VOL 39 NO 42 | OCTOBER 17 - OCTOBER 23, 2020

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

VOL 39 NO 42 OCTOBER 17 – OCTOBER 23, 2020

FREE 38 YEARS YOUR VOICE

Virtual bus tour implores AAPIs to save themselves and country by voting

By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY It started with the Bruce Springsteen song, “We Take Care of Our Own,” playing in the background.

Then, one after another, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Democratic leaders from Washington state appeared on the screen in a “virtual bus tour” in support of the Biden-Harris presidential campaign.

They appealed for action to rally AAPI voters in the upcoming presidential election, arguing that issues crucial to their future would be decided and that they could help swing the election.

The future of the Afford-

able Care Act, hate crimes, and unemployment are all affecting AAPIs more deeply than ever, they said, and implored people to take action to spur voter turnout.

“Can you all imagine

waking up knowing there is someone in the White House thinking of ways to heal?” asked Rep. Grace Meng (D-New York), who also joined the virtual event.

While AAPI turnout in

past elections has been relatively low, getting them out to vote is crucial because they represent the

By Janice Nesamani NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

A message thanking donors on Maneki’s GoFundMe page.

Kashiba, the chef of Sushi Kashiba.

The page has raised over $44,000, more than double the amount see ID RESTAURANTS on 12

SPORTS

The Layup Drill

5

AT THE MOVIES NAMES IN THE NEWS

Wing Luke Museum reopened

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■

“Yellow Rose”: A breakthrough film for Filipino Americans

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2 reporters win “News Writer of the Year”

Carolyn Bick

Mahlon Meyer

Kai Curry

Samantha Pak

Sam Le

Jason Cruz

Stacy Nguyen

Joshua Holland

Andrew Hamlin

Janice Nesamani

Evangeline Cafe

Ruth Bayang

see AAPI VOTERS on 11

ID restaurants rewrite recipes for success amid pandemic On July 23, 2020, a GoFundMe page seeking support for the historic Japanese restaurant Maneki went live. The simple message read, “Our beloved Maneki Restaurant in the heart of Japan Town has been an A cartoon showing Jean Nakayama thanking patrons anchor of the community on Maneki’s GoFundMe page. for generations. During is so unusual for us to not be part of this unprecedented Seattle chapter, we your celebrations and conversations. are extending an invitation to those We miss you all.” that are able to support us through Over the next few days, loyal Manethese challenging times. We are so ac- ki patrons wholeheartedly supported customed to having our reservations the restaurant with their generous doand Tatami rooms filled to capacity! It nations, including $1,000 from Shiro

NWAW takes home a record 24 awards, including nine 1st place wins

ON THE SHELF Gold House launches book club exploring Asian American identity

Northwest Asian Weekly (NWAW) publisher Assunta Ng called it an “amazing night.”

NWAW won 24 awards at the annual Washington Newspaper Publishers Association (WNPA) 2020 Better Newspaper Contest—the winners were announced in a first-ever virtual awards ceremony on Oct. 9.

“This is a record-breaking year in the number of awards and first place awards. Five years ago, we won 13. Last year, 11 awards and four 1st place awards,” said Ng. The annual contest is a chance for non-daily papers across Washington state to compete in a variety of writing, photography, editorial content, advertising, and design categories. The contest covered works published between April 2019 and March 2020. NWAW competed against other newspapers with circulation between 5,001 and 12,500. However, NWAW won five awards in categories spanning circulation groups of all sizes: Carolyn Bick and Mahlon Meyer won first and second place, respectively, in the News Writer of the Year category for their writing on social justice issues and Asian American immigrants, Kai Curry took third prize in the Feature Writer of the Year category, Samantha Pak and her monthly “On the Shelf” book recommendations took first place in the Topical Column category, And Sam Le won first place in Video Groups: Lunar New Year Parade.

“It takes a village to put together an event,” said Ng of the Lunar New Year Parade. “The number of people see WNPA on 4

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

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OCTOBER 17 – OCTOBER 23, 2020

■ NAMES IN THE NEWS Wing Luke reopens

Oct. 5 the finalists for its 2020 Business Awards.

Julien Loh of Puget Sound Energy and David Wasielewski of Din Tai Fung are finalists for the Corporate Citizen of the Year award.

The winners will be announced during the Business Awards Watch Party on Nov. 4.

SWKCC is a nonprofit business organization that has served the communities of Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, SeaTac, and Tukwila since 1988. 

Photo by Assunta Ng

Virtual Night Market

From left: Tom Isenhart, Bailee Hiatt, and Rayann Matsui

The Wing Luke Museum reopened to the general public on Oct. 7. They are open at a limited capacity between Wednesdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.– 5 p.m.

“We have been carefully and thoughtfully planning for the reopening based on recommendations of relevant state, local, and federal regulations and guidelines,” it states on its website.

Buying tickets online prior to visit is highly encouraged, and masks and physical distancing are required. 

Loh, Wasielewski finalists for SWKCC 2020 Business Award

The Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce (SWKCC) Staff and Board of Directors announced on

Emcee John Chen

Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA) helds its first ever virtual Night Market on Oct. 1—in celebration of the MidAutumn Festival. Emceed by John Chen and KIRO 7’s Patranya Bhoolsuwan, the program included trivia games in which Facebook live audience members won prizes. The audience were also treated to a craft lantern demonstration, dance performances, and an appearance

by EVMB, The Beatbox Panda, culinary demonstrations from Pho Bac Sup Shop, Phnom Penh Noodle House, Young Tea, and Hood Famous Cafe + Bar. 

Jamie Chung is HBO’s APAV ambassador

Serving as the ambassador and spokesperson for

38 YEARS

the 2021 HBO Visionaries program is Jamie Chung.

“I’m so honored to be an ambassador for the HBO Asian Pacific American Visionaries (APAV) Short Film Competition,” said Chung. “It’s a great opportunity for the next generation of Asian American storytellers to showcase their work Jamie Chung and tell meaningful authentic stories. A stepping stone to continue making waves of change!”

HBO announced on Oct. 5 the call for submissions for its annual competition. Submissions will open on Jan. 1, 2021. Now in its fifth year, APAV serves to showcase cinematic storytellers of Asian and Pacific Islander descent, awarding the top three winners with cash prizes and the opportunity to have their projects premiere on HBO. For complete rules and guidelines, visit hbovisionaries.com. 

Congressman Mark Takano wins Democracy Award

Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) received a Democracy Award on Oct. 6, the Congressional Management Foundation’s distinctive honors program recognizing non-legislative achievement in operations and constituent service by Rep. Mark Takano congressional offices and members of Congress.

Takano was selected for his accomplishments in Innovation and Modernization, a category that recognizes offices employing unique or innovative methods in their constituent interactions, communications, or office operations. 

Julien Loh

PAID FOR BY AARP

Washington

Your Vote.

Your Voice.

Our Fight.

“Since 1980, I have voted in every presidential, senate, and congressional election. This is a wonderful part of our democracy. I think every eligible voter should take advantage of this privilege.”

– Jim Ko For more information on how you can vote safely and make your voice heard, visit aarp.org/WAvotes facebook.com/AARPWA | @AARPWA | aarp.org/WA

OCTOBER 10 – OCTOBER 16, 2020

YOUR VOICE

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■ NATIONAL NEWS Pence, Harris spar over COVID-19 in vice presidential debate Indian American leaders react

ASSOCIATED PRESS SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Trading barbs through plexiglass shields, Republican Mike Pence and Democrat Kamala Harris turned the only vice presidential debate of 2020 into a dissection of the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, with Harris labeling it “the greatest failure of any presidential administration.’’

Pence, who leads the president’s coronavirus task force, acknowledged that “our nation’s gone through a very challenging time this year,’’ yet vigorously defended the administration’s overall response to a pandemic that has killed more than 210,000 Americans.

Fellow Indian American elected officials weighed in on Harris’ performance during the debate.

“By any measure, Senator Harris did a phenomenal job,” said state Sen. Manka Dhingra.

“She conveyed her intellect, poise, and charm in response to behavior that women all over the world have to fight against—being interrupted, being condescended to, and having her experience and expertise questioned. I definitely saw my own ‘mom look’ on her face.”

Republicans desperately want to cast the race as a choice between two candidates fighting to move the country in vastly different directions. Biden and Harris, they say, would pursue a far-left agenda bordering on socialism; the Democrats say Trump’s administration will stoke racial and other divides, torpedo health care for people who aren’t wealthy, and otherwise undercut national strength.

Harris, 55, made history by becoming the first Black and South Asian woman to stand on a vice presidential debate stage.

State Rep. Vandana Slatter said, “It cannot be underestimated how important and impactful it is to our AAPI community to have someone who represents us on such a major stage.”

Harris condemned the police killings of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and George Floyd in Minnesota and spoke about the protests against racial injustice in policing that followed, which Trump has portrayed as “riots’’ as he calls for law and order.

“We are never going to condone violence but we must always fight for the values that we hold dear,’’ Harris said. “I’m a former career prosecutor. I know what I’m talking about. Bad cops are bad for good cops.’’

Pence, 61, said his heart breaks for Taylor’s family but he trusts the

Mike Pence

Kamala Harris

U.S. justice system. He called it “remarkable’’ that Harris, as a former attorney general and

prosecutor, would question the grand jury’s decision in the case not to charge an officer with

killing her.

He also pushed back against the existence of systemic racism in police departments and rejected the idea that law enforcement officers have a bias against minorities.

“I want everyone to know who puts on the uniform of law enforcement every day, President Trump and I stand with you,’’ Pence said. “We don’t have to choose between supporting law enforcement, proving public safety, and supporting our African American neighbors.’’

The candidates also clashed on taxes—or specifically,

Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns four years after repeatedly promising to do so.

The New York Times reported last month that the president pays very little personal income tax but has hundreds of millions of dollars in debt.

“It’d be really good to know who the president owes money to,’’ Harris said.

“The one thing we know about Joe, he puts it all out there.

He is honest, he is forthright,’’ she added. “Donald Trump, on the other hand, has been about covering up everything.’’ see DEBATE on 11

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received for C01436C20, KCCF Kitchen Hood Replacement; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, via email, at procurement.submittals@kingcounty.gov, until 1:30 PM on 11/3/20. Late bids will not be accepted. The public bid opening will only be conducted via Skype or telephone following The Bid Due Date and Time. See Invitation to Bid Section 00020 for details regarding the public bid opening.

There is a 5% minimum Apprentice Utilization Requirement on this contract.

Scope of Work: The work includes demolition and removal of existing Type I rated kitchen hoods, fire protection equipment, exhaust fans, pollution control units, hood control panels, a shared MAU/supply fan and other system components to be replaced.

Replacement equipment will conform to current codes, based on engineering drawings/specifications provided, and require preparation of shop drawings/fabrication of new equipment in sections that can fit through tight

clearances with onsite assembly of the new equipment.

In addition, associated controls, plumbing, connecting ductwork, insulation, fire protection and other elements of fully functional Type I fire rated, self-cleaning hoods and related fans and systems must be performed within the listed constraints, as well as patching and repairing any walls, ceilings or other surfaces removed or damaged during construction.

Estimated contract price: $1,319,944 Pre-Bid: 1:00 P.M., 10/26/20, via Skype or telephone.

Site Tour: Two non-mandatory physical Site Tours will be held on 10/27/20. Available starting times are 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. All persons attending the Site Tour must pass a criminal background check prior to the Site Tour. See Invitation to Bid Section 00020 for details regarding Site Tour.

Complete Invitation to Bid Documents, including all project details, specifications, and contact information are available on our web page at: https://procurement. kingcounty.gov/procurement_ovr/default.aspx

4

asianweekly northwest

OCTOBER 17 – OCTOBER 23, 2020

38 YEARS

■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR OCT

20-25

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TASVEER’S VIRTUAL LITERATURE FESTIVAL For details of program, check out tasveer.org

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■ NATIONAL NEWS

New U.S. citizen refugees excited for first presidential vote

By ANITA SNOW ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOENIX (AP) — They came fleeing war and persecution in countries like Myanmar, Eritrea, and Iraq, handpicked by the United States for resettlement under longstanding humanitarian traditions.

Now, tens of thousands of refugees welcomed into the U.S. during the Obama administration are American citizens, voting the first time in what could be the most

WNPA from 1 involved is huge, including Sam Le videotaping, John Liu and Tracy Luu as co-chairs, and a dozen volunteers and sponsors.”

NWAW also swept the Business Feature and Art Review categories. Jason Cruz, Stacy Nguyen, and Joshua Holland won first, second, and third for business features, and Nguyen took first and second place in Art Reviews, while Curry took third.

Our most prolific winner and writer won seven awards, in addition to News Writer of the Year.

Meyer took first place in the Crime & Court category, first and third place in the Business News category including a story on how the coronavirus has affected business in the Chinatown-International District, second place in the News Story Short and Health/Medical categories, third place in the Social Issue category, and

consequential presidential contest of their lifetimes.

The winner will decide the future of the very resettlement program they benefitted from and that President Donald Trump has hollowed out and could halt altogether in the fiscal year starting Oct. 1.

“Most refugees come to this county escaping political systems where the government is not their friend,’’ said Hans Van de Weerd, vice president of resettlement for the International Rescue Committee, a top agency that brings refugees to the U.S. “To have their voices be heard is very

powerful.’’

Republican and Democratic administrations resettled an average 95,000 refugees annually over four decades, but the Trump government whittled that down to a cap of 18,000. Only about half that number have come in this year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

That downward trend seems likely to continue if Trump is reelected; his Democratic challenger Joe Biden has see REFUGEES on 12

third place in Comprehensive Coverage, Single Writer for his series on the closure of the Keiro nursing home.

Cruz picked up another win in the Sports Personality profile category, coming in third place; Andrew Hamlin and Janice Nesamani won first and third place, respectively, in the Story on the Arts category; Evangeline Cafe won third place for her story on an Asian American healthcare worker who contracted COVID-19 and survived; Curry won first place in the Social Issue category; and Ruth Bayang won second place in the Elections Story category.

“We are deeply grateful and proud of our team. They are the ones who make the Northwest Asian Weekly great.

And thank you to our community for pitching story ideas to us.”

This year’s contest was judged by the New York Press Association. Fifty-one newspapers across Washington participated. 

View the solution on page 10

Assunta Ng

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The only weekly English-language newspaper serving Washington’s Asian community. The NW Asian Weekly has one simple goal: “To empower the Asian community.”

The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject any advertisement, letter or article.

Subscriptions cost $40 for 52 weeks of the NW Asian Weekly and $30 for 52 weeks of the Seattle Chinese Post. The NW Asian Weekly owns the copyright for all its content. All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be reprinted without permission.

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asianweekly northwest

6 YOUR VOICE

OCTOBER 10 – OCTOBER 16, 2020 OCTOBER 17 – OCTOBER 23, 2020

■ SPORTS COMMUNITY NEWS

5 38 YEARS asianweekly northwest

The Layup Drill

By Jason Cruz NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Welcome back to another edition of The Layup Drill. This month, we take a look at the NBA as it finishes up its season, a possible return of a familiar name to the NBA, and Naomi Osaka’s domination at the U.S. Open.

Memphis Grizzlies hires Indian American woman to coaching staff Sonia Raman was hired by the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies to its coaching staff.

Raman spent the last 12 years as the head coach of the women’s team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she was the head coach for the last five seasons. She is the first Indian American woman to be retained

ERIK SPOELSTRA by a coaching staff in the NBA. As the MIT head women’s coach, the team won two titles in its division and two NCAA Tournament berths. She compiled a 91-45 record in her last five years as the head of the program. In addition to her success in the program, she also served on the Coaches Council for the Alliance of Women Coaches, which promotes the leadership of women coaches at all levels.

Raman also coached at Wellesley College for six years and started her college coaching career at Tufts, where she was a four-year player for the women’s team. Raman also has a law degree from Boston College.

She joins Vin Bhavani and Roy Rana as the only other Indian American coaches in the NBA. Raman’s appointment to the Grizzlies reflects the openness of the NBA and its willingness to hire outside of the

JEREMY LIN traditional norms of male coaches.

Erik Spoelstra brings Heat back to NBA Finals Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra has brought the Heat back to the NBA Finals to face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. It was his second appearance in the NBA Finals since 2011.

Ironically, he coached LeBron James in those finals when his team fell short to the Dallas Mavericks.

Spoelstra made it to the finals this year as the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference, which makes his team the fourth lowest seed to make it.

“Coach Spo,” as he’s known to players, started his career as a videographer for the team after his college career at the University of Portland. Spoelstra, whose mother is Filipino, worked his way up in

NAOMI OSAKA the organization from the film room onto the court as an assistant. Then coach Pat Riley, who is now the team president, saw the hard work and initiative of Spoelstra and made him head coach when he retired. Since then, Spoelstra has been one of the winningest coaches in the NBA and most-respected. He is also one of the longest-tenured coaches as he’s been with the Heat as its head coach since 2008.

Although the Heat will come into the finals as an underdog against the Lakers, Spoelstra’s job in taking this team to the championship series is an accomplishment.

The Return of Linsanity?

Jeremy Lin is returning to the United States to pursue another shot in the NBA. see SPORTS on 10

John Chen was Northwest Asian Weekly's 2019-2020 Entrepreneur of the Year!

Photo by Margo Vansynghel/Crosscut

SONIA RAMAN

6

asianweekly northwest

38 YEARS

OCTOBER 17 – OCTOBER 23, 2020

■ AT THE MOVIES

“Yellow Rose”: A breakthrough film for Filipino Americans

By Andrew Hamlin NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY It’s the first Filipino-led film backed by a major American studio. It features award-winning Filipino stars from Broadway, hit movies, and music.

But it almost didn’t get made.

“I definitely gave up,” confessed the film’s director and co-writer, Diane Paragas. “I gave up somewhere in the middle of this 15-year journey. I said, ‘It’s never going to happen.’”

“Then, I went to the Toronto Film Festival, and I went to a screening with Mira Nair, the great Indian film director, who had just finished making a picture called ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist.’

Someone in the audience asked her what brought her to her material [for that film] and she said, ‘I’ve been doing all these films with predominantly white casts.

And I realized that since I last made a South Asian film, there hasn’t been a South Asian film. So when I stop making movies, [South Asians] stop making movies.’ She realized it was her obligation to make films about people who look like herself, because if she doesn’t do it, no one else is going to do it.”

And that, Paragas said, inspired her to go on with her own project. No matter how long it took or how hard the road, she was going to show the world the completed “Yellow Rose.”

The director commented on the film during a news conference held on Oct. 9, and moderated by Jazz Tangcay of “Variety” magazine. That same day the film opened in American theaters nationwide—in time for America’s Filipino History Month.

“It was difficult, it was a lot of nos,” said Paragas on the struggle for financing.

“What finally turned the tables was when I stopped asking permission from white male Hollywood. I went to my own community. The film was financed by a Filipino company, and Filipino private equity investors. That’s who said yes. I did not have to convince them. We found each other.

“And then, Sony Pictures, one of the biggest companies in the world, bought it. It’s incredible. I think that there were no [American] movies with Filipinos, in all the time I was waiting to make this movie. [I said] if I’m not going to do it, nobody’s going to do it. Which is very Filipino!”

The film’s story follows big-screen newcomer Eva Noblezada as the title

character, Rose Garcia. Rose aspires to fame as a country singer, performing in and around Austin, Texas. She’s made progress both artistically and commercially, and she’s hoping for a big break to put her in the national spotlight.

But suddenly her undocumented mother, Priscillia (Princess Punzalan), gets picked up and detained by ICE officials, and Rose has to hope against hope to free her from the detention center.

Rose gets reluctant help from her aunt, Gail (Tony-winning actress Lea Salonga), who’s assimilated and not inclined to reach out to family. Rose’s country music mentor (Dale Watson, a real country singer playing a fictionalized version of himself), also lends a hand.

Paragas used mostly real locations in the Austin area, although she had to create the ICE detention center from scratch, using an old armory, drawing a look and feel from the director’s earlier projects, where she interviewed actual detainees.

She remembers actual detention centers, people stacked up in piles Since and 1928 given only one thin Mylar sheet each, for bedding. She spoke to people rousted out of their beds at two o’clock in the morning, with no chance to grab belongings.

Despite such harrowing scenes, the director says the cast and crew worked hard with her, to achieve a sense of balance.

“If the movie was just about oppression and detainment, it would be so depressing, and you would probably lose the audience. But because this is the story of a budding artist, trying to find her voice, that makes the heartbreaking scenes more heartbreaking, but gives the audience relief.

“Some people have said the movie takes a lot of twists and turns, but actually that is the life of a migrant. You don’t know where you’re gonna end up. You don’t know where you will call home.”

The film’s done well in festivals, and Paragas confessed she was pleasantly shocked by crowd reactions. Trump supporters came up to her after the film, she commented, saying they now felt Trump should renew DACA. Nonimmigrants confessed to her that they’d never thought, or felt, what it might be like to live an immigrant life.

Still, she concludes, the primary revelation of “Yellow Rose” comes from her own people.

“We’re the third largest Asian American population in the country, and we’re

virtually invisible in terms of film... I think the most satisfying reactions are when young Filipino women, and they say, ‘I feel seen.’ Every time I hear ‘I feel seen,’ it makes me want to push harder. To show people who look like us. And to have other people see what it’s like to be us. And that only adds to a richer and more powerful society.

When we see each other.”  Andrew can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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YOUR VOICE

OCTOBER 17 – OCTOBER 23, 2020

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■ ON THE SHELF Gold House launches book club exploring Asian American identity

By Samantha Pak NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY For bookworms in search of new reading material, Gold House is here.

The newly launched Gold House Book Club has put out its first list of books—all exploring the Asian American identity.

The club is part of the organization’s Gold Records venture, which focuses on curating and codifying the Asian Pacific Islander (API) heritage to strengthen generational bonds, enshrine legacies, and shape future narratives.

“Central to this mission is understanding our identity and trying to answer the question, ‘What does it mean to be Asian American?’” Cindy Joung, Gold Records director, said. “As there is no one answer to this question, my team—Erica Quach, Chanelle Garcia, Vibhor Mathur—and I wanted to find a vehicle that would spark deep introspection and meaningful discussion. To us, the solution was through storytelling, specifically through the rich catalog of books about and by APIs.” Gold House is a nonprofit collective of API cultural leaders dedicated to forging stronger bonds that deliver more authentic and successful lives, according to Joung.

The book club will feature a new book each month, which will be paired with virtual programming. Events will range from moderated panel discussions, to fireside chats and other interactive formats.

“We’ll also introduce resources on our website so that people can create their own book clubs for more intimate discussions within their own communities,” Joung said.

The club’s first reading list for the next six months touches on the following themes: immigrant journeys, what it means to be Asian American, intersectional stories, coming of age, coming of identity, historical fiction about motherlands and bridging generations, and biculturalism.

This month’s book is “Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen” by Jose Antonio Vargas. Future reading includes “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning” by Cathy Park Hong, “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Yang, and “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee. The club’s inaugural event is set for 1 p.m. on Oct. 20. Gold House, along with Define American and the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, will host a virtual panel discussion on Asian American identity with Vargas, Hong, and fellow author Alexander Chee. The event will be streamed live on Gold House’s Facebook page.

The plan is to put out a new list every six months and Joung said each list will focus on one theme related to identity.

They introduced six different themes with this first list to give people a taste of the topics the club will cover going forward.

By focusing on one theme over six books in the future, readers will be able to really dive deeper into the topic,” she said.

Reading lists are compiled by a 21-member advisory council, which includes API writers, activists, and Asian American studies professors with expertise in the subject matters.

Books have always been a passion for journalist and advisory council member Jeff Yang. He said they are at the center of

June celebrating “The Joy Luck Club” by Amy Tan. This was their first virtual book club event featuring Tan as well as actresses Lauren Tom, Ming-Na Wen, Rosalind Chao, and Tamlyn Tomita from the film adaptation.

Cowboy Ventures founder Aileen Lee and “The Joy Luck Club” producer and Gold House co-founder Janet Yang moderated the event, which revisited and discussed the book and film’s cultural significance. Joung said the event “was inspired in part by the desire to bring our community together and connect people at a time when we were physically unable to convene.”

In addition, Gold House Book Club has put out a list of children’s books for young readers, ranging from beginners to middle grade readers because representation is important when it comes to developing identity.

“We believe it’s crucial that children have a way to experience media that not only serves as a window into someone else’s experience, but also mirrors their own identity and offers representation rather than invisibility,” Joung said.

The club will also hold programming for youngsters, including a story time event, which will be announced in the coming months. 

how he first became immersed in Asian American literature literally can save lives, Samantha can be reached at American culture and history. and it certainly can raise consciousness.”

“Reading lets people into lives and Prior to the book club’s full launch this info@nwasianweekly.com. contexts that they’ve never seen or month, Gold House hosted a pilot event in participated in like no other medium,” he said. “Movies and TV are terrific and immersive, but they’re telling you a complete story. Books require you to bring something of yourself into the story, which forces you into a position of empathy.

That’s why they’re so life and attitude changing.”

The current social and political climate definitely influenced the idea of an API book club, Joung said. She and her team were inspired by people on their personal social feeds sharing books and articles about race during the Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police.

This outpouring of resources made them realize they could do the same. Gold House could provide people with a syllabus of reading material to help guide them as they learned about API identity and the themes COMMUNITY HEALTH PLAN affecting the community. of Washington For Yang, the two books that really MEDICARE ADVANTAGE touched on these matters were “American Born Chinese” and “Minor Feelings,” which he stumped hardest for.

“Both because they explore and express emotions and ideas about being Asian in America that I’ve always wanted to articulate but could never do as well as these two authors have,” he said.

Joung also noted the rise of anti-Asian racism and xenophobia community members have witnessed and/or endured as a result of COVID-19. This has left many wondering “what our place is in this country when we can so easily be seen as the ‘other’ in our own homeland.”

“The hope is that the books we feature will help us start to formulate an answer to these kinds of questions,” she said.

“Whether through history, memoir, fiction, and every genre in between, the stories will help us understand where we come from, who we are, and what our legacy can be.”

Yang said, “Getting more people— Asian and non-Asian—to read Asian

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38 YEARS

OCTOBER 17 – OCTOBER 23, 2020

■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG

An epidemic within a pandemic

Photos from Team Sherzai

By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Dr. Ayesha Sherzai (left) and Dr. Dean Sherzai (right)

Is the COVID pandemic the current health crisis?

Actually, the fastest-growing epidemic facing the United States and the West is Alzheimer’s, according to neurologists Drs. Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, who are married, spoke at the recent Seattle Rotary Club’s virtual meeting. Alzheimer’s ranks third, behind heart disease and cancer, as the leading cause of death for older people.

Alzheimer’s is personal to me, and rooted in my family history. Though I am not afraid of it, I have a reckoning with my own fate. Is the disease hereditary? If I have the defective gene, is there a cure? There wasn’t one for my mother a few years ago.

Which is an early Alzheimer’s symptom,

losing long-term or short-term memory?

What should we do to optimize our brain’s functions? What foods should we eat to prevent cognitive decline? How much memory loss is considered to be symptoms of Alzheimer’s? How much exercise is sufficient to protect ourselves from dementia?

Dean and Ayesha are co-directors of the Brain Health and Alzheimer’s prevention program at Loma Linda University. They have been studying Alzheimer’s for 17 years.

Currently, there is no drug to cure Alzheimer’s, Dean said. “You can’t reverse it once [Alzheimer’s] fully on board.” But if you had known the symptoms earlier, “you can push back the disease.” Although someone could have Alzheimer’s genes, it is low-risk, only 3%, he said. Less than 1% of the time, Alzheimer’s is caused by specific genetic changes that virtually guarantee a person will develop the disease, according to the Mayo Clinic website.

Can Alzheimer’s be prevented?

The good news is, yes. “Prevention is the new treatment...and new cure,” Dean said.

The neurologist couple met in Afghanistan in 2003, and discovered that they both lost grandparents to dementia. Both Sherzais’ grandparents were high-level government officials. Ayesha’s grandfather was the former prime minister of Afghanistan.

As specialists in preventive cognitive diseases, Dean said, Alzheimer’s has to do with lifestyle and environment. Lifestyle changes should focus on building our brain,

said Ayesha. The five strategies to deal with Alzheimer’s are nutrition, exercise, stress management, sleep, and mental activity.

A plant-based diet is recommended, said Ayesha. “You should get your vitamins through the food you eat, not in supplements or pills. Food is your medicine.”

Another assumption is that if you have done your morning exercise, you can sit behind your desk four to five hours later, and not move the rest of the day. If that’s the case, “you will nullify the gains you have made in the morning,” Ayesha said.

It is important to stretch and exercise every hour. Exercise 20 to 30 minutes each day for four to five days a week, she said.

Good brains are derived from regular moderate to strenuous activity such as weight lifting. She said the strength of the muscles in your foot is connected with brain growth. Leg strength is associated with the size of the brain. When we exercise our legs, it pumps blood to our brain and enhances blood flow.

The brain vs. heart

Which is the most important organ of the body? Heart, brain, kidneys, liver, lungs, bladder, stomach, or intestines? Many people assume it’s the heart. However, it “is the brain, and not the heart,” Dean said.

“Our brain, which weighs about three pounds, and about 2% of our body weight, controls 80% of our body function, and it has over 1 quadrillion connections,” Dean said. The two scientists work on preventive neurology extensively, and want to educate communities on how to prevent the disease.

Spa or sleep?

Stress is not necessarily bad for the brain, said Dean, because there are good stresses such as learning a musical instrument, engaging with other individuals, and taking a class.

“Our goal is to increase our good stress,” she said. “The types of stress that is under your control and connected to your mission in life.”

Bad stresses damage our brain, growth hormones, and blood vessels. Dean said people assume that getting a spa treatment to relieve stress will help your brain more.

A better remedy than the spa is sleep,

Dean said. “Make your bedroom a spa.”

“Restorative sleep is best,” he said, “the kind of sleep which doesn’t require any medicine.” Medicine should only be a bridge, a short-term solution for anyone’s sleep problem, he added. The amount of sleep should be about seven to eight hours.

“Sleep is important because the brain consolidates memory, cleanses out bad proteins and waste (toxins), and makes space for memory for the next day,” Ayesha said.

Most people assume that the loss of long-term memory is an initial sign of Alzheimer’s. Not quite. Dean gave an example of people who didn’t think they have dementia because they can remember things from 50 years ago. The concern is when you don’t remember what happened to you a few hours ago or the day before, he said.

Optimizing brain activity

“Optimizing has to do with good stresses,” said Dean. “When it ties in with your life‘s purpose, such as running a company, and bringing you joy, those stresses are challenging your cognitive functions,” he said. “Good stresses make connections among the neurons.”

It’s a mistake for many “who are mentally active to go into retirement,“ he said. Then when they didn’t do anything for two years, they have the highest cognitive decline. His advice for retirees is to remain active in life.

Another misconception people have about playing games like Sudoku is that it will benefit your brain. Dean said those games are not good enough. He joked he might get sued by Sudoku.

Challenging your brain means growing your brain. Challenges which deal with complexity, are purpose-driven, and will push you, giving the brain connections.

Complex behaviors including learning a dance or a new musical instrument, playing cards with friends, volunteering and running a company, are the highest protection against dementia. Eating more grain, eating less saturated fat, and exercising gives you growth hormone and oxygen.

The Sherzais’ talk has inspired hope for many who attended the Zoom meeting. The tendency for those who work at home is to sit in their chair for hours without getting up. It will damage your back as well as your brain. Some friends have complained they have more back pain working at home than in the office because they don’t have the right desk and chair at home. To remove stress and tightness in your body, get out of your chair, dance, and swing around. Jump like kids.

Keep moving. And schedule your breaks and activities every hour of the day.  Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.

YOUR VOICE

■ EDITORIAL

OCTOBER 10 – OCTOBER 16, 2020

asianweekly northwest

9

Why we are endorsing NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY With just over two weeks to the presidential election, we are giving our endorsement to former Vice President Joe Biden.

UNITY. One of the top reasons we prefer Biden over Donald Trump is Biden’s willingness to collaborate and listen to diverse ideas, which is in stark contrast to Trump’s divisive leadership style.

“Having worked with Joe Biden in Congress and during my time serving as a Cabinet Secretary, I know Joe to be an intelligent and empathetic person,” said former Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta. “There is a long way to go and a lot of work to do in order to repair the divisions in our nation… His judgement and basic decency will ensure that no one will have to feel abandoned, alienated, or unrepresented.”

CHARACTER. A longtime public servant, Biden is a decent and fair person. He has the ability to not let political differences become personal bitter divisions. When he accepted the nomination of the Democratic Party in August, Biden said, “Character is on the ballot. Compassion is on the ballot.

Decency is on the ballot.”

Despite Trump’s crowd-pleasing campaign pledge to “drain the swamp,” his family business discovered a lucrative new revenue stream once he was in office—people who wanted something from the president. An investigation published by The New York Times on Oct. 11 found over 200 companies, specialinterest groups, and foreign governments that patronized Trump’s properties while reaping benefits from him and his administration.

Since Trump took office in 2017, seven former advisers who served at the White House or worked in the campaign have been swept up in criminal prosecutions.

Many had lots of money to contribute to senators who later voted on their confirmations.

We believe Biden’s Cabinet choices will be based on what’s best for the American public, not just ‘yes’ people to contribute to his hubris. Biden chose Kamala Harris as his running mate, a move some called risky. Biden was not afraid to make bold choices and put a woman of color front and center of his campaign.

In 1972, Biden lost his wife and daughter in a tragic car accident. He began taking

the Amtrak to and from Washington, D.C. every single day (about a 90 minute-trip), so he could be at home with his boys. He did this throughout his career and said it helped him feel closer to his children. We doubt that that’s something Trump would do if faced with a similar situation.

GET IT DONE. Former President Bill Clinton called Biden “a go-to-work president, a down-to-earth, get-the-jobdone guy.”

Biden is a workhorse and Trump is a show horse who’s more interested in getting attention and praise than getting actual work done, someone who makes promises and doesn’t deliver.

We believe in Biden’s sense of personal responsibility and admitting when he’s made a mistake. Trump has been unable or unwilling to take responsibility for anything that goes wrong. He’s quick to blame others and blasts the media for reporting “fake news” when it shows him in an unfavorable light.

FOREIGN POLICY. Trump’s approach to foreign policy—especially denuclearization talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un—haven’t panned out.

During a pre-dawn military parade on Oct. 10, North Korea unveiled what appeared to be a new intercontinental ballistic missile that's larger than any the country has rolled out before—despite Trump’s claim that North Korea was “no longer a nuclear threat.” Trump seems to be more interested in photo ops with authoritarian heads of state like Kim, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping than developing any kind of real foreign policy, and he has alienated our allies.

Biden played a leading role in the Obama administration’s policy on Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, and other conflict areas.

As a U.S. senator from Delaware from 1973 to 2009, he also served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for three decades.

ECONOMY. Trump claims to have “built the greatest economy in the history of the world” and while it’s true the economy was doing well prior to the pandemic—continuing a trend which began during the Obama administration— but there have been periods when it was much stronger.

Biden oversaw the 2009 Recovery Act as Obama’s vice president—a nearly $800 billion government-spending program intended to rescue the country from the worst economic collapse since the Great

Depression. It involved more than 100,000 projects—275 programs within 28 federal agencies.

You, or someone you know, may have voted for Trump four years ago because you think he is a great businessman.

“In business we focus on results, and I think his results do not earn him a second term,” said Carly Fiorina, who was among the candidates for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

The former chief executive of HewlettPackard is not the only Republican who has publicly broken from the party and endorsed Biden. Cindy McCain, widow of 2008 GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, and former HP CEO Meg Whitman have thrown their support behind Biden.

PANDEMIC. Despite contracting it himself, Trump remains dismissive of the virus that has killed over 211,000 Americans. He has made countless false claims about treatments and regularly ignores life-saving public health guidelines.

Olivia Troye, former homeland security, counterterrorism, and coronavirus adviser to Vice President Mike Pence said what she has seen during her tenure at the White House “has been upsetting.”

She told NPR, “There were numerous instances where I saw the president speak,

you know, during task force meetings— when he did attend them—where he, whether it was a joke or not, has said comments such as, ‘You know, maybe this virus is a good thing. I don’t have to shake hands with people anymore. I don’t have to shake hands with those disgusting people.’ It was shocking to me that that is where his focus and his concern was— was just on the interactions with his own voters and Americans instead of the fact that we had a crisis on our hands.”

Biden promises to listen to science, and make sure that public health decisions are made by public health professionals and not by political hacks.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama said it eloquently.

“We can no longer pretend that we don’t know exactly who and what this president stands for,” she said in a video released by Biden’s campaign on Oct. 6.

“Search your hearts, and your conscience, and then vote for Joe Biden like your lives depend on it.” 

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OCTOBER 17 – OCTOBER 23, 2020

38 YEARS

CLASSIFIED NOTICE

NOTICE

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Superior Court of Washington, County of King Bashir Dahir and and Halima Omar Petitioners, and Habiba Abdi and Bashir Mohamed Respondents No. 20-3-04101-1 KNT Summons By Publication To the Respondent: Bashir Dahir and and Halima Omar, The petitioner has started an action in the above court requesting Non-Parent Custody. Give custody of the child to a non-parent.

You must respond to this summons by serving a copy of your written response on the person signing this summons and by filing the original with the clerk of the court. If you do not serve your written response within 20 days (or 60 days if you served outside of the state of WA) after the first publication of this summons(60 days after September 19, 2020), the court may enter an order of default against you, and the court may, without further notice to you, enter a decree and approve or provide for other relief requested in this summons. In case of a dissolution, the court will not enter the final decree until at least 90 days after service and filing. If you serve a notice of appearance on the undersigned person, you are entitled to notice before an order of default or a decree may be entered.

Your written response to the summons and petition must be FL Non-Parent 415, Response to Non-Parent Custody Petition. Information about how to get this form may be obtained by contacting the clerk of the court, by contacting the Administrative Office of the Courts at (360) 705-5328, or Washington LawHelp: www.washingtonlawhelp.org. If you wish to seek the advice of an attorney in this matter, you should do so promptly so that your written response, if any, may be served on time.

This summons if issued pursuant to RCW 4.28.100 and Superior Court Civil Rule 4.1 of the State of Washington. Dated 9/4/2020. Serve a Copy of Your Response on: Habiba Abdi and Bashir Mohamed, File your Original Response with the Clerk of the Court at: King County Superior Ct 516 3rd Ave Seattle, WA 98104.

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SPORTS from 5 In September, he announced that he was leaving the Beijing Shougang Ducks, the Chinese Basketball Association team he has been associated with for the last year.

Lin had a strong season with the Ducks, averaging 22 points, almost 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.

On the Chinese social platform Weibo, he gave a heartfelt goodbye to his followers in China, “I feel that I still have NBA dreams. I still have time to play and I have to chase this.” Lin’s last time in the NBA went well considering he won an NBA title with the Toronto Raptors. However, as just a small contributor for the team, he felt unfulfilled with the championship as he did not contribute to the overall team success. He left the NBA to play in China where his popularity remained high.

At 32 years old, Lin still has some time left to try and find an NBA team that is in need of a veteran point guard. He’s spent 10 years in the NBA for a plethora of teams. But he never found the success that he

did when he came out of nowhere while playing for the New York Knicks. Albeit a short period of time in 2011, Lin became the talk of New York and Linsanity was born.

It’s been nine years since then and Lin has bounced around from team to team. Despite his popularity, he hasn’t established himself with just one team as its main point guard.

With the league returning sometime at the beginning of 2021, look for Lin to return to the NBA. However, he’ll be competing with players 8-10 years younger than him. While he has experience, the players will have youth on their side.

Hopefully, Lin can make one more run with an NBA team.

Osaka wins U.S. Open Naomi Osaka won the U.S. Open in September before empty stands due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York. It was Osaka’s second U.S. Open title in her career and she became the first woman to come back to win the title after losing the first set.

Notably, Osaka made a statement

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each time she walked onto the court for a match as she wore a mask bearing the name of a Black person that died at the hands of the police.

Osaka, who is Japanese and Haitian, has been vocal about social justice and the masks were another sign of raising awareness.

At just 22, Osaka is one of the most marketable athletes in the world.

She was the highest-earning female athlete of all time by annual income in 2020 and 8th among athletes in endorsement income, according to Forbes.

During the U.S. Open, Osaka was seen wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey while watching other matches.

Certainly, the reason for the jersey was to exemplify the “Mamba Mentality.” She said on Instagram, “I wore this jersey every day after my matches. I truly think it gave me strength. Always.” The two had met in June 2019 and Osaka said the former Lakers star became a mentor in the sports world. 

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YOUR VOICE

■ ASTROLOGY

OCTOBER 17 – OCTOBER 23, 2020

asianweekly northwest

11

Predictions and advice for the week of October 17–October 23, 2020

By Sun Lee Chang Rat—Avoid getting too far ahead of yourself.

Leave enough slack to pull back or correct the course, as needed.

Dragon—Is someone trying to push you into a corner? Obviously, they have no idea how hard that will actually be.

Monkey—On the work front you operate a certain way, but at home you will need to adjust your approach.

Ox—Although you are able to juggle multiple tasks at once, that doesn’t mean you should do so.

Snake—Be confident about where you stand.

You have paid your dues and earned the right to be where you are.

Rooster—Are you starting to realize that practice is actually paying off? Don’t stop now, keep improving your skills.

Tiger—Your ambition could lead you to bite off more than you can chew. Think twice before agreeing to additional projects.

Horse—If the terms are not what you were hoping for, seek out more favorable sources.

Dog—Is your energy level waning a bit this week? Listen to your body and make time to recharge.

Rabbit—Not all deals are worth taking. Balance the risks down the line against potential shortterm gains.

Goat—Is the change of seasons a little harder this year? Try adding some warm and cozy accessories to your décor.

Pig—To appreciate just how far you have come, sometimes it’s worth reflecting on the places you have been.

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 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.

AAPI VOTERS from 1 fastest-growing segment of the population and now for the first time could tip key swing states, according to several of the participants.

“I am here to implore you to vote,” said Yo-Yo Ma, in a prerecorded message. “This is perhaps the most important time in our life that the Asian Pacific vote really matters.”

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, referring to vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, said that it is also important to elect leaders that can understand the needs of the AAPI community in order to successfully advocate for them.

She cited the recent passage of a bill, which she promoted, which would provide federal aid for education and grants for South Asians with heart problems. South Asians make up 25% of the world’s population, but 50% of global cardiovascular deaths.

Both she and former Gov. Gary Locke criticized the Trump administration for its attacks on immigrants and said a Biden-Harris administration would reorient the country to its fundamentals.

“Immigration is also how many of our relatives have come,” said Locke. “Trump wants to cut that off.”

Jayapal lauded Harris for being the co-lead on a bill to provide free legal counsel after Trump issued a ban on Muslims entering the country.

“We not only strive for success but to leave our country better than it was before,” Harris, in a prerecorded message, said her mother from India told her.

Young people also need role models like Harris, said Meng.

“You can’t be what you can’t see,” she said.

At the same time, Biden and Harris would serve as moral exemplars, unlike the current administration, added Locke.

“Don’t we want a president and vice president that can be role models for our kids?” he asked.

On health care, if Trump wins the election and his ef-

DEBATE from 3 Pence defended Trump as a job creator who has paid more than his fair share of taxes and shifted toward Biden: “On Day One, Joe Biden’s going to raise your taxes.’’

Both candidates sidestepped difficult questions at times.

Pence refused to say whether climate change was an existential threat or whether Trump would accept the election results should he lose, while Harris declined to say whether Biden would push to expand the number of

forts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act are successful, 2 million AAPIs would lose coverage, said Meng. At the same time, there are 2 million AAPI front line workers, who need a better response to the pandemic.

“Health care is most important, because our country is sick,” she said.

AAPIs have also been threatened by a massive upsurge in hate crimes during the pandemic. And many Republicans have refused to support an anti-hate crimes bill sponsored by Harris, said Meng.

“The racism of Trump will come back to hurt the Asian community.”

Referring to past racist policies against Chinese Americans and Japanese concentration camps, state Sen. Joe Nguyen said AAPI voters needed to prevent such brutalities from recurring.

“We need leaders who won’t let this happen again,” he said. “Download the Vote Joe App and let them know. Or text VOTE JOE to 30330.”

On the economic front, the Trump administration’s response to hardship experienced by AAPIs has also been disastrous, said Locke. Prior to the coronavirus, Asian Americans had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, whereas now they have the second highest, he said.

Despite the urgency of these issues, challenges to getting AAPIs out to vote are formidable. Port Commissioner Sam Cho emphasized that this is not a normal elections year because of the pandemic.

“The Democrats’ use of conventional grassroots door knocking is not an option this year,” he said. That’s why it is so crucial to reach voters through phone banking and other ways, such as texting.

“It is so crucial to get them out.” Cho asked AAPIs to commit to volunteering every week to make calls on behalf of the Biden-Harris ticket or to send texts encouraging voters.

On the surface, such a task might seem superfluous. The number of Asian American eligible voters has more than doubled over the last 20 years, growing by 139%, according to the Pew Research Center.

But this change reflects a growth in population, said Hong Qi, the internship director for United Chinese Americans (UCA), a non-partisan nonprofit that promotes voter education and registration.

Despite such growth, voter turnout nationally for Asian Americans in 2012 was only 49.3%, Qi said. Reasons for such a low turnout include the fact that some new immigrants come from countries without elections and so they don’t have a habit of voting. Language barriers also play an important role. In other instances, ongoing discrimination is an obstacle.

Former Tacoma mayor Marilyn Strickland, who is running for Congress and if elected would be the first Korean American there, shared a story of a Korean American couple in Georgia who brought an interpreter with them to vote. Although it was their legal right to do so, they were turned away. Eventually, they had to appeal to the manager of the polling station to be able to vote.

Moreover, reaching out to voters is essential, said state Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, since in recent elections surveys have shown “many eligible voters had not been contacted.”

Offering her own example as encouragement, she said she had made more than 2,000 calls several weeks ago and continues to make phone calls every weekend.

“We have helped to build America,” she said. “But this is not the America that our ancestors fought for and made.” 

justices on the Supreme Court.

But so long as the coronavirus is ravaging the White House and killing several hundred Americans each day, the campaign will almost certainly be a referendum on the Trump administration’s inability to control the pandemic, which Republicans have sought to downplay or ignore altogether for several months.

Slatter said Harris “provided a positive, inspiring vision for a Joe Biden administration and made clear how Donald Trump and Mike Pence have let the American people down—from their failure to follow the science on COVID-19 and climate change, to their insistence on

attacking affordable healthcare."

Pence’s effort to focus on other topics was undercut by the mere fact that the candidates and moderator were separated by plexiglass shields, seated more than 12 feet apart, and facing a crowd of masked audience members who faced expulsion if they removed their face coverings. The candidates on stage revealed test results earlier in the day proving they were not infected.

While the audience was forced to wear face masks throughout, second lady Karen Pence removed her mask as she joined her husband on stage at the end of the debate. 

To make calls on behalf of the Biden-Harris campaign, go to mobilize.us/2020victory/event/334061.

Mahlon can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

asianweekly

ID RESTAURANTS from 1

Photo credit: Pho Bac Instagram

it had set out to collect.

However, comments posted on the page struck a chord with Nakayama, who spoke before starting to prepare orders coming in on Sunday evening.

“You can’t plan for a situation like this in which things keep changing. We’re hanging in and just waiting — for a vaccine or a cure,” Nakayama said.

The idea to use the internet and GoFundMe came from “one of the young kids” at her restaurant in the wake of limited online orders and changing regulations.

Nakayama offers a gracious thank you to all her supporters. She even sent out emails thanking each of them for their donations. She’ll be sticking to the takeout and delivery methods.

Even before the virus made its way to Seattle and its surrounding cities, businesses in the International District (ID) were adversely affected due to misinformation. Regulations limiting indoor dining and abiding by health guidelines has meant lost jobs, lost incomes, and uncertainty. While it has been difficult, several businesses have cooked up a creative storm to keep their doors open and customers coming back for more.

The siblings pose at their New Wave Summer Weekend venue with mini cheesecakes from Hood Famous Bakeshop

Take Phở Bắc for instance. When Gov. Jay Inslee ordered restaurants to stop dine-in services in March, Phở Bắc was in the same boat as other restaurants in the ID. Yenvy Pham and her siblings, Khoa and Quynh-Vy, whose parents opened the store in Little Saigon in 1982, have turned into a creative collective to find novel ways to help their family business thrive.

“First, we thought of it as something new and were able to adjust with online orders and takeout. Now, it has become the new normal,” Pham said.

The first offering from the restaurant was the ‘Phokit Family Meals’ in two variations with 25% discounts for takeout only. They still offer the bucket with online ordering, but in addition they have Pho Now and Pho Later which offers customers a PhoCup that can be had on-the-go and the latter that packages broth, fresh noodles, and toppings separately with heating and eating instructions.

The siblings also found a novel way to deliver food to customers—the Pho Mobile.

“My brother and I bought the vehicle three years ago at an auction with the idea to use it for festivals and Little Saigon events. We realized we had to really up our game for out-of-restaurant dining, so he revamped the Pho Mobile,” Pham said.

When outdoor seating was allowed by the county, Phở Bắc converted their parking lot into an outdoor seating area.

“We usually participate in Little Saigon events and had used the parking lot before. We thought why not do

REFUGEES from 4 promised to pump the annual refugee goal to 125,000.

There are no voter registration figures for refugees, but the National Partnership for New Americans predicted that 860,000 immigrants of all kinds would gain that right this year by becoming citizens even in the face of barriers like an 83% increase in naturalization fees, from $640 to $1,170.

Through its citizenship classes, the International Rescue Committee has helped around 6,000 refugees and other newcomers become Americans each of the last few years. Other groups have also helped refugees become naturalized.

Department of Homeland Security figures in recent years have shown refugees and asylum-seekers are the immigrants most likely to gain citizenship, with a naturalization rate of over 70% during their first decade in the country. Refugees can apply for citizenship after five years as permanent residents.

it

The latest offering from Mangosteen at Pho Bac’s boat

again. My siblings and I brainstormed about the theme and what we should do over dinner,” Pham said.

The next day, she applied for a permit to serve alcohol outside, a month later they were approved, and that’s the story behind New Wave Summers that ran every weekend from the end of August to

the end of September.

“City officials were really efficient and fast,” Pham said. “To do it right with the barriers would have cost me $4,000. I didn’t have that kind of money,” she said.

Pham then connected with the community, local businesses, and the city.

“Ching Chan, who works with the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority, saw barriers that were donated by the Boy Scouts in their storeroom and loaned them to us,” she said. With help from friends at Mangosteen Boba Bar Seattle and Crawfish King, they collectively had enough tables and chairs.

Phở Bắc has also returned the favor. Their Phokits came with Filipino-inspired cheesecakes from Hood Famous Bakeshop. Mangosteen, which doesn’t have its own brick-and-mortar, leased the closed ‘boat’ space at the restaurant and chef Thai Ha’s smoker was fired up to create the smoked brisket Pho that’s still on their menu.

As Seattle’s rain dampens their outdoor setting, Pham said, “We opened up the second part of our restaurant and are currently building dividers. We are maxed out at 50% in-door seating, but nobody likes to eat outdoors in the rain.”

Crawfish King, on the other hand, had set itself up with online delivery and takeout a few years ago.

“We didn’t have to go through the two or three week transition to get on the platform. A lot of our regular customers just learned to order online,” Torrey Le said.

While Le hasn’t had to lay off his kitchen staff, he had to furlough some of his serving staff.

“My main concern was how they would be able to keep up with mortgages and rent while we didn’t have enough work for them during the takeout phase,” Le said.

His wife and he worked the front for more than a month, not knowing where the situation would lead them. The restaurant that serves Viet-Cajun food improvised by introducing their patrons to home boil kits.

“We offer a home boil kit, complete with the ingredients, sauces, pot, tablecloth, and cooking instructions,” Le said.

He admits that they didn’t know what to expect and definitely didn’t think they would sell out. “We organized only 100 home boil kits and sold out within 24 hours,” Le said, adding that he was left scrambling to find more pots. Now, the home boil is a permanent fixture on their menu.

“When we realized our numbers balanced out, I decided to change protocol in the restaurant with temperature taking and installing barriers. I asked my serving staff to come back once a week provided they wanted to, so we can transition seamlessly through the pandemic,” Le said.

A variation of the Home Boil Kit Crawfish King put together for Mother’s Day, complete with flowers and something sweet.

Purple Dot Cafe storefront

For Carol Xie of Purple Dot, things haven’t changed much since May. “We are still depending on takeout and delivery. We’re evaluating if opening up for dine-in is a good option now as takeout and delivery is slowing down,” Xie said.

Xie, who operates as a one-woman marketing team to help her family business, began offering gift certificates through an organization called Intentionalist, but stopped when it got too much for her to manage.

“We do have our ongoing social media special. If a customer mentions they follow us on social media, they get an extra 10% off their order,” she said.

Once they become Americans, they can register and vote.

Here are a few refugees around the United States voting for the first time: BAWI UK was a small child when his parents fled Myanmar, leaving him and his siblings to be cared for by their maternal grandmother.

Uk said the family suffered discrimination as Christians in a predominantly Buddhist nation. The military government was also trying to forcibly conscript his father.

“To run for office, you had to be a Buddhist; to rent a house, you had to be Buddhist,’’ said Uk, a social work student at Rhode Island College and a youth leader at the Refugee Dream Center, an advocacy organization in Providence.

NADA AL-RUBAYE said she never voted in her native Iraq, which she fled after her oldest son and several other family members were killed in the country’s widespread violence.

The Baghdad-born artist and another son spent a few

While Crawfish King played around with outdoor dining, Le said it’s not feasible.

“A lot of our street parking has been given to International Community Health Services for drivethrough testing and I didn’t want to take away from that,” he said. The restaurant still does indoor dining, contact tracing by automatically making people join the waitlist, and has started informing patrons of a 20% gratuity that goes directly to support their staff.

“Indoor dining has been busy for us and customers seem comfortable. We have a lot of barriers, we put our dining tables on the perimeter of the restaurant so a customer can get up to use the restroom without passing another table,” Le said.

With 11 years of business behind them, Le is grateful to customers that came in to support them. “Some come monthly, others weekly, and some came in daily even if it was to order just one item to make sure that we are still here,” he said.

All he asks of people is to go out and support as many small businesses as they can. “It’s more for the workers of small businesses who don’t make as much or have the perks that those who work in larger corporations do,” he said.  Janice can be reached at janice@nwasianweekly.com.

years in Turkey, but in 2013 were settled in Phoenix.

A U.S. citizen since September 2019, she now paints landscapes featuring the red rock outcroppings of her adopted Arizona and sells her paintings and jewelry online.

“I am so excited!“ she said about the upcoming election, flashing a broad smile. “It’s so important for a person to feel like they belong to a country.’’

LIAN KUAL never cast a ballot in Myanmar, where elections were criticized as fraudulent during decades of military rule.

In 2008, Kual initially fled his country for Malaysia, and in 2014 was resettled in Salt Lake City, where he works on the overnight shift stocking shelves at Walmart. He was naturalized this year.

“I feel so free to be part of the United States of America,’’ he said. “I already registered (to vote) at the DMV, and now I’m waiting for my ballot. It’s a really big deal.’’ 

Photo credit: Crawfish King, Facebook

38 YEARS

OCTOBER 17 – OCTOBER 23, 2020

Photo credit: Pho Bac Instagram

12

northwest