VOL 40 NO 22 | MAY 29 – JUNE 4, 2021

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VOL 40 NO 22 MAY 29 – JUNE 4, 2021

FREE 39 YEARS YOUR VOICE

Dow Constantine A helping hand visits ID, vows to for India’s most continue support vulnerable

see CONSTANTINE on 11

see INDIA on 12

Photo by Tony Au

King County Executive Dow Constantine met with community leaders and spoke to their concerns about homelessness and

For the first time since April, graphs tracking Covid-19 cases in India are starting to dip. Figures reported on May 25 are still alarmingly high—26,948,874 Covid-19 cases and 307,231 deaths. If you have an Indian colleague, neighbor, or friend, chances are they have lost a loved one or had to helplessly wait for news as someone close battles the illness back home. And yet, theirs are the families with agency.

Debadutta Dash, secretary

Dow Constantine met with community members and leaders in the Chinatown-International District on May 23.

By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY During a visit to the ChinatownInternational District (ID) on May 21,

AAPI Heritage Month Local, state, and community leaders share their thoughts on the importance of celebrating AAPI Heritage Month, especially in this time of anti-Asian hate, bias, and violence.

“AAPI Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate our vibrant and diverse cultures and to educate our whole society about us. It is also an opportunity to stand together against hate crimes—they are a poison in our civil society by making whole communities feel unwelcome.

Nobody who calls Washington home should live in fear because of who they are, how they are perceived, or what part of the world they or their families came from.”

— State Sen. Manka Dhingra see API on 12

Feds: Interstate burglary ring targeted Asian homeowners NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Federal prosecutors in New Jersey announced charges on May 25 against eight people who allegedly ran a coordinated, multi-state residential burglary ring that targeted people of Asian descent.

The group gained information on potential victims by burglarizing their cars and, in some cases, placing makeshift tracking in the vehicles, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Once targeted, the homes often were broken into through unsecured, second-floor windows. The burglaries occurred in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware.

The group allegedly targeted business owners, typically

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of Asian family-owned restaurants. In one burglary, about $500,000 in cash was stolen, according to a criminal complaint.

According to the complaint, authorities used a cellphone dropped by one of the burglars at a home in Newark, Delaware, and surveillance video of a Dodge Durango at a home in Eatontown, New Jersey, several months later to track some of the burglars to a home in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

In March 2019, authorities followed three men from the see BURGLARY on 11

Photo provided by Debadutta Dash

By Janice Nesamani NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Sukarya’s field team spreads Covid-19 awareness in the slums of Gurugram, India under its Urban Slum Health Action program.

Health department director Anthony Chen attacked

Dr. Anthony Chen

“Violence is a public health concern,” wrote Dr. Anthony Chen, director of health of Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, see CHEN on 10

THE INSIDE STORY VOICES panel asks: What lies ahead for APIs on the screen?  6 Overcoming a history of racism and misogyny 7

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

asianweekly

■ NAMES IN THE NEWS Cara Kwon wins 2021 Congressional Art Competition

Cara Kwon holding her winning painting.

39 YEARS

MAY 29 – JUNE 4, 2021

Cara Kwon, a junior at Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, is the winner of the 2021 Congressional Art Competition for Washington’s 10th Congressional District, Rep. Marilyn Strickland announced on May 24.

Kwon was selected by a panel of judges for her acrylic painting depicting her uncle comforting her grandfather in the hospital before he

passed away from Alzheimer’s.

“I wanted to highlight my grandpa’s hand being held by my uncle, who was the only person allowed to be there with him due to the COVID restrictions, by using vibrant colors on the hand and duller colors in the background so that the viewers could see that first and then their eyes would follow what he is holding,” Kwon said. “I wanted to share this to encourage people to reach out to their close ones as much as possible because once they are gone, they are gone.” Kwon’s painting will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year next to the art of students from each district across the country. 

Renae Seam runs for Federal Way City Council

Renae Seam is running for Federal Way City Council to provide “a voice and attention to all of the diverse communities in our city.”

Born to immigrants from India, Seam has lived in Federal Way for over 25 years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science at the University of

Washington, and volunteered in organizations advocating for educational opportunities for disadvantaged youth, closing educational disparities, and uplifting youth voices.

She worked at Boeing Employee Credit Union, where she “focused on risk Renae Seam management and analytics, building solutions and opportunities for community members to remain financially secure during COVID.” 

Maynard‌ ‌Alleyway‌ ‌mural‌ ‌

Bee Nguyen runs for Georgia secretary of state

Democratic Georgia state Rep. Bee Nguyen announced in May that she’s running for secretary of state in 2022.

With Republican incumbent Brad Raffensperger besieged from the right by challengers who say he didn’t do enough to defend Donald Trump as Joe Biden won Georgia’s Rep. Bee Nguyen 16 electoral votes, Nguyen is taking a different tack, appealing to Democrats as a defender of her party’s recent success in Georgia’s elections.

In her campaign announcement, Nguyen highlighted her work to debunk claims of electoral fraud, noting how her questioning of former Trump campaign operative Matt Braynard in a December legislative hearing poked holes in a number of Braynard’s claims. She also highlighted her opposition to Georgia’s new election law.

The daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Nguyen has had a high profile after the March shootings that killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent, at Atlanta-area massage businesses. 

Photo provided by Seattle DOT

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northwest

Akira Ohiso, artist (left) and Angelina Villalobos, mural project technical advisor, installing the Slurp mural ‌last weekend.

The Slurp mural (images of painted noodles created

by Akiro Ohiso) was installed last weekend along Maynard Alleyway and ‌across‌ ‌South‌ ‌King‌ ‌Street‌.

The project is the culmination of engagement with the Chinatown-International District communities and work by the Maynard Alley Partnership (MAP) to reimagine Maynard Alley as a vibrant, communityfocused pedestrian space.

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture worked in close partnership with MAP, SCIDpda, CIDBIA, the Wing Luke Museum, and the Seattle Together Initiative to facilitate the community’s vision for this space.

The project is funded through the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and Seattle Department of Transportation’s 1% for Art program. 

Getting your COVID-19 Vaccine is Easier than Ever Available to anyone 12 years and older at no cost Free ride from Uber or Lyft to your vaccine appointment through July 4 Go to VaccineLocator.doh.wa.gov or text your zip code to 438-829 (GET VAX) for locations near you Need help? Call 1-833-VAX-HELP (833-829-4357), then press #. Language assistance is available.

Schedule your appointment today.

Visit VaccineLocator.doh.wa.gov or scan the code.

MAY 29 – JUNE 4, 2021

YOUR VOICE

asianweekly northwest

■ COMMUNITY HEALTH

WASHINGTON STATE COVID NEWS, UPDATES, RESOURCES AND SERVICES Information for you and your families

Resources for adults 65+

People over 65 years old and people with underlying health conditions, are at higher risk of complications from COVID-19. The most important step you can take is to protect yourself. Here are some resources to help you during this time.

SPONSORED CONTENT

Nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult family homes

Visits to all long-term care facilities are restricted.

Check the latest restrictions at coronavirus.wa.gov/ what-you-need-know/safe-start/whats-open.

Use the state Department of Social and Health Service’s facility location and visitor status finder for information about a specific facility or updates about visitation restrictions at dshs.wa.gov/altsa/famhelpfacility-status-and-information.

Additionally, you can also call the state’s hotline for questions about long-term care facilities, 888-8565691 (open 6 a.m.–10 p.m. daily).

■ BRIEFLY SAAM reopening

“Reimagined.

Reinstalled.

Reopening at last.”

That’s what the Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM) website states. SAAM is set to reopen to the public on May 28.

The restoration of the historic Art Deco building, improvements to critical systems, expanded gallery and education spaces, and a new park lobby that connects the museum to the surrounding Volunteer Park are just some of the ways SAAM has been transformed.

“You will no longer find galleries labeled China, Japan, or India. Instead, vibrant artworks from Vietnam to Iran, and everywhere in between, come together to tell stories of human experiences across time and place,” states SAAM’s website.

You can get tickets at inspire.site.seattleartmuseum.org.

Museum capacity is still reduced to keep everyone safe and masks are required. 

Childcare, K-12 and higher education

Learn more on advice given to schools before reopening and more COVID-19-related information on childcare, schools, colleges and universities, as well as education support for multilingual families at coronavirus.wa.gov/information-for/you-and-yourfamily/childcare-k-12-and-higher-education.

Washington Connection offers a fast and easy way for families and individuals to apply for a variety of services such as food, cash, child care, longterm care and medicare savings programs. Go to washingtonconnection.org/home.

Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) has developed a list of resources to address the financial impacts of the coronavirus, including mortgage assistance, financial resources and financial scams.

Find it at dfi.wa.gov/coronavirus.

Safer gatherings

Gathering with people you don’t live with—even close friends and family—may spread COVID-19.

The more people you interact with at a gathering and the longer that interaction lasts, the higher the risk of becoming infected. Although the COVID-19 vaccine is now available, it will take months before everyone in our state has the opportunity to get vaccinated.

Use the Vaccine Locator to find a COVID-19 vaccination appointment near you. If you need help, call the hotline at 1-833-VAX-HELP (833-829-4357).

Language assistance is available. 

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received by the King County Procurement Services Section through the County’s E-Procurement system for the following listed bids.

Instructions on how to submit a bid electronically, view any current bid opportunities, express interest, communicate with the Buyer via Message app and/or successfully submit a bid through the E-Procurement system prior to the Close date and time indicated in the solicitation are provided on the County’s website or by following this link: https:// kingcounty.gov/procurement/registration King County encourages minority business enterprise participation. King County does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its programs,

services, and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

KC000235 OPENS: 06/09/2021 RFP: Privacy Maturity Assessment Consulting KC000230 OPENS: 06/11/2021 RFP DAJD Victim Notification Technology Services RFP/A KC-0000014499 OPENS: 06/21/2021 Vehicle / Vehicle Licensing Sub-Agent-Woodinville Please contact the Contract Specialist for more information on this solicitation Vicki Nakamichi Vicki.Nakamichi@kingcounty.gov (206) 263-9299

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asianweekly northwest

MAY 29 – JUNE 4, 2021

■ COMMUNITY NEWS Free shuttle to Lumen Field vaccination site A free shuttle connecting multiple locations to the Lumen Field vaccination site is now available to residents. The shuttle runs every 15 minutes, from 10:45 a.m.–7:15 p.m., on days that the site is open.

Pick-up locations: • Lumen Field North Parking Lot: 521 Stadium Pl. S., northbound in the north parking lot • International District/ Chinatown light rail station: Fifth Avenue and South Jackson Street, southbound on Fifth Avenue South at South King Street • Stadium light rail station: 501 S. Royal Brougham Way,

southbound on the SODO Busway just south of South Royal Brougham Way • Lumen Field accessible entrance for people with language access and mobility needs and small children: Westbound on South Royal Brougham Way • Lumen Field main entrance: Near corner of Occidental Avenue South and South Royal Brougham Way The service is operated by TransWest and provided by Expedia Group with support from King County Metro, the City of Seattle, and the community. 

39 YEARS

Boeing donates to local AAPI organizations In observance of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, Boeing announced a $1.1 million investment package to help fund AAPI support organizations. In the Puget Sound region, that includes five grants totaling $350,000 to support Neighborhood House ($100,000), Tacoma Community House ($90,000), One America ($75,000), Asian Counseling & Referral Services ($75,000), and Asian Pacific Cultural Center ($10,000).

Executive Vice President of Government Operations, Tim Keating, said, “These investments build on Boeing’s longstanding commitment to supporting those in underserved and marginalized communities and recognizes the challenging issues currently being faced by the AAPI community.” 

■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR MAY MONTH OF MAY VIRTUAL KODOMO NO HI jcccw.org CROSSINGS TV ANNOUNCES ITS, “ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER MONTH DOCUMENTARY SERIES” For schedule, go to crossingstv.com/ programming/programmingseattle

27-30

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UW-TAIWAN STUDIES PROGRAM’S RAGE BY B. DANCE Register at https://bit.ly/3eSpgGc taiwanst@uw.edu

NATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY AGAINST AAPI HATE RALLIES Bellevue Downtown Park 1 p.m. pathwayus.org solidarityagainstaapihate.org

28-31 FROM HOME TO HOME: 50TH ANNUAL NORTHWEST FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL Virtually at nwfolklife.org

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1 p.m. festalpagdiriwang.com

JUN 5&6

9 A BOOK TALK WITH AUTHORS DR. LISA HOFFMAN AND DR. MARY HANNEMAN, “BECOMING NISEI” Via Zoom 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Pre-registration required https://bit.ly/3eYYzQ612

HAIKU CONTEST IS OPEN TO ANYONE ANYWHERE For details, go to japanfairus.org/haiku-contest Deadline is June 12, 11:59 p.m.

17 VIRTUAL TOMODACHI GALA Online via youtube.com/user/JCCCWA 7-7:45 p.m.

PAGDIRIWANG PHILIPPINE FESTIVAL Seattle Center

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YOUR VOICE

MAY 29 – JUNE 4, 2021

asianweekly northwest

■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Student poetry anthology drives home that children are our future

By Kai Curry NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY “The sky blue of the ocean brings me my memories, I remember all the sky and clouds surrounding my emotions: sadness, hatefulness, happiness, loneliness and loveliness.”

Jaymark Cabang

In a poem titled “I Remember,” then 15-year-old Jaymark Cabang recalls his homeland, the Philippines. Cabang is one of a diverse student group from the multilingual class at Foster High School, where for the past eight years, each new class has been creating a poetry anthology.

Part of The Stories of Arrival: Refugee and Immigrant Youth Voices Poetry Project, the anthology is the heart’s work of teacher Carrie Stradley, Vashon Island poet Merna Hecht, and students from around the world.

With the mentorship and instruction of Stradley and Hecht, the students not only compose poems on selected themes each year, but also create accompanying visual art and have a chance to record themselves speaking their poems through Jack Straw Cultural Center.

In “We Are the Future: Poems with a Voice for Peace”—the anthology for the 2020-2021 academic year—the poems and visual artwork speak of separation and loss. They speak of painful memories, but also hope for the future. Students from Burma, Iraq, Somalia, Nepal, and other nations under siege by environmental and political turmoil, talk about forced migration, and they talk about home.

Within a few pages, the reader is struck by the depth of emotion and experience of these young people, and by how atrociously adults have let them down.

“The hardest thing for me isn’t the painful struggle that any one young person has had because they are, for me, a source of hope and I see their courage and resilience…the most painful thing for me is…what kind of world are we offering these kids?” Hecht, project founder and co-director, told the Weekly.

Stradley, co-director, hopes readers will “recognize the validity of youth voice” that often gets “overlooked because people think they don’t have authority or agency,” and yet, “they are listening and watching more than we know.” It is clear from the poems and images that youth such as Cabang view the world with all senses wide open, and they see the good and the bad.

“I remember the violence, raping, and killing in my country. And I remember the sound of Mother Nature coming into my heart, sounding like a bee.”

Cabang’s poem talks of closely observed joys of childhood, as well as tragedies that no child should have to withstand. In another poem on climate change, one of the themes for this year’s anthology, Cabang hopes for a solution because “the clouds are crying” and in his self-portrait introduction at the end of the book, he explains his struggles as a student in the Philippines, walking for hours back and forth to school every day.

In the accompanying image, Cabang’s face is colored an exhausted red, and he is loaded down by his backpack.

Cabang said he liked participating in the project because he feels great that “people could understand about me and know about me, knowing who I am and how I live.” Stradley and Hecht also hope the books will raise awareness of other cultures and bring them closer to us.

“One of the most important things we’re trying to do with this project is beat the stereotypical, sometimes very racist… narratives and flip the narrative to the deeply human,” explained Hecht, who emphasized how much she learns every year from these students, such as about “the space of arrival” that is “neither here nor there.”

“I had no idea the depth and complexity of what that space meant…a young person that has left your motherland…we learn more about what immigration, forced migration, means on the deep, storied, personal level.”

All of the participants find an outlet in poetry and visual image that is simply not possible in everyday speech or formal English class, especially when English is not your first language. Stradley loves that poetry gives students a chance to tell their stories themselves. She still recalls a poem from a student years ago, who said, “It’s so hard to live in somebody else’s country.”

Working on this project has helped her better understand the immigrant experience and is a constant reminder to her to check her own biases.

“Especially as white educators, it’s our responsibility to check in with ourselves. The people that are in front of us are all students of color and we have to continually…grow and learn and be open…this is work that is never ending and that’s why we keep coming back to it.”

When students take the class, they are

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with backpacks on their backs for their future…”

You can open to any page and find a heartrending line, and tribute to the ability of poetry to allow “the heart to go to the page,” as Hecht describes. Yet some contributions are light-hearted, such as the self-portrait

by Vietnamese student Mai Thy Luu, who depicts herself wearing cool glasses, Vietnamese flag on her cheek, drinking boba tea. The book shows us youth who are older in their thinking than we suppose, and yet the children inside of them ache for home.

“Orange, my favorite fruit and my favorite color, Yellow, the sun when it’s raining every morning in Samoa, Blue, the sound of the ocean waves in my country…” (Timothy Tafa, “Let Us Celebrate”)  around 15 and 16 years old. Their poetry vividly demonstrates how much they love the countries they have been forced to leave behind, for whatever reason, even as they heroically endeavor to adjust to life in the United States.

In “Letter to Vietnam,” Viet Q. Nguyen fervently writes, “Leave Vietnam forever in peace…Leave the land for our next generation, leave our pride and happiness without the taste of war. Leave the youth

“We Are the Future: Poems with a Voice for Peace” can be purchased at Chin Music Press. Former editions from “The Stories of Arrival” can be found on Amazon and Chatwin Press. Proceeds from sale of the books help fund an academic scholarship for the students.

Kai can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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39 YEARS

MAY 29 – JUNE 4, 2021

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

VOICES panel asks: What lies ahead for APIs on the screen?

From top left (clockwise): Albert Cheng, Sanjay Sharma, Nina Yang Bongiovi, and Daniel Dae Kim.

By Andrew Hamlin NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY “What is race relations 2.0?” asked Korean American actor and producer Daniel Dae Kim. “What is being ahead of the curve?”

Those questions were just two of the many provocative and heartfelt statements made, from the online conference “VOICES: API Representation in Film & Media,” presented online on May 20. The conference, presented

by Amazon Studios with the Producers Guild of America and Gold House, is available to watch at dei.amazonstudios.com.

Two Amazon employees introduced and moderated throughout: Latasha Gillespie, head of Global DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) for Amazon Studios, Prime Video, and the Internet Movie Database; and Albert Cheng, chief operating officer and co-head of Television, Amazon Studios.

Dr. Nancy Wang

After greetings from Gillespie and then Cheng—who noted that seeing George Takei on “Star Trek” was one of the very few positive Asian role models in media he grew up with, sociologist Dr. Nancy Wang Yuen presented on “The History of Anti-Asian Racism in Media, Up to Today.”

Yeun covered mostly Hollywood depictions of Asianness down the decades, with asides to note such breakthrough foreign films as Akira Kurosawa’s award-winning film “Rashomon” and Satyajit Ray’s “Apu Trilogy,” both from the 1950s.

She cautioned that though respect for Asian and Asian American performers is improving along some fronts, Hollywood still demonstrates plenty of whitewashing and yellowface. She allowed that in the larger sense of things, actors should be allowed to play the parts they want to play—but so long as Asians are not allowed to play roles reserved for white actors, that artistic license only goes one way. She also brought up the power of social media, allowing communities to spread the word about worthy films, and coordinate to pack theaters.

Albert Cheng moderated the next panel, “Hollywood’s Complicity in Anti-Asian Racism & How Leaders Can Drive Change,” featuring Daniel Dae Kim, along with film producer Nina Yang Bongiovi and Sanjay Sharma, founder & CEO of Marginal Mediaworks and board chair of Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment.

Sharma, who recalled with a laugh the stresses of growing up Indian in America’s Deep South, recalled learning humor as a defusing ploy, “where running or fighting weren’t options...

Hopefully there’s an awareness that that wasn’t right.”

Bongiovi stressed the importance of talking and liaising with Latinx and Black peers. Kim followed that up with the necessity of “being an ally,” responding to other minority communities in kind, as an important step to keep “moving the needle.”

Three 10-minute presentations on “Changing the Narrative” brought up three new faces.

Comedian and filmmaker Hari Kondabolu recalled that coming up through the ranks of standup comedy, he’d throw in stereotypical Indian humor— but after 9/11 and the subsequent wave of anti-Muslim hostility, he realized he couldn’t keep treading that path.

Film scholar and filmmaker Celine Parreñas Shimizu examined the long history of

hypersexualing Asians in Western media. And Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas detailed his experience ‘jumping off a legal cliff,” when he publicly examined his own undocumented status in the United States.

A panel devoted to “API Representation on Screen” featured Sophia Ali and Stephanie Hsu from TV shows “The Wilds” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” respectively, casting director Julia Kim, and moderator Elaine Low from “Variety.”

Asked by Low which one single change they’d like to see regarding API screen representation, Kim challenged

folks to “show up [and] go see these beautiful stories that deserve support.”

Hsu wished for “artists and the industry alike [to] take more risk, push more boundaries.”

Ali dared to postulate a future without racial or cultural labels.

“Into the future... I just really want a time where people allow other people to be undefinable.”

Musical performances from AJ Rafael and Alyssa Navarro, and then Amber Liu, concluded the program.  Andrew can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

MAY 29 – JUNE 4, 2021

YOUR VOICE

■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

asianweekly northwest

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Overcoming a history of racism and misogyny A Wing Luke webinar and discussion

By Kai Curry NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Wing Luke Museum’s “Asian American Women Rising: NOT Your Model Minority” was a masterfully crafted webinar on May 22, with the goal of inspiring viewers to participate in our democracy for the purpose of ending hate and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Connie So used this infamous cover Islanders (AAPI), from a 1984 issue of Newsweek to especially women. demonstrate the harmfulness of the Model Minority Myth.

Starting with vital information on discrimination and the Model Minority Myth, the talk led to topics of police violence, institutionalized racism, and fetishization of Asian women, and ended with a call to action.

Doan Diane Hoang Dy, senior tour manager, started with a sample of the tour of the Museum’s history as a hotel for AAPI immigrants. Walking through halls where hopeful immigrants once lived was the perfect set up for a conversation about how life has not quite been the “American Dream.” Dy described the treatment of women in the 1800s and early 1900s, when any female was suspected of coming here for the purpose of prostitution.

She also pointed out how the first major immigrant groups—Chinese, Japanese, and Filipinos—formed organizations to help each other, and she turned her camera

This still from the 1987 movie “Full Metal Jacket” was shown as an example of exploitation of Asian women during the Vietnam War.

towards the awnings that we still can see in the ChinatownInternational District, which beckoned to newcomers and let them know there was a family of sorts here.

From these early days, an idea was forming in the minds of white Americans that these new immigrants were dangerous, might take their jobs, and would damage their way of life. Legislation such as the Chinese Exclusion Act created a situation where people denied citizenship would be disadvantaged in building lasting prosperity in their new country.

Connie So, president of the Seattle Chapter of OCA, brought us up to date on what developed into the Model Minority Myth, how to debunk the myth, and how it relates to hate crimes. “Asian Americans are perceived as a favored minority…because we work very hard,” so the myth goes, and are “out-whiting whites—whatever that means.” When civil rights leaders in the 1960s accused the U.S. of institutionalized racism, responders went to the Asian American population to show that minorities do well here—but the statistics were skewed.

Then and now, statistics to “prove” this myth most commonly use median family income and level of education, which don’t tell the true story. They don’t tell of the multiple people living in one household—which is why an individual income marker is more truthful, or of educated immigrants who have to find blue collar jobs when they get here. They tell us that most AAPIs live in large cities, where income is higher—but they don’t tell us that life is expensive there.

So’s talk led to the disturbing rise in hate crimes against AAPIs, which picked up significantly once the coronavirus was called the “Kung Flu.” In Washington state, between March and December of 2020, 542 hate crimes against AAPIs were reported, the second highest per capita in the nation, and this number is expected to be larger in 2021.

Ninety percent of perpetrators are white people whose fears of the “Yellow Peril” are perpetuated by misleading data.

By this point in the presentation, many people had to be thinking about recent examples of hate, such as the murders in Atlanta, which the next speaker, Amy Huang, a social work practitioner at the University of Washington (UW), tied into sexualization and fetishization of Asian American women that leads to misogyny.

“U.S. colonialism and Western imperialism has generated and perpetuated white supremacist narratives,” Huang stated. Asian women are stereotyped, for the benefit of the white male, as submissive. Huang gave examples from the Vietnam War, when local women were offered up to U.S. military men. From there, it was just a few steps of twisted thinking until Robert Long murdered massage workers to assuage his own sexual deviance.

What can we do against the waves of lies that serve the see WOMEN RISING on 10

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asianweekly northwest

39 YEARS

MAY 29 – JUNE 4, 2021

■ NATIONAL NEWS

Alexandra Huynh, 18, is the new National Youth Poet Laureate

NEW YORK (AP) — An incoming firstyear student at Stanford University has been named the new National Youth Poet Laureate.

Alexandra Huynh, 18, is a secondgeneration Vietnamese American from

Sacramento, California, who sees poetry both as a means to self-expression and social justice.

“I spend a lot of time in my head, so poetry is for me a sort of survival mechanism,” Huynh said during a telephone interview on May 20 from her home. “I wouldn’t be able to move through the world with the same amount of clarity had I not worked it out first on the page.”

Her appointment to a one-year term was announced on May 20 during a virtual ceremony presented by the Kennedy Center and by the literary arts and development organization Urban Word, which established the national youth laureate program in 2017. In her new position, she will visit with students and hold workshops around the country. She counts among her

goals passing on her own experiences to others.

Huynh was selected from among four regional finalists for a position first held by Amanda Gorman, who became an international celebrity in January after reading at President Joe Biden’s inauguration and for Huynh became an inspiration.

“Her trajectory has changed what I thought was possible for a poet,” she says, noting that Gorman has appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine and read at this year’s Super Bowl. “She has encouraged me to dream big.”

Huynh says she has been writing song lyrics since age 7 and became serious about poetry in high school, especially after performing during a local poetry slam and

sensing the added power of words when said out loud. She cites Ocean Vuong and Diana Khoi Nguyen as among her favorite writers, and she hopes to eventually publish her own work and see it translated into Vietnamese, her “mother tongue.”

“Vietnamese itself is a very poetic language,” she said. “In Vietnamese culture, poems are spoken every day. They’re pop culture references. For me, having poetry in my life never felt like I was going against the grain.”

Words are so natural to her that in college she plans to study engineering instead of literature because she doesn’t need a classroom to encourage her to read. At Stanford, she hopes to challenge herself to think in ways she hasn’t before and work out ideas “across disciplines.” 

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

Support AAPI businesses

There’s still time to #SpendLikeItMatters this #AAPIHeritageMonth.

Seattle Storm partnered with Intentionalist, CenturyLink, Expedia, and the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce to help support AAPI-owned

small businesses to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month.

Through May 31, use the code STORMAAPI to enjoy 20% off gift certificates up to $100 from participating AAPI-owned businesses, such as Jade Garden, Tai Tung, Phnom Penh Noodle House, Ho Ho Seafood Restaurant,

Mi La Cay, Maneki, Seattle Best Tea, and Young Tea. For more details, go to intentionalist.com/seattlestorm-aapi-heritage. 

■ WORLD NEWS Korean American K-pop stars promote mental health awareness

By JUWON PARK ASSOCIATED PRESS SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — K-pop star Eric Nam was having a meeting in New York when he suddenly felt a pain in his chest.

“I thought I was going to have to call 911,” he said, recounting the experience from 2019. But instead he remained sitting and “had to quietly breathe my way” through the meeting, he said.

Similarly, Jae-hyung Park, better known as Jae from K-pop band “Day6,” was in a cab returning from a music video shoot in Seoul last year when he experienced what felt like a heart attack.

At first, he put it down to stress, saying that for years he had dealt with “out of place” and “weird“ feelings.

But he realized he couldn’t ignore the symptoms, and in the “calmest voice” asked the driver to take him to a nearby hospital.

“I’m ... feeling like I am going to die, I am going to die, I am going to die,” he recounted.

Park and Nam said they later found out they had suffered panic attacks.

Many recording artists struggle to cope with the trappings of fame. In South Korea, as in many cultures, talking about mental health issues is seen as taboo, causing K-pop stars to grapple with depression and mental illness on their own.

Nam and Park have joined other Korean American K-pop artists in raising awareness about mental health beyond the K-pop community by publicly sharing their personal journeys.

In this Sept. 13, 2019 photo, Jae of Day6 performs in concert at Playstation Theatre in New York. (Photo by Brian Ach/Invision/ AP, File)

Nam moved from his hometown, Atlanta, to Seoul in 2011 and launched his music career after competing on a Korean music television show. A Boston College graduate, Nam said the racism he endured growing up in suburban Georgia left deep scars on him.

He explains he was bullied and even spat on by a classmate. “It was one of the most degrading, embarrassing, infuriating moments of my life up until that point,” Nam recounts on the first episode of MINDSET, a paid podcast series he’s just launched to promote conversations about mental health and wellness.

“And I think still to this day that is a topic that I never feel comfortable speaking out about.”

Nam said he also struggled with an identity crisis as a Korean American, being treated as an outsider in both South Korea and the U.S. “It felt like I didn’t belong anywhere,” he told The Associated Press.

Park, born and raised in California, said he had difficulty navigating between two vastly different cultures. And the intense competition in the industry also affected his mental health.

“It’s a dog-eat-dog world,” Park said of K-pop.

Park was offered counseling from his record label, JYP Entertainment, but said he found it difficult to connect with his therapist and eventually took a break from his career last year, when his band went on a hiatus.

He took part in Nam’s podcast series as a celebrity speaker.

Nam is hoping the shows can address stereotypes and stigmas surrounding mental illness.

“I never thought that I would need, I would want to talk to somebody about my mental health,“ Nam said.

“But once you’re in that position, I just didn’t know really how to deal with it. And so I remember those very isolating kinds of moments that I had had earlier on in my career.” 

MAY 29 – JUNE 4, 2021

YOUR VOICE

■ ASTROLOGY

asianweekly northwest

9

Predictions and advice for the week of May 29–June 4, 2021

By Sun Lee Chang Rat—A coveted spot is yours for the asking, but act fast as this opportunity won’t last for much longer.

Dragon—Were you expecting something new, but received a repeat performance instead? It’s time to take a different approach.

Monkey—While you dream of bigger things to come, it’s also important to appreciate what you have right now.

Ox—Dissatisfied with the current choices? Find what you want instead of waiting for it to come to you.

Snake—Are you improving the situation or catering to your own guilt? You may not be as effective if it’s the latter.

Rooster—Feeling a bit out of sync with your partner? Put in the work and soon you’ll be moving in step again.

Tiger—Ready to roll up your sleeves and dive in?

Make the most of your efforts by devising a plan first.

Horse—What you want and what you need could be two different things, but there are times when the two intersect.

Dog—You have made some significant changes, but it may take a while for others to notice that is the case.

Rabbit—Don’t spend so much time looking back that you stumble going forward. Shift your focus towards the future.

Goat—Through sheer determination, you have been making steady progress. Hold on to those gains by continuing forward.

Pig—The choice to stay or go should depend on whether it’s worth your time, regardless of the cost of admission.

WHAT’S YOUR ANIMAL SIGN? RAT 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 OX 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 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.

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

Police arrest man who stole purses, bags from Asian women Police arrested a 26-year-old man suspected of stealing purses and bags from more than a dozen women in the Chinatown-International District, Rainier Valley, and Beacon Hill.

Over the last six weeks, the man approached his victims—primarily Asian women, from 40 to 80 years old—near their vehicles, outside Seattle grocery stores, and grabbed their bags before fleeing in a vehicle.

On May 18, members of the Robbery Unit, Gun Violence Reduction Unit, Community

Response Group, and U.S. Marshals arrested the man at a Renton car rental lot. Police recovered a loaded handgun from the man— who is a convicted felon and unable to legally possess guns—and booked him into King County Jail for multiple counts of theft and unlawful possession of a firearm.

The Seattle Police Department’s Bias Crimes unit will also review the cases, due to the suspect’s repeated targeting of Asian victims. 

Steve Fortney drops out of City Attorney race did not work out this Steve Fortney, who announced in April that year; therefore, I must he is running for Seattle end my campaign,” he City Attorney, withdrew announced. from the race earlier this A former Department month. of Justice lawyer, current “After much reflection lawyer at Microsoft, and and conversations with progressive Democrat, my family, I concluded Steve Fortney Fortney is of Filipino that now is not the best and Norwegian descent. time to juggle work and He said he would refamily while also waging a huge, fund any donations and contribucitywide campaign. The timing tions to his campaign. 

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Sealed bids will be received for KC000209, Urgent Wastewater Systems Repair Work Order 2021-2023; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, via the E-Procurement system, until 1:30 pm on June 8, 2021. Late bids will not be accepted. The public bid opening will only be conducted on-line following the Bid Close Date and Time; see Section 00 10 00 for details.

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.

Brief Scope: The scope of work for this Contract is to address emergent issue mitigation and includes, but is not limited to: exploratory excavation, and major and minor piping system repairs, modifications, and relocations in conveyance system infrastructure, including underground and above-ground conveyance system

infrastructure, as well as regulator and pump stations. The contract will repair or replace a variety of piping systems, including, but not limited to HDPE, PVC, ductile iron, concrete, steel, cast iron, copper, and PEX; in addition for the repair or replacement of large diameter pipe in excess of 48” within 24 hour notice. Work includes restoring and repairing disturbed mechanical and electrical assemblies.

Contractor must own or have the ability or the resources to access equipment capable of performing this work within 24 hours notification.

Estimated contract price: $4,250,000 Prospective bidders can view more details at: https://kingcounty. gov/procurement/solicitations Complete Invitation to Bid Documents, including all project details, specifications, and contact information are available on our web page at: https://kingcounty.gov/procurement/supplierportal

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39 YEARS

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CHEN from 1 about being physically attacked on May 19, by “a man whom I had never met,” as he walked across the Chihuly Bridge of Glass in Tacoma.

Chen drove himself to the emergency room. He said he was banged up and sore but did not have serious injuries.

“I am fortunate I was able to walk away from this attack and I am overwhelmed with the many heartfelt well-wishes from family, friends, and colleagues,” Chen wrote in a blog posted two days after the attack.

The attack happened after Chen noticed a man damaging public property.

WOMEN RISING from 7 majority and perpetuate false narratives?

Moderator Velma Veloria, former Washington state representative, took us to the next stage of the webinar by introducing Tianna Andresen, spoken word artist and activist. “We are hopeful that we have the younger generation that could help us continue this struggle.”

Andresen emphasized that anyone could fight for social justice, and that just showing up in support is important.

“Imagine if we had an event and no one was there?” Her own involvement, which was pivotal for change at Garfield High School, shows that one person can make a difference when joined by like minds and directed action.

“Without that collective power of

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“I calmly tried to engage him in conversation but I could see he was escalating, so I disengaged and walked away. Suddenly, he knocked me down from behind and punched me as I stood up. He continued to attack me even as I tried to back away. Naturally, I reported the attack to the police. Their investigation is ongoing.”

When asked if he was targeted because he’s Asian or because of his role at the Health Department, Chen said he didn’t think so, “but the fact that people have to ask is a sad commentary for our times.”

He’s not angry at his attacker, Chen added.

“I heard him say that he did not feel his actions were damaging public property. I heard his frustration that

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students, [Garfield] wouldn’t have land acknowledgement, ethnic studies, and gender neutral bathrooms.” Now a student at UW, Andresen brought up discrimination in the budgets of so-called “liberal” academic institutions. “The way money is used is important…Academic systems like to act like they are on the students’ side, but won’t do anything until their pockets hurt.”

According to Andresen, UW funds “companies responsible for genocide and colonialism” by giving money to Boeing, for instance, or through their own police department that “harasses Black and brown people.” The conversation moved here to police funding, a topic taken up by Aretha Basu, an example of someone who, as a campaign coordinator for Nikita Oliver and staff member for Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, fights from the inside and the

Subscribe to the Northwest Asian Weekly $40 Name_____________________________ Address ___________________________ City _______________________State____ Zip Code ___________________________ Phone _____________________________

206-487-8236

there were not places he could practice tricks on his BMX bike in Tacoma. What I do feel is disappointment that he chose to deal with his disagreement and frustration with physical violence.”

Chen wrote, “Together, we can shift attitudes and behaviors. We can dismantle the institutions and systems that perpetuate violence, poverty, injustice, and racism. We can identify and treat mental health and substance issues. We can eliminate adverse community environments and replace them with supportive environments that promote healthy social and emotional development and resilience.” 

outside.

Basu clarified that “defunding the police” doesn’t mean removing all funding from the police force, but redistributing resources to other, more appropriate recipients.

“If we’re imagining a plate of responsibilities, a lot should not be on their plate…It is about that their budget is larger than any social service budget in our city, such as mental health services. The idea is that we should divest from the police budget and invest “to meet those needs…we don’t need a gun and badge response. There are better responses that are culturally relevant.”

Coming full circle, Basu talked about how the Model Minority Myth serves the dominant white culture by requiring that AAPIs “stay in the shadows, stay silent, hoard resources…and deliberately throw

other communities under the bus.” This leads to anti-Black racism, for instance, among Asian communities, when we should all be supporting each other.

“The myth keeps us separated and fighting for scraps, and keeps us believing that our struggle is siloed.” Basu asserted that if it had not been for the diverse crowds that protested in the past year, Seattle’s police budget would not have been defunded by 20%.

“That win was the result of everyday people rising up and choosing to be civically engaged.”  Kai can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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MAY 29 – JUNE 4, 2021

YOUR VOICE CONSTANTINE from 1 anti-Asian hate crimes.

“We see what homelessness has done to our communities and those things must be cleaned up,” he said before eating lunch at the Hong Kong Bistro.

“But also this moment when people’s minds have been poisoned with the idea that this pandemic has to do with someone else, someone who doesn’t look like them and they should act out in hateful ways.”

Flanked by community leaders, Constantine said, “We have to stand up, we have to say no. We have to fight back and I am standing with you every step of the way.”

Constantine said he was pleased with the work King County had done to increase housing for people experiencing homelessness. Under his watch, the county has created multiple projects, including purchasing modular units from Houston that oil workers once lived in, converting correctional facilities to housing, sheltering people temporarily in hotels, and purchasing a hotel.

“In recent years, under Executive Constantine, King County worked to open several enhanced shelters, like the DESC West Wing shelter in an unused space in the county’s downtown correctional, Harborview Hall shelter on First Hill, and the recent shelter de-intensification efforts in local hotels with the goal of providing safe shelter combined with onsite 24/7 supportive services— including behavioral health services—to reduce the spread of COVID,” according to a statement from King County Department of Community and Human Services in response to an inquiry from the Asian Weekly.

A study by the University of Washington found that moving people from shelters to modified hotels in Seattle, Bellevue, Renton, and SeaTac, with management by local housing service providers, decreased the spread of COVID while enhancing feelings of well-being, sleep, and hygiene among the guests. Overall, 800 people were sheltered in these hotels.

“It was based on these experiences that the executive proposed and the council approved a one-tenth of a cent sales tax increase to fund the purchase of hotel properties to create housing for as many as 1,600 people experiencing chronic homelessness,” the statement said.

In the new budget, Constantine has proposed a behavioral health crisis response team to respond to people in need in the downtown areas of Seattle, and a new 40-bed enhanced 24/7 emergency shelter specifically to provide behavioral health crisis response services. The location is not yet determined.

“While all shelters have codes of conduct, none require abstinence as a precondition for eligibility.

We are working with people where they are,” said the

BURGLARY from 1 Elizabeth address to a home in Old Bridge and witnessed them break into a home, according to the complaint.

Two were arrested after a chase, and the third was arrested the following day.

Cellphone records were used to identify

statement.

As for addressing anti-hate crimes, Constantine’s most recent proposed budget includes setting aside $5 million from federal funds to go to the county’s Office of Equity and Social Justice. The funds would be distributed through grants to community-based organizations and “ethnic media.”

However, according to his communications team, the final form of the funding is still unclear. The King County Council is reviewing and may perhaps modify the proposal and make changes. The final budget had not been voted on as of press time.

Constantine, who has served three terms, told the Asian Weekly that he was thrilled to be back in the ID. “It’s great to reconnect with people I haven’t seen in at least a year.” He said that despite the ravages of the pandemic and the waves of violence that have engulfed the community, the area is still culturally cohesive.

“The continual strength of the Chinese community here in Seattle and certainly in the International District for all the changes that have happened is what I’ve seen,” he said. “There is still the core, the heart of the Chinese community in this place.”

During the tour, which was organized by community leader Tony Au, Constantine visited the Hop Sing Tong Benevolent Association, the Bing Kung Association, the Gee How Oak Tin Family Association, and other community leaders.

Faye Hong, senior adviser to the Hop Sing Tong Benevolent Association, welcomed Constantine to lunch, which was sponsored by the association, according to Au. “I know that you understand a lot of our problems,” Hong told Constantine. “It really saddens me, this community is being attacked by outsiders.”

Wearing a blue jacket and magenta shirt, Hong spoke about his connection to the community for over six decades.

“This used to be a really vibrant environment,” he said. “But it’s starting to come back, although we still have a long way to go.”

In the front of the restaurant, a cluster of people wearing masks waited near the doorway for takeout food. Plastic bags tied at the top containing food sat on a counter. Outside, many shops and businesses were still boarded up.

Sitting on Constantine’s other side, Burien Mayor Jimmy Matta also delivered a short speech before lunch.

He said Constantine understood the yearning of immigrants to achieve a life better than their parents.

Constantine has also taken action to help minority communities during the past year, Matta added.

“He knows that the pandemic has been difficult for us, he put his money where his mouth is, he stood up,”

other suspects.

Searches of homes and vehicles used by the suspects revealed numerous items stolen from various homes, according to the complaint, along with “derogatory descriptive terms to identify the ethnicity of each of homeowners for the respective residences.”

asianweekly northwest

he said.

Au said he organized the tour to support Constantine’s reelection campaign. He said he favored his approach to homelessness, which he described as getting people off the streets.

“The homeless people can be abused out there,” he said.

Former president of the Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Dennis Su, in an email, said it was significant to the community that Constantine made the tour.

“He is running for reelection and did the right thing to pay respects to the traditional Chinatown organizations by showing up and ‘rubbing elbows’ with them,” he said.

“It was also encouraging to see the support from these groups for his efforts.”

Matta, in his remarks, mentioned that the Chinese community is “highly organized.”

According to Au, other community leaders that joined the event included Bellevue City Councilmember Janice Zahn, Gee How Oak Tin Family Association National Senior Adviser Michael Chen, Soo Yuen Benevolent Association National Senior Adviser Warren Chinn, Hip Sing Association National Vice President Tony Wong, Bing Kung Tong Association Senior Adviser Tom Cheng, Guangzhou Association President Dr. Ming Xiao, community leader Qiufeng Peng, Founding President Seniors in Action Foundation Nora Chan, President Seattle Youth Association of Jiangmen Peter Kuang, and Suey Sing Association Senior Adviser Bing Song.

In private remarks with the Northwest Asian Weekly, Constantine described the displacement he said had been happening to the ID and other ethnic communities, and said investment was needed to preserve cultural integrity.

He mentioned the destruction of Nihonmachi, although he said there was still a strong Japanese community.

He said an example of a community that has “been upended” is Ballard, which used to be a Scandinavian center for the Swedish and Norwegian communities.

Places like Little Manila and Little Saigon, as well as the South Central District, were still cohesive, he said.

“It gives hope to have neighborhood communities that are culturally rich,” he said.

Clutching his chopsticks tightly, waiting to tuck into a lunch of fried noodles and other Cantonese fare, Constantine, who is of Greek descent, seemed perfectly at home.

“I know this community better than the Greek community,” he said.  Mahlon can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

Charges were announced against Rabine Armour of Easton, Pennsylvania; Kevin Burton and Thomas Rodgers of Newark, New Jersey; Kevin Jackson of Rahway; James Hurt of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania; Sherman Glasco of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Randi Barr and Terrance Black, both of Irvington.

They were charged with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property. Burton also faces a weapons charge and along with a ninth person, Keesha Davis of Elizabeth, was charged with conspiring to tamper with evidence. 

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Sealed bids will be received for KC000247, PSERN Radio System Renton City Hall Site Improvement - REBID; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, via the E-Procurement system, until 1:00pm on 6/08/2021. Late bids will not be accepted. The public bid opening will only be conducted on-line following the Bid Close Date and Time; see Section 00 10 00 for details.

There is a 10% minimum requirement for King County Certified Small Contractors and Suppliers (SCS) on this contract.

Brief Scope The Contractor shall provide labor, materials, and equipment necessary to perform construction services for

11

replacing the King County Emergency Radio Communications System (KCERCS) with a new P25 Phase 2 land mobile radio system for the Puget Sound Emergency Radio Network (PSERN) at the Renton City Hall. Work shall also include site improvement.

Estimated contract price: $460,000 Prospective bidders can view more details at: https:// kingcounty.gov/procurement/solicitations Complete Invitation to Bid Documents, including all project details, specifications, and contact information are available on our web page at: https://kingcounty.gov/procurement/ supplierportal

12

asianweekly northwest

39 YEARS

MAY 29 – JUNE 4, 2021

API from 1

“Anti-Asian hate crimes are on the rise all across the country, so this AAPI Heritage Month, I’m drawing strength from the resilience of my parents and the community who welcomed them here after they fled the Vietnam War as refugees. My parents came here looking for a brighter future, and were able to build one for me and my siblings because our community held us up. For me, that’s what AAPI Heritage Month means—an opportunity to remind ourselves of our own strength and resilience in times of crisis.”

— State Sen. Joe Nguyen

“This month of May, and every day, King County rejects hatred and racism. Let us take time to celebrate the many Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures that are so core to our history and personality as a region, and to lift up with gratitude the people who make King County exceptional.”

— Dow Constantine, King County Executive

INDIA from 1

Debadutta Dash

and founding member of Sukarya, a non-government organization that primarily works to provide maternal and child healthcare to the most marginalized Indians, recently returned from the Southeast Asian country, where scenes of the healthcare crisis prompted him to action.

In the first week of April, Dash received a call from India. It was his mother’s neighbor, calling to tell him that she needed medical attention due to a bad fall. With special permission from the government of India, he took a bubble flight home to the eastern state of Orissa.

“Delhi airport had strict screening for variants coming from South Africa and the UK, and even I had to go through the process though I was fully vaccinated. They even used face

shields for domestic travel,” Dash said.

But closer to home, he noticed complacency.

“People were not wearing masks, my hotel hosted a wedding with at least 150-200 guests despite a restriction on gatherings,” he said. The complacency was a result of the low infection and mortality rates during the first wave that the government prematurely called a victory against the virus.

While in India, it took a week for the situation to go from normal to disastrous.

“I had to get my mother vaccinated and come back by April 23, but my flights were rescheduled, and the capital turned into a ghost town before my eyes,” Dash said.

As the healthcare system collapsed under the weight of rising infections, the sick lined up outside hospitals that were over capacity, struggled to find oxygen, and people waited for vaccines that were in short supply.

Dash was worried. His association with Sukarya, which works for the poorest of the poor, taught him that it was this group that needed to be kept safe.

India’s slums are home to about 10-15% of India’s population, the labor force of the country that is dependent on daily wages and have little or no savings. In Delhi, they are filled with refugees from Bangladesh and migrant laborers from neighboring states, many of

whom had to return home when the cities they worked in shut down during the first wave.

Sukarya works with a small cluster of 15 slums in the National Capital Region of Delhi, catering to about 50,000 residents.

“This problem is not going to end soon. If the country continues vaccinating people at its current rate, it will take them 3.5 years,” Dash said. “You cannot expect this marginalized population, that hardly gets any attention from anyone even though they are the backbone of the country’s economy, to stay within the confines of their slums for this prolonged period,” Dash said.

And yet if desperation forces them to step out and even one of them brings the virus in, the situation could turn catastrophic as the virus could spread rapidly.

To help contain the situation, Sukarya has adopted a fourpronged approach to safeguard the slums that they work in: Hunger management: Supplying dry ration kits and nutritional supplements, especially to lactating and expectant mothers that make up about 30% of this population.

Prevention and preparedness: Teaching slum dwellers how to sanitize in their own regional languages through Android phones they have distributed, providing sanitation kits, and asking people to download Arogya Setu, an app created by the government of India to track

“AANHPI communities are deeply rooted in Washington, where we have long contributed to our state’s history, culture, economy, and politics. There is no single story to describe who we are, and it is this complexity that makes us one of the most vibrant and enriched places in the nation.

This Heritage Month, it’s an honor to share in celebrating our vast diversity in identities, cultures, experiences, and contributions.”

— Toshiko Hasegawa, Executive Director of the Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs

“People need to respect, honor, and love one another for who we are—not for what you want us to be!!!”

— Faaluaina Pritchard, Executive Director of Asia Pacific Cultural Center

the spread of Covid-19.

Mental health counseling: Giving slum dwellers access to mental health workers, especially women and adolescents who can be victims of physical, emotional, or sexual violence.

Education of adolescents and children: Empowering children and adolescents through virtual learning when the organization’s mobile schools and teachers cannot be physically present.

Dash estimates that over the next nine months, the organization will need $150,000 to continue its mission to prevent a Covid-related crisis and is on a mission to spread awareness and gather monetary aid during this difficult situation.

“In a crisis, we see people sending help en masse and I am incredibly grateful for it, but we need a sustainable long-term way to keep people safe,” Dash said.

In particular, he wants to raise awareness among larger U.S. corporations with a presence in

India.

“Delhi and Gurgaon have over 300 U.S. corporations and as per Indian regulations, they must contribute 2% of their revenue towards Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), we would like to appeal to them for help,” he said.  If you’d like to help Sukarya as an individual or corporation (through your CSR India funds), the organization is accepting donations through Global Giving (that has waived their fee at): globalgiving.org/ projects/covid-19-aid-to-slumcommunities-in-india/ GiveIndia: fundraisers. giveindia.org/fundraisers/covid19-aid-to-slum-communities-inindia Sukarya USA: https://sukaryaus. org/content/donate-now Janice can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.