PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 40 NO 26 JUNE 26 – JULY 2, 2021
FREE 39 YEARS YOUR VOICE
The pandemic year
Mike Fong reflects on lessons learned and moving forward By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Mike Fong
Equity was a core value in the city’s response to the pandemic and will be a guiding principle in its recovery,
according to Seattle Senior Deputy Mayor Mike Fong. “Ideally, we come out of the pandemic with further recognition of the same kinds of inequities that existed before the pandemic,” said Fong in an interview with Asian Weekly on June 22. “That is how you’re going to see a lot of our strategies, for instance in terms of investment from the federal government, as we focus on a return to the office and the economic recovery.” During the interview, Fong discussed how the city’s values shaped its response to major challenges during the pandemic, strategies for moving forward, and what might have been done better in hindsight. Fong attributed the relative success of the city and the region to a number of factors, including the alignment of top officials in their strategic responses and coordination in relying on scientificbased guidelines. “It was pretty fluid, things were
changing on us by the hour, and we were trying to make sure we were consistent and as aligned as possible,” he said. “From Governor Inslee to Executive Constantine to Mayor Durkan, we stayed in lockstep.” He also said the mayor responded with a pair of interlocking principles. One was to act with urgency, particularly in stepping into areas that the government does not usually enter. The second was the commitment to science. Asked to compare the region’s performance with other states, Fong said anecdotally he had observed varying responses to the pandemic within a single area. “Some of this was due to politics, some was due to underlying philosophical differences,” he said. Seattle and the region’s success, however, was not just government see FONG on 10
THE INSIDE STORY
NAMES IN THE NEWS Puget Sound Energy invests $45K in Maneki 2
PUBLISHER’S BLOG Is Washington ready to reopen on June 30? 5
AT THE MOVIES Wish Dragon 6
ON THE SHELF LGBTQ AAPIs living their complicated lives 7
Andrew Yang concedes, vows to work with next NYC mayor
Andrew Yang
By The Associated Press The votes are in. The polls are closed. But the top contenders may have a long, anxious wait ahead of them for accurate results in New York City’s mayoral primary, the first citywide election to use ranked choice voting. Several candidates in the race to succeed Mayor Bill de Blasio have the potential to make history if elected. The city could get its first female mayor, or its second Black mayor, depending on who comes out on top. Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who was far behind in early returns, conceded about two hours after polls closed and vowed to work with the next mayor. But with the debut of the ranked voting see YANG on 12
Former hockey player, Min, appointed to Kraken Youth Program By Jason Cruz NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY As a boy from Seoul, South Korea, David Min was a competitor. His older brother served as his chief rival growing up. It led him to play hockey and he now will cultivate the next generation of players as a youth coach for the Seattle Kraken’s hockey teams this fall. “It was as simple as me having a
crazy competitive edge,” said Min of his interest in the sport. Min followed his brother who started playing hockey in South Korea. “I just wanted to be cooler and better than him,” Min joked. “For me, it (skating) was always fun,” Min reflected on the most important parts of hockey. “I never thought it was hard.” He recalls that when his brother and mother went to British Columbia to scout places to relocate,
they brought back a bunch of hockey equipment for the boys and Min was sold on the sport. As a 5-year-old, Min flew by himself from South Korea to British Columbia to meet his older brother and his mother, who found a home in their new country. His father was still working in South Korea at that time. see MIN on 11
David Min
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