VOL 38 NO 13 | MARCH 23 – MARCH 29, 2019 by Northwest Asian Weekly

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VOL 38 NO 13 MARCH 23 – MARCH 29, 2019

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37 YEARS YOUR VOICE

Photo by George Liu

UW, family Police: Blind man mourns Vikram stabs SPD oﬃcer Jandhyala

A Seattle police oﬃcer is recovering after being stabbed by a blind man, who was reportedly harassing numerous tenants at a ChinatownInternational District apartment building on March 19. Oﬃcers were dispatched to an apartment in the 300 block of Maynard Avenue South at 10 p.m.

Vikram Jandhyala

By Staff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY The University of Washington (UW)’s vice provost of innovation and the first Indian American to hold that position has died. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office said that Vikram Jandhyala, 47, committed suicide and the manner of death was “asphyxia by drowning.” UW President Ana Mari Cauce told the Northwest Asian

Weekly, “Vikram was a unique mix of charismatic, dynamic, compassionate, and spiritual. He was both cool and geeky, and his belief in entrepreneurship for the common good inspired us all.” The son of two physics professors, Cauce called Jandhyala “a scholar in every sense of the word. He took pride in teaching and mentoring students, as well as in his award-winning research in ﬁelds ranging from design see JANDHYALA on 16 See related article on page 10.

Seattle census office begins community outreach By Maya Leshikar NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Census Day is not until April of next year, yet outreach and education has already begun around Seattle. March 13 was the Seattle Area Census Office’s first hiring event, where job-seekers could learn about census positions and talk to recruiters. Getting an accurate headcount is crucial for federal funding and congressional representation, and census employees are the first step to

■

getting it. But getting people to selfrespond is another thing entirely, especially in hard-to-count populations. The census oﬃce depends on its collaboration with community leaders to encourage participation in undercounted communities around Seattle. Annette Mummery, the Seattle Area Census oﬃce manager, knows better than anyone what a huge undertaking the census is. Recruiters are looking for applicants in every city and town in the state, and they are only just see CENSUS on 16

to investigate reports of ongoing issues with the suspect. The man had reportedly wrapped raw meat around a neighbor’s door handle, urinated on the linoleum outside their door, and smeared toothpaste on their door peephole. Tenants — who were initially afraid to come out of their apartments and let police into the building because the suspect was see SPD on 4

No kidding, they’re coding By Janice Nesamani NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY It’s a Saturday morning and fifth-grader Aashna Sikka is sitting at a computer. It looks like she’s playing a game, a color-changing monster looking for someone to scare leaves home and camouflages itself. When a girl and her friend enter the scene, the monster appears and scares them, and they run away. However, Aashna is at a Code Ninjas classroom in Newcastle and is trying to fix a bug that’s affecting the timing of her story. Code Ninjas is a center that helps children learn how to code in a fun way at an early age. “I’ve really enjoyed Code Ninjas. I like the idea of coding at a young age and they taught us how to do some of these things. We start at a very easy level and it gets harder as we go,” Aashna said. see CODING on 16

Photo by Janice Nesamani

Photo from GoFundMe page.

By Staﬀ NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

The classroom where kids learn how to code.

SHELF

Caught between two worlds

COMMUNITY NEWS UW Japan Studies program 3

8

PUBLISHER’S BLOG Overcoming depression and suicide  10

412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 • f. 206.223.0626 • info@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com

northwest

37 YEARS

MARCH 23 – MARCH 29, 2019

■ NAMES IN THE NEWS Immigrant and refugee-focused commission

record at 7’ 4 ½” which still stands today. After high school, Noji went on to compete for the University of Washington (UW) Track and Field team. He currently holds the UW high jump record at 7’ 6” and was inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame in 1999. Noji was also successful at the national and international level. He is ranked third in the nation and 10th in the world for high jumpers. 

Seattle Census Task Force Fo-Ching Lu

Lalita Uppala

Minal Kode Ghassemieh

Thirteen high-proﬁle community leaders have been appointed to serve on a new commission focused on immigrants and refugees. Passed unanimously by the King County Council, the panelists include Fo-Ching Lu of the SYL Foundation, Lalita Uppala of the Indian Association of Western Washington, Minal Kode Ghassemieh, an immigration attorney. They are now tasked with developing recommendations for the county to better help address the needs of these oft underserved communities. The appointment of the commission members is the culmination of a collaborative eﬀort between the County Council and the County Executive to help King County’s growing immigrant and refugee population. 

Michael Byun

Noji inducted into SPS Athletic Hall of Fame

Twelve new members for Seattle Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame were inducted during a ceremony in Seattle on March 7, including Rick Noji. In 1984, competing for Franklin High School at the Metro League Championships, Noji set the all-time state high jump

Rick Noji

Dr. Shouan Pan

Cherry Cayabyab

Mayor Jenny Durkan announced the members of the Seattle Census Task Force on March 8. The task force is a coalition of elected oﬃcials and community leaders who are orRich Stolz ganizing Seattle’s preparations for the 2020 Census. Task force members include Michael Byun of Asian Counseling and Referral Service, Cherry Cayabyab of the Velma Veloria Washington Census Alliance, Rich Stolz of OneAmerica, Dr. Shouan Pan of Seattle Colleges, and Velma Veloria of Coalition of Immigrants, Refugees, and Communities of Color. They will advise Durkan on policy and outreach to historically undercounted communities. Immigrants account for more than 18 percent of the City of Seattle’s population. 

New CACA president

At the Feb.28 meeting of Seattle’s Chinese American Citizens Alliance (C.A.C.A.), new oﬃcers were elected and Cathy Chen Lee was named the president. Lee joined the Seattle Lodge in 2014 to help with the National C.A.C.A. convention hosted here in 2015. She now serves on the National C.A.C.A. Board and sits on the Communications and Cathy Chen Lee Membership committees. Lee moved to the United States from Taiwan when she was a year old. She was raised in Seattle, and graduated from the University of Washington. After college, Lee worked in California, lived in Singapore and Tianjin before returning after 15 years to the Paciﬁc Northwest, and currently works at Boeing. 

Photo by Assunta Ng

HFC+B grand opening

Hood Famous Cafe + Bar (HFC+B) is set for its grand opening weekend in Seattle’s ChinatownInternational District on March 22-24. This is the second location for Hood Famous Bakeshop owners Chera Amlag and Geo Quibuyen, and Geo Quibuyen (left) and Chera Amlag it will operate as (right) a cafe featuring Amlag’s desserts and Quibuyen’s savory dishes, with a bar that is coﬀeecentered by day and cocktail-driven by night. The ﬂagship Hood Famous Bakeshop in Ballard will remain open with its regular hours. HFC+B is located at 504 5th Avenue South, Suite 107A in The Publix. 

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Photo by Assunta Ng

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YOUR VOICE

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

MARCH 23 – MARCH 29, 2019

Japan Studies is no. 1 foreign program at UW

By Mikaela Lobe NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Turning over a long history of coming in second behind Spanish in terms of number of students enrolled, Japanese recently took the top spot in foreign language studies at the University of Washington (UW). Of the hundreds of students taking Japanese language courses, about 50 students major in Japanese language each year. Since its humble beginning in 1909, the Japan Studies program has rapidly grown in size, impact, and recognition to become the academic powerhouse that it is today. The Japan Studies program is not a rigid department or school within the university. It is an umbrella program, uniting faculty and students from various disciplines of study. While the Jackson School of International Studies is considered the Japan Studies program’s administrative home, the program has ties with the university’s department of Asian language and literature, the department of architecture, the Asian Law Center at the School of Law, and the Foster School of Business. Any faculty, class, or student that is dedicated to the study of Japan — no matter from what angle — is considered a part of the Japan

Consul General of Japan in Seattle Yoichido Yamada (left) with award recipients Marie Anchordoguy and Donald Hellmann, two of many awardees in the program in 2018. (Photo from UW)

Studies program. “Our mission is really to further understanding and knowledge about Japan in the world and in that way help create better world citizens,” said Ellen Eskenazi, the associate director and an alumna of the program.

Seniors sound oﬀ on Chinatown transit plans

Professor Paul Atkins, the UW’s department chair for Asian languages and literature, believes that the Japan Studies program’s interdisciplinary reach beneﬁts not only students, but also university faculty. He points out that a historian and an economist see Japan in completely

different lights. “We wouldn’t ordinarily be working together or we wouldn’t even be having that much contact. But since we all study Japan, we have a second set of colleagues,” Atkins said. “It’s very refreshing to see the same object of study through someone else’s eyes.” In total, the Japan Studies program currently hosts 17 faculty members, 30 graduate students, and hundreds of undergraduate learners. “I think if you ask our faculty, most of them will agree that we’re in the top five Japan programs in the nation when it comes to depth and range of courses offered,” Eskenazi said. Though Spanish is typically the most popular language studied in a foreign language context across the nation, the UW’s most popular language of study is Japanese. Davinder Bhowmik — an assistant professor of modern Japanese literature, as well as a co-chair and alumna of the Japan Studies program — believes that the university’s placement in Seattle has an effect on both the popularity and significance of the Japan Studies program. see JAPAN STUDIES on 15

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By Staﬀ NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Sound Transit held a community workshop on March 13 to discuss the Chinatown-International District (ID) Station. The transit agency is planning a new Link light rail station that will connect the ID and Pioneer Square to more destinations throughout the city and region. There were two meetings for the community on March 13 — one in

Chinese and one in English. Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese interpreters were present. It was attended mainly by seniors who live in ID housing. The new station with a tunnel would be built on either 4th or 5th Avenue South. Proposed plans involve closing 4th or 5th for anywhere from 4 months to 7 and a half years. The community members’ main concerns were about safety, and Sound see SOUND TRANSIT on 11

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asianweekly northwest

MARCH 23 – MARCH 29, 2019

37 YEARS

■ WORLD NEWS

Foreigners among those targeted in New Zealand mosque attack CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — Several of those killed or wounded in the shooting rampage at two New Zealand mosques on March 15 were from the Middle East or South Asia, according to initial reports from several governments. The live-streamed attack by an immigrant-hating white nationalist killed at least 49 people as they gathered for weekly prayers in Christchurch. Another 48 people suffered gunshot wounds in the attacks. Bangladesh’s honorary consul in Auckland, Shafiqur Rahman Bhuiyan, told The Associated Press that “so far’’ three Bangladeshis were among those killed and four or five others were wounded, including two left in critical condition. “One leg of an injured needed to be amputated while another suffered bullet injuries in his chest,’’ Rahman

Bhuiyan said. He declined to identify the dead or wounded. Two Jordanians were among those killed, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Petra news service. Foreign Ministry spokesman Suﬁan Qudah had earlier said that a Jordanian man was killed and eight others were wounded. Christchurch Hospital chief Greg Robertson said on March 16 that seven of the 48 gunshot victims admitted after the shootings in had been discharged. Robertson said a 4-year-old girl who had been transferred to an Auckland hospital was in critical condition and 11 patients who remained in Christchurch were also critically wounded. “We have had patients with injuries to most parts of the body that range from relatively superﬁcial soft tissue injuries to more complex injuries involving the chest, the

Ichiro arrives in Tokyo By STEPHEN WADE AP SPORTS WRITER TOKYO (AP) — Ichiro Suzuki has arrived in Tokyo. Wearing a gray and black hat pulled down to cover most of his head, the 45-year-old Seattle Mariners star slipped quickly through the arrival gate on March 15 at Haneda Airport with hundreds of reporters and fans getting only a quick glimpse. The Seattle Mariners and the Oakland see ICHIRO on 13

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abdomen, the pelvis, the long bones and the head,’’ he said. Many patients will require multiple operations to deal with their complex series of injuries, Robertson said. He said a 2-year-old boy was in stable condition, as was a 13-year-old boy. Mohammed Elyan, a Jordanian in his 60s who cofounded one of the mosques in 1993, was among those wounded, as was his son, Atta, who is in his 30s. That’s according to Muath Elyan, Mohammed’s brother, who said he spoke to Mohammed’s wife after the shooting. Muath said his brother helped establish the mosque a year after arriving in New Zealand, where he teaches engineering at a university and runs a consultancy. He said his brother last visited Jordan two years ago.

SPD from 1 roaming a common area — told officers the suspect’s behavior had become increasingly erratic. When officers approached the suspect’s apartment, he emerged and began swinging a tactical knife — striking one of the officers in the face and arm. The

see NEW ZEALAND on 14

man was arrested without further injury to anyone else. After being treated at Harborview Medical Center, the man was booked into King County Jail for investigation of assault with a deadly weapon.  Staﬀ can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

YOUR VOICE

asianweekly northwest

MARCH 23 – MARCH 29, 2019

■ NATIONAL NEWS Spokane homeowners seek removal of racist covenant from deed SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Language that once prevented people of color from buying homes in Spokane, Wash., remains in property deeds and county oﬃcials say they don’t have authority to remove it, despite homeowner requests. Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton said she is prohibited from removing racist provisions included in deeds, The Spokesman-Review reported . “Those clauses are absolutely oﬀensive, but the reality

is they are our history and they need to remain part of the public record,’’ Dalton said. “That is what happened. People were hurt. People were damaged. People were restrained from where they had to live. And people really had to ﬁght to nullify those clauses.’’ Two homeowners disagree and have asked a local judge to rule that Dalton and the county are wrong in their interpretation of the law. Alex and Sasha May want their deed stripped of language that barred anyone who was not

Hello Kitty to make her big screen debut NEW YORK (AP) — Hello Kitty might not have a mouth but she’s got a movie deal. Warner Bros.’ New Line Cinema announced on March 5 that it has acquired film rights to Hello Kitty from the Japanese corporation Sanrio. The 45-year-old iconic feline has never been turned into a movie despite its merchandising ubiquity. New Line said it will quickly begin work on a script to put a film into production. Sanrio also granted film rights

to other characters including Gudetama, My Melody and Little Twin Stars. Warner Bros. has had success with toy adaptations before, including “The Lego Movie.’’ That ﬁlm’s sequel, however, has underperformed at the box oﬃce since opening last month. Hello Kitty presents potentially steeper challengers, though. She doesn’t talk or, for the most part, change facial expressions. 

white from buying or living in the home. Federal and state laws have long made the provision unenforceable, but similar covenants remain part of the legal paperwork for thousands of Spokane homes. “I’m not trying to erase the history of it,’’ Alex May said. “That’s not my motivation. But if you’re buying a house and that language is there — ‘Oh yeah, that’s just in there, see RACIST COVENANT on 13

Angels’ Ohtani gets raise TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani got a modest raise from the Los Angeles Angels after winning the AL Rookie of the Year award, agreeing to a one-year contract that boosts his pay to $650,000 from last year’s minimum of $545,000. Los Angeles announced agreements on March 11 with 22 players not yet eligible

Shohei Ohtani

see OHTANI on 12

GRAND OPENING MARCH 23rd, 2019 12—7pm A New Arts and Cultural Hub The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture is honored to open its new cultural space with yәhaw̓, an inaugural exhibition featuring the work of Indigenous creatives. March 23 - August 3, 2019. 303 South Jackson Street, Top Floor Seattle, WA 98104 | seattle.gov/arts Image: Shaun Peterson, Kaka, Oil on Panel, 2018

at King Street Station

asianweekly northwest

MARCH 23 – MARCH 29, 2019

■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR MAR 23

2019 DINNER + AUCTION, “FACES OF AMERICANA” Embassy Suites King Street Ballroom, 255 S. King St., Seattle 5 p.m. $175 wingluke. org/2019auction GRAND OPENING, “A NEW ARTS AND CULTURAL HUB” 303 S. Jackson St., Seattle 12-7 p.m. Free admission TRAIN IN MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID SPD West Precinct Community Room, 810 Virginia St., Seattle 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Register with Sue Wyder at 253-4265957, or swyder@valleycities. org mentalhealthﬁrstaid. org HOLI CELEBRATION Lake Sammamish State Park, 2000 NW Sammamish Rd., Issaquah 11 a.m.-3 p.m. SPRING ARTIST ALLEY Kinokuniya, 525 S. Weller St., Seattle 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

THRU

ZEN CLASS MEDITATION & BUDDHISM Buddha Jewel Monastery, 17418 8th Ave. N.E., Shoreline Fridays, 7-9 p.m. Free guided meditation buddhajewel.org 206-721-9921

26 A RECEPTION AND PROGRAM FEATURING HAHRIE HAN, PHD ON PEOPLE, POWER, AND CHANGE: COLLECTIVE ACTION AND TODAY’S DEMOCRACY Northwest African American Museum, 2300 S. Massachusetts St., Seattle 6:45-8 p.m. Free admission, but seating is limited RSVP to sesimonsays@ comcast.net 2019 INSPIRING WOMEN LUNCHEON & SOCIAL Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue 11:15 a.m.-1 p.m. GRANDMOTHERS AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE FEATURING HAHRIE HAN, PH.D. Northwest African American Museum, 2300 S. Massachusetts St., Seattle 6 p.m.

37 YEARS

HOT RAMEN CHALLENGE Dynasty Room, 714 S. King St., Seattle 7 p.m. do206.com

RONNY CHIENG Neptune Theatre, 1303 NE 45th St., Seattle 8-11 p.m. ticketmaster.com

5:30- 9 p.m. thehubtix.universitytickets. com

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31 THE ART OF TAICHI BY MASTER YI JIAO HONG Chihuly Garden and Glass, Seattle Center 8:15 a.m.

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THRU

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30 SEATTLE VIDEO GAME ORCHESTRA & CHOIR Theater Puget Sound, 305 Harrison St., Seattle 7 p.m. 2019 MISS FILIPINO COMMUNITY OF SEATTLE CORONATION BALL Filipino Community Center, 5740 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S., Seattle 5 p.m. 206-722-9372

View the solution on page 14

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The only weekly English-language newspaper serving Washington’s Asian community. The NW Asian Weekly has one simple goal: “To empower the Asian community.” The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject any advertisement, letter or article. Subscriptions cost $40 for 52 weeks of the NW Asian Weekly and $30 for 52 weeks of the Seattle Chinese Post. The NW Asian Weekly owns the copyright for all its content. All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be reprinted without permission. 412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 info@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com

asianweekly northwest

YOUR VOICE

MARCH 23 – MARCH 29, 2019

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

Bringing awareness to a forgotten Filipino leader

Pork belly adobo

From left: Jesus Gonzales, Gayle Romasanta, and Brian Flores.

“Journey,” co-authored by Dawn Mabalon is a tribute to the legacies of Itliong.

inspired formations, which incorporated Singkil bamboo pole dance sequences and Escrima fighting sticks techniques — all skillfully choreographed to the beat of drums and kulintang. Readings from “Journey For Justice” were done by young students. The ID was a befitting place for the Seattle book stop. In the 1920s, Seattle was a main port of entry for Itliong and other Filipinos, and they filled the demand for cheap labor in the farms on the West Coast and salmon canneries in Alaska. “This is where they actually landed when they first arrived in America in the 1920s. They stayed a few blocks away from this very building,” said Emily P. Lawsin, Filipino American studies professor and national vice president of Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS). When the Philippine Islands was ceded to the United States by Spain through the Treaty of Paris in 1899, there was a period when Filipinos were considered non-citizen U.S. nationals. During this time, thousands of Filipinos, mostly men, migrated to the United States in search of a better life, but ended up as laborers with little pay and brutal working conditions. “They were the original kind of migrant workers. They worked in the fields and then they went to Alaska — it was this sort of year-round thing. They were the

Photo by Gayle Mayor

Those familiar with the plight of the aging Filipino farm workers in the 1960s, as well as their importance in the American farm labor movement, agree that Larry Dulay Itliong played a pivotal role. “We do have to remember Larry because the United Farm Workers union has systematically wiped out Larry’s contribution to that union,” said Reynaldo Pascua, a friend of Itliong and president of the Filipino Community of Yakima Valley. Had it not been for Itliong, there would be no radical revolution leading to better pay and working conditions for all farm workers — an accomplishment almost single-handedly credited to Cesar Chavez. Bringing awareness to the forgotten Filipino leader, the third stop on a national book tour of “Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong” was held on Saturday, March 16 at the Wing Luke Museum in the Chinatown-International District (ID). Omitted from textbooks, Itliong was a pioneer in the early farm labor movement who fostered unification between Filipinos and Mexicans. His first participation in the movement was a lettuce strike in Monroe, Wash. in 1934, when he was 17 years old. In 1939, Itliong, along with members of the Filipino Agricultural Laborers Association, demanded better wages and went on strike against Stockton’s asparagus growers, and once again in 1948 with the help of the Alaska workers cannery union Local 7. He founded the Filipino Farm Labor Union in 1956, and by 1965, Itliong led the AFL–CIO union Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) in fighting for the rights of farmworkers. In 1965, Cesar Chavez’s National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) agreed to join forces with AWOC in a successful five-year strike and boycott against Delano table and wine grape growers, which became known as the Great Delano Grape Strike. The AWOC and NFWA eventually merged to form the United Farm Workers (UFW), and Itliong served as assistant director of the UFW under Chavez. At Seattle’s Wing Luke Museum, the book reading and signing of “Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong” displayed the impact of his untold story. “I’ve been to many book readings in this place. This is the most fantastic book reading that we’ve ever had in this building,” said Beth Takekawa, executive director of the Wing Luke Museum. During the event, pork belly adobo was provided by Chef Garret Doherty of Lionhead/STREET. The Fil-Am Society Choir of Seattle sang beautiful renditions of Filipino songs. The “Ang Tiffany” of the Filipino Youth Activities (FYA) Drill Team performed Muslim-

Photos by Gayle Mayor

By Gayle Gupit Mayor NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

most unique migrant workers that America ever had,” said Dr. Dorothy Laigo Cordova, founder and executive director of FANHS. The timely release of the book, written by late historian Dr. Dawn B. Mabalon with Gayle Romasanta and illustrated by Andre Sibayan, aims to introduce schoolaged children to the contributions of Itliong and other notable Filipino Americans to the most important social justice movements in

the United States. A bill sponsored by Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Alameda) in the California state assembly will require California public school students to learn about Filipino American contributions to farm labor movement. To facilitate the instruction in the public see ITLIONG on 15

asianweekly northwest

37 YEARS

MARCH 23 – MARCH 29, 2019

■ ON THE SHELF

Book recommendations: Caught between two worlds By Samantha Pak NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Empire of Sand By Tasha Suri Orbit, 2018

As the daughter of a nobleman, Mehr lives a privileged life. But with an Amrithi mother, that privilege is limited. In an empire built on the dreams of enslaved gods, the Amrithi people are both shunned by society and coveted for the power in their blood, the power in Mehr’s blood. And while her imperial governor father does what he can to protect her, her power comes to the attention of the Maha and the emperor’s most feared mystics. Before anyone knows what’s happening, Mehr finds herself married to one of the Maha’s servants and trapped in a situation with no real way of escaping. So as she and her husband begin to trust each other, they work together to figure out a way to escape their enslavement. “Empire” features a strong heroine caught between two worlds. Although she has lived a sheltered life up until her marriage, Mehr uses the skills she learned living in an environment where the only thing keeping her from being shunned was her father’s status. Despite the low status from being Amrithi, Mehr has great pride in her heritage. She partakes in the traditions and rituals. Everyone may hold this against her, but she sees it as a point in her favor. But as much as she values this side of her background, she does not appear to feel the same for her father’s side of her heritage, despite the protection it offers in society. It isn’t until her father points this out that it is made clear to her and the readers that she comes from two cultures, which is something I appreciated seeing. Suri has built a world inspired by Mughal India that is complex and complicated, with many moving parts. Despite this complexity, the story is easy to follow and comes down to people finding the strength and bravery to stand up for themselves and do what’s right.

The Matchmaker’s List By Sonya Lalli Berkley, 2019

As she approaches 30, Raina Anand has

finally succumbed to the familial pressure of allowing her grandmother to play matchmaker. As soon as she receives the green light, Raina’s nani comes at her with a list of possible suitors. And before she can say “yes,” Raina finds herself on blind date after blind date with men, one of which her grandmother hopes will be “the one.” Needless to say, hilarity and awkwardness ensues. Whether it is a lack of chemistry or the man already being attached, Raina can’t seem to find a good match. And when the pressure and hassling gets to be too much, her actions (or lack thereof) lead to some very real consequences. “List” is a story about a woman with modern sensibilities, but is fiercely loyal to her grandmother. Throughout the story, we see Raina struggle with figuring out what she really wants in life — not just in her romantic relationships, but in all aspects of her life. This is something many people can relate to: trying to fulfill others’ expectations while doing something that fulfills them. There is plenty of drama to keep readers engaged, from Raina’s family dynamics to her relationship with her best friend Shay. The characters are complex and multifaceted, thus making their issues complex and multifaceted as well. Lalli does a great job of drawing out the conflicts among characters realistically without it being too long to lose readers’ attention. Readers also catch a glimpse into the close-knit Indian immigrant community in Toronto. We see how the community is working to come into the 21st century when it comes to marriage and relationships. We also see people come together in times of crises despite their differing beliefs and values.

The Refugees

By Viet Thanh Nguyen Grove Press, 2018 Moving to a new country can be diﬃcult. There are many things to deal with, from meeting new people and establishing yourself in a new community, to possibly learning a new language and culture. But moving to a new country after leaving almost everything behind in the wake of war or tragedy, as many refugees do, can make things exponentially more diﬃcult.

Nguyen’s “Refugees” is a collection of stories set in both Vietnam and the United States. From a young Vietnamese refugee experiencing culture shock after learning the new sponsors he has come to live with in San Francisco are

a gay couple, to a woman who sees the ghost of her brother who has died years prior, he tells the tales of people from two worlds following the Vietnam War: their home country and their newly adopted country. Nguyen shows readers the hopes and dreams people have for themselves and their families when they choose (though it may not always be by choice) to leave their home for a new one. He also shows us the struggles that may come from that decision, or non-decision. One of the things I enjoyed about these stories was that the various protagonists were both men and women of varying ages, with different lives in Vietnam before they ended up in the United States (or not). The length and duration of their time in their new country also varies, from their earliest days to the twilight years of their lives. Despite these differences, there is a common theme of migration, and the good and bad that come with it. For anyone who has been where these characters have been, Nguyen shines a light on their experiences. But for those who have not, he offers us insight and with each story, puts us in these characters’ shoes, helping us to understand the life of a refugee.  Samantha can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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asianweekly northwest

YOUR VOICE

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

MARCH 23 – MARCH 29, 2019

Rare Chinese manuscript found in museum closet By MARSHA KEEFER BEAVER COUNTY TIMES BEAVER FALLS, Pa. (AP) — The fragile, yellowed, woodblock manuscript is in relatively good condition, remarkable considering its age and the location where it was found: in a dark, dank storage closet in the Beaver Falls Historical Museum in the bowels of the Carnegie Free Library on Seventh Avenue. It’s garnered worldwide attention, especially in the Chinese community, as it’s considered to be a masterpiece of Chinese literature — on par with Shakespeare in the West. “The Story of the Stone/A Dream of Red Mansions,’’ written by Cao Xueqin in the mid-18th century during the Qing dynasty, still is required reading for all Chinese. The classic — a daunting tome with close to 400 characters and written in vernacular Chinese, first circulated in woodblock manuscripts until its first print publication in 1791. The fictional work, largely a love story, chronicles the rise and fall of an aristocratic family in Beijing. How the manuscript on rice paper, estimated to be at least 175, possibly 200, years old, came to Beaver Falls is fascinating history. But equally so is the story of its discovery in the historical museum. Betty Anderson of Brighton Township is director of the Beaver Falls Historical Museum, charged with acquisition and preservation of collections and artifacts. Basement archives — filling five rooms, two of which are storage — have about reached capacity, she said. “We collect everything,’’ Anderson said, much of it donated treasures from people cleaning out attics and basements or gifted by estates. “I’ve been gifted the last two to three weeks at least 40 boxes of things and articles. They’re everywhere here.’’ About five years ago, she went into one of the storage rooms — a room that had not been entered in at least 50 to 60 years, she said. “I peeked in it 30 years ago. I couldn’t get in,’’ she said, so stacked it was with boxes. Anderson doesn’t remember what she was looking for this time, but reached into a box and felt something soft: seven chapters of a rare, woodblock manuscript bound in tightly woven thread. Of course, with it being written in Chinese characters, she had no idea what it was or its historical significance, but thought it would complement the museum’s Beaver Falls Cutlery Co. collection. The manuscript — with an intrinsic value that’s priceless, she said — was simply displayed on a shelf in a locked, glass case alongside knives, forks, photographs, illustrations and other artifacts pertaining to the cutlery company that operated in the city from 1867 to 1886. But first, Anderson, with remarkable encyclopedic recall, tells a riveting story about how Chinese arrived in Beaver Falls. Like most immigrants, Chinese workers came to America to escape economic hardship and build a better life for their families. Many first came to California to mine gold after the precious metal was discovered in the Sacramento Valley in

1848. When the Gold Rush ended in 1855, many stayed on to help build railroads across the country, including the First Transcontinental Railroad. About a decade later, 255 Chinese laborers were contracted to work in Beaver Falls. Beaver Falls Cutlery Co. was an enterprise of Harmonists at Old Economy in Ambridge. The society first established a company in Rochester in 1866 to make pocket knives, expanding a year later in the south end of Beaver Falls to not only produce pocket knives, but tableware knives, kitchen knives and forks. Handles alone are works of art, Anderson said, many formed of ivory and mother-of-pearl. A labor dispute culminated in a strike in 1872. Company officials reached out to John Reeves, a prominent citizen and banker in town. Reeves first traveled to California, hoping to entice Chinese to fill jobs of striking workers. “They didn’t drink and they worked hard,’’ Anderson said, willing to work for lesser wages. When they refused to uproot and travel east, Reeves found willing Chinese laborers in Louisiana who were finishing work on a railroad there. Contracted for five years, they were paid one gold coin a day for 30 days. They traveled by rail — about a hundred men at a time, Anderson said — arriving at the former New Brighton-Beaver Falls train station, and then walked four blocks to the cutlery. Understandably, striking workers weren’t hospitable. “Some of the men were angry because they were going to lose their jobs,’’ Anderson said. When the train arrived, some grouped at the station, but before any trouble ensued, Reeves and a constable “kept them at bay,’’ she said. Two interpreters accompanied the newcomers who were housed in a “beautiful, big stone building’’ called Patterson Manor — about 50 feet from the factory and where today stands Beaver County Fruit Co. Anderson estimated four to eight workers slept in a room, perhaps in bunks. They discarded pillows given to them, preferring to rest their heads on wood blocks instead, she said. Though Chinese workers largely kept

to themselves, they were a curiosity to townspeople. “They were in awe,’’ said Anderson.

“People came just to look at them.’’ Men dressed in silk clothes, wore sandals and tied their hair in pigtails. They built small, wooden structures adjacent to the manor where they laundered clothes and roasted pigs over ﬁre pits. One story has it that two roasted pigs dangling from a pole were “marched right into the superintendent’s oﬃce of the cutlery and put on his desk,’’ Anderson said, given as a gift. Many of the churches in town “would not deal with them,’’ she said, afraid that if their pastor befriended the foreigners, they’d lose worshippers. But one church was accepting — a Presbyterian church on the end of Eighth Street, a church since torn down. “They brought them into the church, fed them, started to talk with them, teach them English,’’ said Anderson. One worker fell in love with a girl who tutored him, but the relationship abruptly see MANUSCRIPT on 15

KING COUNTY NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received for C01300C18, South Base Expansion Development Project; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, 3rd Floor, 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, until 1:30 PM on April 4, 2019. Late bids will not be accepted. King County is developing an interim bus base which will dispatch between 90 to 126 buses, and provide all related services to manage and repair buses. The Work under this Contract is defined by the Contract Documents to be issued on a per Work Order basis. The Contractor shall be required to mobilize and perform installations and modifications at South Base. Work includes, but is not limited to, site improvements; lighting, utilities, storm water retention, pavement, and striping. A large concrete storm water retention tank will be built at the east end of the property. The storm water retention pond will be filled in and used to stage the operation Modular Units. Landscaping disturbed by construction will be repaired, along with enhanced landscaping as required by jurisdictions. Estimated contract price: NTE $23,000,000 There is a 15% minimum Apprentice Utilization Requirement on this contract. There is a 15% minimum requirement for King County Certified Small Contractors and Suppliers (SCS) on this contract. King County reviewed this Project and determined that a CWA will apply, due to the nature of the work and the estimated labor costs. See Contract Documents. Complete Invitation to Bid Documents, including all project details, specifications, and contact information are available on our web page at: https://procurement.kingcounty.gov/ procurement_ovr/default.aspx

asianweekly northwest

37 YEARS

MARCH 23 – MARCH 29, 2019

Photo by George Liu

■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG

From left: King County Superior Court Judge Patrick Oishi, Dr. Vikram Jandhyala, and UW President Ana Mari Cauce

OVERCOMING DEPRESSION you are all the time, you get stuck in thinking the worst. I was once in that state.

By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY When the Northwest Asian Weekly honored Dr. Vikram Jandhyala in 2014 for breaking the glass ceiling, University of Washington (UW) President Ana Mari Cauce said, “[He’s] someone that you will be hearing a lot about in the next five, 10, 15 years.” The last thing I expected to hear was news about Jandhyala’s death at the age of 47, and that he took his own life recently. The question for the community was, “Why?” He was a rising star at the UW, promoted from a faculty member to the chair of the Engineering Department, to Vice President of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (now CoMotion), then promoted to be the co-CEO of the Global Innovation Exchange in Bellevue. Funded by Microsoft, the new campus was a partnership between China’s Tsinghua University and the UW. We might never find out the real reason why Jandhyala killed himself. What we do know is that, a man as smart and capable as he was, solving complex problems interlinked with technology, education, and entrepreneurship, was unable to overcome his own inner turmoil. He was wellrespected and extraordinary in his achievements, which made us proud. However, that might not be the reality he saw. And his career success could no longer cure his own pain from his personal life (such as his separation from his wife). Janghyala’s tragedy does have a lesson for us — how to view life through the proper lens so we can be productive, successful, and happy simultaneously. There is no conflict between living with joy and thriving to be your best. We just have to make wise decisions and choices every single day. And if we make mistakes, we need to learn to forgive ourselves. People who choose to end their lives carry certain patterns of thinking and behavior, which we need to study more so we can help them to move forward and heal.

Don’t be overly selfcritical High

achievers

demand

View failure as a positive

Just because you fail, doesn’t mean you have to be in despair. Always remind yourselves that failure is not the end of the world. Look for humor in your failure so you can enlighten yourself and do better next time. There are valuable insights and lessons in failures. Sometimes, it can be a blessing in disguise.

Say “no” Vikram Jandhyala (left) with Moorea Seal, Sarah Studer, and Jasmine Donovan at Elevate NW Conference in 2018.

Talking (sharing) is therapy

Alexandra Valoras

excellence and high expectations. They are generally harsh towards themselves. CBS news aired a story about a teenage suicide. In a diary belonging to Alexandra Valoras, a teenager, class oﬃcer, and high achiever who committed suicide, she wrote, ‘I screwed up... I am a disaster...I am a failure…I am hopeless… worthless… and so lazy.” None of these depictions matched the person her parents or friends knew.

When the New York Times interviewed top basketball player Markus Howard, who scored 53 points in a game for Marquette University, he said he talks to counselors often. Wow! He’s only 20 years old and yet has so much wisdom. No matter how successful you are, there will always be issues, which bothered Howard and he just needed to talk to someone to attain clarity.

Take the focus off yourself

Open up

Most of the time, successful people who kill themselves, keep their problems to themselves. Mentally, they are going downhill faster than their physical health. How many times have you heard that when someone told friends or family their troubles, they feel better after talking to someone? How many times are we more inclined to share our problems with strangers because we feel ashamed to show our weakness and self-doubts to those we love? That’s why we seek out psychologists and counselors. I went to counseling several years ago when depression struck me, and it helped me.

Cumulative stressors can contribute to depression. High achievers are often overworked and they overextend themselves, like the late author and chef Anthony Bourdain who was constantly on the move, doing his television series. If what you do doesn’t give you joy, think of alternatives to change your environment or assignments. The first few times when you say “no,” it might be tough. But you’ll get used to it. After a few times, it becomes natural and normal. When I first started the Northwest Asian Weekly, I tried to fill my weekly calendar with meetings, lunch, and activities. Now, I actually enjoy having time on my calendar to go out for walks and have the flexibility to take care of last-minute, important errands. Evaluate your calendar each week. When you see a lot of red flags like high-pressure meetings with unpleasant people, perhaps, think of ways to make it enjoyable if you can’t get out of it. Giving yourself time and space is essential to our mental health and growth.

Sleep deprivation can cause depression

Markus Howard

Howard also told the Times that he wanted to be remembered not for what he did on the court, but oﬀ the court. “I think my impact is made bigger when I do something for somebody else.” His attitude towards life is mature for someone his age. You change yourself by helping one person at a time. If you focus on how miserable

Eating healthy and exercising are only part of the story. However, not having enough sleep daily will aﬀect not only your health, but mental ability, aging, and longevity. Many high achievers

often shortchange themselves in sleep. Some of us think we can make it up the following night. The truth is, damage to your memory and brain is already done. Having a good night’s sleep is vital to your wellbeing. Why not make sleep a priority everyday. However, you can’t have it if you have too much stress and abundance of tough responsibilities. Ask yourself, “Is this job worth it?” If not, you might need to switch jobs, lifestyle, or friends.

Take time for small pleasures

Jandhyala was a big-picture guy. In building relationships, little things count. In life, small pleasures can make our day. Balance your life with both big and small tasks, interacting with big shots and little guys. It would give you a better perspective on life. Each week, I try to work on little projects which bring me joy. These little projects should have little to do with work. It could be empowering young people and women, attending fun events like Comic Con, watching comedies, talking to friends, playing the piano, hiking, dining in a restaurant, and going to concerts.

Laugh at yourself

I have written before about laughing profusely for health’s sake, especially at our own mistakes. Remind yourself that whenever you screw up, the ﬁrst thing is to stop blaming yourself or other people. Blaming drains us mentally and physically. Laugh out loud. Fake your laugh till it becomes real. Yeap, fake it till you make it. Have you laughed today? Start now.  Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.

asianweekly northwest

YOUR VOICE

MARCH 23 – MARCH 29, 2019

■ EDITORIAL

Leadership matters minister. In that same year, local journalists published articles calling Asian immigration the “Inv-Asian.” In 2014, in opposing Chinese investments in New Zealand, Peters said at a campaign event: “Two Wongs don’t make a white.” The suspected gunman in the mosque attack called nonwhite immigrants “invaders” in a manifesto he reportedly put online. As the international press often points out about Trump, rhetoric matters when one is in high oﬃce and Peters’ rhetoric certainly sounds nationalist. A 2017 investigation into a New Zealand white supremacist group found its members voicing their enthusiasm for Peters, despite his mixed heritage (he is part-Maori). One lesson of the Trump era is that a public ﬁgure’s words matter, and that is no less true for the likes of Peters.

In contrast, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been praised for her response to the tragedy. She was quick to label the attacks as “terrorism” and bluntly called an Australian lawmaker’s suggestion of a link between Muslim immigration and violence “a disgrace.” She went to Christchurch the day after the attacks and visited members of the refugee and Muslim community dressed in black and wearing a hijab, a sign of respect. She promised to cover the funeral costs of all of the victims and oﬀer ﬁnancial assistance to the families. She has promised gun reform. She has challenged world leaders that incite fear and called them out. She has chosen language based on inclusion, compassion, and belonging. This is what leadership looks like. 

SOUND TRANSIT from 3

Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority, is pushing for the 4th Avenue alignment. No street level retailers or apartment buildings occupy the superblock between Jackson and Seattle Boulevard South on 4th. The parallel stretch of 5th features several large apartment buildings, street-level retailers and restaurants, and the west side of the Uwajimaya complex. As a result, Winkler-Chin says the 5th Avenue project

would be much more disruptive. Winkler-Chin also said that the 4th Avenue alignment could reactivate Union Station as a public space and multimodal hub. 

Photos by George Liu

Nothing quite like the mosque attack on March 15 has happened in New Zealand before. Forty-nine people were shot dead in attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, their deaths livestreamed on Facebook. The perpetrator — a 28-year-old Australian white nationalist who hates immigrants. In the wake of the carnage, much of the coverage in the international press has presented it as part of the global rise in white nationalism, a trend commentators suggest that Donald Trump has encouraged through his words and deeds. One of New Zealand’s local political parties is called New Zealand First — reminiscent of Trump’s slogan, “America First.” It was founded in 1993 by Winston Peters, who still heads the party and is the country’s deputy prime

Transit promised to improve lighting and walkways in the area around the new and existing stations. Several seniors also pointed out the lack of Chineselanguage signage on light rail and bus routes and would like them to be added. Maiko Winkler-Chin, the executive director of the

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asianweekly northwest

MARCH 23 – MARCH 29, 2019

37 YEARS

■ WORLD NEWS

Woman accused of killing Kim Jong Nam freed after two years in surprise ruling

By Eileen Ng THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SHAH ALAM, Malaysia — An Indonesian woman held for two years on suspicion of killing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s half brother was freed from custody on March 11 after Malaysian prosecutors unexpectedly dropped the murder charge against her. Siti Aisyah cried and hugged her Vietnamese codefendant, Doan Thi Huong, before leaving the courtroom and being ushered away in an embassy car. “I feel very happy,” she said at a news conference at the Indonesian Embassy. “I didn’t expect that today will be my freedom day.” The two young women were accused of smearing VX nerve agent on Kim Jong Nam’s face in an airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 13, 2017. They have said they thought they were taking part in a prank for a TV show. They had been the only suspects in custody after four North Korean suspects ﬂed the country the same morning Kim was killed. The High Court judge discharged Aisyah without an acquittal after prosecutors applied to drop the murder charge against her. They did not give any reason. The trial was set to resume on March 14, with prosecutors expected to reply to a request by Huong’s lawyers asking the government to similarly withdraw the charges against her. Indonesia’s government said its continual high-level lobbying resulted in Aisyah’s release. The foreign ministry said in a statement that she was “deceived and did not

realize at all that she was being manipulated by North Korean intelligence.” It said Aisyah, a migrant worker, believed that she was part of a reality TV show and never had any intention of killing Kim. The ministry said that over the past two years, Aisyah’s plight was raised in Doan Thi Huong “every bilateral IndonesiaMalaysia meeting,” including at the president’s level, the vice president’s level and in regular meetings of the foreign minister and other ministers with their Malaysian counterparts. Aisyah’s release comes just a month before Indonesia’s general election and is seen as a boost to President Joko Widodo, who is seeking re-election. Aisyah thanked Widodo and his government for helping secure her release. Officials said she was expected to fly back to Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital. Wearing a red headscarf and a black flowery traditional dress, Aisyah was composed during the news conference. She said that she was well treated in prison and received plenty of encouragement, but that she was eager to meet her family again. Prosecutor Iskandar Ahmad said that the discharge not amounting to acquittal means Aisyah can be recharged if there is fresh evidence, but that there are no such plans for now.

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Meanwhile, Huong said she was shocked by the development. “I am in shock. My mind is blank,” a distraught Huong told reporters through a translator after Aisyah left. Huong’s lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik said Huong felt Aisyah’s discharge was unfair to her as the judge last year had found sufficient evidence to continue the murder trial against them. “She is entitled to the same kind of consideration as Aisyah,” he said. “We are making representation to the attorney general for Doan to be taken equally ... there must be justice.” A High Court judge last August had found there was enough evidence to infer Aisyah, Huong and the four missing North Koreans had engaged in a “well-planned conspiracy” to kill Kim Jong Nam. The defense phase of the trial had been scheduled to start in January but was delayed until March 11. Lawyers for the women have previously said that they were pawns in a political assassination with clear links to the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, and that the prosecution failed to show the women had any intention to kill. Intent to kill is crucial to a murder charge under Malaysian law. Malaysian officials have never officially accused North Korea and have made it clear they don’t want the trial politicized. Kim was the eldest son in the current generation of North Korea’s ruling family. He had been living abroad for years but could have been seen as a threat to Kim Jong Un’s rule. 

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asianweekly northwest

YOUR VOICE

MARCH 23 – MARCH 29, 2019

■ ASTROLOGY

Predictions and advice for the week of March 23–March 29, 2019 By Sun Lee Chang Rat — If you need to leave a sticky situation, do so quickly. The longer you stay, the harder it will be to extricate yourself. Ox — Are you reluctant to capitalize on the options that are available to you? There is no reason to put yourself at a disadvantage by not using them. Tiger — While your view was obstructed before, it is now starting to open up. As it does, your next move will also become evident. Rabbit — You are quite passionate about the path you have chosen. However, don’t lose sight of the other things that are important to you.

Dragon — A difficult transition has given way to a much smoother current state of affairs. There is much to look forward to with the struggles now behind you. Snake — Are you limiting yourself more than you need to? For a solution that is personal to you and a better fit overall, try thinking outside the box. Horse — Is someone asking you to deliver more than you are able to? By being honest about where you stand, you may have another opportunity down the road. Goat — With the relative calm as of late, are you starting to look around for the next challenge? Be careful what you wish for, as it could be closer than you think.

Monkey — You have been wanting to spread your wings for quite a while now. A chance to do so will test how far you are willing to go. Rooster — An early exit isn’t exactly what you had in mind. Now that you have gone in another direction, an opportunity to reenter the game could throw you for a loop. Dog — Making your mark is turning out to be a bit more involved than you had expected, but that won’t deter you from your initial goal. Pig — You can’t let go of a rumor that you heard recently. As you ﬁnd out more, a strange twist could make for an interesting week ahead.

WHAT’S YOUR ANIMAL SIGN? RAT 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 OX 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 TIGER 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 RABBIT 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 DRAGON 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 SNAKE 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 HORSE 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 GOAT 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 MONKEY 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 ROOSTER 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 DOG 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 PIG 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

*The year ends on the ﬁrst new moon of the following year. For those born in January and February, please take care when determining your sign.

ICHIRO from 4 Athletics arrived within hours of each other on charter ﬂights from the United States. They were scheduled to play on March 21 and 22 at the Tokyo Dome in the ﬁrst two games of the 2019 season. Several of the players from both teams waved as they passed through the airport. A few stopped to greet fans

RACIST COVENANT from 5 don’t worry about it’ — that doesn’t really square with me. If it’s a document we’re using currently, we should remove it.’’ The U.S. Supreme Court in 1948 ruled that the racist covenants could not be enforced. Congress in 1968 passed the Fair Housing Act, which outlawed housing discrimination based on “race, color, religion, or national origin.’’ In 1969, Washington state passed a version of the law. Dalton said numerous state laws deﬁne her authority. “One of them is we cannot alter a record. I am speciﬁcally prohibited from going in and deleting records or text from those records,’’ she said. “My job is, ensure that those records are maintained in history. We are guaranteeing the preservation of these records.’’

who were packed several deep. Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez was the most dramatic, pausing in front of cameras and saying: “I’m here, I’m here.’’ Ichiro is a baseball idol in Japan and, though his star has faded in the last few years, he is still popular and appears frequently on television commercials. Many Japanese think he should retire in Tokyo in a

Kurtis Robinson, president of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP, said racist covenants should stay part of the historical record. “We have to embrace that uncomfortable, ugly, and yet, at the same time, liberating truth,’’ he said. “Instead of covering it up, when we take ownership of what we’ve done and where we’ve been, it gives us a platform to own where we’ve been.’’ Remembering and explaining injustices is an important part of the “moving forward process,’’ he said. Stripping home deeds of their “historical truth’’ buries and ignores the racism of America, Robinson said. Leaving the covenants in the record and having a community discussion about them will help the country move beyond the injustices people of color have experienced since the country’s founding, Robinson said. 

dramatic goodbye and wait to be the ﬁrst Japanese player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Others say Ichiro should do it his way, which is the way he has conducted his entire MLB career since he broke in with the Mariners in 2001 after playing in Japan for the Orix BlueWave. 

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“He used to tell us life was good in New Zealand and its people are good and welcoming. He enjoyed freedom there and never complained about anything,’’ Muath told The Associated Press. “I’m sure this bloody crime doesn’t represent the New Zealanders.’’ Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said four Pakistanis were wounded, and Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal tweeted that ﬁve other Pakistani citizens are missing after the attacks. Malaysia said two of its citizens were hospitalized, and the Saudi Embassy in Wellington said two Saudis were wounded. India’s high commissioner to New Zealand, Sanjiv Kohli, tweeted on March 16 that nine Indians were missing and called the attack a “huge crime against humanity.’’ Indian oﬃcials have not said whether the nine were believed to be living in Christchurch. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at least

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three Turkish citizens were wounded in the attacks in New Zealand and that he has spoken to one of them. Afghanistan’s ambassador to Australia and New Zealand said two Afghans are missing and a third person of Afghan origin was treated and released from the hospital. Two Indonesians, a father and son, were also among those shot and wounded, Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said. Nasir said the father is being treated at an intensive care unit and his son is in another ward at the same hospital. He declined to identify them. The man’s wife, Alta Marie, posted on Facebook that her husband and their son are both alive, but wounded. Marie said that both were shot in the attack at Christchurch’s Linwood Islamic center. “My husband was shot in multiple places and has a drain in his lung,’’ she wrote on Facebook. She said she was with her son, who is “traumatized’’ after being shot in his back and leg. 

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JAPAN STUDIES from 3 Bhowmik pointed out that Seattle’s position on the Pacific Rim gives the city a unique nearness to Japan. He also said that the city’s significant population of people with Asian heritage makes knowing about the demographics, culture, and spoken languages of the area “a way to understand Seattle’s history.” But Bhowmik believes that studying Japan is not only important for those looking through a Seattle lens. “Japan is one entryway into knowing more about a significant part of the world’s population,” Bhowmik said. “Another reason to know about Japan is to understand how much of an impact Japanese language and culture has had on people, in general,” the professor continued. Espen Thorkildsen, an undergraduate studying Japanese linguistics and international studies with a focus on Asia, has personally felt this influence. “Probably the biggest impact in my life, would be a massive exposure to a culture that I would never have had any contact with if I had not started studying this language.” According to Atkins, the Japan Studies faculty seek to provide students with a holistic knowledge of Japan. Wanting to see students develop with the ability to read the newspaper, understand advanced discourse, and recognize the nuances of Japanese politics, Atkins noted that knowing how the historical context of Japan has shaped the current day is crucial to coming away with a complete understanding of the nation.

MARCH 23 – MARCH 29, 2019 2019 marks the 110th year that the UW has been working to provide students with this knowledge of Japan. According to Eskenazi, Gowen Hall — the university building that hosts the department of Asian languages and literature — is named after Herbert Henry Gowen, who was the first to teach a course on Japan at the UW. According to Atkins, the university, which began courses on the Japanese language in 1927, started its focus on Japanese language much earlier than most American universities. The professor says that many universities did not start teaching the Japanese language until after World War II. Atkins, like Bhowmik, attributes the university’s progressive Japanese coursework to Seattle’s proximity to Japan, as well as the fact that Japanese is taught in many Washington state high schools. The professor noted that Japan studies at the UW have benefitted from having a Japanese consulate in the city of Seattle. Through the consulate-general of Japan in Seattle, the Japanese government has on multiple occasions recognized the Japan Studies program for its development of the field. Most recent among these awards includes the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, given to Mary Hammond Bernson, the director of the East Asia Resource Center at the Jackson School of International Studies, for her contributions to education between Japan and the United States. Last year, the UW’s Japanese language and literature program was also honored, receiving the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation. The Japan Studies program as a whole was honored

Photo by Gayle Mayor

ITLIONG from 7

Reynaldo Pascua

MANUSCRIPT from 9 ended when “she was sent away,’’ said Anderson. During their five-year stay, 10 workers died and were buried in a cemetery on 27th Street, which today is a playground. Years ago, their bodies were exhumed, sent to Louisiana and then to China, said Anderson. “Mr. Reeves was very respectful of what happened to them,’’ she said. A third interpreter would come to Beaver Falls, a man of means who brought his wife. It’s believed she’s the one who brought Xueqin’s manuscript of “The Story of the Stone’’ to Beaver Falls. Anderson said she has no idea how it wound up in a dusty box in the museum’s closet. It took Xueqin 40 years to write the book, she said. He wrote intermittently, a few chapters at time that would be bound, copied and shared freely with friends and family. Xueqin died in 1763 before finishing his book. He wrote 80 chapters and it’s said 40 more were written by Gao E. Its first print publication was in 1791. Penguin Classics, publisher of global, classic literature, translated and published five volumes of “The Story of the Stone’’ in 1973, consisting of more than 2,000 pages. ‘An absolute treasure’ A few years ago, a young man and woman of Chinese ancestry visited Beaver Falls Historical Museum from Kent State University in Ohio. Anderson thought they might be interested in the cutlery display and directed them to the showcase. The man leaned in, looked at the manuscript and told Anderson it was displayed upside down, she said laughing. She unlocked the case and handed it to him to look at more

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YOUR VOICE

school system, Dr. Allyson Tintiangco-Cubales’ Pin@y Educational Partnerships, along with Aldrich Sabac, Daisy Lopez, and Aileen Pagtakhan, created an accompanying ethnic studies curriculum for the middle school level that can be downloaded for free on the bridgedelta.com website. “Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong” and its curriculum are currently being taught at UCLA, the University of Michigan, Bakersfield College, San Francisco State University, public school districts in Northern California, and the Seattle School District. “This collaboration is really based off of Dawn’s work about Larry Itliong. I want to say it’s the first one because I can’t find one that is very specific to children and is about Filipino American history,” said co-author and Bridge+Delta publisher Gayle Romasanta. Romasanta and Jesus Gonzalez, widower of author Dr. Dawn B. Mabalon, engaged in a conversation about

closely. “You have one of the four most important books in China,’’ he told her. Those words still bring tears to her eyes at the realization that “we have something so precious,’’ she said. “It’s just amazing.’’ Anderson knew she’d have to research the book’s history. But first she had to preserve and protect the fragile manuscript. She and staff volunteers carefully copied approximately 300 pages of their seven chapters. The original, encased in special archival materials that limit exposure to light, is now stored in a bank vault only to be viewed by appointment. “I want people to see it,’’ she said. “It isn’t that I’m hiding it. I have to preserve it. It is gorgeous and it is so rare.’’ Anderson’s research into the manuscript was easier than thought thanks to another visitor. He, too, was affiliated with a museum — she doesn’t remember what or where — and asked permission to photograph the cutlery display. She agreed, though at the time said she had “no clue what he did with the information.’’ He shared it online, which attracted the attention of a trio of Chinese researchers whose mission is to preserve their history. About a year ago, Qian “Cathy’’ Huang of New York contacted Anderson, having seen the online post. “She asked 100 million questions all through the year, on and off,’’ Anderson said, and also received a copy of the manuscript, which she took to Beijing Normal University. A scholar there authenticated it. “He was excited to death about this,’’ Anderson said. Last fall, Huang and her colleagues Chang Wang, an attorney from Minnesota, and Wei Ming Yao of Pittsburgh, visited Beaver Falls Historical Museum to see the original manuscript and other artifacts of Chinese who worked at

in 2009 by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Aﬀairs on the program’s centennial. The UW Japan Studies program’s impact of excellence is not limited to just students and faculty. Eskenazi said, “Our extracurricular programming is really designed to engage with the community.” The Japan Studies program holds faculty relationships that span across the world, partnering with groups such as the Japanese consulate and the Japan-America Society, and consistently hosts various events like artistic performances and international speakers. Because of the program’s intellectual and cultural oﬀerings, “We are a place that people can come and learn about Japan in a deep way,” said Atkins. In the future, the Japan Studies program hopes to establish a Center for Japanese Studies at the UW to magnify the impact of resources and opportunities for students, faculty, and the community. “We all share deep love of the area that we spend so much time thinking about,” Bhowmik said. “And we hope that we convey this in our courses and in the programming that we build in for the university and also the community at large.”  To learn more about the UW Japan Studies program, go to jsis.washington.edu/japan. Mikaela can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

Itliong and how the book came to be published. The Q&A portion of the event was moderated by Brian Flores, a Filipino American Q13 Fox News anchor. It is Romasanta’s hope that the next generation will learn from the decades of research by FANHS, community folks, and people in the academy. “It’s through Cesar Chavez that I have to frame Larry’s story, and hopefully by the end of this, as the years go by, I would love it if I say, ‘How many of you have ever heard of Larry Itliong?’ and we all raise our hands, and the kids raise their hands, and we no longer have to frame it around a certain individual,” said Romasanta.  “Journey for Justice: The Life of Larry Itliong” can be purchased at the Wing Luke Museum Marketplace and on bridegedelta.com. A percentage of the proceeds from this book will be donated to Little Manila Rising and FANHS. Gayle can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

Beaver Falls Cutlery Co. Wang told Anderson that finding the manuscript “is like finding a Shakespearean manuscript.’’ They wanted to see everything — where the train station, company and mansion were, the Presbyterian Church, the cemetery and other parts of the city and county — and produced a documentary that’s posted on their Facebook page and YouTube. Anderson said likely there are other Xueqin manuscripts in existence, but “this is the first one people can come and see. The others are in private collections.’’ She pulled an envelope from her desk and removed a handwritten note card from a Chinese couple in California who saw the documentary and love the book. This came in the mail, she said, along with a donation to the museum: “What you, Mrs. Anderson, and your colleagues did, still doing, means so much for not only those early immigrants, but more for the new generation of Chinese immigrants. You’re the warriors who fight for history to be remembered to remind us who we are and where we came from ... What you are doing is to preserve the essentials of America. Keep going.’’ “It’s wonderful. It’s very kind,’’ she said, but quickly added it isn’t her intent to make money off the manuscript. However, she hopes it spurs tourism and more visitors to Beaver Falls and the museum. “I do not know if it will be a tourist thing. I do not know if there will be an influx of people to come and see it. We will welcome it,’’ she said. Soon, Anderson plans to host an open house so the public can view it. “This is a find. An absolute treasure. Amazing. Who would have thought?’’ 

asianweekly northwest

MARCH 23 – MARCH 29, 2019

NWAW ﬁle photo

JANDHYALA from 1

Vikram Jandhyala

thinking to computational and data science.” In 2014, the Northwest Asian Weekly honored Jandhyala at its Diversity at the Top dinner. He has also received many honors including the Inventor Award from NASA in 2008 and Outstanding Research Advisor Award from the Department of Electrical Engineering at

37 YEARS

UW in 2004. Jandhyala is survived by two sons, ages 5 and 7, according to a GoFundMe page seeking ﬁnancial support to cover basic living costs for his children. His wife, Suja Vaidyanathan, writes on that page that she and Jandhyala remained married, but had lived separate lives for a few years. “Vikram was a complex person and our relationship was equally complex,” Vaidyanathan wrote. “The pressures of two high-stress careers, raising young children, and some incompatibilities took a toll on our marriage. We could have worked through one or two of these pressures but our relationship couldn’t take all three.” Vaidyanathan said that the years they lived separately “were actually some of the best times we had together” and

that the kids adored their father. “Vikram introduced the kids to robotics, Rubik’s cubes, cricket, and cooking. They loved going to his house and especially loved the maker space he created, the plants growing under the UV lights, and his cat.” Cauce said, “Whether it was exploring the sights and tastes of our region with his sons or the time he put into studying new ﬁelds and in fostering new connections, he was always seeking to learn something new. It was Vikram’s curiosity that I’ll remember — and miss — the most.” 

Marcus Kang and his brother enjoy coding at Code Ninjas and hope to be able to build a game using roadblocks.

Aashna Sikka wants to be an author or teacher and believes both jobs will require her to know how to code.

“We have kids build simple 3D games, then more complex ones and then release them in the App Store. We find kids are very receptive to these languages,” Ling said. Code Ninjas has pictorial instructions that kids can follow, “We do encourage independent thinking before children ask for help, but have a Sensei to help them along the curriculum,” she said. The goal is for kids to build a game app from scratch to finish and release it on the App Store. “It’s a way for them to own it and say, ‘We built this,’” Ling said. “When they are ready to release their game, we talk to them about marketing and business-related topics, like how they should price the game,” she said. Code Ninjas offers Summer Camp programs, and birthday parties, during which kids learn how to build their favourite games, and Parent’s Night Out, where parents can drop their kids off at the center to play games, code, or play with robotics while they enjoy an evening out. While not all the kids may be interested in a software engineering career, Ling feels it helps develop leadership

skills. “As an electrical engineer at Boeing, coding did come into play. If I could build a program to better manage a project, I did that,” she said. “It gives an edge to kids in a leadership role in the future. Most parents here recognize that coding is the future language and want their kids to be familiar with it,” she added. Surprisingly, Sikka, who is excited about completing the black belt level and putting her game on the App Store, doesn’t want to be a software engineer when she grows up. “I either want to be an author or a teacher. I feel when I grow older, both these professions will require a lot of coding,” Sikka said. “Teachers have to teach students how to code, they already do that now. To be an author, you have to type out your story on a computer, and I feel this might get a little bigger and then books might not just be something on paper. They can literally be a story on the computer,” she says, giving us a look at what the future might hold. 

the participation of these communities, which will likely happen, can jeopardize the amount of funding going to the state and even programs meant to assist them. Part of Abellera’s work with community leaders and organizations is to get the word out that all the information the census collects is legally mandated to be kept confidential, including citizenship status. “We really work and collaborate with them in partnering so that we can help engage our communities and encourage participation,” Aberella said. “It is also to remind them that their answers are safe, and that they’re confidential, and that we take a lifetime oath to protect their information.” When we fill out the census, more than $675 billion of federal funding for the next 10 years is on the line. The population count will determine how much of that funding will be distributed to our community in programs like Medicaid, Section 8 Housing, and Early Head Start. The state will lose almost $2,000 over the course of the decade for every person that is not counted. But money is not the only thing that rides on the census count — so does having a voice in Congress. High turnout in the 2010 census gained Washington state one congressional district, and Aberella hopes that with enough participation, we may gain another. “It really stems from the work of everyone, like government leaders, our communities, our local government,” Aberella said. “These programs are at stake, the funding is at stake, the House of Representatives, and being part of the 435 seats in Congress.” Community leader Debadutta Dash came to the hiring event to see how he can help the census reach his community. He has been working for almost 15 years to get more people

involved with civic engagement, as the former president of the India Association of Western Washington, former commissioner to the Washington State Commission on Asian and Pacific American Affairs, and founder of the State and India Trade Relations Action Committee. Dash has seen the Indian American population in Seattle grow substantially over the past years, but he has not seen an increase in their participation in the census. He thinks this can be attributed to distrust of the government or a misunderstanding of why responding to the census matters. He says the undercount of the Asian and Pacific Islander community means that they have not always seen that money come back. “The India Association has been there for 35 years, but they do not have their own community center because they don’t get the fair share of their tax coming back,” Dash said. “There is nothing to lose, but to gain... It will be win-win.” Dash would like to see the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community benefit more from the census, and he feels it’s important for every community leader to help the process along. “This process gives things back to the community, and if the community doesn’t participate, it’s not coming. The Indian American community has not been participating to the fullest extent, and the other AAPI communities, too.” He says participating in the census is almost like voting. While this is not election time, he says, this is the time when we decide what our community’s future will look like. 

Details on a celebration of his life will be forthcoming.

It was this idea of introducing children to coding that got Clara Ling and her husband interested in bringing the Code Ninjas franchise to Newcastle. It is one of 100 operational centers in the United States, and the first in Washington. Ling is a Hong Kong native, who moved to the United States when she was 13 years old. She went to college in California, where she was introduced to coding. “I didn’t have prior exposure to coding, so it was a little intimidating. That put me back a little and I didn’t like it. I got intimidated and went down the hardware path instead,” she said. Ling went on to work at Boeing as an electrical engineer. “Boeing is very diverse, with a good mix of men and women. Women had the same opportunities at Boeing. With kids, it was hard for me to balance my life and work for Boeing full-time. So, I quit when my two sons, who were growing older, began to need more time,” Ling said. Her 6- and 8-year-old sons are also a reason behind Ling opening the center. “I liked the idea of running a center where my kids can learn, participate, and eventually help out and learn responsibility,” Ling said. She and her husband looked around the area and didn’t find a program that builds in-depth computer coding skills. “Most programs just introduce kids to different languages. Code Ninjas focuses on building a child’s coding skills,” she said. “Once children have a good coding foundation, they can adapt to any language in a matter of months,” she added. Ling thinks Code Ninjas provides a good, structured way of learning compared to after-school activities that rely on the child independently learning code. Code Ninjas sticks to a few languages that are important, but focuses on building children’s computer skills and makes sure they have fun. “We teach kids how to code by having them build a game they already love. We have a karate belt system — from white to black belt,” Ling said. Code Ninjas’ primary focus is languages such as JavaScript, C#, Unity 3D, and some roadblocks.

CENSUS from 1 getting their feet wet. “The whole idea of the census is for them to be in their community,” she said. “That’s why we have such a massive recruiting event.” She says working for the census is a good job for people like students, rideshare drivers, seniors, or anyone who wants another source of income. She also says it is a way for civic-minded people to support their community. “We get people from all diﬀerent walks of life that come get jobs for us, so I would say it’s just a great opportunity to help your community, and earn some extra money, and help your fellow citizen,” Mummery said. Francesca Abellera, a census partnership specialist, works with community-based organizations to raise awareness about the 2020 census. Community leaders can be gateways to populations that are considered hard to count, including the homeless, undocumented, renters, seniors, and nonEnglish speakers. Abellera says she works with trusted leaders to become a sort of census ambassador, where they educate their community about why results of the census matter, and that participation is easy and safe. The upcoming census will include a question about citizenship status, and some civil rights groups worry that it will depress response rates among already hard to reach populations like immigrants and noncitizens. According to the Census Bureau, the question will help inform statistics that are used to enforce the Voting Rights Act and its protections against voting discrimination. However, vulnerable communities that fear their answers could be used against them may avoid the census altogether. Losing

Photos by Janice Nesamani

CODING from 1

Janice can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

Maya can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.