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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

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

APRIL 10 – APRIL 16, 2021

■ NAMES IN THE NEWS Shouan Pan receives Virgil S. Lagomarcino Laureate Award

The chancellor and CEO of the Community College of Seattle, Shouan Pan, received the Virgil S. Lagomarcino Laureate Award from Iowa State University College of Human Sciences.

This award honors graduates who are nationally and internationally recogThe chancellor and CEO of nized for their meritorious the Community College of Seattle, Shouan Pan service or distinguished achievement in the field of education. A virtual ceremony was held on April 7.

Pan received a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Iowa State in 1993.

In a statement, Iowa State called him “a change agent who has advanced several major urban community colleges to improve the lives and skills of hundreds of thousands of students, who in turn enliven their communities.” 

Biden announces intent to nominate judicial candidates

The White House announced on March 30 that President Joe Biden declared his intent to nominate Florence Y. Pan to fill a judicial vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (D.C.).

Pan is an attorney and jurist serving as the first Asian Florence Y. Pan American Associate Judge of the D.C. Superior Court. She was appointed to the court by President Barack Obama in 2009. She received her Juris Doctor (J.D.) with distinction from Stanford Law School in 1993 and her B.A. and B.S., summa cum laude, from the University

■ BRIEFLY

of Pennsylvania in 1988.

Also nominated were administrative Judge Rupa Ranga Puttagunta, an Indian American, to the D.C. Superior Court, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, of Pakistani descent, was nominated to the U.S. District Court Rupa Ranga for the District of New Jersey— Puttagunta which would make him the first Muslim American to serve on a federal district court.

Puttagunta received her J.D. from Ohio State Moritz College of Law in 2007 and her B.A. from Vassar College in 2002.

Quraishi previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey from 2008 to 2013.

He received his J.D. in 2000 from Rutgers Law School–Newark and his B.A. in 1997 from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Zahid N. Quraishi The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association gave kudos to the president for the nominations. 

Horsing around in the ID

Two mounted patrol officers did their rounds last week in the Chinatown-International District. We spotted Stephan Arulaid and Matt Chase at Hing Hay Park.

Photo by Assunta Ng While most people think it’s fun that these officers get to ride horses as part of their job, it’s not so fun when there is horse poop. The mounted officer must get off his horse and clean up the mess.

Unfortunately, we’re told this happens frequently. 

39 YEARS

Virtual Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival The Seattle Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival will be presented virtually this year on April 9–11, from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. at cherryblossomfest.org. The annual festival seeks to deepen understanding and highlight the cultural contributions and achievements of Japan and Japanese Americans. The festival includes online performances, martial arts, exhibits and demonstrations, documentaries, and Japanese culinary demonstrations.

Started as a small ceremony in 1976, the festival today is the largest and oldest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest.

The festival opens on April 9 with a focus on ceremony and legacy. It starts with interviews and greetings by festival advisory organizations and local dignitaries. The day also features a look back at Seattle Cherry Blossom Festivals over the past 45 years, a traditional tea ceremony, and an Ikebana demonstration and exhibit.

The schedule on April 10 highlights regions of Japan with hiking tours and cultural, musical, and culinary offerings from several Japanese prefectures. The day also takes a look at various prefectures of Japan and presents three NHK documentaries.

On April 11, viewers will find Taiko drumming by Northwest Taiko, along with other music and dance performances and children’s book readings by animator and documentary filmmaker Jeff Chiba. The day also offers classic martial arts, Taiko drumming, and karate demonstrations; and the owner of Seattle’s oldest sushi restaurant, Maneki, Jean Nakayama, will present a cooking demonstration on how to make a Sakura roll.

View the program details at seattlecenter.com/events/eventcalendar/seattle-cherry-blossom-and-japanese-culturalfestival.

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YOUR VOICE

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

APRIL 10 – APRIL 16, 2021

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Panel on political organizing voices fears, frustrations

By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY After 20 minutes of listening to exhortations to Asian Americans to give back to their society as a way to build community and find safety, Annie Ren found she did not agree.

“As a Chinese American, even if I don’t participate in government, even if I don’t give back to my community actively, I still should not be afraid to go outside,” said Ren, who identified herself as a resident of Ballard. “I still should not be afraid to be the target of a hate crime.”

Her comment, coming at the end of a panel urging Chinese Americans to become politically involved as a way to counter recent hate crimes, signaled both the successes and the frustrations generated not only by the panel, but by the issues facing the Asian American community overall.

With over 2 million hate incidents against Asian Americans having occurred since the start of the pandemic, a statistic shared by Ren in chat comments, there is a rapidly-growing sense among the community that nothing will ever be enough.

The panel, “Political Engagement: A Must for Chinese Americans Now,” attempted to address this issue. Of the 115 who signed up, 74 attended the virtual event.

It was successful in that it encouraged dialogue about what forms activism should take and what role the government should play relative to community organizing, said organizers. Winston Lee, president of United Chinese Americans of Washington (UCAWA), and Y.P. Chan, board member of the Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce, worked together to coordinate the panel.

“We can use this as an initial discussion to encourage the community, not just Chinese Americans, but the entire community to speak out against all types of hatred and convert anger into political action,” Chan said, at the end of the panel.

Panelists included some of the foremost Chinese American officials in the region: Senior Deputy Mayor Mike Fong, former Bellevue City Mayor and Bellevue City Councilmember Conrad Lee, and Will Chen, who is running for Edmonds City Council.

Murray Lee, incoming president of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), rounded out the panel as part of the organizers’ wish that Chinese Americans learn from Jewish Americans’ history of political activism. Still, from the outset, things did not go according to plan.

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Fong, for instance, offered an alternative model for Chinese Americans to consider as they considered political activism. He encouraged participants not to focus exclusively on common cultural characteristics between different ethnic groups that might provide clues for political action, in this case Chinese and Jews. Instead, he suggested considering the quintessential ways that all immigrant communities have found ways to achieve success and fulfillment in a society set up to prevent them from doing so.

It might be more important to focus on the “innovation and ingenuity of immigrant communities to find ways to persevere and be successful in environments that are designed and systematically structured to prevent that from happening,” he said.

Conrad Lee seemed to echo this sentiment.

“We are all human beings, we all have similar needs, that’s why we all came to the United States in the first place,” he said. “So we need to get into the system and disrupt it.”

Lee’s family fled China in 1949 after the Chinese Civil War and temporarily relocated to Hong Kong, where he went to high school before coming to the United States.

In response to an email after the event, Lee acknowledged that his family belonged to the exiled group of so-called “waishengren” that had experienced repeated dislocation throughout modern Chinese history.

“Sadly, we were not organized to have an EXODUS to find a HOME. Even sadder, we are still seeking with no unified and organized effort in a country we can proudly call home as many are still considered ‘aliens,’” he wrote.

Chen said the way to become fully integrated into American society is to engage on a political level. That includes joining an NGO, a local association such as a chamber of commerce, or even volunteering at a food bank.

Such engagement would change your mindset from being a foreigner or alien in your own country, and thereby allow you to build community that would increase your safety, he said.

“I see many people have lived in this country for decades and they always see themselves as Chinese, as Vietnamese, as Korean, but when you have that kind of mindset, then you think that the government is the United States,” said Chen. “No, we are the United States.”

Murray Lee described his organization’s strategy as one of doing outreach to all other communities “to learn more about them” and find common ground. He mentioned work

that the Jewish community had undertaken to engage with some among the Muslim communities.

Meanwhile, Ren and others were filling the chat commentary with requests for suggestions about how to ensure their personal safety.

“I am a Chinese American senior citizen. The only response I can think of to anti-Asian violence is to buy a gun for self-protection,” wrote one participant. “Is there a better response?”

“Start with pepper spray, get trained in self-defense, and connect with all your neighbors to let them know about your feelings of insecurity. I am sure they will reach out and build a small neighborhood watch to help you,” wrote Ren in response.

Other comments raised questions about who was more responsible for ensuring the safety of the Asian American community—the government or the community itself.

Fong responded that it took a partnership, but praised the huge outpouring of dialogue and organization that had taken place over recent years.

“I have not seen before this level of organizing among the Chinese senior community that I’ve seen in the last 2436 months.” Fong added that it was necessary for people to continue to speak out in order for the momentum to continue. Organized action among the Asian American community also gives increased clout to leaders such as himself and Conrad Lee, Fong said.

“By showing up and giving voice to the community, even if the immediate action may not be the deliberate outcome that was the full expectation or desire, the truth of the matter is it also gives people like Councilmember Lee and myself political equity and capital within our own organization, within government itself.”

They then have increased leverage to act for the interests of their community within the government itself.

Conrad Lee noted a recent rally in Bellevue and said such organizing must continue until it becomes a movement.

“It has to be sustained,” he said.

In another chat comment, though, Ren called on the speakers to provide concrete ways for Asian Americans to move forward.

“I think it’s also on the panelists to give us an understanding of the formal channels or avenues to organize,” she wrote.

“How do we tangibly take some action here? At the local see POLITICAL ORGANIZING on 10

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Sealed bids will be received for KC000173, Matthews Park Pump Station Roof Replacement; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, via the E-Procurement system, until 1:30:59 PM on 4/27/21. Late bids will not be accepted. The public bid opening will only be conducted on-line following the Bid Close Date and Time; see Invitation to Bid Section 00 10 00 for details.

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

There is a 5% minimum requirement for King County Certified Small Contractors and Suppliers (SCS) on this contract.

Brief Scope: The work to be performed under this Contract consists of furnishing all tools, equipment, materials, supplies, and manufactured articles; furnishing all labor, transportation, and services, including fuel, power, water, and essential

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Provide all work, materials, and services not expressly indicated in the Contract Documents that may be necessary for the complete and proper construction of the work and administration of the contract.

Estimated contract price: $199,500.00 Pre-Bid: 04/14/21, 8:00am.

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

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APRIL 10 – APRIL 16, 2021

39 YEARS

■ COMMUNITY NEWS Bill in Washington state would ban private immigration jail

By GENE JOHNSON ASSOCIATED PRESS SEATTLE (AP) — The Washington Legislature has approved a bill aimed at shutting down one of the country’s largest for-profit, privately run immigration jails.

Led by majority Democrats, the state Senate voted 28-21 on March 30 in favor of a measure that would ban for-profit detention centers in the state. The only facility that meets that definition is the Northwest detention center in Tacoma, a 1,575-bed immigration jail operated by the GEO Group under a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The measure already passed the House with bipartisan support and now heads to Gov. Jay Inslee, who opposes for-profit detention centers. It was sponsored by Democratic Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self of Mukilteo, who called it a “moral injustice’’ to profit from detaining people.

Supporters argued that the severe drop in immigration detention during the pandemic proved it’s not necessary to keep so many immigrants locked up, and they criticized minimum-bed quotas that are written into contracts with private detention facilities.

“When you have a motive for profits, you have a motive to destroy people’s lives,’’ Sen. Patty Kuderer, D-Bellevue, said.

■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR APR

9-11

THE MEETING FOR VIETNAMESE AND CHINESE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH DUC TRAN, VIETWAH MARKET OWNER 6 p.m.

Zoom meeting: https://bit.ly/3rC0Qns

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THROUGH MAY 11 6 SESSIONS CLASS: OUT OF THE BLUE, A METEORITE: WRITING WITH SOUTH ASIAN BHAKTI POETRY WITH SHANKAR NARAYAN Register at http://bit.ly/3cFU0YA

SEATTLE CENTER FESTÁL: SEATTLE CHERRY BLOSSOM & JAPANESE CULTURAL FESTIVAL 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Virtually at cherryblossomfest.org

REBUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH CHINA: COFFEE CHAT WITH THE ECONOMIC ALLIANCE SNOHOMISH COUNTY 8:30-9:30 a.m.

RSVP at economicalliancesc.org/ events/coffee-chats-china wscrc.org

The Northwest detention center currently houses fewer than 200 detainees due to pandemic-related precautions, said Matt Adams, legal director at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.

“Why were we locking up 1,500 people in Tacoma a year and a half ago? It’s because it’s a business," Adams said.

“Having private facilities creates the perverse incentive to require that more people be detained, irrespective of whether they pose a flight risk or a danger to the community.’’

The bill would allow GEO to continue operating the jail until its contract with ICE expires in 2025.

SAWANT from 1 she let demonstrators into City Hall during a nighttime June protest; and she spoke at a protest in front of Mayor Jenny Durkan’s house (Durkan’s address is protected by a state confidentiality program because of her past work as a federal prosecutor).

Sawant, a socialist representing Capitol Hill and the Central District, was first elected in 2013. Normally, she would not face re-election again until 2023.

The court;s role in the recall process is to assume the charges are true and

see JAIL on 10

to determine whether they are specific and serious enough to warrant potential removal from office.

The charges, by state law, must represent “misfeasance, malfeasance or violation of the oath of office.'”

Recall petitioners now have 180 days to collect more than 10,000 signatures from residents of Sawant's Council District 3. If they collect the signatures, a recall election—an up-or-down vote on Sawant—would be held, likely in August or November, and voters in District 3 will decide her fate. 

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YOUR VOICE

■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG

APRIL 10 – APRIL 16, 2021

asianweekly northwest

5

Want longevity, eat mushrooms

Photos by Assunta Ng

By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

The benefits of eating mushrooms

Wild mushrooms on the lakeside of Lake Washington Blvd

A gigantic mushrooms with other varieties of mushrooms

A funny thing happened to me recently— the unexpected arrival of a gigantic mushroom.

Just one problem, I didn’t know what to do with it. Should I eat it? Should I save it as the darn fungi looks so beautiful. I don’t mean to stereotype, like many Chinese, my mother would say, “Save it!? Are you crazy? Don’t waste good stuff.” Meaning if it nourishes our body, then eating it is a blessing. No what ifs or buts…

Chinese mushrooms. From stews to soups, stir-fried to steamed dishes, mushrooms are key ingredients. Symbolizing longevity, mushrooms are a crucial ingredient during Lunar New Year. After reading about their health benefits (on the right), you will understand why Asians believe they are magical in prolonging life and bringing dead people to life, as told in many ancient Asian tales and legends.

Generation changes through mushrooms

Mushrooms are an essential part of Asian cuisine. I was raised in a “mushroom” family. My mom, aunt, and grandma (all lived together) would cook everything with A mushroom dish with green peas

The old way of cooking Chinese and Japanese mushrooms is labor-intensive because they are dried. You soak them in water first for an hour or more, so they can resume their original fullness. If you want to speed up the process, soak them in hot water. It will expand to its full shape in a half hour so you can chop it into pieces for cooking.

In retrospect, I am amazed at how much work my family put in every mushroom dish at home. Had I known, I would have appreciated the dishes so much more then.

Times have changed. When I was growing up, Japanese and Chinese dried mushrooms were expensive. Now, prices are reasonable. I haven’t bought those Chinese or Japanese dried mushrooms for years. I only eat them in Asian restaurants. I prefer fresh mushrooms with both Western and Eastern origins.

Mushrooms are not considered plants, but a part of the fungi family. There are more than 10,000 species. The common kinds you find in grocery stores are enoki, shiitake, portobello, white button, king, oyster, and others.

Why Asian often use mushrooms as the main or side ingredients in cuisines is because they are delicious, and serve as flavor-enhancers, especially in vegetarian dishes. Whenever I don’t have time to make a full soup, I put mushrooms in a bone or chicken broth. Instantly, a rich and superb bowl of mushroom soup emerges.

A friend of my mother’s indulged herself in all kinds of unhealthy eating and drinking. She had high blood pressure. To fool her doctor, she would cleanse her body by eating plenty of mushrooms the week before her annual physical check-up. Then, her health report would come back normal.

Mushrooms are antioxidants that lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. They also fight cancer cells and infections, boost your immunity, cleanse plaques in your arteries, plus many other functions. It is also gluten-free and fights bacteria and infection.

Of course, there are mushroom supplements (like reshi or lingzhi), known see BLOG on 12

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39 YEARS

APRIL 10 – APRIL 16, 2021

■ AT THE MOVIES

Pamelyn Chee on ducks, aunties, and getting with the “Boogie” Playing a Chinese mother in America—vivid, domineering, but secretly vulnerable—seems like child’s play to actress Pamelyn Chee. And by this point, it may well be. But to get there, she started acting as an actual child.

Chee, playing in Eddie Huang’s film “Boogie,” now available for home viewing, got her start in a Chinese dance troupe, playing a little duck. She followed up as a teen, playing one of the female leads in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.” She remarks, though, that she much prefers the screen to the stage, because of the intimacy cameras can pick up.

“I was born in Singapore but we’re actually Shanghainese,” Chee remembered. “My grandfather smuggled himself on a junk boat from China to Singapore when he was a teenager... My best memories are the countless hours spent playing volleyball. I was a competitive volleyball player for about 20 years. If I could be a pro volleyball player, I would probably never be an actor.

“Also, the smell of spices in food. In Southeast Asia, everything is cooked with an intricate balance of spices.

The layering of the flavors is very delicate and subtle, and I really miss that.”

Acting in Singapore went reasonably well, but Chee caught a lucky break when casting director Heidi Levitt needed to fill a part for Wayne Wang’s “Princess of Nebraska,” circa 2007. Leavitt found a highlights/

Photo credit: Focus Features

By Andrew Hamlin NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Pamelyn Chee (left) with "Boogie" co-star Perry Yung.

audition reel Chee had posted on YouTube, and sent for her. Other parts in both film and TV followed, notably a starring role in “Grace,” a supernatural-themed show for HBO Asia.

“Acting seems like a good way to maximize your time on earth, because you get to live a thousand lives in one lifetime. Maybe you can see it as a form of temporary reincarnation. You become someone else... It’s an exhilarating feeling when the new body and the new rhythm click into being.

“I also want to know and experience the truth and only the truth, I’m okay if it’s ugly. This has always guided [my] acting—the unpalatable truth. The illogical truth.

The truth that comes from the gut.”

“Boogie,” the directorial debut of Tawianese American actor and comedian Eddie Huang, tells the tale of Alfred

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Proposals will be received for KC000178, Engineering Services for Stormwater Repairs Phase III Project; by King County Procurement and Payables Section until 12:00 PM on April 30, 2021.

This contract is funded by the Federal Aviation Administration. There is a 15% minimum requirement for Washington State Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises Certified Federal Small Business Enterprise (SBE) firms on this contract.

Total Estimated Price for Phase 1: $133,170 Total Estimated Price for all Phases: $466,299 King County, in accordance with the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all Proposers that it will affirmatively ensure that any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit proposals in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

Prospective proposers can view more details at: https://kingcounty.gov/procurement/solicitations Contact: Regina Sparano, rsparano@kingcounty. gov, 206-477-4807

“Boogie” Chin, a promising Chinese American teenage basketball player torn between cultures, role models, and his options to exercise his talents. Chee’s agent got her the chance to send in an audition reel, and Chee jumped in.

“I knew exactly who this woman was. So I translated the script into this half-Chinese, half-English lingo that she spoke with, that Eddie ended up keeping in the film, threw in a bunch of cussing and yelling, a whole ton of cigarette smoking, and sent in my tape. Casting called back the next day saying Eddie loved my tape and the contract was signed a few weeks later. I think what really happened was that I was lucky—my vision of the character matched with his. The universe of the character I created resonated with him.

I had eight aunties on each side of the family, so basically I had 16 different versions of crazy to pull from. I remembered when I was young, my aunties got into a fight, and one of them pulled out the heavy-duty sewing scissors... and tried to stab the other sister in the eye. They had to be pulled apart. That was where I started with this character. She’s a landmine, don’t step on her or she will take you down.”

Asked about future plans, Chee says she is up for just about anything.

“Everybody seems to wanna be the hero but I really love being the nightmare. Tyrants, monsters, demons— send the script my way!”  Andrew can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

YOUR VOICE

■ SPORTS

APRIL 10 – APRIL 16, 2021

asianweekly northwest

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The Layup Drill

By Jason Cruz NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

points in their first two NCAA tournament games. He scored 28 points in the Bruins’ win over Michigan 51-49 to make it to the Final Four. His success in the tournament will likely lead to a potential spot as one of the top college players picked in the NBA draft.

Welcome to another edition of The Layup Drill. This month, we take a look at a college basketball player taking his team on a Cinderella run to the Final Four, a baseball manager speaking out against anti-Asian hate, and a former UW Husky football player supporting the AAPI community.

Dave Roberts’ plea for support

Johnny Juzang leads UCLA to Final Four

The UCLA Bruins were a longshot to make it to the Final Four as they were one of the last of the 68 teams to make the field for the men’s NCAA Tournament.

They were in the ‘First Four’ to play to see who would get into the tournament bracket. Despite having to play an extra game during the tournament, the Bruins became just the second team to make it from the ‘First Four’ to the ‘Final Four.’

The Bruins’ run to the Final Four was due in part to the great play of Johnny Juzang.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Juzang’s mother is Vietnamese and his father is Creole. After his freshman year in high school in Southern California, he was projected to be an NBA first round draft pick. His older brother, Christian, played college basketball at Harvard and then went on to play in the Vietnamese Basketball League.

A much heralded college recruit, the

Reporter purchased this NFT of Taylor Rapp

6-foot-7 Juzang played his freshman year at the University of Kentucky. But after his first year, he decided to transfer to move closer to home at UCLA. Juzang made an impact with the Bruins this season becoming the team’s leading scorer. He made the second team All-Pac 12 as a sophomore with UCLA. Juzang became just the third UCLA Bruin, behind Reggie Miller and Lew Alcindor (known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), to score over 20

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is coming off of a year in which the team won the World Series. Despite the short season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Roberts guided the Dodgers to their first world title in over 20 years.

Moreover, he is the first non-white manager for the Dodger franchise. He’s also just the second Asian American manager behind former Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu. Roberts, who was born in Japan, has a mother who is Japanese and a Black father.

In support of the Asian community, Roberts sent out an organization-wide email condemning hate against the AAPI community.

“I just think that there’s a lot of things going on, in and outside of our country towards Asians with racist bullying acts,” said Roberts.

A portion of the email read, “Over the past year, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of hate crimes against Asian Americans and the Pacific Islander community. In recent months,

those attacks have intensified and have targeted the elderly in California and New York—such bullying is cowardice.”

Roberts was prompted to voice his opinion after he read a Facebook post from Jeremy Lin in which he expressed concern over backlash due to Asians being blamed for COVID-19. Lin also shared his own recent experience when he was called “Coronavirus” on the basketball court by another player during a game. Roberts worked with the Dodgers’ traveling secretary, Scott Akasaki, on the statement.

Major League Baseball posted its own statement in support of the Asian community and expressing a stop to Asian hate.

Roberts’ statement came a week before the killings of eight people, including six Asian women at day spas in Atlanta.

Taylor Rapp offers NFT to help AAPI groups

Los Angeles Rams safety and former University of Washington football player Taylor Rapp is doing his part to support the Asian Pacific Islander community.

Rapp, who is part Chinese, is auctioning off several non-fungible token (NFT) depictions of himself. Entitled “Year of the Ox,” Rapp worked with artists to come up with renderings he offered through four days with the public able to bid on them. see LAYUP DRILL on 10

The vaccines are here.

For those getting the shots, giving the shots, or waiting patiently...

Thank you.

8

asianweekly northwest

39 YEARS

APRIL 10 – APRIL 16, 2021

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

What's in a name?

By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Seattle Rice Society.

The group has more to do with strengthening Asian American voices than with food. It organized the “Stop Asian Hate” rally on April 3 in the Chinatown-International District, in response to the Georgia killing of eight people, including six Asian women last month.

At the rally, the signs of “Stop Asian hate,” “Never again is now,” and “End white supremacy,” caught the eye of speaker and author Eric Liu. Despite the fact he agreed with those signs—in reaction to the Georgia massacre, his message to gain power was not what the audience expected to hear. Liu said while he doesn’t deny what has happened, it’s more important to create something different.

"Come together to make something new.” Liu, co-founder of Citizen University, urged the attendees to do three things.

“Organize on short notice... show up, build the organizing muscle of doing things with other people over and over again.

That’s how we build and practice power.”

How does one learn about organizing?

“Join a club,” Liu said. “If you don’t want to join, start a club.” He inspired those who carried signs and would be potential builders of their own club. Tell the story over and over again, and what’s happening today, he said.

Third, Liu said, is to reclaim power.

“Remember all the signs ‘I stand for my elders.’ I am a child of immigrants...

it was dumb luck to be born in the U.S. They (parents) took all the risks, all the sacrifices.”

Embodying his immigrant mother’s spirit that “I may be new here and may not know all the languages and all the rules,” Liu said his mother believed that…“ this place is mine. You adjust to me, and (not the other way around)...I am open, curious and...are ready to connect the dots... This is my street, my place, my town, my country...

Tell the story of what’s happening today over and over today.”

And Liu said, know our history.

“Organize, remember, and imagine what it’s going to be like ...reclaim this place.”

Hundreds of Asian Americans attended the rally, and several speakers were up and coming young AAPI leaders and rising stars. Unlike past rallies, the program featured performances, including singing and dancing. The speakers were Troy Osaki, attorney; Tracey Wong, dancer and instructor; Lloyd Bagtas, creative director; Tomo Nakayama, singer and songwriter; Daneca Trần, culinary artist; Erik Han and Nathan Chan, cellists; Kiko Eisner-Waters,

CURA Collective founder; Rayna Mathis, museum educator; and Marissa Childers through Grace Takehare.

Founded by two friends, Grace Chung and Agatha (Aggie) Campana Tutia, the goal of the Seattle Rice Society rally was to strengthen and embolden Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) voices.

“We want to break the ‘model minority’ myth. It’s not real and not only is it detrimental to our cultures, but it is also detrimental in moving America forward,” the founders said in an email. “We refuse to assimilate and instead, be proud of who we are. ”We also want to make a point to include, respect, and honor a pan- and intersectional AANHPI experience. We have AANHPI brothers and sisters who may be of mixed heritage, mixed families, etc. who are still on their journeys of figuring out their most authentic selves. We want to make sure to create a safe, collective space for everyone to express their true, lived experiences.”

“I absolutely believe we were able to am-

plify and showcase some incredible AANHPI voices in the Seattle community,” said Chung. “The happiest and proudest moment of the rally was seeing everyone be so touched and engaged with each other as part of one, large community.”

This was one of the four major rallies held at Hing Hay Park so far in response to anti-Asian violence all over the country, including Washington state.

Why is Rice part of this organization’s name?

“This may have been the most fun part!” said Chung. “We chose ‘Seattle Rice Society’ because we wanted to emphasize our love of food and culture. And, we figure, rice is a foundation for most, if not all, AANHPI cuisines!”

Food was also served at the rally. Ayako & Family generously donated just under 100 servings of Japanese curry rice.  Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.

More photos will be posted online.

Weekly Specials Prices Valid April 7-13, 2021

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WING LUKE MUSEUM from 1 ongoing exhibits “Paths Intertwined” and “Where Beauty Lies” are modified for visitor safety.

“We have been carefully and thoughtfully planning our safety procedures and have adopted a strict cleaning policy, mask requirements, hand sanitation stations, and one-way traffic flows, among other features.”

The Museum is currently open to limited hours and capacity from Friday through Sunday, between 10 a.m.–5 p.m. For over 50 years, Wing Luke Museum has provided a space to celebrate Asian heritage.  For more information about the Museum and hours, visit wingluke.org.

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YOUR VOICE

■ COMMENTARIES

APRIL 10 – APRIL 16, 2021

asianweekly northwest

9

Your climate and air depend on clean fuels

By State Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, Sam Cho, Port of Seattle Commissioner, and Rich Stolz, Executive Director of OneAmerica FOR NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Our country is in the midst of a long overdue reckoning with racial injustices and systemic inequality. While those issues have finally moved to the front of our collective focus, environmental justice and impacts of pollution and climate change on communities of color Rebecca Saldaña Sam Cho Rich Stolz still need much greater attention.

Our long dependence on fossil fuels has left too many Washingtonians impacted by majority of Washingtonians understand the dangers of pollution that has compromised the quality of their lives. climate change and air pollution and want to take action Right now, legislators in Olympia are considering House to address it.

Bill 1091, which establishes a clean fuel standard and According to a 2019 study led by the University of gives Washingtonians the chance to choose cleaner fuels Washington, air pollution can accelerate lung disease as and to rectify generations of inequality by confronting much as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Zoom that a changing climate that disproportionately impacts study lens into communities in South King County near economically disadvantaged and minority communities. freeway interchanges and airport runways, and you can Paired with other priority environmental justice easily see the pattern of disparate impact. Take the 37th proposals like the HEAL Act (Senate Bill 5141), we have Legislative District which runs along I-5 in South Seattle an opportunity to make real progress, improving the to roughly the I-405 interchange, where people of color lives of our neighbors across Washington. We cannot make up 61% of the population. It’s no surprise that the miss this opportunity to deliver genuine emission incidence of cancer there is 148% of the state average and reduction to our at-risk communities. cardiovascular deaths are 127% of the state average. The Transportation is our state’s largest source of carbon residents of that area are bearing the brunt of harmful emissions, as the transportation activity from a growing diesel emissions that are 670% of the state average. economy emits climate-changing greenhouse gases and A pattern of low-income and high minority populations associated toxic air pollution. living with diminished air quality from transportation These emissions accelerate the pace of climate emissions repeats itself across Washington. Physicians change, but not because drivers, shippers, or commuters for Social Responsibility found that Tacoma residents on the bus are in favor of more pollution. The vast and especially children living near the freeway are

exposed to more asthma triggers than the average Tacoma resident. And a University of Washington study, co-funded by the Port of Seattle, found that communities underneath and downwind of jets landing at Sea-Tac Airport are exposed to a type of ultrafine particle pollution distinctly associated with aircraft.

The good news is HB 1091 gives consumers access to clean fuel alternatives that alleviate pollution from planes, trucks, and automobiles, and will reduce the impact to communities. Legislative leaders in Olympia are trying to make these cleaner fuels available in Washington through adoption of a clean fuel standard. House Bill 1091 will require fuel producers to reduce the carbon intensity of their gas and diesel by 20% by 2035.

The clean fuel standard creates good-paying jobs in a new clean energy economy, addressing climate change while decreasing health care costs by billions of dollars. And it creates an incentive for fuel producers to transition to cleaner fuels while also promoting vehicle electrification, resulting in pollution reduction and climate benefit. Producers who don’t transition will pay a penalty.

Polls show that more than 64% of Washington voters support enacting a clean fuel standard. Bringing this proven policy to the fight for environmental justice could be the next step in our state’s legacy of leading on environmental protection. We strongly support HB 1091 and urge the Senate to pass the bill and pave the way to a healthier future for all Washingtonians. 

An urgent call for citywide dialogue to address our city’s recovery and future Last summer, a diverse group of Seattleites came together out of deep concerns over the serious issues facing our city. We are long overdue to finding solutions to put us on the right track and to our great city’s full potential.

We have endured a full year of the COVID-19 pandemic, complete with home lockdowns, limited access to public spaces, and shuttered businesses and schools. The lockdown shined a glaring light on our community challenges and painful impacts to individuals, families, and businesses.

In addition, our city still faces a growing and worsening homeless crisis.

Rounding out this perfect storm, we were shocked by the horrific murder of George Floyd, leading to widespread, peaceful demonstrations demanding racial justice in our public safety system. George Floyd’s death released a dam of pent-up frustration and anger in Black and other communities of color resulting from decades of injustice, police brutality, and our country’s painful racist past.

Unfortunately, some of these peaceful actions by day gave way to mayhem by night perpetrated by a small faction bent on causing destruction. This violence left our neighborhood districts with destroyed community spaces and storefronts of large and small businesses alike.

In short—the COVID nightmare and economic disaster left in its wake, worsening homelessness and racial reckoning, have put our city into an economic and social tailspin with no cohesive plan and strategies from our city’s leadership to address these burgeoning threats.

As we walk around Seattle, it has almost become unrecognizable. Is this the city we want?

As concerned long-time city residents, we evolved into an all-volunteer effort—“We R Seattle: Recover, Restore, Reimagine”—to engage all of us, neighborhood by neighborhood, to address these major issues. Over the next few months, we will convene “virtual” community conversations.

Our goal with these conversations will be to hear your perspectives to: * Define a shared vision for moving our city forward, * Come to consensus over our most critical priorities, * Lay out solutions to address them.

This will culminate in a Citywide Summit where representatives will map out the consensus around vision, priorities, and plans of recovery to move our city forward.

This effort is not new. We have done a similar effort through a historic and successful public engagement, known as the “Education Summit,” led by former Mayor Norm Rice in 1990.

People with knowledge of that experience have

called it out as a strategy and a potential road map for us today. That effort enabled thousands of our city residents to engage with civic and city leaders to address bitter divisions and focused on defining priorities and solutions. Those conversations resulted in concrete achievements, such as the Families & Education Levy which continues to benefit our children today.

This pandemic created an unprecedented organizing challenge, but our unique outreach approach will support grassroots participation from every corner of our city.

‘We R Seattle’ has come together to find a way past the divisions and warring factions that have polarized us. If we are to have any hope of carving out a path forward, we need to unify our communities around a shared vision, with clear goals and strategies—and that begins by giving all voices an opportunity to be heard.

Go to “We R Seattle” at https://rseattle.org. We need to hear from you—and you deserve to be heard.  CORE GROUP David Della Felicia Cross Gayle Johnson Henry Wong Linda Thompson-Black Rosa Melendez Sue Tupper

10

asianweekly northwest

APRIL 10 – APRIL 16, 2021

39 YEARS

CLASSIFIEDS employmeNt

SUmmoNS to: Julie Renee Novak: I have started a court case by filing a petition.

You must respond in writing if you want the court to consider your side. Deadline! Your Response must be filed and served within 60 days of the date this Summons is published April 11, 2021. If you do not file and serve your Response or a Notice of Appearance by the deadline: No one has to notify you about other hearings in this case, and The court may approve the requests in the Petition without hearing your side (called a default judgment).

Follow these steps: 1. Read the Petition and any other documents that were filed at court with this Summons.

Those documents explain what the other party is asking for.

2. Fill out a Response on this for FL Divorce 211, Response to Petition about a Marriage.

3. Serve (give) a copy of your Response to the person who filed this Summons at the address below, and to any other parties. You may use certified mail with return receipt requested. For more information on how to serve, read Superior Court Civil Rule 5.

4. File your original Response with the court clerk at this address: Superior Court Clerk, King County 516 3rd Ave Seattle, Washington 98104 5. Lawyer not required: It is a good idea to talk to a lawyer, but you may file and serve your Response without one Person filing this Summons or his/her lawyer fills out below: March 9, 2021 - Khaled Youseff Ali. I agree to accept legal papers for this case at the following address (this does not have to be your home address): 15127 NE 24th Street, Suite 314 Redmond, Washington 98052

metRopolItAN KING CoUNty CoUNCIl Senior leGISlAtIVe ANAlySt Closes: April 26, 2021 at 11:59 pm Salary Range: $110,098.56 - $139,556.35 The Council is seeking to hire one or more Senior Legislative Analysts. The successful candidates will have a strong background in policy analysis and will be able to navigate complex and controversial policy initiatives to support the Metropolitan King County Council and its committees.

Senior Legislative Analysts conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis of legislation and policy issues, including fiscal impacts, consequences, and associated risks, and presents analysis in public meetings. The positions we are looking to hire will be generalist policy analysts.

These positions are salaried, overtime-exempt classifications, and members of the Teamsters Local 117.

HoW to Apply: To apply and view a complete job announcement and apply, go to www.kingcounty.gov/jobs Interested applicants must complete the supplemental questions and submit a resume and letter of interest highlighting your qualifications for this position.

employmeNt

WoK CHeF Need wok chef for upscale restaurant. Little English is fine. Good work ethnic. Team work. Good Pay. Full healthcare, vacation and bonus. Call 206-227-8000.

GRANt

4Culture wants to support your creative work with a projects Grant. Now offering grants in arts, heritage, and preservation.

Deadline: Wednesday, April, 28.

Visit 4culture.org/project-grants for more information.

Advertize in our Service Directory below. Just $10 a week! Minimum: 12 weeks for $120. We have larger sizes too. Call John at 206-223-0623 for more info.

JAIL from 4 Opponents said the bill was sure to bring litigation. GEO sued over a similar 2019 measure in California, though a federal judge there largely sided with the state.

The company has long said it provides for the safety of detainees there in accordance with federal standards, despite allegations of substandard conditions. It noted that the federal government provides health care at the facility.

In a emailed statement, the Day 1 Alliance, a trade association of GEO and other private detention companies, suggested the lawmakers were motivated by “faux outrage’’ as a show of opposition to former President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration priorities. The facility “has operated in Tacoma for more than 20 years under Democratic and Republi-

DONE RITE

CARPET CLEANING

Subscribe to the Northwest Asian Weekly $40 for one year.

Name___________________________ Address ________________________ City ____________________State___ Zip Code _______________________ Phone __________________________ Mail to: NW Asian Weekly 412 Maynard Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98104 or call 206-223-0623

206-487-8236

can Presidential Administrations, offering the same high-quality services to the federal government throughout,’’ it said.

The trade association also said, “This bill is nothing more than political theater, at the expense of the very individuals housed at the facility whose interests elected officials claim to have in mind.’’

President Joe Biden has instructed the Justice Department not to renew contracts with private prisons, but that doesn’t apply to the immigration detention system under the Department of Homeland Security.

Adams conceded that banning private detention centers state-by-state in the absence of a federal ban would create near-term hardships for detainees and their families. But, he added, “There’s going to be less people overall who are locked up.’’ 

LAYUP DRILL from 7 NFTs are unique digital files that are stored on a blockchain network similar to popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. They are self-authenticating and protect against fraud.

It is the latest thing in the collectibles market.

There are several different NFT portraits of Rapp, which include him in his Rams uniform and proudly showing a tattoo that is a symbol of his Chinese heritage.

Rapp felt the need to support the Asian community as he noted to the Los Angeles Times that his maternal grandparents live in Seattle’s Chinatown.

The rash of attacks on elderly Asian people have him concerned for the safety of his grandparents.

In his third year with the Los Angeles Rams, Rapp battled injuries but should be back on the playing field next season. It’s Rapp’s hope that this fundraiser can bring awareness for the need to abolish anti-Asian hate.  Jason can be reached at info@nwasianweekly. com.

Lake View Cemetery Seattle’s Pioneer Cemetery Est. 1872 An Independent, Non-Profit Association

Featuring

Traditional Side-by-Side Monument Properties

206-322-1582

1554 15th Ave East

SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 6.

POLITICAL ORGANIZING from 3 level, I live in Ballard, what can I do? What can I do to make my senior citizens here, the Asian women that work here as frontline workers, what can I do right now to make sure that they feel safe?” she then asked, in spoken comments.

Organizers said they are planning future panels to address specific ways Asian Americans can organize and protect themselves.

Lin Crowley, co-chair for the Asian Pacific Islanders Coalition South Puget Sound chapter, praised the organizers for addressing such important issues, but said she hoped there would be women on the next panel.  (This reporter was the moderator of the panel.)

Mahlon can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

(North Capitol Hill)

YOUR VOICE

■ ASTROLOGY

APRIL 10 – APRIL 16, 2021

asianweekly northwest

11

Predictions and advice for the week of April 10–16, 2021

By Sun Lee Chang

Rat—If you wait too long to take action, you may find that your window of opportunity is no longer open.

Dragon—You have the ability to be quite persuasive. When you speak from the heart, others listen.

Monkey—Unless you are ready to share what you know, it is best to be discreet about the information you possess.

Ox—Is there an old memory that won’t fade?

Some experiences stay with you to make you stronger and more resilient.

Snake—Are you tempted to revive an old project? Beware that doing so could have some unintended consequences.

Rooster—You have landed in a good spot, but don’t get too complacent, and think about your next steps.

Tiger—Giving up just isn’t an option. Your tenacity will help you to rise above a current challenge.

Horse—Have you been confused about which way to go recently? Progress can be made by simply moving forward.

Dog—Despite the standards you have set for yourself, there is a certain freedom to letting some things go.

Rabbit—Are you growing tired of just getting by? In order to advance, take greater ownership of your role.

Goat—Being in the moment requires more than mere physical presence. You must be paying attention as well.

Pig—Your diligence upfront should be time well spent as it could help you to avoid some major pitfalls.

WHAT’S YOUR ANIMAL SIGN? RAT 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 OX 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 TIGER 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 RABBIT 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 DRAGON 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 SNAKE 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 HORSE 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 GOAT 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 MONKEY 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 ROOSTER 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 DOG 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 PIG 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

*The year ends on the first new moon of the following year. For those born in January and February, please take care when determining your sign.

I felt very shy, very intimidated because he was an elder, a badass news publisher, and I was uncertain in my Vietnameseness. I also was positive my parents would be the worst to bring to a fundraiser.

So I politely declined his overture.

He expressed an inordinate amount of disappointment, that we couldn’t come. I specifically remember his regret being centered around the fact that I wouldn’t be able to meet his daughter, “Dr. Julie Pham.”

I felt really bad about that—I worried that maybe I had somehow let him down. So I was like, “I guess I can meet your daughter some other time?”

I remember his response being immense. I remember him legit being ecstatic. I remember him writing back something like, “I’m so happy! Editor of Northwest Asian Weekly and Dr. Julie Pham will meet! Yay for us Vietnamese community!"

His happiness and pride seemed very outsized to how I felt in my insecurity and uncertainty. Like, I wasn’t sure what he was expecting from this playdate for two adult women that he was setting up. I didn’t feel like an important person or representative of the Vietnamese community. I was intimidated over the fact that he kept referring to his daughter as “Dr. Julie Pham” because I only have a bachelor’s degree. Like, I wondered if he was really sure he wanted this playdate to happen. I wondered if I was good enough.

This was before I knew more about him, before I knew of his thoughtfulness and his empathy. He doesn’t scrutinize and compare like that. His enthusiasm was pure. His immensely bright and beautiful pride in his kids isn’t really due to title and status, but in who they are as people.

So Julie ended up becoming one of my closest friends in life. And over the past year, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to do some work for Người Việt Tây Bắc. I got to think really hard about what chú Phạm might want for things to look like and how he might want things to work. I felt ridiculously pleased whenever Julie reported to me that her dad was enjoying Facebook and editing news stories on the website.

From the vantage point of a friend, I also got to see, just a little bit, the many different life shifts that happen in response to huge news.

Every time I talked to Julie over the past year, I’d ask her how her dad was getting on. And nearly every time, in response, Julie would tell me that he was doing well, that he was in good spirits, that he was learning new things all the time, that he woke up early for the newspaper and stayed up late for the newspaper.

In 2016, Northwest Asian Weekly honored chú Phạm

Photo from Don Pham

PHẠM from 1

From left: Julie Pham, Andy Pham, and Kim Pham

with a Top Contributor award. Julie asked me if I could be the one who wrote the Northwest Asian Weekly profile on her dad.

To be honest, I didn’t really want to, but I said yes.

I didn’t want to because I didn’t want to potentially do a bad job—or a not-enough job—because he was important and meaningful to the Vietnamese community. I didn’t want to because I knew I would have to do the entire interview with him in Vietnamese and then translate.

I was really worried and nervous about that, nervous I wouldn’t be able to understand him enough and then I would misrepresent him.

I met him at his office, and we sat side by side in chairs in a tight hallway. I called him “bác Phạm” initially because I thought bác was the right honorific befitting a man like him in relation to me, but he kept completely ignoring that and referring to himself with the more diminutive honorific, “chú.” It made me so anxious and freaked out, but I went along with it because who am I to decide who he is to me?—and switched to chú halfway through our conversation.

My phone was clenched in my hand, because I was recording our conversation on it. He was very soft-spoken, and I had to stretch so hard to hear him—because I was too polite and aware of him to ask him to please speak a little louder. He had the same accent in Vietnamese that my mom does, so there was a blessed familiarity and ease—at the very least—in the tones of his voice.

Dude, I asked him about his entire remarkable life. I learned about his birth in 1950, into a country already at war. I learned he was the middle child and artistically inclined from an early age. I learned he was a painter, but gave that up to do something practical. I learned he aimed for law school, before he was drafted into war.

He told me about when he and his family fled Vietnam, the beginnings of life in an entirely new country, first delivering pizzas and newspapers to many, as he grasped toward a college education. He also talked about his fourth child a lot—his newspaper. He preferred not to say what it meant to him—he wanted to focus on what it means to

others. There was one particular thing he said to me that completely gutted me in 2016, and it guts me now.

He said: “Sometimes there are things we face that are insurmountable. Sometimes despite our best efforts, we become dispersed anyway. And I don’t want to pass the buck onto the younger generation—so we just have to keep on pushing for more.”

He also said: “My two wishes are that we have a strong voice, so that people know that we are here, that we are devoted to this country. This place is our home. My other wish is that Vietnamese will broaden their vision for themselves.

Parents need to teach their kids the importance of having a voice and of civic involvement—there’s more to life than just being a doctor or software engineer or just chasing jobs that bring in financial success. That kind of financial success can foster a private, insular life. … We have people with the talent and endurance to be community and political leaders. We need to encourage them because when we teach people to just allow life to just happen to them—it’s a loss and a waste. We need more representation.”

Chú Phạm was honestly such a class act. A lot of us can’t read Vietnamese, so something that we often don’t realize was what a fantastic journalist and editor he was.

It’s a shame that there aren’t more of us who can read what he wrote in his strongest language. He was rigorous, he was detailed, he was accurate—he cared so much.

He never sensationalized. He never forgot who he was serving—he never used his newspaper as a mouthpiece for himself. He was brave enough to give his readers unadorned facts, because he believed in them—he believed that they would put the pieces together and draw ethical conclusions for themselves.

And we must remember him. We must remember who he was as a person, we need to remember what he has done for the Vietnamese community, and we need to remember the doors that he helped open for us.  Kim Phạm is survived by his three children—Julie Phạm, Andy Phạm, Don Phạm—and his wife, Hang Nga Phạm. Visitation will be held on April 16 at 1:00 p.m. at Sunset Hills Funeral Home, 1215 145th Place SE, Bellevue. His funeral service will be held on April 17 at 12 p.m. at Vietnamese Martyrs Parish, 6841 S 180th St, Tukwila. Graveside service will be held on April 17 at 2:30 p.m. at Sunset Hills Memorial Park, 1215 145th Place SE, Bellevue.

Stacy Nguyen can be reached at stacy@nwasianweekly.com.

12

asianweekly northwest

BLOG from 5 for their medicinal value. My friend sent me a gift of lingzhi pills. We did not know there was a surprise inside the package. It was a big mushroom, a bonus gift to celebrate Hsu Ginseng’s anniversary. These supplements are great for overall health benefits.

Japanese, Koreans, and Chinese believe these mushrooms can prolong life. The reason I take them is because they contain melatonin, which aids sleep. However, don’t expect miracles if you have suffered from insomnia for a while. It takes months before you notice its effect. Reishi pills focus on nursing the body back to health.

Cooking mushrooms

One advice I received from a medical doctor—never eat mushrooms raw. I wouldn’t put them in salads. I make sure they are cooked well. Not to worry, overcooked mushrooms still taste quite palatable. They don’t get tough or lose their taste even in hot temperatures. You don’t need to be an excellent chef to make mushrooms taste amazing.

Recently, my daughter-in-law cooked us a yummy mushroom dish. (See recipe on the right). You can sautée it with butter or stir-fry with garlic, ginger, and scallions.

I usually stir-fry them with vegetables or meat. With vegetables, I add broth after I cook them, so I can have soup, too.

A misconception about cooking mushrooms is that they should taste salty and not sweet. But years ago, I had enjoyed the best mushroom dessert soup in my life at the original Chinese vegetarian restaurant

ASIAN ATTACKS from 1 The investigation began after a video of the attack—which was forwarded to the Northwest Asian Weekly—surfaced on social media.

Police tweeted on April 1 that they had identified the victims, who filed a report last November.

The assault made no mention of the attack being racially motivated at that time, so police did not connect the two incidents until the victims’ daughter came forward after seeing the 26-second video circulating on social media last week. The footage appeared to be filmed by one of three young men involved in the attack.

The video shows an older couple walking behind a grocery store near South 19th Street and South Tyler Street, when a young man runs up to them and repeatedly

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39 YEARS

APRIL 10 – APRIL 16, 2021 on Queen Anne. The owner, Mr. Young, cooked enoki with ground sweet almonds.

The dish was called enoki almond tea. It was just wonderful. No one in Seattle can make the same dish. Just sad.

Tracy Luu’s baked mushrooms

Picking wild mushrooms

Wild mushrooms grow all over the Seattle area. I have seen them along the water on Lake Washington Boulevard. But please don’t pick them as many could be poisonous.

It reminded me of our late community leaders, Ben and Ruth Woo. They loved to embark on hikes for wild mushrooms. They were experts who knew what was edible and not. For folks who go on these mushroom adventures, they love the excitement of finding mushrooms with diverse species, with all kinds of shapes and heights, some as tall and as big as trees. One gigantic mushroom, estimated to be around 8,650 years old, was found in Malheur National Forest in Oregon.

For safety’s sake, you can admire them, and take photos of these funny-looking organisms. But don’t touch them. I made the mistake of touching them when I first came to the United States for college in Portland, Oregon. Imagine a country girl seeing the city for the first time. For me, it was the opposite, a city girl from Hong Kong, seeing the wilderness for the first time at the back of the campus on a spring day. I was so thrilled and happy to see the beauty of nature that I danced, slept on the grass, and picked wild flowers and mushrooms, not realizing that some of them were toxic. My fingers swelled quickly. I ended up going to the doctor and getting three stitches on my finger. My aunt

punches the man, who is 56 years old. The woman, 52, calls out for help in Korean and one of the attackers can be heard saying, “Gotcha.”

A 15-year-old boy was arrested for the assault. He has been charged as a juvenile with second-degree assault. Pierce County Superior Court records state the boy was 14 at the time of the incident.

The couple told police they didn’t know the boy, and that the assault wasn’t provoked.

The woman told police she had no reason to believe the assault was based on her ethnicity but rather the fact that they were older or vulnerable. Her husband suffered a broken rib and was uncomfortable for a couple months. He said the way the suspect filmed the assault made it seem planned.

• Clean and cut the mushrooms.

• Air dry them overnight. Put a piece of paper towel under the fungi, but don’t cover them.

• Mix and toss the mushrooms with garlic, shallots, salt, pepper, and olive oil.

• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the quantity, until they are cooked. Make sure you don’t burn them.

told me that my mom cried after reading my letter sharing my demise in America.

It was scary at the time, but it was also my first exploration of the wilderness in the U.S.—-a portrait of innocence and joy

Hate incidents against Asian Americans have risen since the start of the pandemic, leaving Asians in Washington and nationwide scared and frustrated.

On March 25, police in Seattle arrested a 51-year-old man suspected of targeting and threatening an Asian woman and her children in South Seattle.

The woman was driving and stopped at a red light at Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and South Graham Street on March 16. She saw the man—who was in another lane—pull his car into a nearby lot and began screaming at her and making threatening gestures, as well as statements about her race.

The woman and her children were able to take photos of the man, and she later posted on social media about the incident.

of freedom, attracted by those peculiar fungi smiling at me unconditionally.  Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.

A Seattle Police Department (SPD)’s Bias Crimes detective contacted the victim, who was able to provide a possible identity for the suspect. Police then located and arrested the man near Georgetown on March 25 and booked him into the King County Jail for malicious harassment, Washington’s hate crime statute.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged the man and SPD’s bias crimes detective is also investigating other similar incidents in South Seattle.

SPD said it is documenting and investigating all bias incidents and crimes. If you feel you’ve been victimized, call 911.  Ruth can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.