Santos would regularly sing songs like “My Way” and “Just a Gigolo” during karaoke at Bush Garden on Tuesday nights.
For many, like activist Kristina Logsdon, Bush Garden is where deep, personal connections were made. “[Bush Garden Bush Garden, 614 Maynard Avenue South, Seattle, is] where I met Voltaire [her husband] and Washington. • Photo by Joe Mabel where our relationship started. So, it holds died tragically in a car accident in 2006. a very special place in my heart,” Logsdon Years earlier, at the age of 24, Nakata had said. been the youngest Seattle JACL president Bush Garden is actively seeking out ever elected. Bush Garden stories from community “Tatsuo Nakata invited me to meet him members as well as volunteers to help with [at Bush Garden] back in 2002,” Tashima the transition. Interested individuals can said. “Five martinis later, I agreed to be participate by going to: goo.gl/bo6nU6 his 2003 Seattle JACL President-elect.” or by emailing BushGardenCommunity@ Tashima also described how he and gmail.com. the late community leader Shigeko Uno The next International Special Review always went for one drink after Nikkei District Board will be held on November Concerns board meetings. “One meeting 8 at 4:30 p.m. at the Bush Asia Hotel, was on [Shigeko’s] 90th birthday. Shigeko 409 Maynard Avenue South (in the IDEA asked Dennis Yamashita and me to sing Space meeting room), unless otherwise ‘Stardust’ to her,” Tashima said. “The one noted. Board meetings are open to the and only time I did karaoke at the Bush. public. Luckily, Karen [Akada Sakata] joined us and salvaged the song.”
6 — November 2, 2016 – November 15, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
IE COMMUNITY
Wudang martial arts academy helps to shape lives in the ID By Nick Wong IE Contributor The International Wudang Internal Martial Arts Academy has offered traditional martial arts instruction to the Seattle area for more than a decade, and recently it has relocated and reopened its doors. Over the years, the school has garnered a strong and faithful following, but what keeps students returning goes far beyond the punches and the kicks. The Wudang martial arts system dates as far back as the 13th century, originating in the mountainous regions of the Hubei Province and is said to be founded by Zhang Sangfeng, a Daoist monk rumored to have achieved immortality. For a more modern reference, Wudang is the martial style of the character “Hundred Eyes” from the Netflix show Marco Polo. Over time the system split into various groups, but this particular group—the Wudang Dan Pai—claims direct lineage to the system’s original founder. It is composed primarily of three traditional Chinese boxing styles: taijiquan, xingyiquan, and baguazhang. While the academy also offers various weapons training and the more contemporary Chinese kickboxing style of Sanda, it is the underlying study of internal martial arts, or neija, that binds the school’s teachings together. Generally speaking, neija is the focus on the more subtle elements of martial combat, such as the mind, the spirit, and the circulating life-energy called Qi. In fact, the school’s Qi-gong curriculum is one of the more popular programs offered. That fact should not imply that instruction here is solely gentle, however; training here can be both serious and strenuous, too. “I think the most important thing that I would like you to understand is that Chinese internal martial arts should not just be for health cultivation. We should go back to the root to what martial arts is: Martial,” says Dr. Lu Mei-Hui, one of two
Head instructors Dr. Lu Mei-Hiu and Master Chang Wu Na perform a Daoist ritual during the grand re-opening of their school, The International Wudang Internal Martial Arts Academy. Both instructors are ordained Daoist priests and incorporate its teachings at the school. • Photo by Nick Wong
headmasters at the school. “When it comes to martial arts, there has to be yong—an application. Without application, all the forms are empty; it becomes dancing.” As a licensed practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine and a PhD graduate in education, Dr. Lu incorporates plenty of medical theory into her instruction, and communicates with all the charm and kindness of a graceful teacher. But I’ve also witnessed her topple over men twice her size, and there is a certain sternness to her demeanor whenever the conversation turns to self-defense. She is the physical embodiment of the school’s philosophical balance between the soft and the hard. Her instructional counterpart is Master Chang Wu Na, a New York-born native who speaks fluent Mandarin, and has been a Wudang disciple since his teens. Though he has less formal titles attached to his name, he holds equivalent credentials in the world of martial studies, experienced in over a dozen fighting styles and first
began training at the age of four. Both Dr. Lu and Master Chang are the current gatekeepers of the 13th generation of the Wudang Dan Pai. This is perhaps the first distinguishing factor of the academy. The gatekeeper of most legitimate martial arts lineages often remain back in the country of the system’s origin, but in a serendipitous mixture of personal circumstance and intentional choice, there are two of them that happen to be right here in Seattle. “If you look at Seattle, the location, the Northwest, it’s a very strong location,” Master Chang tells me. “People in Seattle are a lot more laid-back; actually one might even say that they’re softer, but for Wudang Pai Wushu, it’s kind of a natural fit in some ways.” Learning how to find strength from weakness is a core element to the school’s philosophy. There are many students who have trained their way out of severe injuries or crippling depression. Others have found courage to face the fears of a cancer diagnosis, or rediscovered their self-esteem after some form of loss. There is a heightened sense of ease amongst those at the school, and much of that is due to the subtle incorporation of Daoism, namely the focus on “balance” and “living in harmony with the natural world.” This is the second distinguishing factor of the academy. It offers a full Daoist studies program that integrates spiritual philosophy with martial arts. While there is a certain caution to be had
at such a union, the instructors prevent proselytization by viewing their approach as more of “school of thought” rather than a “religion.” Developing a student further as a martial artist is still the main focus. “During the process of developing your spirituality, you’ll learn how to be calm, how to get to the center of your soul, and this directly enhances the training of martial arts skills,” says Dr. Lu. Both she and Master Chang are ordained Daoist priests. “That is why our school has a Daoism study. A lot of philosophy in Daoism can help us find a way out. We don’t just run into difficult situations; instead we learn how to be like water, how to go around it.” And spiritual development also builds another key attribute in the martial artist, one that some may find even more important than the fighting technique. “Daoism and martial arts have been connected for a long time, and it’s important that the more you train how to hurt someone, you have to also know how not to do it,” Master Chang adds. “I think that the mark of a good martial artist is the person who doesn’t get into a lot of fights. There’s a concept that says: ‘Learn to fight so you don’t have to fight.’ Instead through training you learn how to interact with people in a better way. You learn how to interact with yourself and the world around you. You learn how to be a better person.” To find out more about the International Wudang Internal Martial Arts Academy, visit www.wudangdanpai.com or visit the school at 2411 S. Walker St., Seattle WA 98144.
Dr. Lu Mei-Hiu demonstrates the Wudang tai-chi form. • Photo by Nick Wong
Answers to this puzzle are on Wednesday, November 16.
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
November 2, 2016 – November 15, 2016 — 7
IE COMMUNITY
Ascend Gala—Rich Cho asks APIs to ‘take the shot, follow your dreams’ By Sylvia Coulson IE Contributor Highly regarded members of the Pan-Asian community arrived at the Bellevue Club in evening gowns and suits for the 2016 Ascend Seattle Annual Gala on September 10, an evening of elegance, importance, and inspiration. Ascend helps its members, partners, and community realize their full potential to lead in the Pan-Asian global corporations.
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION AGES 5-11 A rich academic environment where creativity and imagination thrive.
The night started with recognizing the need to help Asian business leaders decrease the gap between them and their white business leader counterparts— one of Ascend Seattle Chapter’s primary goals.
2016-2017 OPEN OPEN HOUSES 2015-2016 HOUSES DECEMBER 3, 2015, 2016, 10AM 10AM DECEMBER 5, JANUARY JANUARY 7, 9, 2017, 2016, 10AM 10AM Located in Downtown Seattle 914 Virginia Street | Seattle, WA 98101
The audience was then entertained by Miss Washington USA 2016, Kelsey Schmidt, who sang the broadway tune, “For Good,” from Wicked. Schmidt said the tune “reflects what Ascend stands for.”
(206) 621-9211 www.SpruceStreetSchool.org
Schmidt returned from representing Washington state at Miss USA 2016 pageant in June and briefly talked to the audience about her time there and what it means to be successful. Aside from being Miss Washington USA, Schmidt is also a PhD and RD student in the Nutritional Sciences program at the University of Washington School of Public Health.
Another highlight of the night was listening to Rich Cho, general manager and executive VP of the Charlotte Hornets, speak about his journey to success. Cho didn’t start out at the top, it was a difficult trip filled with career changes and hardships.
2016 Ascend Seattle Annual Gala with guest speaker, Rich Cho (Charlotte Hornets). • © Jerry and Lois Photography. All rights reserved.
He started out as an intern for the Seattle SuperSonics. Cho was bound to accomplish great things as he later became the general manager for the Seattle team, launching his career and making history as the first Asian American general manager in NBA history. Cho proceeded to become the assistant general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and then general manager of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Cho said that his time in Portland was the most difficult in his career. Cho lost 20 pounds from the constant state of stress he was in. He was later fired from the Trail Blazers end of May 2011. Despite this setback, Cho said he was “constantly striving for success.” He urged those in attendance at the Ascend gala to never give up and always reach higher until you reach your goal. Cho’s advice to making it in the big leagues: “Learn from a lot of people, and be at the right place at the right time. I’ve been really fortunate.”
On Sunday, October 16, 2016, the Thai community in Washington state gathered together to remember King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest reigning monarch, who ruled the country for 70 years. King Bhumibol died on October 13, 2016 at the age of 88. Approximately 500 people showed up at Gas Works Park to pay their respects to the king. • Photo courtesy of Thai Association of Washington State
8 — November 2, 2016 – November 15, 2016
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Park ranger Bill Lee a long-time fixture in the International District By Anna Carriveau IE Contributor Last month, on a sunny afternoon in Hing Hay Park, the International Examiner had the pleasure of sitting down with Bill Lee to learn more about his role as an employee of the InterIm Community Development Association. As a park ranger, Lee oversees Hing Hay Park and the Danny Woo Community Garden and has been a part of the neighborhood for 31 years. Here’s what he had to say. International Examiner: How did you find yourself at InterIm? Lee: I was working out here delivering supplies to restaurants. And, Uncle Bob and them would order a pig for the pig roast and I took it up there. So it started with me delivering them a pig, and after that it came around to me helping them in the garden. Johnathan Chan saw me in a bad mood one day and said he would let me help take care of the chickens and then Rachel [Dutler] wanted me to work there. IE: What do you want people to know about Hing Hay Park and the Danny Woo Community Garden? Lee: The Danny Woo Garden is a place for the elders but it’s a place for the neighborhood, too. A lot of the military veterans that have had PTSD, and other people, like it up there because there’s a peacefulness to it. And, it’s a nice place
just to sit. It’s also a place to celebrate, especially if there’s something going on here. And now, remembering Uncle Bob. IE: What brought you to Seattle? Lee: The Navy. I was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan and they transferred me from an aircraft carrier to a minesweeper.
Lee: It’s become a part of me. I spent 20 years delivering supplies to restaurants. I got to know a lot of people. Then, I had a chance to work with the business improvement area and my connections really started coming through. IE: What do you think makes the ID so special? Lee: The community in general. The people, the scenery, what we are trying to do. It isn’t just all the problems we have but what we do that is good. IE: Is there anything else you’d like to share? Lee: The more help we get, the more support we get, the better. That’s just from what I call the citizens of Chinatown. And that’s the business, the residents, the visitors. But the citizens of Chinatown is a much bigger thing. IE: How can people get involved and help out? Lee: They can contact any of the communities, any of the organizations, or Bill Lee. • Photo by Travis Quezon just come and join any of the events. Like, I’m a part of the block watch, so if they see IE: So after the navy, you decided to us, they’re welcome to join. stay here? For more about the Chinatown Lee: I like the people, I like the scenery, International District Block Watch, I hate cold weather, but two out of three contact IDEA Space at (206) 624-8929. isn’t so bad. For more about Hing Hay Park and the IE: What do you like most about your Danny Woo Community Garden, visit work here in the ID? interimicda.org.
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The Cathay Post: Honoring a Proud Legacy of Service By Ron Chew IE Contributor In the late 1980s, I initiated an oral history project on the Chinese American community in Seattle. The goal was to publish a book of oral histories of seniors, develop an exhibition for the Wing Luke Museum and create an archive of taped interviews, photos and historical documents for future research. During the course of the project, many interview subjects mentioned the Cathay Post #186, a Seattle-based veteran’s organization affiliated with the American Legion. Many of the interviewees themselves had been veterans and were lifelong members. Others had heard about—or benefited from—the good deeds of the Cathay Post. The group was deeply embedded in the post-War life of the community. Since its inception in 1945, the Cathay Post has been involved in countless civic projects, including raising money for scholarships to support needy students, blood drives, Christmas and New Year’s parties for Chinatown kids, an annual Memorial Day commemoration, and fundraising drives to support the Kin On Nursing Home and the Wing Luke Museum. The vets came back after their service to this country and channeled their sense of duty toward betterment of the community. They clearly made their mark, even if most people in the mainstream society didn’t recognize the significance of this work. During the earlier oral history project, I spoke to Chinatown medic Donnie Chin, who shared my passion for preserving the past. I told him that the Cathay Post kept coming up in my research on the Chinese community. How could I find out more? Donnie—whose uncles were founding members of the group—handed me a black-andwhite picture of David “Gobby” Woo, the man who started the organization. “Go find him,” he said. “He knows everything. I’m not sure if he’s still alive though. You know how it is when you don’t see one of the old-timers for a while.” I asked my father if he knew David. “Of course,” he said. “We’re related.” That was news to me. David’s father was Woo Gen, one of the Chinese community pioneers who had testified for my grandfather Quay Fong Chew when he had petitioned for entry to the U.S. in 1911. My father explained to me that my grandfather’s older sister had married Gobby’s father. “So we’re shirt-tail relatives,” he said. My father told me that Gobby lived alone in a house on Beacon Hill, not far from our home. He gave me a phone number and address, and I quickly set up an appointment to go over to his house to talk. David was a gregarious and warm individual with a sharp wit and clear memory. He explained to me that he started the Cathay Post to help returning World War II vets petition for their wives in China to join them in the United States. He figured that the vets, after serving this country in war, deserved the opportunity to start families here. David also wanted to erect a memorial to honor the young Chinese American men who were killed in combat. Among them was my late uncle Lee Hong Chew, my dad’s younger brother. The granite memorial stands in Hing Hay Park.
David “Gobby” Woo founded the Cathay Post in 1945 after he returned from his German captivity. He was interviewed in 1990 and 1991 for a Chinese oral hIstory project. • Photo by Dean Wong
Gobby was an aerial gunner pilot involved in a U.S. bombing mission over Germany during War II. He was shot down and survived 27 months of confinement in German prison camps. He spent time in the infamous Stalag 17B, an Austrian camp immortalized in a popular film starring actor William Holden. I spent many days over at Gobby’s house and taped several formal interviews with him in 1990 and 1991. By that time, he was in failing health, his body weakened after many years of kidney dialysis. I timed my visits for the days when he came back from treatment when he had more energy. One day, he pulled open his dresser and handed me some objects to donate to the Wing Luke Museum, including old Chinese lottery tickets and two very old Chinese wooden combs from his mother. He said he wanted to contribute something to the preservation of his family’s story. He also asked me to help him find a shop that could repair his old black Underwood manual typewriter. It was a special keepsake from his time at Stalag 17. He used it to type up “underground news” to help keep up the morale of his fellow prisoners. He brought it back to Seattle with him after he was freed. I went around the city, searching in vain for a place that would be willing to help “Gobby” with the repair. I finally located a typewriter repair shop on Capitol Hill which agreed to take a stab at the job. I left it there for several months. Sadly, David passed away before the typewriter was fixed. When I went to retrieve it, the repair shop had shut down. I never got the typewriter back. I set out to find out more about my dad’s younger brother, Lee Hong Chew. Uncle Lee was part of the famed 87th Infantry Battalion, sent to Italy to spearhead the Allied offensive to capture key mountain peaks in Italy and end the German resistance during World War II. Uncle Lee was killed in combat on February 20, 1945, gunned down while at the head of his battalion. The story I had been told by other Chinese American veterans is that he singlehandedly attacked a German submachine gun nest. I was told that he was also nominated for a Silver Star medal. He was 23 at the time of his death. Every Memorial Day since childhood, I had faithfully accompanied my father to Ev-
ergreen Washelli Cemetery to pay respects to him. I never knew Uncle Lee—I was born in 1953—but I grew up always wondering about him. Stacked on two basement shelves in our Beacon Hill home were his school papers, books, letters, yearbooks, slide rule, math compass and camera gear. When I was younger, I didn’t understand why my father still kept these things, especially since he hardly said a word about Uncle Lee, and these belongings just collected more and more dust over the years. My gap in knowledge was filled by my interviews of Cathay Post members who remembered Uncle Lee as high school buddies. They described his low-key manner and intelligence, his love of photography, his outings to the downtown YMCA to play pool and his swimming trips to Lake Washington. Among those I spoke to were Thomas Lew, Cal Fung, Ray Lew, Bill Sing and Bill Chin. I began to ask questions of my mother, too. She told me that Uncle Lee’s death had deeply saddened my father for a number of years because the two were so close. His death also devastated my grandmother in China who had high hopes that the youngest of her four sons, the one who had made it to college, would make real the promise of a better life in “Gold Mountain” for the Chew clan. Fearful of the grief that would come over my grandmother, family members didn’t even tell her for years that her beloved son had been killed. In the basement of my parent’s Beacon Hill home, I found a letter from Uncle Lee to my father, stating that he would soon be going into combat and imploring my father to “take care of the insurance” as soon as possible. The letter was signed “Your loving brother, Lee.” I also found a letter from the Veteran’s Administration, certifying that Lee Hong Chew had applied for $10,000 of insurance, payable in case of death. I also found a letter to a woman in Seattle, someone I presumed to be his girlfriend by the tone and content of the letter. These discoveries broke my heart. During the Chinese oral history project, I finally summoned the nerve to ask my father more about his younger brother. He
didn’t say much. His face filled with a kind of sadness I had never seen before. I felt awful opening this door to his past. My father gave me a few factoids about his brother, directed me to my Uncle Lee’s papers in the basement, and that was it. I never asked him more than a handful of questions about his brother after that. But how could I not know how my father felt about Uncle Lee? My older brother had been given the middle name “Lee.” I had received the rather obscure middle name “Alpha.” I discovered—after talking to one of Uncle Lee’s school chums—that Alpha was the nickname Uncle Lee had acquired because of a tuft of unruly hair in the back of his head, similar to the cowlick of Alfalfa, the character from The Little Rascals. The sacrifices of David Woo, Uncle Lee, Donnie Chin’s uncles and the many other Cathay Post veterans not only contributed to this country’s war effort, it also allowed my mother and my aunts to eventually join their husbands in America after repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act. As the Chew clan began to reunify in the U.S. after World War II, my two brothers, my sister and I were born in Seattle, as were a number of my cousins. The birth of my children’s generation in this country—far from the harsh poverty of rural China, far from the brutal discrimination of the pre-Civil Rights era in the U.S.— was the culmination of a long journey, the final fulfillment of the American dream, made possible, in one sense, by the sacrifice of the Cathay Post veterans. Today, the remaining Cathay Post veterans from World War II—and the Korean War—are few in number. As that generation passes from the scene, it’s important that we reclaim and embrace this legacy. This special issue of the International Examiner features excerpts from videotaped interviews conducted over the past year with remaining members of the Cathay Post. The interviews are incorporated into a new video documentary, titled, Cathay Post, American Legion #186: A Legacy of Camaraderie, Community, and Patriotism, which premieres at the Wing Luke Museum on November 12. Thanks to the following individuals for sharing their memories: Jackson Chan, Bill Chin, Jacob Chin, Susie Chin, William and Dorothy Chin, Ron Choi, Cal Fung, Jeni Fung, Francis Gregory, Lloyd Hara, Bob Harmon, Richard Lew Kay, Tom Lehning, James Leong, Lilyan Leong, Thomas Lew, Frances Locke, Terry Nicholas, Lip Mar, Jack Pang, Milton Wan, and Tek Wong. Special thanks to the Cathay Post #186 of the American Legion, the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, and the Friends of the Cathay Post for their sponsorship and support. Thanks to videographer Tuyen Kim Than for filming the interviews and documenting the Cathay Post over the past year. Thanks to Sue Mar for her assistance with interviews and research. Thanks to Jacqueline Wu for volunteer research. Thanks to Han Eckelberg and Rick Wong for additional help with videography. Thanks to Debbie Louie for transcription and research and to the many other volunteers and contributors. And thanks to Wing Luke Museum for their support of the project and for hosting the showing.
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Cathay Post celebrates 70 years, honors World War II veterans By Travis Quezon IE Editor in Chief
Cathay Post Commander Hara read aloud proclamations recognizing Cathay Post from Gov. Jay Inslee and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray.
On August 24, 2016, Cathay Post #186 held a special luncheon at Palisade to honor its World War II members and celebrate their 70th anniversary.
At the end of WWII, returning Chinese American veterans formed Cathay Post #186 because discrimination prevented them from joining existing Posts. Cathay Post provided an outlet for community and community service. Over the years, the Post has assisted needy veterans, marched in parades, 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 other community events and organizations.
“Cathay Post wasn’t just a group for veterans,” said Sue Mar, whose late father Dan Mar served as past commander of Cathay Post #186. “It really supported family, community, and youth. For me the future is continuing Cathay Post as a service for veterans because we really do have a lot of veterans coming from wars. There’s still a lot of military action going on now in the world. There are still a lot of wars going on now. There are probably a lot of vetreans of Chinese decent who
Cathay Post also honored its WWII veterans in attendance with special certificates of long standing membership and decades of continuous service: Bob Harmon, Leslie Chan, Calvin Chin, William “JB” Chin, William L. Chin, James F. Chin, James Y. Leong, Tom W. Lew, Lip Mar, James Leong, and Jack H. Pang. Ron Chew has been leading a project by the International Examiner to document Cathay Post #186, which has been together since November 1945. First District Legion Commander of the American Legion Department of Washington Paul Whitfield swears in Cathay Post #186 officers on August 24, 2016. • Photo by Travis Quezon
might want to continue a program like Cathay Post. And one of the benefits that I see is that it could be another source to helping them to identify services that they might need as veterans like the GI bill or the VA programs, or retirement programs.”
At the anniversary luncheon, the Cathay Post held its installation of officers for the 2016-2017 timeframe: Commander Lloyd Hara; Senior Vice Commander Jack Pang, who had previously completed two years of service as Commander; Adjutant Terry Nicholas; Finance Officer Richard Mar;
Chaplain Richard Lew Kay; Service Officer Francis Gregory; Sergeant at arms Fon Pang; and Historian Bill Chin. Paul Whitfield, first district commander of the American Legion Department of Washington, led the installation.
“We should all recognize that freedom has a taste to those who fight and nearly die for it that to protect it we’ll never know,” Whitfield said. “Those that served are part of the largest fraternity in the world. I’m so proud to be with veterans. It is an honor to be with fellow veterans.”
“Seventy years is a hell of a long time to be together as a group,” Chew said at the luncheon. “To be as together as an organization, to be as dedicated as the group has been to community causes is extraordinary.”
Chew described how his admiration of the Cathay Post began with a photograph that late community activist Donnie Chin showed him years ago.
“My dad’s younger brother was killed in Italy during WWII, he was part of the 87th division,” Chew said. “It was really because of all the people here in the room, that I was able to find out who this person was. And so the Post really is embedded in the lives of all of us who have been part of the community.”
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Cathay Post #186 connects its past in the community with the future The following is an excerpt from an interview by Ron Chew with Cathay Post #186 Senior Vice Commander Jack Pang as part of a documentary video project funded by Cathay Post #186 and the City of Seattle’s Neighborhood Matching Fund. The video, Cathay Post, American Legion #186: A Legacy of Camaraderie, Community and Patriotism, will premiere at the Wing Luke Museum on November 12. Ron Chew: State your name and when and where you were born. Jack Pang: My name is Jack H. Pang. I was born in Seattle, Washington, August 24, 1922, Providence Hospital right here in Seattle. It’s on 17th and East Jefferson Street. My mother’s name was Anne Mae Pang and my father’s name was Archie Herbert Pang. Her maiden name was Anne Mae Chin, but then my father was Archie Herbert Pang. ... Chew: You went back to Seattle and the war and so forth. What happened ... you got drafted, right? Pang: I got drafted in ’41, right after Pearl Harbor. Next thing I knew, I was sent to Fort Lewis. They sent me to Fort Lewis. I never did KP in the service except this one time when I
There were rumors that we were going to go to Alaska. We ended up four or five days later in Camp Shenango in Youngstown, Ohio. Next thing I knew, we spent a little time there. We didn’t do much. By the way, I never had basic training, either. Next thing I knew, I was at Camp Couma, in New Jersey. They loaded us on this ship, rickety ship. It was a Chateau 30, and our bunk was about four tiers high. I had the bottom bunk and I could hear the water slushing against the bottom of the boat. I didn’t know where we were going, either. After a while, they told us we were going to Iran. From there, we went up through Africa. There’s a story there. I ended up in Algiers. We camped Jack Pang on this hill in Algiers. They told us was at Fort Lewis. I was sitting on the at night from Tacoma. All the blinds then. They woke me up and three other barracks there, on the porch. I looked were pulled. The lights were gone. JACK PANG: Continued on page 12 . . . out on the street there and there was We didn’t know where we were going. guys marching up the street. I saw my schoolmate. ... I said, “Hey Bill, where you going?” He says, “C’mon, follow me. Follow me.” I didn’t know. I says, “Okay.” So I follow him. Next thing I knew, I was in the kitchen, in the mess hall, and they had me washing pots and pans. That’s the only time I ever did KP. After that, it was a couple months later, next thing I knew, they threw me in a train and all the blinds, we left
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IE COMMUNITY . . . JACK PANG: Continued from page 11
fellows. They say, “Okay, you’re going to Italy.” I said, “How in the hell are we going to get up there?” “We don’t know. Here are your orders. Just go up to the mess hall, get something to eat, and you’re on your own.” So we went to Iran and Algiers and we went down the port and we asked all the ships which one was going to Italy. ... Chew: How did you feel? Did you know you were going into combat? Were you scared? Pang: When they first drafted me, they sent me to north Africa, I was a replacement. ... They looked over at my record and they said, “Okay, we’re going to send you into photography.” So I got into the army photographic service. My whole career in the army, I was in the army photographic service. I got out, when I came home, that’s a whole nuther story. ... Chew: Did you photograph any combat scenes? Pang: Yeah, we did that, everything. I was in the processing end. I processed all that stuff. I saw a lot of that stuff. I wasn’t in the photographic, I was in the lab doing the work. I remember one instance when I was in Naples, I was a corporal then, technician in the fifth grade. During the day, I had charge of the lab. One of the privates came in and said, “Hey, sir. There’s a Japanese guy out in the lab. He wants his picture taken. He wants a new ID. He’s a Japanese guy.” Ah hell with him, let him wait. It was that time between the Japanese and the Chinese, so I let him wait for about 15 or 20 minutes. I says, “Well, let me go out and see what he wants.” It turned out to be Jimmy Mar. I was so embarrassed. I says, “Jimmy! Oh, my God.” Jimmy was in the medics and he got a direct commission as a second lieutenant. Oh, Jimmy! Chew: So you knew him from before? Pang: Yeah, I knew him. Chew: When were you discharged? Pang: I was discharged in 1945, December 1945. I came back in 1949, somewhere there. I knew Alan Yap Lee. He was a first lieutenant in the Air Force Reserve. He says, “Come on down to McChord with me, Jack. C’mon, join the reserve. C’mon!” So finally, I said, “Okay, I’ll go with you. So I jumped into the Air Force Reserve and I stayed there and played volleyball. Next thing I knew, the Korean War broke out in 1950. That’s when I got my papers okay. Korean War, you serve out of Korea. So I went and then I got out. After the Korean War, I came home and my mom says, “You might as well stay here because they’re going to call you up again anyhow.” Sure enough, the Vietnam War showed up. This was in the air force and I was in photography then, too. ... Chew: Why did you join the [Cathay] Post?
Pang: I really don’t know. At that time, I joined it, but I didn’t think about companionship or anything like that. It was far from that. I really don’t know why. I can’t remember. Chew: Did you participate in any ... Christmas parties? Pang: ... I know we rented Chong Wa. I forgot what night we called it. ... There was a gambling table. You win a ham and all that. We had everything there. And then after that, every Christmas, we used to have a party for the kids in Chinatown, especially the Chinese kids, kids in the surrounding area. Chew: Would you give out presents? Pang: Oh yeah. We had Santa Claus there. We had food. We also had a oneman band ... He was a Filipino, but he could play all the, he was a one-man band. He played every instrument and we sang, the kids. It was great. And then we had Santa Claus, and that was usually ... Lloyd Hara. He was the Santa Claus. The parents took pictures. I took pictures. And after they had their eats and whatever, each one of them got a present, Christmas present from Santa Claus. It was a great deal. Chew: Didn’t you guys have blood drives before? Do you remember that at all or was that earlier? Pang: No, I don’t think so. I remember we did have a March of Dimes. At that time, the city was divided into little sections. I was involved with the Chinatown section. Anne Wing, Bill Sing, and I, we were in charge of Chinatown. We got donations and that was our responsibility. Anne Wing, and there was Bill Chin, Art Solomon, Bill Sing and myself. Cathay Post #186, we were Legionnaires. ... You got to be an elite legionnaire and you had to be asked to join. They had a bar down in Seattle. ... So we went there one day and we thought let’s see if we can get in. It’s a funny thing at that time. There’s a story there, too. So we went there and we had one Caucasian in our crowd. We went there and asked to come in. They said, “Oh no. No Asians. White people only.” So our Solomon says, “Well, I’m a Caucasian. Can I bring them in as my guests?” “No way!” So we got turned away from there. The reason why the American Legion, Cathay Post #186 was formed was because we wanted an organization made up of the Chinese veterans, so we asked the American Legion if we could join whatever post they had, like Post 1, various posts in Seattle. They said, “No, but I tell you what, you can form your own post if you want to.” So at that time, there was still prejudice in nineteen-fiftysomething. ... To learn more or join the Cathay Post, #186 of the American Legion, contact post Commander Lloyd Hara at hara9@comcast.net or (206) 2839681. For more on the International Examiner’s Cathay Post #186 project, visit www.iexaminer.org/cathay-post186-project.
Lip Mar
Cathay Post has a history of community service, camaraderie
The following is an excerpt from an interview by Ron Chew with Cathay Post #186 member Lip Mar as part of a documentary video project funded by Cathay Post #186 and the City of Seattle’s Neighborhood Matching Fund. The video, Cathay Post, American Legion #186: A Legacy of Camaraderie, Community and Patriotism, will premiere at the Wing Luke Museum on November 12. Ron Chew: Tell me when you found out about the Cathay Post and when you started. Lip Mar: When I joined the Post, when I came out of the service, I was not active at all until I retired from the restaurant and had time to be at their meetings on Fridays. During the restaurant days, Fridays and Saturdays were the days that you had to work. I’d go down and watch them at the meetings and hear them talk, hear them argue. In those days, after they argued, they all would go down to Sun Ya and have a drink and everybody’s fine. Chew: What drew everybody together? Obviously, everyone was in the service, but other than that? Mar: I don’t know. Before my brother, Dan, there were people that originated, the founders: Jimmy Mar, Hing, Gobby, that group, David. There’s a whole bunch of guys that started way back. I was not involved in that at all because they were a lot older than I was. When I joined, got active, was with the later group like Ray Lew, Cal Fung, Bill Chin, brother Dan, John Uno, Bill Sing, Bill Wing, he passed away. He was from Tacoma. There were a few others, I don’t recall right now, that were active. ... Chew: Talk about some of the activities that you did. You mentioned the spaghetti feed that helped support the fundraising. The Christmas parties, can you talk about that? Mar: Actually, the Christmas party was not a fundraiser. It was just a community service. It’s for the community. The fundraising was just for scholarships. We’d do the street fair. We’d sell cotton candy and snow cones. That was very successful. We did that for quite a number of years. We had volunteers. During the time of the street fair, Bill Sing, he used to be an import/export type of thing. He had a lot of fans that he sold, hundreds of thousands of fans. He would donate that to us and we would sell them at the street fair at $1 a piece. Just with the fans, we would raise
$300 to $400. ... Since Bill passed away, we don’t have the source of the free donation of fans that would bring in $300 to $400. Without a lot of volunteers, it kind of faded away. Chew: Do you still do the scholarship program? Mar: Yes. ... This year, the scholarship was $4,000. We give $2,000 to each student. We have a committee. This year, it was Bob Harman and Frances Gregory that selected the recipients through the mail. The participants all mailed in their forms. ... Chew: These are high school students? Mar: High school students, uh huh. A few years ago, we did the same thing. We didn’t have a committee that was really that efficient. But what we wanted to do in those days is we’d give it to the offspring or relatives of the American Legion members, family. Any family of the American Legion would be eligible. We actually used that formula. And then one year, we opened it to everybody. We gave out a couple of free scholarships to people that we picked. ... Chew: What for you has been the most rewarding part of being with the Cathay Post? Mar: Well, the camaraderie of people, the camaraderie of the people that were in the service. Not only do we have Asians in our club now, we have Japanese, Caucasians. They are strong members, they are commanders. Those people that are with us, they tend to come to Chinatown and mingle with us. They get involved and they enjoy it. Chew: What do you see as the future of the Post? Mar: Well, to me, right now, I don’t think our Post will last too long. The World War II veterans, there are very few left. The few that are left are not active. I think the only active ones from World War II are Cal Fung, Bill Chin, and I. We have Korean veterans, which are very active, and Vietnam people. To learn more or join the Cathay Post, #186 of the American Legion, contact post Commander Lloyd Hara at hara9@ comcast.net or (206) 283-9681.
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Cathay Post #186 seeks new members, greater visibility The following is an excerpt from an interview by Sue Mar with Cathay Post #186 Service Officer Francis Gregory as part of a documentary video project funded by Cathay Post #186 and the City of Seattle’s Neighborhood Matching Fund. The video, Cathay Post, American Legion #186: A Legacy of Camaraderie, Community and Patriotism, will premiere at the Wing Luke Museum on November 12. Sue Mar: What are your thoughts on Cathay Post and their role in the community? Francis Gregory: Well, that’s a tough question. It’s changed quite a bit. As the members get older, and we’re not getting newer members, it’s hard. I guess once it was quite active in the community, now it’s not so much because the members are older—we need young blood, is what we need. At one time [Cathay Post #186] was quite active in the community so right now what I see at the Post is we don’t do on how Cathay Post can stay alive and that. We don’t have the manpower or the keep flourishing? members. Gregory: Well, one of the things I Mar: As a fairly new member of Cathay was thinking about, is to become more Post, do you have any recommendations
Francis Gregory
visible. I know we are visible in the community, but to become more visible on college campuses. Like I said when I retired I had worked at Edmonds Community College for a while at their
veterans office and that’s how I got involved with the Post. So I’m thinking if more veterans who are going back to school would become aware of Cathay Post, especially Asian veterans, that might be an attractive place for them to come to. And also the benefits that the Post would have, I think that would be attractive. Mar: Would you like to say anything else about Cathay Post? Gregory: I’ve gotten to know quite a few of the members and I’ve enjoyed getting to know them and working with them. Jack Pang is quite an interesting person. ... Yeah, Jack’s an interesting guy. He’s the one who got me involved with the service. He’s great. But, it’s been quite interesting. I wish I had gotten to know some of them when the Post was more active. To learn more or join the Cathay Post, #186 of the American Legion, contact post Commander Lloyd Hara at hara9@comcast.net or (206) 2839681. For more on the International Examiner’s Cathay Post #186 project, visit www.iexaminer.org/cathay-post186-project.
Announcements Community, and Patriotism, will make its debut. The film was funded in part by the City of Seattle’s Neighborhood Matching Pre-Conquest Indigenous Cultures and Fund and Cathay Post #186. The event the Aftermath (PICA) was founded in happens from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. This 2013 as a collaborative effort between a event is free to the public. group of students, faculty, and community On Sunday, November 13, from 11:00 members from the University of a.m. to 1:00 p.m., OCA—Greater Seattle Washington’s American Ethnic Studies will host their fall luncheon and reception department, OCA—Greater Seattle, at Thien Phat Restaurant (3330 Rainier and Heritage University of Yakima, Ave. S., Seattle, WA). The event will Washington. This year, the events for the include a sneak preview of an upcoming PICA Conference take place on November movie based on Peter Bacho’s book Cebu 11, 12, 13, and 18. and poems honoring advocates. For On Friday, November 11, Ark Lodge more information, email Huy Nguyen at Cinema will show a documentary entitled hiiamhuy@uw.edu. My Life in China and another film named The last PICA event is on Friday, Chinese Couplets. The screenings are free. November 18. It includes a free tour of My Life in China is a film about director Burke Museum from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Kenneth Eng and his father visiting rural (register with Huy Nguyen, hiiamhuy@ China for the first time in 18 years. His uw.edu) and a screening of Promised father reflects back on how he walked for Land, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. A Q&A seven days and six nights before swimming with the directors and interviewees will for four hours to Macau to escape poverty follow after the screening, with additional and communism. Chinese Couplets is performances by the Duwamish and described as “part memoir, part history, Chinook tribes. part investigation.” Filmmaker Felicia For more information about PICA, visit Lowe retraces her mother’s emigration http://picaseattle.weebly.com. to America during the Chinese Exclusion era and reveals the struggles of Chinese immigrants who abandoned their personal International Special Review District identity. Board announces candidates for
OCA Greater Seattle Fall Luncheon and PICA schedule
On Saturday, November 12, the Wing annual election Luke Museum will honor veterans. The 2016 International Special Review A documentary film titled, Cathay District (ISRD) Board election will be Post #186: A Legacy of Camaraderie, held on Tuesday, November 15, from 11:00
a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Bush Asia Hotel (409 Maynard Avenue South) at Hing Hay Coworks. Community members who are registered for this election are encouraged to vote. Two board positions are up for election:
• Position #3 for a Business Owner, Property Owner or Employee • Position #5 for an At Large seat
Chinese culture. He is knowledgeable about the history, culture and interests of the Chinese community.
Tiernan Martin is currently completing his first term on the ISRD Board, where he serves as Vice-Chair. He is interested in serving a second term to continue supporting the goals and visions of the Chinatown International District by ensuring that the cultural identity, historic character and urban vibrancy are reflected as changes are made.
Nominations closed on Tuesday, October 11 and three candidates were nominated. Candidate information is provided below, The special character of the Chinatown and brief candidate biographies will be International District is recognized and available at the polling place on the day of protected by City Ordinance. In 1973, the election. the International Special Review District One candidate is seeking Position #3 Board was created to preserve, protect, for a Business Owner, Property Owner and enhance the cultural, economic, and historical qualities of the District. The or Employee: Board is made up of seven members—five Eliza Chan is an employee of the elected by the Chinatown International Seattle Chinatown International District District community and two appointed Preservation Development Authority by the Mayor. Board members’ terms are (SCIDPDA). She is based out of Hing for two years, and members may serve up Hay Coworks. She is committed to seeing to two consecutive terms. To learn more the neighborhood grow and flourish and about the election and the International is interested in applying her knowledge Special Review District, please visit of the community and neighborhood seattle.gov/neighborhoods/preservation/ businesses to her work with the board. id.htm/. Two candidates are seeking Position The current board members are #5 for an At-Large seat: Stephanie Hsie, Carol Leong, Tiernan Sen Poy Chew is a member of the Lung Kong Tin Yee Association and the Chong Wa Benevolent Association. He wants to assist in the development and preservation of the district’s history and
Martin (Vice-Chair), Miye Moriguchi (Chair), Herman Setijono, Valerie Tran, and Marie Wong. The terms for Mr. Martin and Ms. Wong end in November 2016.
14 — November 2, 2016 – November 15, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
IE ARTS
Multi-instrumentalist Bora Yoon to make Seattle debut By Roxanne Ray IE Contributor Composer and multi-instrumentalist Bora Yoon makes her Seattle debut this autumn, performing as part of the Cornish Presents series at Cornish College of the Arts. Yoon describes her process of composing music as organic. “It all usually starts, with an unusual and interesting sound that captures my attention,” she said. “I have perfect pitch—the ability to tell pitches, without a reference—and so all sounds and noises around me have been musical sources to me. I’ll hum along with a radiator until I hear, ‘Oh, that’s a B-flat!’ Or I’ll slow down someone’s ‘hello’ until they become musical pitches instead of just inflection.” Yoon is also notable for including unconventional objects and instruments in her music. “It first started when my 2004 cellphone’s screen broke after dropping it one too many times,” she said. “I had set it on a musical keypad setting, which turned everyone’s phone number into a little ditty, which is in itself, a musical sentence. It had a nice Casio ’80s ping quality to it, which I liked, and it added to my artillery of classical instruments, into a more electronic realm, after putting it through a delay and loop pedal.” That cellphone accident was an artistic break-through. “Since then, my ears are always open—to how we associate memories, nostalgia, associations with different sounds, whether it’s bible pages flipping, through a massive delay, up close on a mic, which then sounds like wind through autumn leaves in a tree,” she said. “I love taking small sounds, and amplifying, processing, and transforming them into an element in a larger sonic picture.” Yoon decided to build on this breakthrough by enrolling in Princeton University’s doctoral program in Music Composition. “What’s great about Princeton’s composition program is that they are not preservationist about music, unlike conservatories, which are more tradition-based,” she said. “You have to know your nuts and bolts certainly, but they honor and celebrate the fact that if you are a living, breathing composer, you are adding to the current canon of music, and see music as a living, breathing thing too, that is unfurling in real-time.” Her education there has taken her into new sonic realms. “I’m expanding my vocabulary with electronics and
Bora Yoon. • Photo by Leslie Van Stelten Photography
computer music, orchestration on a large-scale, and going further into extended techniques on traditional instruments,” Yoon said, “and how they are all interdisciplinary in the gestural, theatrical, and interactive realm with visuals, which is what you will see on stage, with my featured collaborators, DJ King Britt, from Philly, and Joshue Ott, who invented SuperDraw, and iPhone app THICKET, a beautiful interactive visual software that responds to music and sonic information.” Yoon is known for her collaborative process, and values the contributions of those she has worked with. “The late poet Sekou Sundiata has been one I remember keenly, as it was amazing to support his dynamic poetry and literary imagery, by personifying them through sound, but
never get in the way of it,” Yoon said. “A really nice complement to one another.” The challenge of collaboration is what Yoon finds stimulating. “R. Luke DuBois is a long-time collaborator, colleague, and friend whose incredible eye and ears for transforming sound and music, and data, into cogent and astute statements is always a wonder, and fascinating to collaborate, because he transforms sound and imagery into new cinematic and algorithmic forms of visual music,” she said. “Usually, the wider the bridge to cross, the more interesting synapses you can find within the disciplines.” Despite this artistic and collegial growth, Yoon acknowledges the challenges of a career in music. “It’s been challenging to balance everything, which is a universal
struggle no matter what field you are in, I’ve realized, and to know proper and healthy boundaries, especially as a female artist,” she said. That includes “wearing many hats at once, making meaningful connections, fostering new skills and abilities, changing as an artist, while at the same time sharing work with audiences, and having new material feed into your public work, bit by bit as you change and transition.” Yoon continues to emphasize process as key to overcoming difficulties. “I’ve realized the grace lies in the how of how things are done,” she said, “the tone of communications, the navigational tools needed to address logistical mishaps, jankiness, and energetic and literal roadblocks, and still maintain the joy in choosing a unique and creative path, and building a better world for those coming up.” Being open to ongoing learning from others who have gone before has also helped significantly. “It’s challenging, and liberating, in that no two artists’ paths are identical, but I’ve learned from my mentors, and role models I grew up listening to, that if you can find the spirit, and resonate with the intention of these artists, not imitation, then the answer does slowly start to emerge, from within, of what feels like your inner truth that is right for you,” Yoon said. “There’s a reason why they call it an artistic ‘practice,’ in that it’s a daily practice, of how to bring our best selves to the table every day, right?” Although Yoon has no previous connection to Seattle, she doesn’t come unprepared regarding our region. “My featured collaborator, Philadelphia-based electronic DJ and producer King Britt has done many shows in this part of the country, and definitely has some community ties here,” Yoon said. “We are jazzed to meet with students, do our electronics workshop, and bring folks together through the arts.” Yoon is looking forward to immersing herself in our dynamic Pacific Northwest environment. “I’m most looking forward to meeting the students at Cornish Arts,” she said, “and getting a gauge and feel of the relationship of sound and place, the geography, and the people who make Seattle what it is, as a living, breathing, changing place.” Bora Yoon performs on November 4 at 8:00 p.m. at the Kerry Hall PONCHO Concert Hall, 710 East Roy, Seattle. For more information, visit www.cornish.edu/ calendar/event/1428/cornish_presents:_ bora_yoon.
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
November 2, 2016 – November 15, 2016 — 15
IE ARTS
Dipika Guha’s Mechanics of Love explains the unexplainable By Roxanne Ray IE Contributor Editor’s Note: The following story ran in the October 19, 2016 edition of the International Examiner with an incorrect photo. The IE regrets the error. Here is the story published with the correct photo from SIS Production’s Mechanics of Love. Early autumn is a time of transition, and local theatre company SIS Productions is featuring that most transitional—and transformational—feeling in its next production: love. SIS will present Dipika Guha’s play Mechanics of Love, as a continuation of the theme of love highlighted in its long-running series Sex in Seattle. “We love scripts about ideas, especially ones that explore relationships with a sense of humor,” said Kathy Hsieh, a founder and co-executive producer of SIS Productions, and an actor playing the role of Faizi in this production. “Our regular fans are excited because we haven't done a real romantic comedy in four years, and that's where we began.” The enthusiasm of SIS audiences appears to be well-justified. “Love is one of the most Googled words,” Hsieh added. “It's one of the concepts that scientists are still trying to figure out, comprehend, dissect, and make sense of. Yet it's probably the most intangible real thing that everyone in the world feels but can't quite explain.” Playwright Dipika Guha says that the specifics of this play developed out of larger societal trends that she witnessed. “We lived in Russia in the late ’90s, so I had a sense of what the air feels like in a country in transition,” Guha said. “There was a sense of great risk and adventure as the old rules come apart and before new rules are articulated and codified.” Guha believes that these kinds of times foster experimentation. “I’m interested in this ‘soft space’ or space in transition,” she said. “It seems to me that this is where the greatest creative leaps are made; a space where no possibilities are ruled out.” Next, she began to develop the plot outline. “The container of this historical time seemed a useful way to think about some of the questions in the play about the nature of love and our desire to hold on to our ideas about it despite the flux of life,” she said. “The narrative arcs for the characters came very organically as the story began to take shape.”
Guha has come a long way since her early childhood to become a writer. “When we first moved to England, I was two years old and didn’t speak any English. For a multiplicity of reasons, uppermost of which was likely a mixture of fear and shame about making a mistake with the language, I felt afraid to speak,” she said. “But when I was six, someone put me on stage and all my fear evaporated: I was someone else. That connection between theatre and a sense of liberty has stayed with me my whole life.” After age 20, Guha struggled with determining her future, and began to write a little bit each day. Eventually, she applied for the Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship at Harvard University, and received the opportunity to attend Harvard for nine months, during which time she wrote her first play. “That process of being entrusted with time to develop helped me figure out how to turn my longtime devotion into language and it changed my life,” she said. Now Guha is immersed in the challenges of a career in theatre. “A lot of the ways in which plays get out in the world and produced can feel opaque, illogical and entirely out of the writer’s control,” she said. “But I started writing because I wanted to have the liberty to speak in my own voice in a form I understood and loved. This work asks that I am courageous and inventive and generous and gives me continuous opportunity to grow as a person.” Guha also strives to share what she’s learned with others, primarily through teaching playwriting. “People who have not experimented with their creativity are sometimes astonished to learn that it’s still there,” she said. “My job is to invite people to fall in love with their own voices.” If so, then the job of a theatre company is to invite its audiences to fall in love with the voices of all of the artists involved in the collaborative process of creating theatre. “I first met Dipika via Hedgebrook's Women's Playwrights Festival. I fell in love with her writing then,” said Kathy Hsieh. “She writes these magical pieces that are incredibly quirky on the surface but rich with thought-provoking layers.” Hsieh highlights the atypical focus on Guha’s script on lesser-considered practices of love. “What's intriguing about the script is that it explores the concept of love at its
SIS Productions presents ‘Mechanics of Love’ by Dipika Guha. Pictured: Josh Kenji, Kathy Hsieh, Manny Golez, and Mona Leach. • Photo by Rick Wong ©
most worthy,” she said. “Not by comparing it to its darker consequences like jealousy, manipulation, revenge—but instead positing what the world might be like if love were more socialistic rather than capitalistic. If people shared love more generously. If it was free and for the benefit of all and not considered a commodity.” Director David Hsieh (brother of Kathy) echoes her point about the play’s intrigue. “Mechanics of Love is an unusual play that seems very different from anything I've ever directed before,” he said. “It has been interesting working with the cast and crew my sister assembled and exploring and creating this unique mythological world of the play.” This opportunity for creativity extends to the entire artistic team. “Because this play lives in a world between fantasy and reality the props do not have to be literal,” said prop designer Celeste Mari Williams. “I have the opportunity to think outside the box and make creative and clever choices.” The actors agree. “My character is Francesca,” said actor Mona Leach. “The most interesting thing about her is that she lives in the
moment and is in a constant state of transformation to live life to the fullest.” Likewise, Kathy Hsieh has been challenged by her unique character, Faizi. “I'm so not like the character I play, that it's been really hard work exploring such a different type of person while trying to keep her honest at the same time,” Hsieh said. “A lot of the rehearsal process has been a two-step process: First thinking, what would I do in this situation and then doing the exact opposite!” Actor Josh Kenji also emphasizes how different his character, George, is within Mechanics of Love. “While Glen is off forgetting, Francesca is off flying, and Faizi is running around, George is the one who sits down and thinks about how and why things work the way they do,” Kenji said. “While he's more an average Joe than a contemporary of Aristotle, it is his grounded logical approach that pulls George into the shifting relationships within the play.” The SIS Production is strongly rooted in the Asian American community, drawing artistic contributions from theatre artists involved in a wide array of other projects and theatre companies, including assistant producer Roger Tang, who is involved in the National Asian American Theatre Conference and Festival. Guha said that Mechanics of Love itself also has strong Pacific Northwest connections. “I began writing the play in Alaska when I was teaching at Perseverance Theatre and finished it in Seattle when I was in residence at One Coast Collaboration,” Guha said. “So I’m particularly excited to be able to share it with Seattle audiences.” The SIS team is enthusiastic too. “I never thought about love as a commodity before, but the play really made me realize how much we Americans treat love that way—how possessive we are about the ones we love,” Kathy Hsieh said. “And I think it's great that the play helps us consider other possibilities that are far more healthy and positive.” But Hsieh emphasizes that the play isn’t prescriptive. “In Mechanics of Love, Dipika isn't trying to explain how love works,” she said. “Rather, she's trying to show that it can't ever be completely comprehensible.” Mechanics of Love runs from October 21 to November 5 at Theatre Off Jackson, at 409 Seventh Avenue South, Seattle. For more information, visit www.theatreoffjackson.org/ event/1359/mechanics-of-love.
Terminal Island an astounding journey into the past
By Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston IE Contributor
Reading Terminal Island: Lost Communities of Los Angeles Harbor by Naomi Hirahara and Geraldine Kratz became an astounding journey into the past. Memories, like faded wallpaper exposed to sunlight, regained brilliant color and design; I walked again between the barrack-like buildings we called home, heard the seagulls cawing and smelled the strong scent of fish being canned by either Van Camp or French Canneries. When the boats returned to port, laden with fish, the whistles blew signaling which cannery would be processing the catch. Before World War II began, my family lived in Ocean Park/Venice where my
father and brothers moored their fishing boat The Nereid. After December 7, 1941, my father was imprisoned in Bismarck, North Dakota at a federal prison. My mother moved the family from predominantly “white” Ocean Park/Venice to the Japanese fishing “ghetto” in Terminal Island, then located between San Pedro and Long Beach. I remember attending kindergarten class at the school; all other students were Japanese children from “T.I.” My brother and I were terrified of the young boys, who like “midget samurai” chased us from school, threatening us with scowls and shouting. We were not only
“newcomers,” but we couldn’t speak their brand of Japanese, which to us sounded like constant death threats! Most of the islanders came from the same province in Japan. As it turned out, my sister Martha—who was 18 at the time, married a “T.I.” fellow, whose family owned a café and pool hall. My father was from Hiroshima, my mother’s family from Niigata (she was born in Hawai‘i). Most Terminal Islanders were from the island of Kyushu. Later, in Manzanar, where communities were settled together in certain blocks, the Terminal Islanders were mostly located in blocks 9 and 10—my then married sister among them.
Terminal Island is not only a story of a little known community that thrived in one of California’s beautiful coastal lands, it is historically enlightening about the development of Los Angeles harbor, how a gorgeous landscape was marred by ruthless industrial ambition. Having lived in Terminal Island when it was simply a “fishing village,” Hirahara’s and Kratz’s book expands that perception into a fascinating picture of an earlier tourist destination and artists retreat—once called “Rattlesnake Island.” But, what remains vividly for me is the memory of a now lost community, where children and families thrived when the fish were plentiful, and the cannery whistles blew. And we could hear the cans clattering down the belts waiting to be filled with fish.
16 — November 2, 2016 – November 15, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
IE ARTS
Meeka Quan DiLorenzo: Classical music is here for everyone By Roxanne Ray IE Contributor Cellist Meeka Quan DiLorenzo plays with the elite Seattle Symphony Orchestra, but her goal is to make classical music— and musicians—accessible to all. As Assistant Principal Cello for the Symphony, DiLorenzo knows that many hold preconceived notions about musicians who play four-stringed instruments such as the cello. “If there was one myth about classical musicians I wish I could dispel, it’s the notion that we are bourgeois people participating in some dying art form,” she said. “Musicians and classical music are here on earth for everyone.” Yet she recognizes that sometimes the outward trappings of classical musical pose a financial or psychological barrier for some members of the public. “Yes, we are onstage in fancy clothing several times a week, but we are also people who have spent their entire lives perfecting their craft so that an audience can come and enjoy what we have to offer,” DiLorenzo said. She strives to create pathways for the public to enjoy classical music, by emphasizing the commonalities between musicians and others. “When we walk off stage, we become parents, teachers, advocates, spouses, and friends,” she said. “Our lives are just like everyone else’s with the same joys and frustrations. We just also happen to be professional musicians.” DiLorenzo began her training early. “When I was six years old, I attended a small Montessori school in Berkeley, California,” she said. “Montessori schools often have music teachers come to their classroom to introduce young kids to different musical instruments and genres.”
Meeka Quan DiLorenzo
The particular Berkeley instructor was key. “The music teacher they engaged was named Beth Goldstein and she played the cello,” DiLorenzo said. “She sang songs with us and brought boxes of small, handheld instruments from which we could choose during every class.” But Goldstein’s training as a cellist proved influential for DiLorenzo. “After a period of time, she offered group lessons on the cello after school,” DiLorenzo said, and there her future career was born. Goldstein’s style of training also proved formative for DiLorenzo. “I didn’t realize until later that the songs she sang with us during her music class were actually melodies from Suzuki book 1 for cello,” she said. “It was a brilliant strategy to introduce 5- and 6-year-olds to cello, and I still remember her words to Suzuki book 1 to this day.” Several years passed before DiLorenzo solidified her commitment to the cello. “I decided I wanted to become a professional cellist around the age of 13,” she said,
“which meant I had to practice around three hours a day, minimum.” The time required seemed infinte. “There were competitions, endless amounts of repertoire to learn, lessons, studio classes, youth orchestra, chamber music, and theory,” she said. “I was already a relatively mediocre student and often skipped school to practice.” DiLorenzo got away with doing as little schoolwork as she could. “I just knew that being surrounded with music and around other talented young musicians made me happier than anything,” she said. “I can honestly say that I never once considered doing anything else professionally.” While other teenagers might have faced consequences for school truancy, DiLorenzo has only positive memories of those years. “I did have supportive parents, but they were not ‘stage parents’ in any way, shape, or form. My father devotedly drove me to every lesson I ever had and then promptly fell asleep on the couch for an hour,” she said. “I think my obsessive practicing and motivation baffled them more than anything else.” DiLorenzo remains motivated about her career, but her perspective has changed somewhat with age. “Practicing as an adult professional is more challenging to me than it was as a brighteyed developing cellist,” she said. “When you’re young, everything is new and exciting and wonderful! I often couldn’t wait to learn a new piece and would listen to something over and over until it drove everyone around me crazy. Now my goal as a professional orchestral musician is centered around efficiency.” She also likes to take breaks from classical music to enjoy other popular
forms. “Since so much of my time is spent listening to classical music during rehearsals, concerts, and studying, I tend to listen to anything BUT classical music for fun,” she said. “If I am at home or in the car, I like to put on Al Green, Etta James, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, or the Beatles. I guess there are some really great cello lines in Beatles songs!” Other favorite moments include Seattle Symphony experiences that resonate strongly with a broad audience. These include Yo-Yo Ma’s performance of the Schumann cello concerto and Marvin Hamlisch’s visits to conduct the Symphony’s POPS series. They also include a performance that will ring bells with followers of the cartoon sitcom Family Guy. “When Seth MacFarlane did a show with us,” DiLorenzo said, “his last encore was a song called One For My Baby. He started the song singing in his own voice, switched to the voice of Stewie, then Quagmire, then Peter Griffin, and finally Brian.” DiLorenzo found this particular experience very moving. “Sitting three feet away and watching several of my favorite TV personalities come to life while accompanying was very cool!” These examples of connecting with audiences and other cultural trends are what encourage DiLorenzo to continue the hard work of practicing and performing on the cello. “I like to think of musicians as ambassadors of ideas and emotions,” DiLorenzo said. “At the very least, we are here to communicate and serve our community. At the very most, we are able to universally inspire.”
Freehold Theatre relocating to International District By Joshua Talosig IE Contributor
managing director Zoey Cauley. “[The ID] has a rich history of arts programming, back from the jazz scene and the Nippon As you’re walking through the Kan Theatre, and some of the current International District this winter, expect residents.” to see a familiar staple of Seattle’s theatre The theatre aims to reflect the local scene. community—it chose the International The Freehold Theatre, currently District’s jazz scene as the subject of a play located in Belltown, is relocating to the the theatre put on last year—and provides neighborhood, at 515 Maynard Avenue many services for performing arts. South. Having started in 1991, this fall One program is its “theatre lab,” a marks its 25th anniversary. With so much training space where theatre is practiced history behind the program, the theatre can expect to forge new accomplishments in exploratory ways. Whether that’s through collaborations between all kinds and memories with its move. of artists, or giving new artists a platform As their current building is slated for to inspire with fresh ideas, it aims to test redevelopment, the Freehold Theatre the limits of what theatre can do. The hopes to accomplish many things with long running Engaged Theatre project, the new space they’ve sought out in for example, has taken theatre beyond its the International District and join the usual platform to places like correctional neighborhood art scene centers. The new building is close to many The Freehold Theatre is also an acting other art organizations that make the studio, offering a diverse range of drama International District its home. classes. Classes range from beginning to “We’re close with Theatre Off Jackson, more advanced instruction, and students and just getting to know the Wing of all expertise levels come to the Freehold Luke Museum,” said Freehold Theatre Theatre to hone their talents. Practicing
playwrights can also take classes to With this move, the Freehold Theatre is improve their craft. hoping to make the International District Expanded services and a continued its permanent home. With the signing of presence in the Seattle drama scene have a 10-year lease and a space that is nearly helped the theatre stay true to its mission twice the size of the current one, current of serving the community. From its former prospects are looking bright.
beginnings in Capitol Hill to Belltown, the Cauley describes the current theatre community fostered through this project scene in the city as “really exciting,” has stayed consistent in celebrating and with a “lot of new work coming out of promoting performance art. Seattle.” The bigger size of the new Along with the rich art history, the building not only helps the Freehold neighborhood’s public transportation was Theatre in hosting their own programs, but gives other theatre companies a a draw for the theatre. better opportunity to rent that space from “One of the things that was really them, whether they use the space for important to us was that we were in an rehearsal time, classes, or performances. accessible location,” Cauley said. It will share building space with the Students travel from all over King Purple Dot Café. County (and further) to come to the The Freehold Theatre is, as Cauley puts theatre. From its proximity to the many it, “at the nexus of that [theatre] scene.” bus lines, the light rail, the ferry, I-5, and The faculty all have countless experience I-90, the new location can attract even in the field, and are involved in productions more performers, according to Freehold around town. Many actors and students Theatre. alike have been a part of the project. This Since classes are typically held in the winter, they can expect the community in evening, it benefits from being close to this neighborhood to welcome them with other businesses that operate late at night. open arms.
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
November 2, 2016 – November 15, 2016 — 17
IE ARTS
6th Annual Seattle Shorts Film Festival offers eclectic lineup By Yayoi L. Winfrey IE Contributor Since 2011, the Seattle Shorts Film Festival has offered a lineup of eclectic, nonfeature length movies. This year’s choices include several with Asian and Asian American actors and directors. In Creased, 18-year-old Kayla struggles with her Asian American ethnicity. Living in middle class suburbia, surrounded by white friends and associates, she tries too hard to blend in. One night, while getting ready for a party, she carefully applies makeup while her BFF watches. Meticulously taping her eyelids, so that her eyes appear larger and more Westernized, Kayla ignores her WASP-y friend’s probing questions. It’s clear that Kayla feels ashamed of her distinctly Asian eyes, but there’s no time for discussion as the girls rush off to join the soiree. At the party, a white boy flirts with Kayla and, just when she’s feeling confident about being accepted, he asks her the dreaded, “where are you from” question. When Kayla casually replies that she’s from the area, he presses her: “No, like, originally,” he insists. One mishap leads to another as Kayla navigates the space between being different and her overwhelming desire to be like everyone else. Even her BFF alludes to Kayla’s Asian background being the deal breaker that got her into a prestigious college—the same one that rejected the BFF, despite their having the same GPAs. The movie’s title, Creased, refers to the fold in a double eyelid that most East Asians don’t have. Sadly, many of them opt for the most popular cosmetic surgery
advice that “suffering pain” is every woman’s legacy. Like the rest of the women in The Red House, FangFang has experienced her share of misery as she services men in exchange for money. But in spite of that, FangFang has done such an outstanding job collecting tips for years that she’s very close to being able to buy back her contract and set herself free. Or, will she allow her heart to rule?
Creased
among Asians, the one that permanently adds the crease despite its inability to erase the person’s race. Local director Jade Justad shows a lot of promise with this short that she hopes to turn into a feature length film someday. *** Another local filmmaker, Long Tran of Renton High School, addresses gender issues in Trapped: A Transgender Documentary. Should a pretty senior named Bruce Sabado Buenaventura, with glowing tresses and rosy lips, be addressed as Brooklyn instead? She thinks so; informing the audience that although she was born Bruce, that name is “too guyish, and too boyish” for her. Brooklyn, or even Brook, suits her better, she says.
*** The main character in the animated The Wish Granter is so good at his job that he’s become listless and bored. From his basement lab, he watches as people approach a large fountain outside to toss coins and make their dreams come true. Sitting at his console, the wish granter is able to bring their hopes to fruition with just a flick of a button. But what most of them ask for is so mundane that he impatiently rolls his eyes when one man drops in a coin and the wish granter responds by sending him paper money. Suddenly, a man and a woman arrive from separate directions, each making a wish for true love. Unfortunately, their tossed coins get stuck in the pipe leading to the basement lab. Rushing outside to help them find each other, the wish granter can’t seem to do anything right. Echo Wu, a recent art school grad, is one of three animators that created this charming CGI tale.
With her shiny hair and lush, painted mouth, Brooklyn wins the hearts of her classmates to become a prom queen. Posing in front of a mirror, she snatches off a thick wig and gleefully admonishes everyone to “be yourself” and “love yourself.” Hopefully, Long will be able to grow this short film into something, well, a little longer. *** A distressed couple and their child arrives at “The Red House,” a home of ill repute in 1915 China—a time when Chinese girls were routinely sold. The impoverished mother can’t bear to let her six-year-old daughter, Amei, go; yet she has no choice. The Seattle Shorts Film Festival Either the rest of the family eats, or they happens November 11 to 13 at SIFF Film will all starve. So the child is handed Center. For tickets and more information, over to a prostitute named FangFang for visit www.seattleshort.org. excruciating foot binding and unsolicited
Katsura Sunshine, Zenjiro: Sitting or standing, these guys are funny By Yayoi L. Winfrey IE Contributor Holy synchronicity! At the same time Slovenian-Canadian Katsura Sunshine performs Japanese comic storytelling (called rakugo) in Seattle, Japanese national Zenjiro will also be in town telling jokes at a stand-up comedy competition. On November 1 and 2, Katsura Sunshine will appear at the University of Washington for Japan’s public broadcaster NHK’s taping of his show Dive Into Ukiyo-e. The word ukiyo-e translates to “floating world” and was a popular art genre during Japan’s Edo period of 1603-1868. Mostly created with handcarved wooden blocks, the printed illustrations usually depicted daily life during a relatively peaceful time following Japan’s brutal civil wars—when citizens could once again engage in pleasurable pursuits. During this time, rakugo also became trendy. The comic storytelling style began, says Katsura, when 9th century Buddhist priests “spun their lengthy sermons into 20 to 30-minute stories.” In rakugo, a lone kimono-clad storyteller kneels on a cushion on the floor using only a fan and tenugui (hand towel) for props. Both come in handy for keeping sweat at bay and, according to Katsura, are what every Edo period man carried when he went out. In this setting, Katsura explains, the performer “relates humorous stories passed from master to apprentice for as much as 400 years; stories
that are like a slideshow, usually fictional anecdotes.” Katsura, whose first language is English, also speaks French and Japanese which he perfected while living in Japan for 16 years— three them apprenticing with rakugo master Katsura Bunshi VI. Growing up in Canada, Katsura always enjoyed “ancient Greek comedies and dramas, musicals” and “old, traditional stuff,” he says, and dreamed of working in theater on Broadway or London’s West End. Katsura But now, he embraces rakugo, contending that his show is the same whether in Japanese or English. “What I’ve come to learn is that rakugo humor is universal,” Katsura clarifies. “It’s the same in Canada, U.K., Ghana, Senegal, Gabon, South Africa. They’re things we all recognize—an arguing couple, a thief who can’t steal. The root of the stories transcend culture and language.” Above all, Katsura loves entertaining an audience. “They get caught up for an hour and leave with Japan in their hearts,” he says. Meanwhile, Zenjiro from Tokyo will show off his Western-style stand-up repertoire in an attempt to beat out 32 competitors at the Seattle International Comedy Competition. Twenty-two shows, spanning 26 days, will eliminate
comics until five finalists are (pun intended) left standing. Besides his stage routine, Zenjiro has hosted numerous Japanese television shows including TV no Tsubo, Genki-ga-deru TV, and ZeZeZe no Zenjiro. He’s also made appearances in the films The Bleep Brothers, Minami no Teio, Inatian Man, and Kodomo no Omocha. Because Japanese humor is unlike American, switching from one style to another seems complicated. But Zenjiro disagrees. Zenjiro “The main difference,” he says, “is that Japanese people rarely take sarcasm and irony as humor. They prefer more straightforward or absurdist jokes, so I have to write totally different types of jokes in different languages. I don’t translate my jokes. When I perform, I switch from Japanese comedy to Western comedy just by switching the language.” Speaking three languages, Zenjiro can instantly change to Japanese, Korean, or English. “It’s easy,” he insists, “because I speak ‘Japanenglish’ in America and, it’s not so different from Japanese, you know. My Korean is also a bit like Japanese that Korean people happen to be able to understand.” With rakugo still a popular tradition in Japan, Zenjiro agrees that Western-style standup is a difficult art form to pursue.
“When it comes to solo comedy, Japanese audiences are still used to rakugo,” he says. “But there is a stand-up comedy circuit for English-speaking expats, and now we have Japanese stand-up shows, too. It’s becoming more popular.” In one of his zany routines, Zenjiro dresses like a samurai, holding his stomach and moaning “hara kiri.” Why is that funny? Zenjiro explains, “The samurai carefully anesthetizes his stomach and stabs himself. He faints because his intestines are so smelly, and he dies. Or, the sword penetrates his body and stabs a guy behind him.” Asked how he plans to celebrate if he wins the comedy competition, Zenjiro replies, “I would love to throw a pot party, but I can’t because I have to go back to Japan soon for solo shows. If I win, a TV station in Japan will air a documentary about me, called Zenjiro in America. Of course, me winning in Seattle should be the climax.” Whether these funny guys are sitting or standing, both Katsura Sunshine and Zenjiro are worth seeing. ‘Dive into Ukiyo-e’ is free and open to the public on November 1 and 2 at the University of Washington. For more information, visit www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/ukiyoe/. The Seattle International Comedy Competition happens November 2 to 27. For more information, visit seattlecomedycompetition. org.
18 — November 2, 2016 – November 15, 2016
Arts & Culture 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.
Civil Rights & Advocacy Organization of Chinese Americans Asian Pacific American Advocates Greater Seattle Chapter P.O. Box 14141 Seattle, WA 98114
Housing Services
Education For more information: Ph: 206-767-8223 Email: info@deniselouie.org Website: www.deniselouie.org Offering home visiting services for children birth to 3 and full & part-day multicultural preschool education for ages 3 to 5 in the International District, Beacon Hill and Rainier Beach.
Professional & Leadership Development
Senior Services Legacy House
803 South Lane Street Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-292-5184 fx: 206-838-3057 info@legacyhouse.org www.scidpda.org/programs/legacyhouse.aspx Services offered: Assisted Living, Adult Day Services, meal programs for low-income seniors.
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.
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.
www.ocaseattle.org
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.
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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.
Immigration Services Fearless Asians for Immigration Reforms (FAIR!) ph: 206-578-1255 Info@ItShouldBeFair.com www.ItShouldBeFair.com
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.
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.
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.
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.
Homelessness Services The Kin On Team is ready to serve YOU! www.kinon.org
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.
Homeownership Services HomeSight 5117 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 ph: 206-723-4355 fx: 206-760-4210 www.homesightwa.org NMLS#49289 HomeSight creates homeownership opportunities through first mortgage lending, down payment assistance, real estate development, homebuyer education, and counseling.
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.
Washington New Americans Program OneAmerica 1225 S. Weller St., Suite 430 Seattle, WA 98144 Are you a lawful permanent resident? The Washington New Americans program can help you complete your application for U.S. citizenship. Low-cost and free services available – please call our hotline or visit www.wanewamericans.org. Phone: 1-877-926-3924 Email: wna@weareoneamerica.org Website: www.wanewamericans.org
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
Legal Services
Visit iexaminer.org for more announcements
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.
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
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.
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Social & Health 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 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. 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.
Transportation Services ph: 206-624-3426 transia@aol.com
Merchants Parking provides 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.
DONATE to NAFCON’S Typhoon Relief Program For info on how to donate, visit nafconusa.org.
November 2, 2016 – November 15, 2016 — 19
20 — November 2, 2016 – November 15, 2016
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