VOL 38 NO 46 | NOVEMBER 9 – NOVEMBER 15, 2019

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA

VOL 38 NO 46 NOVEMBER 9 – NOVEMBER 15, 2019

FREE 37 YEARS YOUR VOICE

November 2019 general election

Photo by George Liu

Compiled by Staff from the King County elections website and results.vote.wa.gov/results/current NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Port of Seattle Commissioner-elect Sam Cho and community leaders in the International District.

Tammy Morales appearing happy with a lion dancer. She is ahead in the Seattle City Council race.

Election Day has come and gone.

But because of Washington state’s mail-in ballot system, this remains an election in progress.

As of press time, here are the highlights: • Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant is trailing challenger Egan Orion,

ISRD to Bush Garden developer: Try again

•

Girmay Zahilay is well ahead of longtime King County Council incumbent Larry Gossett, • Washington voters want their $30 car tabs, • Voters are rejecting Referendum 88, which would bring back affirmative action, by a thin margin.

The following are AAPI candidates who are leading in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. see RESULTS on 15

Chief Best at Goodwill See page 2, Glitter Gala

By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Felicity Wang addressing the ISRD Board on Oct. 22.

A new Chinese Racial justice group seeks rally bridge building

Photo provided by Goodwill

see BUSH GARDEN on 4

Photo by Assunta Ng

It’s back to the drawing board for James Wong —the developer and CEO of Vibrant Cities who wants to build a housing project named Jasmine at the Bush Garden site.

It was standing room only on Oct. 22 at Hirabayashi Place as community members packed a public meeting of the International Special Review District (ISRD). Some seniors

Bobby Lee

Photo courtesy of UCA

Photo by George Liu

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Golden Friendship

Lele "Happy" Tian at a Hing Hay Park press conference on Nov. 6.

The Board of the Washington chapter of UCA. From left: Hong Qi, Linhui Hao, Sean Shi, Hardy Li, Winston Lee, Luke Zhang. Not pictured: Liam Li

By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

9

By Staff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

“Imagine,” said Haipei Shue, president of United Chinese Americans (UCA). “In seven or eight years, one morning, you wake up and look at the New York Times … And it says China finally becomes number one in the world, and you see the Chinese military is much more improved than today, with

SEATTLE— A diverse group of community leaders gathered on Nov. 6, on the morning after Election Day, at Hing Hay Park in Seattle’s Chinatown.

The news conference was to express unity for racial justice and policies that benefit all of society.

Speakers included Rep. My-Linh Thai, Lynn Trinh, president of the Seattle chapter of the Asian Pacific Islander

see UCA on 12

see RALLY on 13

■

Burke Museum  10

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

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asianweekly northwest

NOVEMBER 9 – NOVEMBER 15, 2019

37 YEARS

■ NAMES IN THE NEWS Glitter gala raises $560K for Seattle Goodwill

doors looking for an opportunity to improve their lives, support their families, and build a better future. 

LIHI annual gala and auction

LIHI Executive Director Sharon Lee said Wang’s “design sensibility has resulted in wonderful places for our residents to live and thrive.” 

Goodwill board member Wayne Lau (right) with other guests.

On Nov. 2, Seattle Goodwill held its annual Glitter Gala & Fashion Show at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center in Seattle.

The event raised more than $560,000, which will benefit Goodwill’s free job training and education programs.

More than 600 people attended the event, which included dinner, a fashion show, a silent auction, and entertainment.

The 2019 Glitter Gala proceeds will support Goodwill’s resilient women. Last year, over 7,750 women walked through its

tradition, and a sense of belonging.

The Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) raised $425,000 at its annual gala at the Four Seasons Hotel on Nov. 1.

Proceeds from the event benefit LIHI’s supporting housing programs, urban rest stops, and tiny houses.

Michele Wang, principal architect with Runberg Architecture Group, was honored as one of LIHI’s 2019 Housing Heroes.

Rotary Club of Shanghai Club President Terri Lau and Seattle Rotarian Cathy Gibson.

The Rotary Club of Shanghai held its centennial celebration on Oct. 19 at Grand Millennium Shanghai HongQiao. There were about 200 guests including senior Rotary International leaders, and Rotary leaders from Taiwan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, and the United States.

That club has accomplished many service projects over the years, including multiple clean water projects in Tibet, a library project that placed more than 1.2 million Chinese language books into the hands of children, and “The Gift of Life,” which funds heart surgeries for children with congenital heart defects. 

Rosa Leung concert Our Asian-inspired assisted living and memory care community is perfect for those who share a connection through tradition, language, and cuisine.

Aegis Gardens brings you a culturally authentic lifestyle celebrating Asian cultures with no detail overlooked.

LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST We understand the smallest detail can make the biggest difference in the lives of our residents.

Our chefs prepare traditional cuisine that is not only delicious but also creates a sense of belonging and familiarity. Our residents find joy in our intergenerational programs where they share their years of wisdom with preschool children at our adjacent Stan Head Cultural Center.

Together, we look forward to the possibilities of each new day.

Call to schedule a tour. 425-786-0143

A Welcoming Gathering Place Our Stan Head Cultural Center offers daily events and classes or the opportunity to host your event to remember. www.stanheadculturalcenter.com

Photo by George Liu

Rich in culture,

Sharon Lee (left) and Michele Wang (right)

Rosa Leung

Rosa Leung sang her heart out at a concert on Nov. 2 to raise money for CISC. The event was held at China Harbor Restaurant and 250 people attended.

Guests came from Hong Kong and from all over North America.

The event raised $5,000 and coincided with the first wedding anniversary of Leung and her husband, Dennis Lam, an attorney who has an office in the International District. 

Tiffany Young in Seattle

S i n g e r Tiffany Young performed on Oct. 29 at the Showbox in Seattle. Earlier in the day, she met with local Asian Americans at Amazon. The group “Asians Tiffany Young at Amazon” organized the gathering.

Born and raised in California, Young was discovered by a South Korean entertainment agency at the age of 15 and subsequently moved to South Korea. She was a member of the girl group Girls’ Generation and went solo in 2016. 

Photo by Eugene Hsu

Share a Cultural Connection

Photo provided by Cathy Gibson

Photo by Assunta Ng

Photo provided by Goodwill

Rotary Club of Shanghai celebrates 100 years

YOUR VOICE

■ BUSINESS

NOVEMBER 9 – NOVEMBER 15, 2019

asianweekly northwest

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Poverty to prosperity

Bobby Lee: Seattle’s Director of Economic Development

By Carolyn Bick NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Bobby Lee

Growing up in South Korea in the post-Korean War era, current Director of Economic Development Bobby Lee saw firsthand how different economic strategies can help pull people out of poverty and transition a country to prosperity. He said this experience had a formative effect on his career choices.

“After experiencing a country going

through such extreme poverty to prosperity––being part of that transition, growing up in Korea, has given me a sense of … how economic development can be a positive force in society,” Lee said. “And it’s not just me. It’s my friends, my family. You get to see how they dealt with a country that was still … trying to survive after the war.”

But Lee’s career hasn’t always directly involved economics. After high school, he attended the University of Oregon for music, specifically jazz percussion.

But, after realizing he couldn’t make a living as a musician, he changed majors to public administration. He also got into student activism along the way, becoming the first Asian American to be elected as student body president at the university, later repeating this at the city council level in Eugene, Ore. After school, Lee worked in both the private and public sectors, starting with the former first. Following five years in the workforce development field at Worksystems, Inc., he worked in the semiconductor business at Hynix Semiconductor, Inc., where he served as the head of corporate strategic planning, environmental services, and communications. In both roles, Lee found himself responsible for managing large groups of people, as well as multi-million dollar budgets. In the latter role, he also

got his first taste of lobbying officials, negotiating contracts, and remaining environmentally compliant.

Lee hopped out of the private sector to join the Oregon Governor’s Regional Solutions team in 2011, managing three state multi-agency Regional Solutions Teams focused on regional development solutions––which, naturally, included economic planning. The position also meant he worked directly with legislators, fielding private industry and community interests from the other side of the table.

This role helped to prepare him for his next role as Portland’s Director of Economic Development, a post he held for two years, before joining the City of Seattle in April.

Lee said he is glad he had a chance to work in both the private and public sectors, because the experiences have given him the opportunity to see things from both sides, giving him a better understanding of how to best go about getting things done.

As the Director of Economic Development, Lee said he works with all sorts of businesses and industries, and finds himself “going to lots of meetings on a variety of topic areas.” But the economy isn’t a fixed concept, Lee said.

It’s a constantly-moving target, which means he’s faced with a new problem every day.

One of the biggest problems Lee and his office face is how to ensure Seattleites aren’t pushed out in an economy that’s moving from knowledge-based to network-based. This is what happened in Seattle the last time the economy shifted, then from a service-based economy, in which physical skills in the production and manufacturing sectors were valued, to the knowledge-based economy of today, in which science and math are seen and valued as hard skills, he said.

“Many Seattleites were not ready for the knowledge economy, so the industry had to import talent from elsewhere.

So, that is what drove up … the growth cost here in Seattle—the housing cost, the pressure on the transportation infrastructure, and our social service programs, because we weren’t ready.

We had to import talent from outside, and that helped and contributed to these inequities in our society,” Lee said.

Currently, Lee said, creativity is seen as a soft skill. But in the network economy, creativity will be seen as a hard skill, as people will have to work and find new ways to evolve within a tech-based job market. This is the most challenging part of his job, Lee said, because it means he and his office need to find ways to help Seattleites think in terms of the see LEE on 14

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asianweekly northwest

NOVEMBER 9 – NOVEMBER 15, 2019

37 YEARS

■ NATIONAL NEWS

Study calls for addressing Asian American gambling addiction

BOSTON — A new study is recommending Massachusetts officials address gambling addiction in Asian American communities.

Researchers with the University of MassachusettsBoston presented to state casino regulators in late October results from a recent study in Boston’s Chinatown.

The researchers say they focused on the neighborhood

because casinos have long targeted its residents with promotions and incentives.

The study found that Chinatown residents said they visited casinos to relieve stress from low-wage jobs, poverty and cultural isolation.

The researchers suggested gambling problems tend to develop after Chinese immigrants come to the U.S. and aren’t an inherent part of their culture.

The researchers recommend developing public health campaigns and gambling counselling services tailored to the community.

They also suggest launching a broader study encompassing the state’s Vietnamese and Cambodian immigrant communities. 

Investigators inspect ruined Okinawan castle for fire cause

By MARI YAMAGUCHI ASSOCIATED PRESS TOKYO (AP) — Fire and police investigators were inspecting the burned-out ruins of Shuri Castle on Okinawa to determine the cause of the fire that nearly destroyed the symbol of the Japanese island’s cultural heritage and history of struggle.

The fire on Oct. 31 burned down the three main halls and four nearby structures at the castle in Okinawa’s prefectural capital of Naha. Investigators believe it started inside the Seiden, the castle’s centerpiece, around 2:30 a.m. when nobody was around.

The late hour and the castle’s design, with a spacious

BUSH GARDEN from 1 had to stand outside because there was no room to sit.

This was the third ISRD meeting with Bush Garden on the agenda. Chinatown-International District (CID) Coalition — which strongly opposes the new development — and their supporters wore black T-shirts, while those in support of Jasmine wore white T-shirts to the meeting. Both sides gave passionate testimony, though their comments and concerns were repeated from previous meetings: supporters spoke of needing new housing and the unsafe condition of the current structure; opponents said the design does not fit in with the surrounding neighborhood and had concerns about housing affordability.

It was the first time that some board members seemed to acquiesce that demolition might be the best plan moving forward, including Yuko Kunugi, who said she is “in support of a new building if it can be done right.”

The initial proposal—a 17-story structure which would have retained the old building’s facade with the famous “Bush Garden” lettering—just isn’t enough, said Stephanie Hsie, ISRD board chair.

“Either save the building or save the spatial qualities and celebrate the history of that building ... even if you have to use new brick to get the right feeling back,” said Hsie. “Just demolish the whole thing and build something that does fit in with the character of the district ... that is the right height, that does fit in [with the neighborhood], that provides the same types of community spaces and spirit,” she added.

Architect Gary Reddick of Otak expressed his frustration that his team did not do a good job in previous meetings “in conveying that there is no way this building can be saved.”

The firm, DCI Engineers, did a report commissioned

by Vibrant Cities that said the Bush Garden building is not stable. Originally built as a one-story building, the second and third floors were added later, at two separate times, and nothing was done to shore up the original foundation.

“I have intimate knowledge ... that goes down to every single building element currently there,” said Reddick. “There is nothing, there is no column, there is no joist, no wood members, no footing, no slab... that building could be recreated. But you would start by levelling it, and then replicating it.”

“The goal is to do something good here,” said Wong.

“For us, it’s a personal project in wanting to make Chinatown great.”

wooden main hall connected to other main buildings by hallways, might have allowed the fire to spread quickly.

Shuri Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site, which dates from the 1429-1879 Ryukyu Kingdom era. The castle, burned down during World War II, was largely restored in 1992 for the 20th anniversary of Okinawa’s reversion to Japan that ended the island’s 27-year U.S. occupation, which came two decades after mainland Japan.

Many Okinawans expressed deep sorrow and devastation by the near-loss of Shuri Castle, which is a symbol of their cultural roots as well as history of their struggle since the 1879 annexation by Japan. Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki expressed his determination to reconstruct the castle.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga expressed his

“It’s already great,” said someone in the audience. To which Hsie chimed in, reminding everybody to remain respectful.

A woman with CID Coalition said, “We want purpose in our community and Bush Garden had a purpose. We don’t want pretty buildings … we want purpose.”

Board member Tanya Woo, whose family owns Louisa Hotel (recently rebuilt with a saved facade), questioned why the same thing couldn’t be done with Bush Garden.

Appearing vexed, Woo said, “I had been under the impression at the last meeting in May that the intention was to stabilize the west facade [of Bush Garden].”

She added that it wasn’t until she received the latest packet that she saw the proposal to take down the entire facade, which she said is essentially demolishing the building.

“Why can’t it be mortared?” Woo asked.

Hsie told Wong to provide more documentation.

“If you were given the task of saving the building ... whatever it costs ... what can be done?

Everything you’ve given to us has been from the perspective of ‘we’re going to tear it down, these are the reasons why.’”

Wong asked for direction on how

sympathy to the Okinawans, adding that the government is willing to do everything it can to help the castle’s reconstruction.

The castle had hydrants, alarms, portable extinguishers and water outside the buildings. But there were no sprinklers installed inside the buildings, Naha fire department official Ryo Kotani said.

The fire was detected when a security guard at the gate closest to the main structures rushed to Seiden in response to an alarm, Kotani said.

Treasures displayed at the castle are replicas of originals safely stored elsewhere in the city, fire officials said. 

to re-design the space, in particular the ground floor.

He said his intention was to dedicate the space to retail, for immigrants who want to own their own businesses.

Responding to requests of “what can you do to include the community,” Wong asked, “Do you want 75 percent retail, 25 percent public space?”

Hsie suggested that Wong look at other projects that have gone through.

Referencing Koda Condos, Hsie said, “People can cross from one street into the building onto the other street. How can you make a building that opens its ground floor and welcomes people?”

Hsie said Bush Garden is “one of those projects that will take a gesture of some sort to honor the history that’s been here.”

She added that it’s not about motifs, but how the building is being used by the community, and she urged Vibrant Cities to do more community outreach.

Wong said he has reached out to the community— noting letters of support from 63 business owners and more than 300 residents—and he said he will continue to engage community members to get their feedback. 

Bettie and Ruby Lukes’ ideas to preserve Bush Garden The Lukes, longtime community members and sisters of the late Wing Luke, said preserving the history of Bush Garden, is more important than preserving an old building.

1. Preserve elements of the structure, pieces outside and inside of the building, in one corner (of the new building).

2. Show a video on a loop, showing Bush Garden’s history, including notable patrons such as the late Uncle Bob, the karaoke performances, and stories about the place. Bettie said The Wing Luke Asian Museum already has a short video of Bush Garden’s history.

3. An exhibit of photos 4. Nostalgia is the theme of the stories. Find unusual stories from longtime waitresses. Over the years, hundreds of people have worked at Bush Garden as wait staff. “Memories live on, the building may not,” Bettie said.

Those stories can be published or be part of the video too.

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

Proposals will be received for E00640E19, Maleng Regional Justice Center HVAC Predesign Study; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, 3rd Floor, 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, until 12:00 PM on November 19, 2019.

Total Estimated Price: $400,000 There is a 5% minimum requirement for

King County Certified Small Contractor and Supplier (SCS) firms on this contract.

All solicitation documents are published at: https://procurement. kingcounty.gov/procurement_ovr/login. aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fprocurement_ ovr%2fdefault.aspx Contact: Regina Sparano, rsparano@ kingcounty.gov, 206-477-4807

YOUR VOICE

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

NOVEMBER 9 – NOVEMBER 15, 2019

asianweekly northwest

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ISRD annual election Tuyen Than

Russ Williams

Tanya Woo

Lizzy Baskerville

Matt Chan

Faye Hong

The 2019 International Special Review District (ISRD) Board election will be held on Nov. 19, from 11 a.m.–6 p.m. at the Bush Hotel in the plaza-level meeting room.

Three board positions are up for election: Position 1 for a Business Owner, Property Owner or Employee, and Positions 2 and 4 for Resident, Tenant, Community Participant.

Nominations closed on Oct. 22 and seven candidates were nominated.

in Little Saigon.

— Woo is a current board member and has a background in media. Her family owns the historic Louisa Hotel.

 Position 1 for a Business Owner, Property Owner or Employee: Tuyen Than, Russ Williams, and Tanya Woo. — Than is a business owner, resident and community organizer.

— Williams works for a general contracting firm, based

 Position 4 for Resident, Tenant, Community Participant: M. Faye Hong and Henry Liu. — Hong is a senior advisor to the Hop Sing Tong Association and the Lee Family Association, and prior owner of two restaurants in Chinatown, the Atlas Café and House of Hong.

 Position 2 for Resident, Tenant, Community Participant: Lizzy Baskerville and Matt Chan.

— Baskerville is the garden manager for the Danny Woo Community Garden.

— Chan volunteers his time with community newspapers, InterimCDA, and the Wing Luke Museum.

Henry Liu

— Liu was born and raised in Seattle and works in the neighborhood as a community organizer for InterIm, where he hosts daily activities for residents across seven apartment buildings.

In 1973, the ISRD Board was created to preserve, protect, and enhance the cultural, economic, and historical qualities of the Chinatown-International District.

The Board is made up of seven members — five elected by the Chinatown-International District community and two appointed by the mayor.  To learn more about the election and the ISRD, visit seattle.gov/neighborhoods/preservation/id.htm.

Seattle plans to cut funding to tiny house village SEATTLE (AP) — When employees from the LowIncome Housing Institute (LIHI) came to the Northlake tiny house village on Oct. 29 to tell the formerly homeless residents that their village would be closed in December, things quickly got ugly.

There was shouting. A LIHI employee called the villagers “children,’’ and a villager responded with obscenities. LIHI said one of their employees was shoved. A physical tug-of-war erupted between villagers and LIHI. The villagers won and pulled a gate shut.

The scuffle was symbolic of the last seven months at this tiny house village. Since April, the gates have been locked against the city and its contractors, and only a few people let in. The case manager’s office has sat empty since Aug. 5, and no one has left the village for permanent housing since at least July.

Now, after an almost seven-month stalemate, the city announced on Oct. 29 it won’t fund the village after December, saying it’s out of compliance with its contract. This marks only the second time that the city has shut down one of its tiny house villages without a plan to relocate the site.

The institute has blamed the organization that’s been operating Northlake, Nickelsville, a group of homeless and formerly homeless activists, for keeping them off the property. Nickelsville staff and volunteers have said they keep LIHI staff, besides the case manager, off-property because they’re afraid of a takeover.

“To us, autonomy is very important,’’ said John Travena, 48, who’s lived at Northlake since January.

“That we control who comes in and goes out.’’

Sources from both sides have described loud confrontations, and three homeless people have been permanently banned from the village. A long-standing bedbug problem has gotten so bad, one of the tiny houses is uninhabitable; the woman who lived there has been sleeping in the kitchen.

“The village will no longer operate after Dec. 31, 2019, and the property will be returned to Seattle City Light,’’ city spokesperson Will Lemke wrote in a press release.

Photo from LIHI.org

By SCOTT GREENSTONE THE SEATTLE TIMES

There are 19 beds at Northlake, according to the city; city officials say they will work with LIHI to find “new shelter or housing resources’’ for anyone interested.

They also say new shelter space elsewhere will offset the loss of Northlake’s beds.

“Not allowing City staff to access the village is a concerning development,’’ Adrienne Easter, the city’s manager of homeless investments, said in an email to a Nickelsville leader on Sept. 9, which The Seattle Times obtained through a public records request. “Northlake Village is on City property, authorized under City permitting, funded by Seattle taxpayers, and—as you know—is contractually operated by LIHI in 2019, not Nickelsville.’’

The city’s answer to the problems seems to be shutting the village down entirely.

In September, the city gave LIHI a deadline of Oct. 7 to get records from Nickelsville and enroll villagers in the county’s Homeless Management Information System, a basic requirement for every other city-funded shelter or tiny house village; LIHI didn’t make all the improvements by the deadline, and LIHI blamed Nickelsville.

“We know that there are fundamental differences that make it impossible for us to work together,’’ said Sharon Lee, executive director of LIHI, in a recent interview.

“They haven’t changed their philosophy by making housing a priority, making cooperation with a case manager an important aspect of living in a tiny house

village, and they have arbitrarily and unjustly made people homeless again.’’

Meanwhile, the village’s community advisory council, which represents the neighborhood around Northlake, want to see the village stay open.

“All of us would be very sad to see the permit not renewed at Northlake,’’ said Brooke Brod, a neighbor and member of the advisory council. “I imagine for some folks at the city, the perspective is ‘this is a thorn in our side; it will go away if we don’t renew the permit.’”

Trouble in Nickelsville

Nickelsville was born through conflict between homeless people and the city of Seattle; the original founders named their first unsanctioned camp after then-Mayor Greg Nickels in 2008, protesting what they saw as a lack of shelter in the city.

The Nickelsville model is an alternative to a classic shelter: Instead of accepting a nonprofit’s charity, Nickelsville residents run their own camps, electing leaders each week. Residents take on security shifts and kitchen duties, learning to be part of a community as they rehabilitate from life on the street.

As Seattle’s homeless crisis intensified, and the city faced a lack of shelter beds, the city began to look to the Nickelsville model. A 2015 ordinance created the first sanctioned encampments, with Nickelsville and LIHI managing them.

But the city has moved to work less directly with the activist group in recent years, and more directly with LIHI. Under Nickelsville management, Georgetown’s tiny house village had a 16 percent exit rate into permanent housing in the first half of 2018, from the city’s data. Now, with LIHI running it, that rate more than doubled in the first half of 2019, to 38 percent.

The city has never been explicit about sidelining Nickelsville, but puts the responsibility to mediate the situation on LIHI, saying they only contract with the institute. In March, LIHI stopped paying Nickelsville as a subcontractor, after they could not agree on a see LIHI on 12

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asianweekly northwest

NOVEMBER 9 – NOVEMBER 15, 2019

37 YEARS

■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR NOV 7

STATE OF WOMXN OF COLOR SUMMIT The Collective Seattle, 400 Dexter Ave. N., Seattle 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

MEET THE ARTIST: LIZ TRAN Chihuly Garden and Glass, 305 Harrison St., Seattle 7-9 p.m.

8 STATE OF WOMXN OF COLOR: THE FUTURE WORK BELONG TO US The Riveter, 1517 12th Ave. Ste. #100, Seattle 6-8:30 p.m.

9 HMONG NEW YEAR CELEBRATION Seattle Center 11 a.m.-5 p.m. seattlecenter.com DIWANG PINAY Beacon Hill Church of the Nazarene, 4352 15th Ave. S., Seattle 6-9 p.m.

THE DANNY WOO GARDEN’S COMMUNITY SERVICE DAY Danny Woo Community Garden,

620 S. Main St., Seattle 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

NAILED IT WITH ADELE PHAM Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., Seattle 6:30-9:30 p.m. https://bit.ly/2NiUA1M THE NEW FILIPINA: A CULTURAL SHOWCASE Beacon Hill Church of the Nazarene, 4352 15th Ave. S., Seattle 6-9 p.m. https://bit.ly/33031pe AUTHENTIC BEST LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE City University of Seattle, 521 Wall St., Seattle 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. ediorg.ejoinme.org

10 NORMAN MINETA AND HIS LEGACY, SPECIAL SCREENING WITH MR. MINETA Kane Hall Rm 130, University of Washington 1:30-3:30 p.m.

STORIES AND LOVE SONGS FROM THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE VETERAN PERSPECTIVES ORGANIZED

BY SEABEEZ Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, 104 17th Ave. S., Seattle 1-4 p.m. bit.ly/2IupsdW MALAKA GHARIB: I WAS THEIR AMERICAN DREAM Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Ave., Seattle

3-5 p.m.

TAP-SEA PRESENTS: TAPSGIVING! Bellevue Towers, 500 106th Ave. NE, Bellevue 5:30-8:30 p.m. https://bit.ly/31ZbPdM

11 FOOD JUSTICE TALK WITH KIM SCHRIER The Great Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., Seattle 7:30 p.m. townhallseattle.org

13 LATINA’S EQUAL PAY DAY PayScale, 1000 1st Ave. S., Seattle 5:30-8:30 p.m.

14 UW STUDY ABROAD FAIR Husky Union Building 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

2019 KAHPA ANNUAL MEETING & LECTURE SERIES Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar, 205 108th Ave. NE #100, Bellevue 6:30-9 p.m. https://bit.ly/2MZIMCN

17

MAKING/PARTY DECORATION PROP WORKSHOP Issaquah Library, 10 W Sunset Way, Issaquah 2-4:30 p.m.

Free lilysbellevue@gmail.com seattlechinesewomensclub. com

18 SEATTLE CHINESE WOMEN’S KNITTING WORKSHOP Sharon’s Art Studio, Issaquah 1:30-4:30 p.m.

Class fee: $10 lilysbellevue@gmail.com seattlechinesewomensclub. com

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RAVISHING WOMEN FESTIVAL 2019 1053 Lake Washington Blvd.

N., Renton 12-7 p.m. https://bit.ly/3374QRD

30 WINTER AAPI ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR Hing Hay Coworks, 409 B Maynard Ave. S., Seattle 12-6 p.m.

DEC 6

NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY'S TOP CONTRIBUTORS DINNER, "UNITY & CELEBRATION" China Harbor Restaurant, 6-9 p.m.

Tickets at https:// topcontributors2019.bpt.me 206-223-0623

SEATTLE PREMIERE: DOCUMENTARY FILM MAYOR ED LEE Franklin High School Auditorium, 3013 S. Mt Baker Blvd, Seattle 2-4:30 p.m. edleefilmseattle.com AYAME KAI GUILD ARTS AND CRAFTS FAIR Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church, 3001 24th Ave. S., Seattle 10 a.m.-3 p.m. jayoiye@gmail.com 206-409-3062

SEATTLE CHINESE WOMEN’S CLUB’SMASK

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7 THE DANNY WOO GARDEN’S COMMUNITY SERVICE DAY Danny Woo Community Garden, 620 S. Main St., Seattle 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

View the solution on page 14

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NOVEMBER 9 – NOVEMBER 15, 2019

YOUR VOICE

■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

asianweekly northwest

7

IS JOHN CHO OKAY?!

Plus, a CEO strikes back at his haters A-Pop! Asian-y things in popular culture!

By Stacy Nguyen NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY This column, I feel like, is largely about how Asian people fall prey to things out of their control. This column is about how Asian people fall prey to their inability to metabolize alcohol for instance. It’s also about how SNL fell prey to their over-reliance on hiring white dudes who are probably great at impressions and casual racism. And it’s about how John Cho fell prey to —maybe—a stunt move his body wasn’t ready for.

Taiwanese people most susceptible to Asian flush! Science!

a point of comparison, China has the second highest rate, at about 35 percent. Japan and Korea follow with 30 percent and 20 percent, respectively. About 5 percent of Europeans suffer from this.

The Asian Flush is actually a mostly chill genetic disease where a person cannot break down alcohol in the body because they are deficient in the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase. While it’s just kind of an embarrassing nuisance when Asians want to get lit, the Asian Flush can increase the likelihood of more serious conditions like pancreatic and esophageal cancer if people with this disease continue drinking alcohol.

The study also gives a shoutout to Asian teetotalers who don’t succumb to alcoholism due to the Asian Flush, which kind of makes me look at all the Asian alcoholics I know with new eyes.

SNL makes history! Should we be impressed?

According to a study by Stanford-Taiwan ALDH2 Deficiency Research, the Asian Flush affects more than 560 million East Asians. Also? A whopping 45 to 47 percent of the Taiwanese population suffer from it. As

Back in September, “Saturday Night Live” made history in 2019 by hiring its very first Asian cast member, Bowen Yang. Yang had previously been an SNL writer and has various acting credits that includes “Broad City” and “High Maintenance.”

Yang finally becoming an SNL cast member reminds me of the time I got into an argument with my friend from New Zealand. She was like, “Y’all (women) got the right to vote really late in the United States!”

And I was like, “How dare you! American is a bastion of freedom of speech and the right to vote!”

She was like, “No really, look it up.”

And then I looked it up and saw that a million other

Bowen Yang

countries, like even a place called the Isle of Man, gave women the right to vote in the 19th century. And I felt ashamed.

Anyway, better late than never, right!

To celebrate this momentous and historical glassceiling-breaking occasion, old clips from waaay back in 2018 of another SNL new hire, Shane Gillis (white dude), were unearthed.

Yes, the clips were totally of Gillis being racist— sorry, I mean being hilarious—by referring to Chinese people as Chinks and mocking the way Chinese people speak.

So after that, SNL got a lot of flak for hiring Gillis and so, instead of being honest and starting a dialogue and owning up to the show’s historical lack of racial diversity through the decades, SNL just washed its hands of the whole thing and fired Gillis. No talk needed! see A-POP on 13

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■ 2019 TOP CONTRIBUTOR

37 YEARS

By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY “When the U.S. wants to exert force, they send the Seventh Fleet,” said Mark Okazaki, former chair of Asian Pacific Directors Coalition (APDC).

“It is just a show, but it says, ‘We are here, we can mess with you,’” he said.

“This is the power of our coalition.”

APDC, like the U.S. Seventh Fleet, represents a powerhouse. With over 170 members and more than 30 years of history, the organization’s purpose, among other roles, is to hold public leaders accountable for representing the needs of Asian Pacific Islanders (APIs).

Founded in the 1980s to provide mentoring for API youth and address the lack of APIs in leadership positions in government and education, the organization has consistently fought to implode the myth of APIs as the model minority and, in so doing, get their needs met.

“In general, the idea of having an organized, respected coalition that has been around for 30-plus years continuously is in and of itself a vehicle for change, because if it didn’t exist, for many of the policy makers, the issues wouldn’t exist,” said Okazaki.

“Over the decades, we have met with mayors, councilmembers, superintendents, sheriffs, and police chiefs to hold them accountable to the communities they serve,” said Michael Itti, co-chair of the Political Voice Committee. Itti is the executive director of Chinese Information Services Center.

Most recently, APDC has taken the Seattle School Board to task. In an open letter written in July to Seattle School Superintendent Denise Juneau and published in this newspaper, APDC chair Janice Deguchi lamented that while APIs are the third largest minority in the district, their representation in the district leadership is virtually non-existent.

Juneau had told them of a top leader who was an API. But he subsequently left, leaving a single API. “We are alarmed by this, especially in the context of learning that many administrators of color have left the district, feeling marginalized, tokenized, or excluded,” wrote Deguchi.

“We also understand that although new positions and promotions are taking place, it appears from the outside that Seattle Public Schools is not an environment that retains, develops, or advances leaders of color,” she added.

Juneau read the letter aloud to her entire leadership team, Deguchi said in an interview.

While no changes have been made yet, Juneau has been on the job less than a year and elections are coming for some positions, said Josephine Tamayo Murray, another APDC veteran. Tamayo Murray is the vice president for Public Policy in Seattle.

History and community

APDC started as a way for directors of nonprofits who were APIs to meet and provide support and mentorship.

Deguchi, who took over leadership of Neighborhood House two months ago, credits the mentorship she received from

APDC role models with her success.

“Membership in APDC is a process for the young leaders who have joined APDC over the years. You can see them progress through their careers, and that has been the value of APDC, that mentoring of young leaders in our community where you now have API leaders in some significant organizations in government and education,” said Tamayo Murray.

APIs can share and develop ideas and identity when they might otherwise experience discrimination.

“The most common thing I hear from my other colleagues of color see APDC on 11

Courtesy of Janice Deguchi

Asian Pacific Directors Coalition engages community leaders to dispel stereotypes

October 2019 APDC meeting at Nisei Vets Hall. From left: Eileen Aparis, Brianne Ramos, Marci Nakano, Jeff Sakuma, Susan Yang, Evelyn Yenson, Emily Tomita, Stan Shikuma, Kathy Hagiwara Purcell, Leslie Dozono, Mai Nguyen, Frieda Takamura, Frank Irigon, Michael Itti, Toshiko Hasegawa, and Peter Tsai.

NOVEMBER 9 – NOVEMBER 15, 2019

YOUR VOICE

■ WAYNE’S WORLDS

asianweekly northwest

9

A golden friendship

“If you’re feeling stressed, give Ally a hug.”

That’s what my wife Maya said to me just before she left to go overseas and visit with her mom, who lives in Taiwan.

Whenever one of us goes on a trip, business or otherwise, the other stays behind to watch our kids. We are the parents of 21-year-old triplets, two of whom are autistic.

She knows that our daughter Savannah, along with being autistic, also has some obsessive/compulsive impulses. She knows that the last few years has been a challenge. And she knows that try as I might, I was reaching my limit in just how much more I could take of some of her non-stop obsessive behaviors.

So, Maya said, “Just give Ally a hug. Hold her tight.”

Ally, the one she suggested I hug, is our 12-year-old golden retriever, and that suggestion was made exactly one week ago.

Yesterday, when I noticed that Ally had suddenly become very sluggish, with no appetite at all, I took her to the emergency veterinary hospital. After some tests, I was told that Ally has cancer, that she wasn’t a good candidate for treatment, and that her time with us would likely be short. She was suffering.

After some discussion with the vet, we decided that we would leave Ally at the hospital overnight, where they could make her comfortable and stable enough to wait for Maya to come home the following day, so that they could say goodbye.

I came home from the hospital after spending half the night there. In my mind, all these thoughts of Ally

Photos provided by Wayne Chan

By Wayne Chan NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Ally and Wayne

Ally and Tyler

rushed through my mind, that she’s been the most patient companion you could wish for, that all she really needed to be content was to sit beside me while I was working on my computer, and that tomorrow, that would all end.

The common refrain you hear is that it’s just a part of life, and that certainly is true. But, understanding that reality doesn’t really make things any easier.

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This afternoon, I drove to the hospital to see how she was doing. After seeing her weakened condition yesterday, I expected her to be laying on her side in one of the hospital kennels, without the energy to look up at me.

Instead, as I got out of my car, I heard someone call out my name, and I turned to see a friend of mine who often cares for Ally when we are away. He was sitting on a patch of grass on a blanket with Ally, who appeared to be warming herself in the sun. Her head raised and she looked at me, as if she’d been waiting for me to arrive.

She even seemed to be smiling.

After a few minutes of gently caressing my old friend, I talked to the vet, who told me that the drugs and fluids see ALLY on 15

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After Nov. 30, $90 per seat. To purchase online tickets, go to https://topcontributors2019.bpt.me Space is limited. To reserve seats, call us at 206/223-0623 or send a check by Nov. 30 to Northwest Asian Weekly Foundation, Attn: Dinner, P O Box. 3468, Seattle, WA 98114. Proceeds go to support University of Washington Scholarship endowment.  I won’t be able to go but I’d like to donate, please charge my card below.

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37 YEARS

■ PUBLISHER'S BLOG

Burke Museum 160,000 items to tell stories of the world

Thung chai, basket boats, carried thousands across the Mekong River as they fled Vietnam.

Sperm whale skull

Dinosaur bone

Photos by George Liu

Dinosaur

Burke Museum building

Shoes for bound feet

By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

separated, how they fought death, hunger, cold, and sickness, how they struggled through rain and storms, how they comforted themselves, never giving up hope. The boat is a symbol of survival and a hard-fought battle to freedom— that one day they would land on the promised land, America. And they did.

When you are there, please examine the woven detail on the boat, which ensured no water could seep through, and there was even some storage space below.

You can also find other island cultures at Burke, including the Philippines and Asian Pacific Islanders.

The Burke Museum celebrated its grand opening in October with a new building. On its opening day, I was there, searching for my favorite pieces. What brings the museum to life? Nothing seemed to impress me much in my student days, decades ago. One reason was its limited space in the old building, which couldn’t show what the museum was all about. Now 66 percent bigger, there are powerful displays and stories to tell, from your heritage and mine. Here are some of those pieces, which brought me chills as well as joy.

The Hmong survival boat

“What is this for, this big (woven) basket?” I asked during my visit.

“This is a boat,” replied Andrea Godinez, Burke’s public relations director. This was the boat Hmong and Vietnamese used to escape persecution during the Vietnam War, to migrate to America. The boat looks too tiny and dangerous to be employed as a mode of transportation across an ocean with rocking waves as tall as skyscrapers!

Actually, it revealed creativity on the part of the boat makers. If they couldn’t afford to pay for a regular boat, they invented their own with their cultural skills and know-how. A remarkable feat.

When I went back to the office and showed a photo to Northwest Asian Weekly layout editor Han Bui, who was from Vietnam originally, she immediately recognized it as a boat. Her face was overwhelmed with emotion.

“Where did you get this? That’s the boat Vietnamese rode to come to America.”

Imagine the horror boat people faced during their escape, how families got

Scientists at work

The Lotus Shoes for bound feet

The pair of shoes reminded me of my late grandmother’s childhood. She was spared from foot binding in her village in the late 1910s. Girls wailed and sobbed as their mothers and maids forced their feet to be bound. It was a painful procedure.

How disgusting it was to know that little girls in old China were being abused!

At the time, if a woman had big feet, no man would marry her. Only maids had ugly big feet, my great grandmother would say. Small bound feet, would force all the growth of the girl from her feet to her hips, giving them big sexy hips.

It literally stripped away the freedom of women because they couldn’t move freely with weak, undersized bound feet. After binding, women’s feet were deformed so badly that they couldn’t move quickly or walk long distances— they had to be carried around when they went outside their house.

Why my grandmother was spared was because she was in Zhongshan, the same county as Dr. Sun Yat Sen, the founding see BLOG on 16

NOVEMBER 9 – NOVEMBER 15, 2019

YOUR VOICE

■ COMMENTARY

asianweekly northwest

11

Oral health is essential for overall health

By Fred Kiga In every community, for every person at every age, the health of your mouth is important. Your mouth is the window to the health of the rest of your body, and having good oral health is essential for good overall health. Plus, poor oral health can impact economic mobility. It’s hard to get a job if you are missing teeth or if your teeth have visible decay.

I was one of those kids who resisted brushing and flossing.

Fortunately, my parents understood the importance of a healthy mouth and forced me, at least twice a year, to hop on the bus to see our family dentist. As a result, I did not experience dental pain as a child, and for that I am thankful.

But too many kids do not have access to dental care and suffer from painful cavities. Kids in pain from dental problems have difficulty learning, eating, and getting a good night’s sleep. They are absent from school more often. A child who is embarrassed to smile is likely to have problems with communication and self-confidence.

For adults, there is a well-established link between dental disease and serious health issues like heart disease, diabetes, and complications in pregnancy such as underweight infants or preterm births. People in severe APDC from 8 is that when you’re in a meeting in a majority workplace and you put an idea on the table and the group ignores it, but when a white person brings up the same idea and they congratulate the person,” said Tamayo Murray.

Over the years, APDC has expanded to address a variety of issues, from gentrification displacement to education, to social services to toxins present in the Beacon Hill area. Likewise, their membership has grown beyond the bounds of nonprofit directors to anyone interested in API affairs.

“It was intended to be for executive directors of nonprofits who are API, but we have a number of people who are mid-level managers, community volunteers, retirees, in the private sector who participate because they have similar interests,” said Okazaki.

The structure is intentionally loose.

“There is structure, but at the same time, we don’t stand on formalities, because I think there is an intentionality about not wanting to be so exclusive,” he said.

“Also there is strength in numbers as a coalition, so having a diversity of number makes the coalition,” he added.

Deguchi, as chair, said she maintained an ever-expanding email list and often invites people to join.

Seattle School District

With the Seattle School District, the APDC has three items that they want to have addressed.

First, as Deguchi wrote in her letter, they want more APIs in leadership positions.

“There are hardly any APIs in leadership positions,” Okazaki said.

“So it perpetuates the stereotype that Asian Americans don’t make good leaders.”

Second, they want the school district to disaggregate data on APIs. That will show that some ethnic groups within the broader API group are struggling. They may need additional attention.

“The tendency is to clump all

pain from dental problems may become dependent on painkillers, often opioids. For older adults, the loss of teeth can make it more difficult to eat and it affects their ability to live independently.

The good news is that cavities and gum disease are preventable, and reduces the likelihood of more serious and expensive oral health issues.

Yet surveys of Washington residents highlight the troubling consequences of disparities in access to dental care. While oral health problems occur in all communities and populations, they are more common among people of color and people with lower incomes. As a state, we can and must do better. Health equity cannot be achieved until people of all backgrounds are able to access quality, affordable, and culturally appropriate dental care. No one should suffer from an easily preventable disease.

Nearly half of lower-income children in the state, and 78 percent of lower-income adults, do not receive essential oral health care.

The Washington State Department of Health Smile Survey showed 16 percent of Asian children, 18 percent of Black children, 15 percent of Latino children, 19 percent of American Indian/Alaska Native children, and 26 percent of Pacific Islander children have untreated tooth decay,

of them together and it looks like APIs have no problem,” said Okazaki. “But when you disaggregate the data, you see a different picture.”

Third, APDC wants the school district to expand discussion of institutional racism.

Currently, according to Okazaki, the district focuses primarily on issues between Blacks and whites.

“Anytime the school district talks about issues of race, they turn it into a Black and white issue,” he said.

“There is huge institutional racism that goes on for APIs that ties into the model minority myth,” he added.

“The model minority”

In the 1990s, the myth of the model minority—that Asian Americans are successful in countless ways compared to other minorities—prevented the city from seeing that APIs were in gangs.

“At the time, Seattle was deeply concerned about youth gangs and putting together strategies about gang intervention,” said Okazaki.

“The focus was on African American gangs, and it was to the exclusion of Asian Americans. But there were Asians involved in

compared to 10 percent of Caucasian children.

Regular checkups are important, especially for pregnant women and young children. Every child should have an oral health screening by a dentist or doctor by age one.

It’s also important to brush twice a day, floss daily, and eat healthy snacks that are lower in sugar.

Avoid sugary drinks, including juices, soda, and sports drinks. This is very important because large beverage companies are marketing their sugary products to kids.

Despite the clever marketing, these sweet drinks are not healthy. Drink water for thirst, fluoridated water is best because it strengthens teeth.

Go to themightymouth.org for tips on staying healthy and to connect with a dentist who accepts your insurance, including Apple Health.

Finally, we urge policymakers to work with us and make oral health a priority. Preventing disease saves money for families, businesses, and taxpayers—and it’s the right thing to do for our community.  Fred Kiga is Board Chair of Arcora Foundation, the foundation of Delta Dental of Washington.

gangs—lots of them,” he said.

APDC worked with city officials to create programs for parents. The City of Seattle funded a program for API youth, which spun off into a nonprofit, Safe Futures, that still exists.

The coalition also organized discussions and career counseling with law enforcement personnel that targeted Pacific Islanders, Vietnamese, Filipinos, Chinese, Cambodian, and Laotians, according to the APDC website.

More recently, however, the same model minority myth obscured the fact that APIs still face some of the same challenges as other ethnic groups.

The shooting of Tommy Le, a 20-year-old Vietnamese high school student, by a King County deputy sheriff last year, became a major rallying point for APDC. APDC regularly meets with community leaders, the Seattle mayor, and the King County sheriff.

During a meeting with the King County sheriff, APDC leaders discussed their concerns about the shooting, said Deguchi.

In December, APDC also holds an event for all API Washington state legislators.

“It’s a good networking opportunity,” said Deguchi. “Some people don’t have

connections, some are new to the Seattle area.”

One challenge facing the APDC is the diversity of its constituents. Although it represents APIs from many different backgrounds, the cultural and social needs of each group can make it difficult to find unity.

However, in order to be a force that can exert sway over public policy, it is essential for it to retain its unanimity, said Okazaki.

“Part of the challenge within the API community is there are so many communities,” he said. “And each of those communities has unique politics and issues, however there is a challenge of achieving a critical mass that is big enough so that a pan-ethnic organization has a bigger voice,” he said.

But they work for all their members, he said.

“If there was some issue in the Vietnamese community that got to our attention and it’s clearly institutional bias, we will get in there and use all our institutional political energy to influence the outcome,” said Okazaki. “We will take it on.”  APDC will be honored at the Top Contributors award dinner on Dec. 6 at China Harbor Restaurant in Seattle, from 6–9 p.m. To purchase tickets, go to topcontributors2019. bpt.me.

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UCA from 1 more than one carrier group in the West Pacific and there will be three or four soon,” he said.

“And you see for sure there will be one or two industries that have caught up with the West or America,” he added.

“Where is the hope that China–U.S. relations will get better in this amount of time?” he concluded.

His point: they won’t.

Shue’s organization, founded in 2017, aims to lobby for the rights of Chinese Americans and increase mutual understanding between them and other groups in the United States as anti-Chinese sentiment courses through American politics.

His organization, which opened a chapter in Washington state last month, recognizes the dire straits China–U.S. relations are in and the fallout that is already affecting Chinese Americans and hopes to take action to change things.

At the banquet marking the founding of the Washington chapter on Oct. 26, former Gov. Gary Locke spoke to these themes.

Referring to a mounting number of cases in which both Chinese and Chinese American scholars are being harassed, Locke said a prominent Chinese scientist had called this a new form of racial profiling.

“Just as African Americans have the phrase ‘driving while black’ to refer to the tendency for Blacks to be stopped unfairly by the police for traffic violations compared to white drivers for the same behavior, there is a new phrase for Chinese scientists: ‘researching while Chinese,’” he said.

Locke pointed to several cases in which Chinese American scientists have been harassed for harmless activities.

He mentioned the case of an expert in flooding who was taken out of her workplace in handcuffs for downloading data about dams.

He mentioned a Chinese American scientist whose home was invaded by FBI agents armed with machine guns that they “pointed at his entire family, including his young children.”

The charge was the scientist had distributed blueprints of sensitive lab equipment from his university. But the scientist had already denied this and upon investigation, it turned out only to be a design for a project he had invented on his own.

In a phone interview, Shue said that Chinese students, along with students from Russia and Iran, are being denied access to any research considered sensitive by the government.

Shue sees this as only one of many signs that antiChinese bias has spread into the federal government.

“The federal government really has changed its mindset, the so-called deep state has changed,” said Shue.

“In the 1990s, after Tiananmen Square, you still had the

LIHI from 5 new memorandum of understanding. According to the city, LIHI asked Nickelsville to give up control of the property, but they refused to recognize the institute.

And while the city is moving to shut down the Nickeslville-run camp, officials seem willing to work with other villages. For example, the mayor is preparing for the possibility of having to close a tiny-house village in Georgetown that has run past its legally allotted time, but the city has indicated it would let the Georgetown village stay if a church came forward to sponsor it.

Fecher has been on Northlake’s community advisory council since its establishment and thinks the blame lies

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academic community and the business community and to some extent the political community trying to say there is still hope, let’s not close the door to China,” he said.

But now things are radically different, he added.

“And everybody is jumping on that. It’s a very dangerous thing, too.”

After the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989, Shue led a group that successfully won rights for Chinese students to remain in the United States, he said. Later, he launched campaigns for the World Wildlife Federation. He also lobbied Congress on behalf of a movement trying to link China’s Most Favored Nation status to human rights, he said.

The Washington chapter

Activists in the Washington state Chinese community had heard about UCA, and met with Shue in Seattle.

Some went to its launch in Washington, D.C. in 2017.

Hong Qi met Shue in Seattle and was inspired. She is now a board member of the Washington state chapter.

She came to the United States in 1988 and after earning a Master’s in Public Administration, she worked first for the state government and then for the King County Elections.

During her work, she soon became aware of the need for Asian Americans to be advocates for themselves.

“When I was working for King County Elections, I felt that Chinese Americans needed to be civically engaged, especially in the voting area,” she said.

“The voter turnout rate for Chinese Americans was low, and I knew that a lot of Chinese Americans did not register to vote. That was my concern.”

Qi recognized that things have changed in recent years, but not enough, she thinks.

“I think Asian Americans should participate more in running for office and taking up leadership positions in organizations and companies,” she added.

Locke echoed the observation in his speech.

“Consider the fact that although Asian Americans make up 6.5 percent of the U.S. population, they account for only 2.8 percent in the U.S. Congress,” he said.

“Fifty or 60 years ago, we could chalk this up to discrimination, but I don’t think that’s the case today,” said Locke.

“I believe that too many Chinese Americans continue to harbor the misguided belief that politics and government service is somehow less noble or useful than becoming a doctor or a lawyer or a software engineer, or a high-tech entrepreneur,” he added.

Local priorities

Winston Lee, the president of the Washington chapter, said UCA will seek common ground with other Chinese groups in the area. The chapter has already started working with Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA), the oldest Chinese American civil rights group in the country.

with LIHI and the city—the ones who have much more money.

“I think that LIHI is a buffer,’’ said Fecher. “So that the city doesn’t really have to deal with this.’’

The only LIHI employee Nickelsville residents have allowed in has been the case manager, who asked not to be named for fear of blowback from Nickelsville allies.

The case manager described residents telling him he couldn’t walk freely in the village, but had to go straight from the gate to his office—something that’s happened at the village before.

After two confrontational phone calls, the case manager hasn’t been back to the village since Aug. 5, he said, although some residents say it’s been even longer.

37 YEARS One of the purposes of UCA is to train secondgeneration Chinese Americans.

Still, Lee acknowledges the chapter is just now getting going.

It has taken its first step by sponsoring one internship position in local government for a Chinese American student. The funding was secured through a grant from Civic Leadership USA, a national foundation aimed at empowering Asian Americans. Lee said his chapter would soon be working with the Bellevue School District to provide mental health counseling.

“The Bellevue School District asked for support with mental health,” he said. “The reason we are doing mental health for the Asian community is that they do need some people who know about [the Chinese students’] culture and habits.”

There are several well-known Chinese American professors in the field that will come give talks, he said.

Qi is also working on developing youth leadership, more government internships, and youth mental health programs for the organization.

Politics

In seeking common ground with other Chinese organizations, UCA has decided not to take a stand on the most divisive issue within the Chinese community here: Initiative 1000 (I-1000).

I-1000 is an affirmative action law that allows public institutions like the government and state universities to consider race as one factor in making decisions to hire or admit.

A strident group of mostly recent Chinese immigrants opposes it.

Earlier this year, the group won enough signatures to force a state-wide vote on the law under the title Referendum 88 (R-88).

“We want our members to decide on their own,” said Lee. UCA wants to first focus on common ground and then extend their efforts to work with other minority groups.

They plan to work with other Chinese groups to oppose a bill in the U.S. Senate that would change the way immigrants are admitted into this country. The bill, called the S.386 Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, could radically affect the ratio of immigrants coming from India and China.

“We want to work with other organizations, especially local Asian American organizations and we want to be a bridge between Chinese American culture and American culture—we want to increase cultural awareness and public understanding about the Chinese American community,” said Qi.  Mahlon can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.

Villagers are holding onto the hope that Sawant’s legislation can save them. Mike Dunn, owner of Dunn Lumber next door to the village and a member of the community advisory council, is frustrated with what seems like a lack of reasonableness from the city, but also feels the villagers need to accept that they’re on city property.

“I think what Nickelsville doesn’t understand is in the end, as much as they would like to have it another way, that’s not the way it is,’’ Dunn said. “LIHI has the contract from [the city] and it seems to me, they’re either going to have to become okay with that or they’re going to lose their homes.’’ 

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NOVEMBER 9 – NOVEMBER 15, 2019

asianweekly northwest

13

Predictions and advice for the week of November 9–15, 2019

By Sun Lee Chang Rat — If someone’s actions contradict their words, it behooves you to trust the former as opposed to the latter.

Dragon — As a general rule, you play to win.

That said, there is much to be learned by just playing the game.

Monkey — Insofar as your past informs your future, it is best to resolve what is lingering so it does not burden you later on.

Ox — You have your own way of doing things and that suits you just fine. Don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd.

Snake — When something important is at stake, it is better to confirm rather than assume that all the details have been taken care of.

Rooster — You have stumbled upon a happy accident. Instead of dismissing it, consider how it might benefit you.

Tiger — Does it seem like you are stuck in a rut? Try something a little outside your comfort zone this weekend.

Horse — Nervous about an upcoming meeting?

Prepare as much as you can beforehand, so that you minimize potential surprises.

Dog — Is there someone who is dragging their feet in getting back to you? Let them know it is a limited time deal.

Rabbit — Don’t give up before you have even started. Give yourself a chance to make the most of an unexpected opportunity.

Goat — Before you start narrowing down your preferred choices, research thoroughly what the options are so that you don’t have any regrets down the road.

Pig — Although it has been a struggle to maintain your focus, your persistence will finally pay off.

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.

A-POP from 7

OH MY GOD, JOHN CHO IS HURT Production on the live adaption of “Cowboy Bebop,” a Japanese animated show that premiered in 1998 and was a huge success, was halted because my boo (though he does not know it) John Cho got hurt. He injured his knee on set and needed surgery and healing time, which will probably total seven to nine months!

Cho plays the lead character of Spike Spiegel, a bounty hunter. This live adaptation and remake is supposed to be 10 episodes. We now have to wait extra for it. But you know what? John Cho can do no wrong so I suspect the wait will be well worth it!

I think sometimes we forget that John Cho is kind of older (he’s 47) because his looks are forever-youthful and perfect.

Okay, I didn’t mean to imply that he got hurt ‘cause he’s old. That would be ageist! I was just looking at his photo and was like, how is this guy almost 50 years old?

Vietnamese people, we have made it!

We’re on a reality show!

HBO, the network that brought us a really crappy final season of “Game of Thrones,” is also bringing us new bingeable reality TV. A series that is billed as inspired by “Crazy Rich Asians” will grace our screens soon via HBO MAX. (Note to self: Figure out what HBO MAX is.)

The working title of this program is called “The Ho’s,” and actually, the thing that bothers me most about that title is the apostrophe. It’s not supposed to be there, but I guess the white people at HBO MAX are afraid their white viewers are going to pronounce this show, “The HAWSSS!” “The Ho’s” is an eight-episode reality series that will follow Vietnamese Americans Bhin Ho and Hue Ho, multimillionaires who have two kids, Washington, 38, and Judy, 39. It will undoubtedly follow the antics of these rich rabble rousers and hopefully do some good PR for durian and maybe the Vietnam War at some point.

“The Ho’s” should premiere on HBO MAX spring 2020.

RALLY from 1 American Public Affairs Association, and Miss Spirit of Miss Washington USA 2011 Lele “Happy” Tian.

Thai said, “In an ideal world, we would not have to pay attention to race, ethnicity, religion, or other

Oscar winner Ang Lee probably dragged down by fellow Oscar winner Will Smith

When was the last time Will Smith made a movie people wanted to watch? Serious question. I’m still salty over “After Earth,” man.

Anyway, Ang Lee directed Smith in “Gemini Man,” a movie about a hitman who is targeted by a younger clone of himself.

I know! You’re like, “I’ve totally seen a better version of this movie before! It was called ‘Looper,’ starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt!’” Yup. “Gemini Man” went through development hell for more than 20 years.

Well, all that work was evidently worth it, because it bombed at the box office and earned an approval rating of 25 percent from Rotten Tomatoes.

This is Lee’s second consecutive bomb, after “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” in 2016. Before that, he was flying pretty high with “Life of Pi” and “Brokeback Mountain.”

I believe in him. I know the next one will be awesome.

I hope Adele Lim Daniel-Dae-Kims this joint

Adele Lim is one of the writers of “Crazy Rich Asians,” and she left the sequel due to pay disparity. Reportedly, Lim, who co-wrote the script with Peter Chiarelli, was given a starting salary of $110,000 while Chiarelli was given $800,000 to $1,000,000.

Reportedly, the studio’s logic over this pay disparity was because Chiarelli was more experienced and penned rom-com “The Proposal” a million years ago while Lim has never written a hit movie before “Crazy Rich Asians,” though she was a TV writer with extensive credits there.

Lim and the studio helming the “Crazy Rich Asians” sequel negotiated for five months before it all fell apart and she walked away.

These were her parting words: “If I couldn’t get pay equity after CRA, I can’t imagine what it would be like for anyone else, given that the standard for how much you’re worth is having established quotes from previous movies, which women of color would never have been [hired for]. There’s no realistic way to achieve true equity that way.”

markers of difference. But we live in the real world, where unfortunately, some of us have been set back by a racial and economic order that places a differential value on people based on skin color, national origin, religion, gender, and class. It’s our duty to society to fix these historical wrongs.”

Xi’an Famous Food CEO Jason Wang is a hero American hero, Jason Wang, CEO of Xi’an Famous Food, a restaurant chain of fast casual Western Chinese food based in New York City, is freaking sick of people ordering “no spice” at his restaurant and then going on Yelp to write scathing reviews about how his food lacks flavor.

And he won’t stand for it anymore.

Wang posted up this awesome laminated letter with his face on it at all 14 of his restaurant locations. On top of the letter, in red, is the proclamation: “Not Spicy = Not As Good, A Personal Message from CEO Jason Wang.”

He starts off his letter pretty normally, going, “Look, I get it. Not everyone can enjoy spicy foods, and that’s totally fine!” before he goes up a couple font sizes and goes super bold: “But, allow me to be very honest with you for a second. I would never order my noodles completely ‘not spicy,’ because it will just taste too bland for me.”

Then in normal voice/font, he goes on to write: “So you may ask, ‘Well, Jason, why would you offer the option for ‘not spicy’ if you don’t think it’s as good?’

It’s because I know that if I were to totally eliminate ‘not spicy’ as an option for all dishes, guests who prefer it would flip sh*t [sic] and send me hate mail, and my mental health is not ready for that yet. :)” Freaking American hero.

Suzanne Whang, host of “House Hunters,” passes away Suzanne Whang was the former host of “House Hunters,” and she passed away on Sept. 17. She was 56 years old. Whang was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, and it was in remission until October of last year.

Whang was born in Virginia to Korean American immigrants. She was a graduate of Yale and Brown universities. She hosted and narrated “House Hunters,” a reality show where prospective home buyers pick their dream home from three options, from 1999 to 2007.  Stacy can be reached at stacy@nwasianweekly.com.

Trinh said people must find common ground as we all want wellbeing of our families and loved ones.

“We can work together to improve society for all of us, to build a truly inclusive democracy based on dignity, not division; on our connected wellbeing, not rivalry.” 

14

asianweekly northwest

NOVEMBER 9 – NOVEMBER 15, 2019

37 YEARS

SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 6.

LEE from 3 next five to 10 years, rather than just the next five minutes.

But most Seattleites are just trying to stay here, as the cost of living rises with the influx of new talent and higher-wage workers, and homeownership slips further and further out of reach.

Fortunately, Lee said, growing diversity in the workplace is an asset to this effort.

“There’s no way we can build a middle class that’s based on exclusionary practices. So, to me, people of color …

API members getting involved is to ensure that the next generation will have a place, and, in doing so, helping to build a resilient economy of the future,” Lee said.

Though Lee’s personal life isn’t entirely about numbers, his de-stress method happens to be heavily tied to specific number targets: he has run 19 marathons, each of which is 26.2 miles long, and plans to run his 20th and final marathon this December in Seattle.

“Running has been my way of exploring my inner thoughts, and being more centered. … It’s kind of nice to end my running career here in Seattle. I hope I make it.

Admittedly, I am so busy, it is hard to keep up with training, so I normally come pretty much in last place every time–– just to be clear,” he said with a laugh.  Carolyn can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.

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15

Photo provided by Sam Cho

Photo provided by Peter Kwon

NOVEMBER 9 – NOVEMBER 15, 2019

Photo provided by Girmay Zahilay

YOUR VOICE

Girmay Zahilay on election night

RESULTS from 1 KING COUNTY PORT Port of Seattle, Commissioner Position 2 Sam Cho 57.15% CITY City of Auburn Council, Position 3 James Jeyaraj 52.38% City of Bellevue Council, Position 5 Janice Zahn 66.89% City of Burien Council, Position 6 Sofia Aragon 52.06% City of Clyde Hill Council, Position 3 Kim Muromoto 98.38% City of Medina Council, Position 2 Harini Gokul 60.03% City of Renton Council, Position 7 Kim-Khanh Van 63.17% City of SeaTac Council, Position 3 Peter Kwon 58.15% City of Shoreline Council, Position 4 David Chen 50.29% Doris McConnell 49.38% City of Tukwila Council, Position 4 Cynthia Delostrinos-Johnson 53.60%

Sam Cho (3rd from right, front) campaigning

SCHOOL Bellevue School Board, District 5 Jane Aras 39.62% Francine Wiest 60.05% Bellevue School District 405, Director District 1 Sima Sarrafan 98.70% Federal Way School District 210, Director District 5 Hiroshi Eto 97.83% Mercer Island School Board, Position 5 Tam Dinh 66.04% Mercer Island School District 400, Director Position 3 Maggie Tai Tucker 98.90% Snoqualmie Valley School District 410, Director District 5 Ram Dutt Vedullapalli 98.75%

Peter Kwon (right) and Tukwila mayor Allan Ekberg (2nd from right) who ran unopposed for re-election

SNOHOMISH COUNTY CITY City of Bothell Council, Position 6 Davina Duerr 75.65% City of Mukilteo Council, Position 5 Riaz Khan 50.06% OTHER Snohomish County South Sno. Co. Fire & Rescue RFA, Commissioner District 4 David Chan 55.99%

PIERCE COUNTY

Referendum 88 Affirmative action (A vote to approve would allow affirmative action. A vote to reject upholds the ban).

Approved 48.67% Rejected 51.33% Initiative 976 Car tabs (This Tim Eyman initiative would impose a $30 cap on car tab fees for most vehicles).

Yes 55.04 % No 44.96 %

Election results are certified by each county on Nov. 26, and the Secretary of State certifies the final results by Dec. 5. *Results posted before certification are unofficial.

JUDICIAL Court of Appeals, Division 1, District 1 Judge Position 1 John H. Chun 98.47% OTHER Sammamish Plateau Water & Sewer, Commissioner Position 2 Ryika Hooshangi 98.35%

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ALLY from 9

Ally

Ally had been getting overnight helped her regain some strength. We could take her home.

PORK BELLY I’m sure I’m not the only dog owner who attributes any number of human feelings and thoughts to our dog. I have no idea why she does some of the things she does. I don’t know if she sits next to me—is it because she likes my company or if it’s because I have a box of doggie biscuits on my desk? In the end, it doesn’t really matter because her companionship, her ability to put me at ease, and her unconditional acceptance of me as her friend is all too real to me.

In the span of 24 hours, I had gone from facing a sudden goodbye, to being blessed with a bit more time to show how much I love my friend. I’ll take Maya’s advice, give her a hug, hold her tight, and be thankful that just this once, I can be the one to comfort her.  Wayne can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.

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asianweekly northwest

NOVEMBER 9 – NOVEMBER 15, 2019

BLOG from 10 father of China. Her uneducated mother wanted to follow the customs. When everything was ready with scissors and cloth to bind my grandmother’s feet, her father arrived home just in time.

“Dr. Sun told us not to bind our daughters’ feet,” he said.

“That’s barbaric and cruel. Modern China shouldn’t follow those traditional acts.”

You will find those pair of shoes at Burke.

37 YEARS

parts of the body are also displayed. There are so many interesting things at Burke, you just need to spend time to go through the details. It might be too much to absorb all the objects at once. Why not go back there for future visits!

Every first Thursday of the month is free to the public. If you are a University of Washington (UW) student, you can get in for free. Other students can get discounted tickets.

Non-conventional director’s room

Photos by George Liu

Are they real dinosaurs?

Director's room

Dinosaur head bone

If you were a Jurassic Park fan, you needn’t go far like we did for our kids. We took our sons to New York and Washington, D.C. to see dinosaurs. You can see them at Burke. All kinds of dinosaurs are impressively displayed as if they were alive. Dinosaurs fascinate me even to this day.

According to Godinez, some of them are all cast, while others are all real (skull, Thescelosaurus, and dino eggs).

Others are a combination of both real fossils and casts of certain bones to fill in missing pieces (Allosaurus).

It’s rare to find a complete skeleton of an entire dinosaur, so usually what you see in a gallery is a combination of both real and cast bones making up the display. Now, you can enjoy those big animals locally with your kids. You can stand next to them for photos.

Other big animals

If you have never seen the biggest bird on earth, you will find an ostrich in the museum. Whale skull and other

,1'2 &$1$',$1 $:$$= 381-$%, 1(:63$3(5

Most museum executives have a formal and boring office.

But Burke’s Executive Director Julie Steinway’s room will blow you away. The room is inviting and non-conventional.

It ignites conversations. Love it. Ask the museum staff to show you where it is. Located in the center of the museum on the top floor, it is a good spot to watch all the action around. Her room is hard to miss.

Tree stump

Tree stump

Talk about innovation, Burke has it. The looming tree is a great example. Is it a sculpture or an actual tree? You decide. It works for me. I appreciate the sight. It looks amazing in the museum center hanging from above.

See scientists at work

Located inside the UW, Burke is a research museum.

An interactive museum, it’s fun to watch scientists at work through transparent glass. Burke has eight permanent staff paleontologists, in addition to volunteers, students, and visiting researchers. If you have questions, you can ask the researchers questions. The staff members will be glad to

Scientist at work

provide you with all types of information.  Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.