PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 40 NO 15 APRIL 10 – APRIL 16, 2021
FREE 39 YEARS YOUR VOICE
Remembering Kim Phạm, a voice for Washington’s Vietnamese community By Stacy Nguyen NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Photo credit: Linday Borden
Kim Phạm, the publisher of Người Việt Tây Bắc (Northwest Vietnamese News), died in his sleep on March 30, at the age of 71. He passed four months beyond what was predicted for him, after he suffered a mild heart attack, after his doctors discovered and alerted him that there was an inoperable aneurysm in his stomach. He passed in a house that was inhabited by each one of his beloved family members. I initially made the acquaintance of chú Phạm over the internet in 2008. I was about 23 years old and started a job as editor of Northwest Asian Weekly, not too long before he contacted me through his AOL email address. He wrote me because he noticed my name is Vietnamese. I didn’t know it at the time, but chú Phạm was always in the habit of keeping a lookout for local Vietnamese people doing noteworthy things—because the threads of his leadership were about amplifying and connecting. In that first bit of contact over email, he told me he wanted to invite me and my parents to a fundraiser that his newspaper was organizing. see PHẠM on 11
Arrest made in filmed attack on Asian couple
Screenshot of video during an attack on an Asian couple
By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY A teenage boy was arrested on April 2 in connection with a filmed attack on an Asian couple that Tacoma police have been investigating as a hate crime. see ASIAN ATTACKS on 12
Kim Phạm
Upcoming pandemic exhibit
The Wing Luke Museum—which closed over a year ago, then reopened and closed in the fall—is excited about its upcoming exhibit, “Community Spread: How We Faced a Pandemic.” The exhibit, set to open in May, features community stories of loss, hardship, and resilience—including a video of the same theme produced by the Northwest Asian Weekly.
The Museum has welcomed back visitors since March 5. Senior Marketing Manager Shaun Mejia said the Museum has been excited that people are returning to its space and the neighborhood. He told the Northwest Asian Weekly that the Museum’s see WING LUKE MUSEUM on 8
Court: Recall against Kshama Sawant can proceed The Washington state Supreme Court ruled on April 1 that a recall effort against Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant can go forward. In September, a King County Superior Court Kshama Sawant judge had allowed the recall to proceed. Sawant appealed that decision to the state Supreme Court. The Seattle Times reports the recall petition charges Sawant with four distinct offenses: She delegated her office’s employment decisions to her Socialist political party; she used city resources to promote a “Tax Amazon” ballot initiative; see SAWANT on 4
THE INSIDE STORY
NAMES IN THE NEWS Horsing around in the ID 2
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PUBLISHER'S BLOG Want longevity? Eat mushrooms 5
SPORTS The Layup Drill 7 AT THE MOVIES Pamelyn Chee on ducks, aunties, and getting with the “Boogie” 6
ANTI-ASIAN HATE RALLY Seattle Rice Society 8
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