VOL 40 NO 11 | MARCH 13 - MARCH 19, 2021

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

VOL 40 NO 11 MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2021

THE INSIDE STORY COMMUNITY NEWS Fryer grease plays a role in Clean Fuel Standard  3

FREE 39 YEARS YOUR VOICE

Seattle leaders speak out against anti-Asian crimes

AT THE MOVIES Raya and The Last Dragon  5

ON THE SHELF This month’s book recommendations  7

Virtual groundbreaking of Uncle Bob’s Place honors legendary community activist

Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz

By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY The Seattle City Council said the recent attacks on Asian Americans, especially the elderly, is heartbreaking. In a solidarity statement released on March 8, the Council condemned “the growing hate

crimes being committed against our Asian American neighbors.”

“It’s our collective responsibility to not only sound the alarm on these hate crimes, but to continue our work to systematically uproot racism, xenophobia, see BIAS CRIME on 12

Nearly $1 million effort to fight voter suppression

Robert “Uncle Bob” Santos

The love that the Seattle community had for legendary civil-rights activist Robert “Uncle Bob” Santos was in full bloom for the Feb. 25 virtual groundbreaking of a new affordable housing development named after him. An additional Zoom overflow room had to be created to accommodate all the many community members in attendance. The CID-based InterIm Community Development Association (CDA) in charge of the development produced a video shown during the event that discussed Uncle Bob’s contributions to the neighborhood and details about the building, which is set to begin its construction in the second week of March.

The event was also a commemoration of Uncle Bob’s life, as it was held the same day as his birthday. After its expected completion in December 2022, Uncle Bob’s Place will offer 126 affordable units for low-income households, which will be designated for family households that have incomes at less than or equal to 50% of Area Median Income in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID).

“Uncle Bob advocated tirelessly, shining a light on the disparity he saw every day and the fundamental injustice of a community wrought from historic restrictive racial covenants and redlining,

■

see SANTOS on 11

Courtesy of ICHS

By Ronnie Estoque *This article was originally published by the Seattle Emerald.

Republished with permission.

ICHS President and CEO Teresita Batayola and ICHS Community Health Specialist Angela Wan outside of International Medical and Dental Clinic on Voter Registration Day

By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY So you want to vote? It just got a whole lot easier with a $950,000 fund offered by King County Elections and the Seattle Foundation to sponsor voter education and registration.

The fund is available for organizations that can spread the word about the power of voting. Targeting communities that have been historically excluded, organizations can apply for grants between now and April 2 to conduct voter education. see VOTER EDUCATION on 12

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

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asianweekly northwest

39 YEARS

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2021

■ NAMES IN THE NEWS Togethxr with Chloe Kim

the iconic campus cherry blossoms virtually this spring to promote physical distancing and safety during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

A number of virtual viewing options are available including UW video’s live webcam at washington.edu/ video/campus-webcams.

Additionally, the UW arborist recommends looking for cherry blossoms in your local parks and along neighborhood streets. 

New furniture at Hing Hay Park Cmdr. Tin Tran (right) relieves Cmdr. Ryan T. Easterday as commanding officer of the USS John McCain in a Feb. 18 ceremony.

Ryan T. Easterday as commanding officer of the guidedmissile destroyer USS John S. McCain during a change of command ceremony in Yokosuka, Japan last month.

The 43-year-old previously served as Executive Officer of the USS McCain. The 23-year veteran has also served as Communications Officer on the USS Dextrous, and Weapons Officer and Combat Systems Officer on the USS McCampbell. 

Watch the UW cherry blossoms virtually

Photo by Assunta Ng

From top left: Alex Morgan, Simone Manuel, Chloe Kim, and Sue Bird

Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim has teamed with fellow Olympians Alex Morgan, Sue Bird, and Simone Manuel, to found a new media and commerce company designed to elevate women’s voices around sports.

The launch was unveiled on March 2 via social media.

The company’s official statement puts an emphasis on changing the narrative and giving back to future generations. 

USS John S. McCain Change of Command

Cmdr. Tin Tran, a Vietnamese native, relieved Cmdr.

The University of Washington is asking people to enjoy

Weekly Specials MARCH 10-16, 2021

Hing Hay Park has new marble chairs and a table— they were installed in celebration of Lunar New Year.

This is also part of the ongoing renovation by the Seattle Parks Department. Park goers are encouraged to take photos enjoying the new installation and send it to Pamela.

Kliment@seattle.gov— the photos will be used in a park dedication ceremony in the spring. 

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YOUR VOICE

■ ENVIRONMENT

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2021

asianweekly northwest

3

Fryer grease plays a role in Clean Fuel Standard

By Becky Chan NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Supporters of Clean Fuels Now rally in the ID on Feb. 24.

Biofuel production companies have been collecting used cooking oil from food-related businesses and turning them into clean fuels for years. By keeping the used oil “in the loop” longer, the circular process minimizes the use of limited resources and eliminates waste. It is a preferred sustainable approach to the traditional linear economy

of “take, make, and dispose.”

Last December, Gov. Jay Inslee announced an ambitious climate policy package for 2021– 2023, aiming to reduce 35% of carbon emissions by 2030. A clean fuel standard is part of the policy package and necessitates fuel suppliers to sell cleaner oil see CLEAN FUELS on 8

Photos by Becky Chan

“Do your french fries fight climate change?” the ad asks.

What about pork katsu or egg rolls? Yes! It’s a thing— fryer grease can become low carbon clean fuel. Affordable, sustainable, and healthy?

Some think so. Supporters are campaigning for the passage of House Bill (HB) 1091, proposing a clean fuel standard to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuel. Used cooking oil may become a hot commodity in the future.

On Feb. 24, a coalition of environmental groups, all holding signs with the slogan “Clean Fuel Now,” gathered in the back parking lot of Uwajimaya on 6th Avenue South to celebrate “Circular” Restaurant Week. The event highlights 30 ChinatownInternational District (ID) businesses who participate in waste cooking oil recycling.

Ali Lee speaks at “Circular Restaurant Week,” a Clean Fuels Now event.

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asianweekly northwest

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2021

39 YEARS

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

Lumen Field vaccination site opening The new Community Vaccination Site at the Lumen Field Event Center will open on March 13.

The site will initially vaccinate around 5,000 people each week, but could vaccinate 150,000 people each week—or 22,000 per day—at full capacity, if supply is available.

Vaccination appointments will be prioritized for community-based organizations serving Black,

Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, older adults, and immigrants and refugees, but DOHeligible members of the public will be able to register for a vaccination at this site.

“The Chinatown-International District has the highest concentration of elderly in the city… that’s why it’s critical that we have this new mass vaccination site so close to the Chinatown-International District,” said

Maiko Winkler-Chin, Executive Director of SCIDpda.

Eligible King County residents can sign up for this notification list and will be notified via email when appointments become available for upcoming clinics across all City sites.

The Lumen Field site is a collaboration between the City of Seattle, First & Goal Inc., and Swedish. 

Old INS building up for sale The former Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS) building in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District will soon be offered for sale, The Seattle Times reported.

The building, on 815 Seattle Boulevard South, is now known as Inscape Art. The investors who bought it plan to list it for sale this year, according to Brian Mayer, vice president of investments at the commercial brokerage Marcus & Millichap.

Mayer’s firm will list the property. He said, “There’s no plan and intent to try to vacate these tenants or hurt that community in any way” while the building is for sale.

The five-story building, now on the National Register of Historic Places, was a detention and processing center for immigrants in the early 1900s, including Chinese immigrants during the Chinese Exclusion Act, and during the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. It was vacated in 2004, purchased by the investors at a 2008 auction, and then converted into leasable arts space in 2010.

Including the basement, the building is 76,600 square feet and sits on a roughly one-acre lot. 

Police arrest robber, find stashed gun Police arrested an armed robber in the ChinatownInternational District on March 3 and found the weapon that he fired in Hing Hay Park.

A community service officer witnessed a man steal a laptop and bag from a restaurant in the 600 block of South King Street, shortly before 6 p.m. He fled into Hing Hay Park, where a group of park-goers tried to stop him. He fired a gun to get away—nobody was hit.

Witnesses reported the man then ran into a store at 4th Avenue South and South Jackson Street. Police caught him trying to escape out the back entrance. They later found a loaded firearm in the store, stashed behind some chips in the snack aisle.

The man was booked into the King County Jail for robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. 

View the solution on page 10

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YOUR VOICE

■ AT THE MOVIES

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2021

asianweekly northwest

Raya and the last Dragon

5

is a computer animated masterpiece

By John Liu NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

The last five years have been exciting for API Disney movie lovers. In 2016, we got Moana, the first Polynesian princess.

In 2020, we got a live action remake of Mulan. Now our first Southeast Asian Princess! In normal times, I would have set up a movie social event with 10 friends or more to see this movie. Since we’re in a pandemic, I pitched in with a friend to pay $30 to see this movie on Disney Plus from the comfort of my own TV. Raya is a computer animated action film distributed by Walt Disney Animation Studios and directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada. The script was written by Qui Nguyen and Crazy Rich Asians writer, Adele Lim. That’s right, two Asian writers, and they did a fantastic job.

There once was a prosperous land called Kumandra where humans and dragons lived in harmony. Then all of a sudden, Kumandra was attacked by the Druun, purple and black cloud-like monsters described as a mindless plague that consume everything in its path.

Humans turn to stone when touched by a Druun. The remaining dragons used the last of their magic to form an orb known as the Dragon Gem, and then were also turned to stone. The last dragon, Sisu, used the orb to rid the land of the Druun and then disappeared. Five-hundred years later, Kumandra is divided into five lands with different tribes that resemble a dragon: Fang, Heart, Spine, Talon, and Tail. (The next part has plot spoilers so skip the next paragraph if you are concerned about that.)

Chief Benja (Danie Dae Kim) wants the tribes of Kumandra to be united after years of war. His plan is to have a celebration banquet for the people of Kumandra. Raya (Kelly Marie Tran), the daughter of the chief, tries to befriend Namaari (Gemma Chan), the daughter of the Fang chief (Sandra Oh).

Things do not go as planned as Namaari attempts to steal the Dragon Gem. The orb shatters, and the Druun are released once again. Each tribe escapes with a piece of the orb. Many people are turned to stone, including Raya’s father. Six years later, Raya embarks on a perilous journey with her faithful pet, Tuk Tuk (Alan Tudyk), to save Kumandra by finding Sisu (Awkwafina). Namaari will constantly be a thorn in Raya’s side.

Along the way, Raya will meet some charismatic survivors from the other lands. Captain Boun (Isaac Wong) is a cute little orphan who runs a restaurant on a boat. Baby Noi (Thalia Tran) and her three monkeys are mischievous thieves. Rounding out the gang is Tong (Benedict Wong), a warrior that’s more bark than bite.

Kelly Tran does some outstanding voice work here as Raya, and I could feel the emotion in her voice. Sisu is

the perfect role for Awkwafina and will serve as the comic relief for kids. If you have seen any of Awkwafina’s last movies, you will be familiar with her distinct voice and mannerisms. Now imagine her as a furry dragon! The dialogue is funny when it has to be, and serious during CGI fight scenes.

You will be mesmerized by the Southeast Asian culture references throughout the movie. My wife pointed out the Thai influence in costumes. Later in the movie, we are introduced to a boat captain who is an amazing cook. We get to see a close up of congee, tom yum, and many other Asian cuisine featured on the big screen. As a foodie myself, it is a real treat. You will definitely be hungry afterwards. My only gripe about watching it on TV was the Kumandra world looked so amazing, I wanted to see it in 3D. Unfortunately, there is no 3D version this time because of the pandemic.

The film production was finished remotely because of the pandemic. That means hundreds of people were working at home.

“Ninety-five percent of the production of this film was done at home,” said director Don Hall. The actors had to set up makeshift sound booths for their voice recordings. I watched their red carpet premiere after finishing the movie, and the actors said they had never met face to face. I assume they met only on Zoom. That makes Raya even more impressive since it had to overcome such tough circumstances.

Although kids will definitely enjoy this movie, there is plenty for adults.

Five tribes are battling for their own survival. Can people put aside their differences and make a better world?

Or will they all be turned to stone? We see these conflicts happen every day even outside of this film. Sadly, we are still in a pandemic, and Raya pulled in only $8.6 million in U.S. movie theaters.

Please support Asian representation and watch this movie. 

Raya and the Last Dragon is currently playing at local theaters and Disney Plus.

John can be reached at john@nwasianweekly.com.

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asianweekly northwest

39 YEARS

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2021

■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG

Pandemic lessons

Compiled by Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

travel wherever we wish safely.”

— Ruoxi Zhang

I learned about pandemics through history books, and never expected myself to live through one. Now that we are living in one, our lives will never be the same. To keep myself upbeat, I often reach out to people whom I have been or not been in touch with, to see if they are okay. To hear back from them is comforting. To know that they are surviving with grace is refreshing. And some, who have lived through COVID, motivates me to thrive even in the worst of times.

Here are some lessons and insights from some of them.

MAKE EVERY DAY YOUR BEST DAY

RACISM AND INEQUITY “The surge in hate crimes

Janice Deguchi

Midori Hobbs

Alyce Arai

“Life is fragile. We’ve lost many to Covid, becoming fearful and isolated. We need to empower ourselves for a better future and make each day the best we can.”

— Alyce Arai, retired

“Mask up! Please continue to wash hands, sanitize, wear masks, do safe social distancing, quarantine if you feel sick, get the vaccine, please be safe and donate to the food banks and work together to help all people to stay alive!”

— Rhonda Gossett

against the AAPI community and businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic is horrifying. A year later, the hate and mistreatment of the AAPI community continues at an alarming rate. Coming together and building community support for our AAPI community and neighbors is critical in order to organize, uplift, and overcome these atrocities.”

— Midori Hobbs, Seahawks community engagement coordinator

“Advocate early and often.

Systems were not prepared for the massive health and economic toll that would disproportionately impact communities of color, especially immigrant and refugee communities.”

— Janice Deguchi, executive director of Neighborhouse

GET VACCINATED

Larry Gossett

“A major lesson learned is ‘safety first and take care of each other and stick together, and encourage everyone to get vaccinated.”

— Larry Gossett, former King County Councilman

Betti Fujikado

Ruoxi Zhang

“Some of the most important things in our lives that we did not realize before—to be able to gather with, and hug, our family members (not in the same household), to see friends and relatives freely, and to be able to

“Wealth and race inequities came into stark light during the pandemic, affecting almost every part of daily life: healthcare, education, employment, housing. It became a clarion call for change.”

— Betti Fujikado, co-founder of Copacino+Fujikado LLC

Rhonda Gossett

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“Being worried about so many people, including my 90-year-old mother, kept me constantly reading about vaccine development. I’ve marveled at science and medicine moving with urgency, but also learned the challenges of supply chain and logistics.”

— Betti Fujikado

HOW IT CHANGES THE WORKPLACE “Business will never be the same and I think in a good way. We don’t have to go into an office every day to get work done, which will provide more flexibility in our lives. We can make connections online effectively, although I still believe human connections matter. I like wearing pajama bottoms and slippers during the workday.

Essential workers are the heroes of this pandemic— from the medical community to grocery workers to the post office to delivery people. I’m grateful and think it should absolutely include teachers and parents of school-age children.

— Betti Fujikado

THRIVE UNDER ADVERSITY “The pandemic impresses upon me that life is short and it is always filled with uncertainty.

I cannot control how long I live, but I can control the depth of my commitment to God, to my family, to my community, and to my academic pursuit. I cannot return to the world before the pandemic. I shall not and I WILL not return to that world. I take advantage of the abrupt pause in life to purge and to rebuild all areas of my life! I have started memorizing chunks of bible verses such as 1 Corinthians 13. I am learning how to cook yummy and healthy dishes for

Belinda Louie

my mother-in-law, my adult children, and my grandchildren.

I have stepped up my service in the Asia Pacific Cultural Center.

And, I have dived deeper into my research on how to better serve the English language learners in our nation.”

— Belinda Louie, Ph.D. Professor of the UW School of Education, Tacoma

TWO MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I’VE LEARNED

Kevin Kwong

“Frugality and savings are critical. It’s great to enjoy life, but we have to plan and prepare for the worst. Having at least a six-month rainy-day fund can bring us all peace of mind in times of uncertainty.

“Gratitude, instead of complaining about what I don’t have, I have learned to be grateful for health, family, and safety.”

— Kevin Kwong, insurance broker Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.

YOUR VOICE

■ ON THE SHELF

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2021

asianweekly northwest

7

Let’s go save our world Book recommendations

By Samantha Pak NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Wicked As You Wish

By Rin Chupeco Sourcebooks Fire, 2020

For 12 years, the magical Kingdom of Avalon has been encased in ice— ever since the Snow Queen waged her war. Former citizens are now refugees scattered across a world devoid of magic.

And Crown Prince Alexei, the sole survivor of the Avalonian royal family, has since been in hiding—constantly on the move to stay safe.

One of the few people who know Alex’s true identity is his friend Tala Warnock.

As a descendent of Maria Makiling on her Filipina mother’s side, Tala negates spells and has little use for magic. But with her family’s ties to Avalon, they’ve been charged with guarding Alex.

They’re all stuck in a small town in Arizona so boring, magic doesn’t even work there. But as new laws are passed and the Snow Queen re-emerges, things begin to get complicated—especially with the appearance of the firebird, Avalon’s most powerful weapon.

In order to make things right, Alex must return to Avalon. So he and Tala team up with a ragtag group of new friends and the teens make their way back to the kingdom and prepare for a showdown that might just change everything.

“Wicked” is a modern-day fairy tale.

Readers will recognize references to Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty, and nods to classics like “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” However, Chupeco turns the stories on their heads in ways you wouldn’t have expected. I also appreciated that Chupeco included references from other parts of the world.

The desire for happily ever after is

universal.

Chupeco’s characters are also a diverse group—not just where they come from but also their sexual orientations, gender identities, and pronouns. Their differences are not a big deal and they accept each other as they are. This serves as a good reminder to readers that just because we’re different from each other, doesn’t mean we have to be against each other.

care about minor human concerns like the ambitions of a college-bound high school student. So, of course Genie’s weekend college visit with her best friend Yunie is interrupted by a cosmos-threatening force in an alternate dimension.

While Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, and Genie’s boyfriend, Quentin Sun Wukong (the Monkey King), are there to

help, the Jade Emperor should really be the one handling the crisis. The only problem is he’s gone missing. Genie, who’s been fed up with his negligence since she discovered she’s the reincarnation of a dear companion of the Monkey King, seizes the opportunity to shake up the status quo in Heaven. see SHELF on 10

The Iron Will of Genie Lo

By F.C. Yee Harry N. Abrams, 2020

After she saved the world from demons, Genie Lo becomes the Heavenappointed Guardian of California. As prestigious as being responsible for the wellbeing of all the yaoguai and spirits on Earth may sound, it mainly means she has to listen to their grievances (i.e. whining) on the regular. It also means just one more item for Genie to juggle in her life. Supernatural beings don’t

“The Story of Seattle Chinatown International District Murals” youtube.com/watch?v=VE9BA7KkbKc produced by northwest asian weekly & seattle chinese post funded by

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asianweekly northwest

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2021

■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT In ‘Minari,’ harvesting an American dream

By JAKE COYLE AP FILM WRITER

NEW YORK (AP) — The riverbed, more than anything else, needed to be exactly right.

In Lee Isaac Chung’s Arkansas-set family drama, “Minari,’’ land is something more than a setting. It’s a future. It’s a dream. Jacob Yi (Steven Yeun) has moved his family to a wide-open Arkansas plot to farm the land and, hopefully, release him and his wife from years of toil at poultry plants. He tills it not for the area’s typical crops but for vegetables common to Korean cooking that he believes will feed other Korean immigrants like himself. His mother-in-law (Youn Yuh-jung) also finds a gentle creek bed to grow minari, the leafy vegetable popular in Korea.

In Chung’s film, the watery basin throbs with significance—a physical symbol of putting roots down, of Korean American harmony, of resiliency. At first, everywhere Chung looked, the soil was wrong, the flow not right. A location scout mentioned a place he had played as a child. Chung, in the midst of making a deeply personal story about his own upbringing, liked that connection.

Chung planted the spot with minari plants his father had been growing in Kansas City. The director had been too frightened to tell his family he was making a film about them, so his borrowing of the minari was mysterious. It was trucked in crates to the Oklahoma shoot. The minari in “Minari’’ was sowed by Chung’s father—an almost impossibly poignant bit of set dressing in a film that blooms in the gap between generations.

“That wasn’t lost on me,’’ Chung chuckles, speaking from Los Angeles. “I think he kind of knew what I was getting at with the film but we were just not talking about it. He wanted to come to the set and see what we were doing but

■ HEALTH

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama gets vaccine shot DHARMSALA, India (AP) — The Dalai Lama, the 85-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader, was administered the first shot of the coronavirus vaccine on March 6 at a hospital in the north Indian hill town of Dharmsala.

After receiving the injection, he urged people to come forward, be Dalai Lama brave and get vaccinated.

“In order to prevent some serious problems, this injection is very, very helpful,’’ he said.

Dr. G.D. Gupta of Zonal Hospital, where the shot was administered, told reporters that the Dalai Lama was observed for 30 minutes afterward. “He offered to come to the hospital like a common man to get himself vaccinated,’’ he said.

Ten other people who live in the Dalai Lama’s residence were also vaccinated, Gupta said. All eleven received the Covishield vaccine, which was developed by Oxford University and U.K.-based drugmaker AstraZeneca, and manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.

India has confirmed more than 11 million cases of the coronavirus and over 157,000 deaths. The country, which has the second-highest caseload in the world behind the U.S., rolled out its vaccination drive in January, starting with health care and front-line workers. Earlier this month, it expanded its inoculation drive to older people and those with medical conditions that put them at risk. 

I kind of said no. We had some friction during production, to be honest, and it didn’t go away until I showed him the film and then it kind of alleviated all the tension we had.’’

“Minari’’ wasn’t a large production. It was made for less than $10 million. It’s modestly registered to the pace of life and the intimate scale of family. But the film, a Plan B production (Brad Pitt is an executive producer), has steadily gathered force since its premiere at Sundance, where it won the top drama prize.

The Golden Globes spawned a controversy by limiting “Minari’’ (a deeply American film, with dirt in its fingers, and largely Korean dialogue) to its foreign-language film category. But the movie has racked up awards elsewhere,

CLEAN FUELS from 3 with lower carbon. Almost half of the state’s greenhouse gas emission is from the transportation sector. Fuels with less carbon emit less greenhouse gas. The result is cleaner air.

In 2016, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency conducted a study of the air quality in the ID with multiple monitoring points. The one-year study measured 100 air toxins in the community and found 14 above its screening value of potential cancer risk. With I-5 and I-90 crisscrossing above the neighborhood, to no one’s surprise, the major pollutant in the ID is from fossil fuel exhaust, the study found.

Exposure to air pollutants can compromise the body’s respiratory system—-a compromise that is risky, especially during the outbreak of the coronavirus that attacks the lungs.

According to the 2020 Healthy Community Action Plan for CID, the neighborhood’s “poor air quality contributes to more asthma, respiratory, and cardiacrelated hospital visits per capita than 99% of other Puget Sound neighborhoods.”

Ali Lee with King County Climate Reality Project believes clean fuel will help clean up the air in CID. “We want to highlight the businesses that are doing their part in cleaning up the air that we are breathing,” she said. She wants the legislators to do their part, too.

“Clean fuels are a way to build our community. When you eat

39 YEARS

including a bushel of nominations from the Screen Actors Guild, a reliable Oscar bellwether. And perhaps most importantly, its honest and authentic rendering of an Asian American family, in an entertainment world so often reliant on stereotype, has resonated meaningfully for many.

But before all that, “Minari’’ moved the parents of its makers first. At Sundance, Chung, Yeun and producer Christina Oh—all the children of first-generation immigrants from Korea—brought their mothers and fathers to the premiere, putting them up at the same Park City condo complex. Oh could feel her mother during the movie squeezing her arm in delight. When Yeun and his father stood up at the end, they hugged, and sobbed.

“I could hear Steven’s dad watching the film and getting emotional at times,’’ remembers Chung. “When I saw the way those two embraced after the screening, it was almost a mirror image to the way my dad and I embraced after I showed him the film. I guess that feeling felt very new to me.’’

For Yeun, the Seoul-born 37-year-old actor of “Burning“ and “The Walking Dead,’’ the film is about that emotion.

Yeun’s family emigrated when he was 4 and ultimately settled in Michigan.

“This movie is a feeling for me. The feeling is the thing that keeps it connected to everybody,’’ said Yeun by phone from Los Angeles. “I don’t know how it’s getting its way out there, specifically. But I just do know the feeling is getting out there.’’

Chung, 42, had made three movies before, including the Rwanda-set “Munyurangabo.“ But when he sat down to write what became “Minari,’’ he began differently. He just started listing memories of his childhood in Arkansas.

out and order a meal from one of the restaurants in the area, you are helping Washington state by increasing jobs, supporting our small businesses, cleaning the air we breathe, and helping our climate,” Lee said.

Tomio Moriguchi, owner of Uwajimaya, recalled making fish cakes with his father and wondered what happened to the used oil in those days.

“We probably just dumped it. I hate to say it,” he said.

Many businesses still just dump it, adding to problems of clogged pipes or blocked filters at wastewater treatment plants. More resources are required to remove the fat, oil, or grease. The most efficient way is to stop it at the source.

Moriguchi believes in innovation and appreciates the opportunity to participate in a new technology that allows Uwajimaya to recycle the waste oil and benefit the environment.

Mahoney Environmental-Neste (ME-N) and SeQuential are two of the waste oil recycling companies represented at the ID event. The companies supply the receptacles that businesses fill with discarded cooking oil. Trucks with stainless steel tanks make the rounds in the ID several times a week to pump out the dirty oil, usually late at night when businesses are closed.

ME-N collects about 20,000 gallons annually from the ID. The service is free, and in return the company profits from the oil and finished products.

The waste oil is processed at

see MINARI on 10

refineries. Most of the clean oils are shipped elsewhere in a viable market where there are incentives or clean fuel standards. California and Oregon are such markets.

Although Washington was a top 10 biodiesel producer in 2018 with 1.9 million barrels (80 million gallons), the state didn’t crack the top 10 as a consumer, according to data collected by U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Proponents hope with the passage of HB 1091, demand for clean oil will increase. Perhaps with it also comes jobs.

Elijah Worley, regional account manager with ME-N, surmised that not everyone is on board with the idea of recycling used cooking oil. The lack of awareness of the benefits to the business and the environment contribute to the hesitancy.

“The Clean Fuels Now movement is so important to the efforts of educating the public and other business owners,” Worley stated.

Legislators need to be educated, too. On Feb. 27, HB 1091 passed in the House chamber with a vote of 52-46. The bill was scheduled for debate in the Senate in early March.  For a list of the participating restaurants, go to cleanfuelswork.com/restaurants.

Becky can be reached at info@nwasianwekly.com.

YOUR VOICE

■ COMMENTARY

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2021

asianweekly northwest

9

“It’s unconscionable”

Seniors in nursing home formerly owned by Keiro face eviction

Photo by LAVA

By Carlos Montes, Tamlyn Tomita, and Lane Nishikawa

Carlos Montes and Tamlyn Tomita protesting at Kai-Ali in East LA.

Feb. 19, 2021, marked the 79th anniversary of Executive Order 9066, signed and issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942—a day when the U.S. government executed a legal act of racism, the forced removal of over 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were born American citizens, to internment camps where they were incarcerated throughout the U.S. Half of them were children and many were from the East L.A. community of Boyle Heights and across California.

As a result of Executive Order 9066, which was unconstitutional and executed without due process, entire families of Japanese Americans on the West Coast and in Hawaii were rounded up like criminals because of race prejudice, wartime hysteria and a failure of political leadership. Their bank accounts and assets were frozen and many farms, homes and businesses

were stolen. These families were forcibly sent to prison camps where they endured nearly four years of living hell solely because of their Japanese heritage. Many Japanese Americans—our grandparents and great grandparents, who immigrated from Japan—had been denied citizenship. Their children were born here and were considered American citizens.

The twofold problem in 1942 was that they interned the children and grandchildren, the families’ second and third generations, even though they were citizens, and the elders were not allowed to become citizens. At the closing of these American concentration camps in 1945, most people rebuilt their lives with little to no resources, relying on the resilience of individuals, family and the community.

Now, some of the oldest living survivors are once again being threatened with forced eviction from their homes at the Sakura Gardens ICF in Boyle Heights.

The intermediate care and assisted

living/memory care facilities were created to provide culturally sensitive services for Japanese American elders. If these seniors are pushed out, many fear they will be placed at Kai-Ail Los Angeles, which has the highest death rate of COVID-19 at any senior living facility in Boyle Heights. Both of these facilities are owned by Pacifica Senior Living based in San Diego.

(Keiro Los Angeles was sold off in 2016 to Pacifica for $41 million).

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pacifica Senior Living’s plans to turn Sakura Gardens ICF into a 45-unit luxury apartment building put the lives of 200 of its most vulnerable and cherished Japanese-American community members at risk. Many of the residents are women in their eighties, nineties and hundreds who, as children, grew up in the concentration camps in some of the harshest terrains in America— all behind barbed wire and with see NURSING HOME on 11

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MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2021

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MINARI from 8

SHELF from 7

Little things like his mother cleaning out his ears, his parents’ lunchbox.

“It was surprising to me that as I was writing down the memories, I started to see the story,’’ says Chung. He had written “Minari’’ with the possibility that the dialogue be changed to English. But Oh, a producer (“The Last Black Man in San Francisco’’) with Plan B, believed firmly it should be in Korean—something few Hollywood executives would advocate for.

“The thing that I’ve learned over the years and that I’ve gravitated toward is that people respond to authenticity and honesty. For me, having lived that upbringing, my parents did not speak English to me,’’ Oh says, speaking from a shoot in New Mexico. “For people to lose themselves in the world, it has to be real. It was a no-brainer.’’

Oh’s parents came to California in the 1980s. They owned an often-robbed convenience store and later turned to a dry-cleaning business. She considers “Minari’’ an ode to their parents.

“Our parents came here chasing an idea of an American dream that was sold to them. For me, what’s incredible, taking a step back, we’re almost like their American dream come true,’’ says Oh. “The thing that my parents always told me and I’m sure a lot of immigrant parents say is, `We came here for you.’’’

Chung, previously a film professor, nearly gave up filmmaking to teach full time before “Minari.’’ Now, he’s hesitant to say what “Minari’’ means in a wider context, but he grants it’s made him feel like “part of something bigger than I am.’’

“It’s felt like we are building a community amongst people who have experienced these things—even if they’re not Korean American,’’ he says. “That experience of being children of immigrants and wanting to understand your parents and wanting to honor them through their humanity.’’

Chung’s father did have one complaint. He didn’t get his minari back. When Chung returned to the riverbed, it had been washed down stream in a storm. “Minari,’’ though, isn’t going anywhere. 

Yee returns in this second installment of his Genie Lo series with the same humor and wit readers enjoyed in his debut. Genie is strong and smart and easily angered, but she also has a strong sense of justice. Most of what Genie does is for the people she loves. And while she doesn’t always think before she acts—especially when she’s standing up for what she believes is right—and that can get her in trouble, this is also what makes her so relatable. Genie’s not the perfect heroine and that’s okay.

In addition, Yee does a great job of humanizing the gods and goddesses, from boba-loving older gods to younger deities who resemble college frat boys. I love the idea of celestial beings acting like the rest of us, acting as petty and ridiculous as mere humans, and appreciated how Yee balanced this behavior with their godly acts while trying to save the world.

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The Wolf of Oren-yaro

By K.S. Villoso Orbit, 2020

Some may refer to her as “Beloved Queen,” but Queen Talyien is anything but. She’s more widely known as the Bitch Queen, a she-wolf of the Orenyaro clan, after she killed a man and her husband disappeared the night before they were meant to be crowned. Her marriage to Rayyel, arranged when they were children, was supposed to be a symbol of peace—two rival clans coming together following the

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bloody War of the Wolves that nearly tore the nation apart.

But his disappearance leaves the kingdom fractured, seemingly beyond repair, and Talyien’s people doubting her ability to rule.

Years later, Rayyel sends her an invitation to meet, and Talyien accepts in the hopes of reconciling—not to get back together, but for the sake of their 7-year-old son. An assassination attempt kills those dreams and Talyien is stranded in a city where she knows no one and is unsure of who she can trust.

With elements pulled from Filipino culture and mythology, “Wolf of Oren-yaro” is a story filled with politics, lies, secrets, and betrayal. Talyien is strong and will do what she believes is best for her people— people who don’t even really like her. And while being unliked may bother her slightly, she does her best to not let it get to her. It’s one of the qualities that makes Talyien likable as a character. She has more important things to do, such as taking care of her son and repairing her kingdom.

Villoso does a great job of world building, introducing the different clans and nations in this universe and the power dynamics among them. While this is a fantasy story, it is pretty light on fantastical elements. There are references to mages, dark arts, and dragons, but not much in terms of action. I would’ve liked to see more and I’m hoping Villoso will include more in future installations.  Samantha can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 4.

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2021

YOUR VOICE

■ ASTROLOGY

asianweekly northwest

11

Predictions and advice for the week of March 13–19, 2021

By Sun Lee Chang Rat—If you are able to anticipate what is coming, then it is in your interest to prepare ahead of time.

Dragon—Ready to take a good idea and run with it? Listen to feedback for improvements to make it even better.

Monkey—Finish what you need to do early on, so that you have enough time for what you want to do.

Ox—The winds are finally blowing in your favor. This is your chance to make some real progress.

Snake—Has someone shared some eyeopening insights with you? Use that information to position yourself for the next phase.

Rooster—Depending on your level of effort, you will get back in kind what you put in.

Tiger—Looking to change your trajectory?

Consider whether you need a minor adjustment or a more drastic step.

Horse—Does the pursuit make you want it more? Take a break and you may find that your interest has waned.

Dog—Once you know better, then it is your responsibility to do better. Don’t let excuses sabotage your success.

Rabbit—Don’t underestimate what you bring to the table. The value of your experience is immeasurable.

Goat—A risky move could potentially yield some desirable results. However, it could just as easily go the other way.

Pig—Is a quick comparison insufficient for your purposes? A more in-depth review might be necessary.

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.

NURSING HOME from 9 armed soldiers watching them from military towers, weapons ready and pointed at those inside the camps.

In 2018, when the Trump administration started to cage Central American refugees, families and children at the southwest border, Japanese American concentration camp survivors and their children came out to protest this inhumane treatment and remind all Americans that we cannot “let it ever happen again” and repeat these acts that add to the long and shameful history of discrimination against people of color.

This is especially pressing now, given a surge of violence and hate crimes against Asian Americans nationwide during the pandemic. .Japanese Americans and other Asian Americans and Latinos have a great deal in common. In America, besides our Native American communities, we are absolutely and undeniably, a nation of immigrants, no matter how many

generations have been here. In fact, the first “Dreamer” was a Korean American student. Our respective languages, foods, traditions and cultures are vital to our self-preservation, our enrichment and the bonds to where our ancestors came from.

We can, and some do, serve as bridges to countries around the world, and are, at the same time, all-American. Think of the potential opportunities we can have by working and organizing together— across cultures, across generations, across political party affiliations, across class lines! We are one nation, made by and built by those from many nations!

There is the power of allyship in action!

There is strength in numbers and unity!

Let’s all help protect our seniors at Sakura Gardens and stop this dangerous “cultural interruption.” Sakura Gardens is one of the last traces of the oncelarge Japanese American community that helped build and thrived in Boyle Heights. Prior to 1942, over 35,000 Japanese Americans made the East L.A. area home due to segregation that

SANTOS from 1 now facing the threat of gentrification and displacement,” said Leslie Morishita, Real Estate Development Director at the InterIm CDA. The development will include 29 studios, 55 onebedrooms, 28 two-bedrooms, and 14 three-bedrooms with monthly rental rates projected to range from $956 per studio up to $1,505 per 3-bedroom, according to Morishita. People interested in these units are encouraged to contact Interim CDA and ask to be added to the Uncle Bob’s Place interest list. Uncle Bob’s widow, state Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, as well as Uncle Bob’s children, decided to name the project after him to honor his lifetime dedication to preserving the CID’s culture and landscape.

“He was a champion for human rights and human dignity… his life, his love was wrapped up in the International District,” said Rep. Santos, who was married to Uncle Bob for nearly 24 years. “He would never abandon the International District.”

Uncle Bob’s son, John Santos, designed the logo for the building and wanted to ensure that his father’s face and signature smile was emphasized. Uncle Bob was known for his love of karaoke and dancing, and he was a frequent regular at establishments in the CID such as Bush Garden. Currently, Bush Garden owner Karen Sakata has

prohibited Asian Americans from living in other communities because they were deemed white-only.

In San Diego, an estimated 306 families, 1,150 men, women, grandparents, children, and babies, were interned. There were 306 family groups in the exodus, and one of them took up a whole car on one of those trains. The San Diego Union-Tribune‘s predecessors supported the internment of the Japanese during World War II. Displacing our Japanese American seniors who have long contributed to the rich culture and history of Los Angeles during the COVID -19 pandemic is unconscionable and cruel and would cause harm to its residents and families for years. We need to hold Pacifica Senior Living accountable for its failure to adhere to its agreed-to sales conditions by retaining the bilingual and bicultural character promised to its facilities.

We cannot allow profit and gentrification to dictate what goes into our neighborhoods without investigating

an agreement with InterIm CDA and the Chan family to occupy one of the commercial units being offered at Uncle Bob’s Place once construction is finalized.

“I just remember him speaking for the people who didn’t really have a voice or wanted to use their voice,” John Santos said. “He was extremely humorous—he loved making people laugh.”

According to Morishita, securing funding for financing of the development started in 2019—a goal that was eventually met after two attempts at public funds and then three attempts at tax-exempt bonds. Uncle Bob’s Place is financed by a host of public and private sources, including the City of Seattle Office of Housing, King County Housing Finance Program, Low Income Housing Tax Credits through the Washington State Housing Finance Commission (WSHFC), Enterprise, Bellwether Enterprise, and Umpqua Bank. The development will be located at South King Street and 8th Avenue South, where the Four Seas Restaurant building is currently located.

Uncle Bob became the Executive Director at International District Improvement Association, called “Inter*Im” in the early 70s. Under his leadership, Inter*Im became an activist organization committed to improving conditions in the International District especially on behalf of the low-income, limited-English-speaking elders who lived in the neighborhood. Uncle Bob focused

the impact on our communities. Just like the community of Linda Vista stopped Pacifica Companies from destroying a community treasure, SkateWord, we too demand that Pacifica Living not demolish this iconic place. We also demand that the Pacifica Companies extend the care given at Sakura Gardens so that these resilient residents may enjoy their golden years in comfort, safety and security, with familiar food, and with people who care for them. Let’s all ask ourselves, “How would you feel and what would you do if they were your parents?”

By ignoring this tragic American story, we would be complicit in being silent and allowing racist behavior to continue and escalate in policies that treat people of color without any regard to human rights, without kindness, without compassion.  **Carlos Montes is the founder of the Brown Berets, Tamlyn Tomita is an actor, and Lane Nishikawa is a filmmaker.

on preserving affordable housing through projects such as the Samaki Commons in the very same community in which he grew up.

“In a way, what he ended up doing was not allowing land developers to come in and take over and do the gentrification thing that’s been going throughout the city,” John Santos said. “He was able to make sure that the immigrants that came over [to the U.S.] were able to live in their community instead of being pushed out.”

Uncle Bob was also responsible for leading a group of other activists that attempted to prevent the construction of the Kingdome and successfully blocked the construction of a McDonald’s in the area. Uncle Bob is also known for being a member of the Gang of Four and having a gift for connecting with people and advocating for them with his time and energy.

“All of this is just a wonderful testament—in some ways such a summation of what Bob valued about the International District as a community,” Rep. Santos said regarding the virtual groundbreaking of Uncle Bob’s Place. “I could not think of a better way to pay tribute to what Bob felt was important.”  Ronnie can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

12

asianweekly northwest

BIAS CRIME from 1 and hate from our city,” the statement signed by all Councilmembers said.

On March 4, Seattle police arrested 41-year-old Sean Holdip in connection with a Feb. 25 assault in the ChinatownInternational District (ID) against a young Asian couple.

Police say Holdip used a sock filled with a hard object to strike a woman and her boyfriend. The woman suffered injuries to her face and her boyfriend needed eight stitches on his head. In an interview with KOMO 4, the man said, “I truly believe he was trying to kill us.” He said the attack was “very deliberate” and focused on his girlfriend who is Japanese American. Holdip faces two assault charges and his arraignment is scheduled for March 22.

A rally against anti-Asian violence is scheduled for 3 p.m. on March 13 at Hing Hay Park. Additional rallies are being held on March 14 at noon at Maple Valley Four Corners, and at 4:45 p.m. on March 15 at Renton City Hall.

On March 5, Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz said in a video statement that the Seattle Police Department (SPD) is finalizing the hiring of a new Chinatown-International District (ID) public safety liaison.

“The Seattle Police Department has heard from residents, business owners, and community organizations across the Chinatown-International District and throughout our city.

People are particularly fearful about an increase in crimes targeting the Asian community,” Diaz said.

SPD already has a detective assigned to investigate hate crimes full-time. Diaz stressed the importance of calling 911 to report bias incidents and crimes.

“If victims and witnesses do not speak English, our city’s 911 call takers can link to interpreters certified in over 200 languages and dialects on the spot. Many of our officers speak multiple languages, as do many of our community

VOTER EDUCATION from 1 “We are addressing the shameful history of intentionally excluding people,” said Kendall LeVan Hodson, Chief of Staff of King County Elections.

The Voter Education Fund (VEF), which supplies the grants, was started in 2016 after the King County Council changed its policy to mandate voter outreach.

Voter materials in Korean and Spanish were added to voter materials; pamphlets and ballots were already translated into Chinese and Vietnamese.

Increased voter outreach is crucial, said Hodson, because even anecdotal evidence suggests that many members of historically excluded populations don’t even know that voter materials are available in their languages.

King County Elections Director Julie Wise was at a campaign event for members of the Vietnamese community in 2015 and asked how many people knew they could get ballots in their own language.

“Out of several hundred, only one person raised his hand,” said Hodson. Wise helped advocate for the changes, she said.

The VEF was intended to remedy such deficiencies. The Seattle Foundation, one of the region’s largest philanthropies, which led a $30 million COVID relief fund, joined in and this year matched the county’s contribution.

Since its inception four years ago, the fund has already had a huge impact on voter turnout.

After the first year, those asking for ballots in languages other than English increased by 62%. And in the presidential primary, the turnout for 2016 was 33% while in 2020, 56% of King County residents turned out.

“There are many factors that determine turnout, but the VEF without question was definitely

39 YEARS

MARCH 13 – MARCH 19, 2021 service officers.”

In its solidarity statement, the Seattle City Council said, “While there may be calls for more policing and to strengthen laws and sentencing to punish those committing hate crimes, the Council hears the call to rely on something other than a response using the criminal legal system, given that use of the criminal legal system may only perpetuate deeply entrenched inequities and racism. Instead, we must commit to further addressing the root causes of violence so that we can achieve public safety for all our community members.”

NATIONAL EFFORT The Department of Justice (DOJ) held a listening session on March 5 with more than a dozen Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community groups as part of its continuing efforts to deter hate crimes and other unlawful acts against the AAPI community.

“No one in America should fear violence because of who they are, what they look like, or what part of the world they or their families came from,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General John Carlin, the host of the meeting.

The DOJ said it has hosted Hate Crime Forums aimed at state and local law enforcement, attorneys, community members, community advocacy organizations, and other groups, to provide education and raise awareness about hate crimes investigations, challenges, and available resources.

It says it is working to translate its hate crimes resources website and complaint portal to the four most common AAPI languages, beginning with Chinese (traditional and simplified), and conducting outreach to reach limited English proficient communities.

Committee of 100 (C100), a nonprofit leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans in business, government, academia, healthcare, and the arts, unveiled

one of those factors,” said Hannah Kurowski, Communications Officer at King County Elections.

VEF’s most recent round of funding, from 2019-2020, may give a better clue as to the types of activities it values for the current round.

Both larger organizations, such as International Community Health Services (ICHS) and smaller, grassroots groups, such as Urbvote, were funded by twoyear grants.

After conducting traditional activities, such as setting up tables at events, visiting schools and senior housing, and partnering with industries like Goodwill during the first year, staff at ICHS were forced to come up with more creative solutions after the pandemic hit.

Sharissa Tjok, a community health services manager at ICHS, and her colleagues were administering a $40,000 grant.

They asked every single member of the health center’s four clinics to wear a special mask emblazoned with a slogan encouraging people to register to vote.

They began finding new ways to get voter education materials to community members, such as adding them to packages of masks being distributed at large or stuffing them into first aid kits or bags of food. They joined in other activities, such as promotion of the census.

In some cases, they still went door to door, such as in affordable communities like Mercy Housing.

They ramped up social media outreach, for instance, asking ICHS’ 550 staff members to post individual encouragement to register to vote on their personal Facebook pages.

“We had to think creatively to get the whole staff involved,” said Tjok.

Urbvote, an organization aimed at Black voters, had to adjust radically as well.

Originally holding events at nightclubs or music performances, where you had to first register to vote to be admitted, the organization quickly shifted focus. With a grant of $15,000 from the VEF, Chukundi “DJ Kun Luv” Salisbury, founder and executive director of Urbvote, pivoted quickly after the pandemic struck.

Salisbury had a history of creative strategy. In 2018, Urbvote joined with Garfield High School and Ezell’s Chicken so that every senior who voted got a free meal, he said.

Other outreach targeted Black barber shops, traditionally centers of Black culture.

Using some of the grant money, Salisbury booked a whole day of haircuts from Earl’s Cuts and Styles. To get a haircut, one had to be registered to vote.

“But it was not only about the 15 people who got haircuts that day, the event created a buzz,” said Salisbury.

One man getting a haircut said he did not believe that a felon could still have the right to vote after Salisbury shared the fact with the room. (After a felon is released and no longer under the authority of the Department of Corrections, the right to vote is restored although re-registration is required.)

Later, the man went on to vote for the first time and write about it on his Facebook page, encouraging others to do the same. Voting not only can change policy, but it changes people’s perceptions of themselves, say grantees.

“If they feel they can vote, then they feel they can make a change with their vote and it will encourage them to feel they have agency over the biggest problems in their lives,” said Tjok of ICHS. She said, for instance, that many residents of the Chinatown-International District did not know they could do something about two issues that matter to them—

a seven-point plan on March 4—calling on local, state, and federal leaders and law enforcement to focus on concrete actions to stop the incidents of hate, violence, and racism directed toward Chinese Americans and the AAPI community.

“These acts of hate have no place in America, whether directed against Asian Americans or anyone else,” said Zhengyu Huang, C100 president.

This is the list of the seven initiatives: • We call on all elected officials—including governors, mayors, and members of Congress—to forcefully denounce all acts of anti-Asian racism and bigotry.

• We call on the new U.S. Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Justice to set up a task force to specifically investigate and combat increased violence directed towards the AAPI community.

• We call on the Department of Justice to revamp its China Initiative, which has involved the racial profiling of Chinese scientists and researchers.

• We call for the federal government to provide funding to state and local law enforcement agencies for education, training, and community outreach.

• We call on all law enforcement agencies to adopt a zerotolerance stance towards acts of bigotry, racism, and hate inflicted on Asian Americans, whether verbal, physical, or psychological.

• We call on all elected officials and lawmakers to ensure survivors of hate crimes have access to support services in languages used by their local communities.

• We call for the expulsion of any public official, government employee, or law enforcement officer found to be stoking hate or discriminating against people of Asian descent.  Ruth can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.

safety and rising housing prices.

“The data shows people are much more engaged in society when they understand they can vote to change things,” she said.

Salisbury recounted a conversation in which a Burien man said, “Voting doesn’t change anything!”

In response, Salisbury asked him if he knew about a recent levy in Burien in which the school district wanted to raise money to ensure all students had access to a computer.

“And he had been complaining his daughter couldn’t afford a computer,” he said.

Salisbury also spoke to Black Lives Matter activists during recent protests.

“Some people say, ‘We’ve got to burn it down,’ but I said, ‘If you really want to change policy, you have to change the law and you can do that through voting for policy makers.’”

He said some people, concerned about King County police practices, did not know that the King County Sheriff was elected.

Bao-Tram Do, program officer for the Seattle Foundation, said the VEF was continually trying to fund grassroots organizations that could reach historically excluded populations.

Do’s father was a political prisoner for eight years in Vietnam before the family immigrated to the United States.

Some of the 39 organizations, out of 70 applicants, that received grants focus on reaching voters both before and after they’ve been incarcerated.

“Democracy works better when everyone can vote,” said Do. To make voter education possible, King County Elections employs translators who often work under tremendous pressure to achieve accuracy in rendering voter materials accessible.

“My heart is pounding just standing here,” said Signe Chan,

the lead Chinese translator for the agency in her first ever media interview. Still, the real pressure she faces is to translate ballot statements from candidates or pro and con explanations about initiatives up for the vote.

“Sometimes we have to go back to the candidate to verify we’re accurately conveying the precise meaning, for instance when there’s slang involved,” she said.

During the November election, a Chinese American woman on the Eastside forgot to add her contact information when filling out her ballot. The ballot was stolen along with other mail when a thief plundered her mailbox. Later, the police found the ballot discarded on the street and contacted King County Elections.

“We decided to invalidate it and issue a new ballot,” said Chan.

But because she did not have the phone number or email address of the voter, she had to drive out to her home in person, explain what had happened, and offer a replacement ballot. A large part of her job is also to help the VEF partners.  To be eligible for a grant, organizations must be categorized as a 501c3 nonprofit.

Applicants can apply for up to $40,000 to develop and implement a strategic, ongoing campaign to engage current or potential voters, or up to $15,000 to provide a series of targeted events. The first installment will be distributed in May 2021 and the second in early 2022.

King County Elections and Seattle Foundation will host an informational session over Zoom on March 22, from 4:30–6pm. To receive the Zoom link, email BaoTram Do at b.do@seattlefoundation.org.

Mahlon can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.