15 minute read
The Clipper Race allows people from all walks of life to become ocean racers. Participants sign up to compete in one or multiple legs, or even the entire journey, estimated to be 11 months. It is a 40,000 nautical mile race around the world on one of 11 70-foot ocean racing yachts. The race is divided into 8 legs and between 13 and 16 individual races. The Seattle leg is the end of leg The race began in China and ends with leg 8, which goes from New York City back to China. The Clipper Race, which was paused in 2020, returned with an
NOW THRU JULY 10 EMBODIED CHANGE: SOUTH ASIAN ART ACROSS TIME
Seattle Asian Art Museum, South Gallery Fri-Sun, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. seattleartmuseum.org
Advertisement
NOW THRU FEB 19, 2023 EXHIBIT, “WE ARE CHANGING THE TIDE: COMMUNITY POWER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE”
The Wing Luke Museum, 719 S. King St., Seattle Thu-Sun, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. wingluke.org/we-are-changingthe-tide
APR
30
LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION
Seattle’s Chinatown–International District 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
PUBLIC HUMANITIES TALK, “THE SAMURAI CODE: HOW BUSHIDO CHANGES LIVES ON” WITH LORI TSUGAWA WHALEY
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Via Zoom, register at https://bit.ly/3JiHkGb
HEALTH & WELLNESS FESTIVAL
Attendees will be able to receive mammograms; COVID-19 vaccinations and testing kits; blood, glucose and cholesterol screenings; and HIV testing Rainier Beach Community Center, 8825 Rainier Ave S, Seattle 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
SEATTLE BOBA FEST TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL BUBBLE TEA DAY
U District Station on NE 43rd and Brooklyn Ave. NE 12-6 p.m. udistrictseattle.com/bobafest
MAY
1
ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH CELEBRATION
Seattle Center Armory 12-5 p.m.
5
CLUB MEETING WITH TIFFANI MCCOY ON SPEAKING ABOUT REALCHANGE NEWS AND A NEW SOCIAL HOUSING INITIATIVE FOR SEATTLE
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. For Zoom link, contact rotaryofseattleid@gmail.com
6-29
ARTIST AKIO TAKAMORI WITH A GALLERY SHOW
Vashon Center for the Arts, 19600 Vashon Hwy. SW, Vashon 5-8 p.m., First Friday Free admission gallery. vashoncenterforthearts.org
7
ARTIST AKIO TAKAMORI AND A COMPANION LECTURE
Vashon Center for the Arts, 19600 Vashon Hwy. SW, Vashon 2 p.m. Free admission gallery vashoncenterforthearts.org
7 & 8
BLOOMING BONSAI AND FESTIVITIES IN THE FOREST: BONSAIFEST IS BACK
Pacific Bonsai Museum, 2515 S. 336th St., Federal Way 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is free Suggested donation: $12 pacificbonsaimuseum.org
12
VIRTUAL PROGRAM: THE APIA SCHOLARS 2022 STORY SLAM
8-9:30 p.m. Register at apiascholarsstoryslam2022. vfairs.com
17
LANGUAGES OF MEMORY: A SOUTH SOUND JAPANESE AMERICAN DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
Washington State History Museum, 1911 Pacific Ave., Tacoma 6-8:30 p.m. washingtonhistory.org
18
UW OFFICE OF MINORITY AFFAIRS & DIVERSITY CELEBRATION
UW Hub Ballroom 6 p.m. washington.edu/omad/ celebration/
24
ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE NIGHT
T-Mobile Park 6:40 p.m. $5 of every ticket sold through this special offer will benefit the Wing Luke Museum Tickets: mlb.com/mariners/tickets/ specials/asian-americanpacific-islander
JUN
2
CLUB MEETING WITH ILONA LOHREY AND AHI MARTINMCSWEENEY ABOUT WA STATE
LBGTQ+ Chamber of Commerce 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. For Zoom link, contact rotaryofseattleid@gmail.com
4
DENISE LOUIE EDUCATION CENTER 2022 DINNER & AUCTION, “THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT!”
Magnuson Park Hangar 30 Seattle 5:30 p.m. In person or via Zoom Register at https://bit.ly/371tvOh
View the solution on page 14
AssuntA ng
Publisher assunta@nwasianweekly.com
John Liu
Associate Publisher john@nwasianweekly.com
Ruth BAyAng
Editor editor@nwasianweekly.com
hAn Bui
Layout & Web Editor han@nwasianweekly.com
Account Executives
KeLLy LiAo kelly@nwasianweekly.com
John Liu john@nwasianweekly.com
geoRge hiRA ghira@nwasianweekly.com
The only weekly English-language newspaper serving Washington’s Asian community. The NW Asian Weekly has one simple goal: “To empower the Asian community.”
The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject any advertisement, letter or article. Subscriptions cost $40 for 52 weeks of the NW Asian Weekly and $30 for 52 weeks of the Seattle Chinese Post. The NW Asian Weekly owns the copyright for all its content. All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be reprinted without permission.
Watari and Wu’s new picture book inspired by daughters
By Samantha Pak
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Korey Watari
As a young girl in the 1980s, Korey Watari could not find books with characters who looked like her.
Once she became a mother, she thought the literary landscape would have improved. And it has—just not by much. It’s still difficult for Watari to find children’s books highlighting the Asian American experience.
To fill this void, she decided to write her own children’s book with a main character her two daughters—now 4 and 9—could relate to. The idea for the story came to her a few years ago, but it wasn’t until the pandemic hit, and the rise in anti-AAPI racism that came with it, that Watari really sat down to write the story.
“It was a sign to me that this book had to be written,” Watari said.
The book in question is “I Am Able to Shine” (Two Lions, 2022), which she partnered with her husband Mike Wu to write. Written by Watari and illustrated by Wu, the story is set to be released May 1 and follows a young Japanese American girl named Keiko going through life—from childhood to adulthood. Keiko is kind and has big dreams to change the world. But sometimes she feels invisible and people misjudge her. As the story progresses, Keiko realizes she’s also loved. So she perseveres and stands strong, her confidence growing as she shares more of herself and helps lift up others.
Mike Wu
A STORY FOR ALL KIDS
“Shine” is a story about finding where you belong—something Watari feels young Asian American kids need to hear. “We have a place (in this country),” she said, adding that Keiko’s story is so personal to her because it highlights feelings she’s had throughout her life as a kid—such as feeling invisible as a result of growing up in the suburbs with a small Asian American population—and even now as an adult.
The Bay Area couple wants a better world—not just for their kids, but for all kids—and with so much negativity associated with the pandemic, Wu said the timing felt right for a book like “Shine.” He added that in addition to kids finally seeing themselves represented on the page, books like theirs highlight new voices and expose kids of all backgrounds to different faces and ways of life, which helps build empathy for others.
“It’s for all kids,” he said.
A FAMILY AFFAIR
While this was not the first time Watari
see WATARI AND WU on 14
for acquiring a new property
from Joyale Seafood Restaurant
Tel: 206) 623-1318
900 South Jackson St., #203, Seattle, WA 98104 Business hours: Monday ~ Friday: 11:00 am ~ 9:00 pm,
Wednesday: Closed,, Saturday & Sunday: 10:00 am ~ 9:00 pm www.joyaleseattle.com • Free Parking, 24-hour security at the garage
Dim Sum • Lunch • Dinner
Oak Tin celebrates buying another Chinatown property and more
International Lion Dance team performed outside the newly acquired building before the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Photos by Assunta Ng
By Assunta Ng
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
The Year of the Tiger may belong to the Gee How Oak Tin family association, representing members with last names of Chin, Chan, Chen, Tran, Woo, and Yuen. It’s Seattle’s only Chinese family association so far, able to host a Lunar New Year community banquet on April 24, even though it has long passed since Feb. 1, the first day of the lunar calendar.
The reason is obvious. Covid-19. Washington state has reopened for large indoor events and the mask mandate has been lifted since March. Checking for vaccine cards is no longer required at restaurants.
About 300 people gathered for the first time in two years at Joyale Restaurant to celebrate its accomplishments. It has bought a building at 414 8th Avenue South, in ChinatownInternational District (CID), one block from its own headquarters for $3.3 million. The building has 10 residential units, three retail spaces, and a huge basement, all fully occupied. Built in 1900, the building has an interesting history. It was one of the CID buildings being cut in size to accommodate the I-5 freeway construction in 1969. About 30% of the building was reduced in size.
One of its storefronts housed the first location of the Wing Luke Museum for two decades, and then the Northwest Asian Weekly for five years. In 2013, a temporary outlet for the post office was set up inside Associate Travel, which had moved out in 2015. But the agency’s name is still on the building. And three characters, Oak Tin Building, is now added on top of the building.
Other accomplishments were showcased at the newly acquired building’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. Dignitaries included Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, and First Lady Joanne Harrell. It reflects the members’ political involvement, especially in 2021. The association’s elder Michael Chen told the Northwest Asian Weekly that last year, Oak Tin members who lived in Seattle voted for Harrell. That’s a large block of Asian votes.
Also, 51 members of the Oak Tin from Canada and the U.S. chapters representing 29 chapters, joined the celebration. Among the out-of-town guests, the highest ranking member of the association, the East Coast National President of the Oak Tin National Association of America, came. The West Coast National President is none other than Larry Chan from Seattle’s chapter, who was elected in China in 2019 during its global convention. He was unopposed out of 80 delegates. Larry, 67, is a retired manager of Honeywell.
Why another building?
“Our ancestors came, and they didn’t know English and they were afraid to invest in properties,” said Michael. “But the banks’ interest is so low and the stock market is so unstable.
“Our association has been doing a lot of calculations. We have the ability to buy properties. We approached the Eng family association a few months after their building burned. But Eng members said they were not selling,” said Michael.
In his late 70s, Michael, who came to the U.S. in 1984 from China, said his English speaking skills are not strong, but he understands the language. He also doesn’t see this as a handicap.
“I mentor people who speak good English. And they listen to me. I explain my vision and they agree with me.” An accountant for a state-owned factory in China, Chen said he had quietly learned to be a leader, rising from
When does the pain end?
Size matters—especially in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID).
Especially now that the neighborhood is under threat again—this time by a Sound Transit project to expand a transit hub, and possibly shutting down part of the CID for up to a decade.
Two options are on the table and community advocates fear that if Sound Transit chooses the 5th Avenue route, the CID will lose— again.
The construction on I-5 in the 1960s took a chunk of the CID and, literally and figuratively cut the neighborhood in half, and destroyed many Chinese and Japanese-owned businesses and homes.
In 1941, a portion of the CID was demolished to build the Yesler Terrace neighborhood.
In 1886, Seattleites came to the neighborhood with guns to drive out residents
Again and again, outside forces continue to shrink the size of the CID.
A smaller CID means fewer people and residents, fewer businesses, fewer voters, and therefore less political power and less funding.
Yes, size is a big deal in the CID.
On top of that, this latest Sound Transit project is a threat to the overall health of residents, especially the elderly.
Life expectancy in the CID averages 79 years, which is seven years less than the longest life expectancy experienced elsewhere in King County, according to data from Public Health-Seattle & King County.
The project will bring increased noise. Sound Transit told the Northwest Asian Weekly that noise levels are expected to be between 84 and 88 dBA at a distance of 50 feet for station construction. The American Academy of Audiology states that over 85 dB for extended periods can cause permanent hearing loss.
Not to mention pollution.
The CID, along the Yesler Terrace, rank in the top 1% most disproportionately impacted areas in the region, with high traffic volumes and more air pollutionrelated hospitalizations (asthma, COPD, cardiac-related) than 99% of other neighborhoods in the region, according to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.
This new construction project would mean dump trucks coming to the CID to multiple staging areas, where tunnel dirt is extracted and loaded, every 10 to 15 minutes up to 21 hours a day. It will mean a line of trucks waiting on 6th Avenue, virtually all hours of the day perhaps with their engines idling— generating more air pollution in a neighborhood with one of the most vulnerable populations in the city.
For generations, the CID has endured the brunt of major changes in the city.
When does the pain end or at least, get shared by other (wealthier? whiter?) neighborhoods?
Photo by Han Bui
■WORLD NEWS Korean American female pastors push back against patriarchy
DEEPA BHARATH
ASSOCIATED PRESS
When the Rev. Kyunglim Shin Lee was ordained in 1988, it angered her in-laws for contravening long-held Korean cultural values subordinating women’s roles in society. Even her husband, a pastor, told her he understood intellectually “but his heart couldn’t accept it.”
Those reactions broke Lee’s heart— and steeled her resolve. Today she is vice president for international relations at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.; has traveled to 60 countries as the seminary’s ambassador; and once served as interim lead pastor at a Korean American church for 11 months. Along the journey, she visualized herself as a speeding train.
“People would either have to get in for the ride, or step out of the way,” she said. “Once I became convinced that God can use me, no one or nothing could stop me.”
Lee’s success story is rare in the realm of Korean American churches, where women are seldom seen in the pulpits. In a time when women make up about 20% of Protestant pastors in the United States, Korean American female pastors still struggle to gain acceptance in their home churches and often end up assuming leadership roles elsewhere.
Women like Lee who have broken barriers in these spaces remain pessimistic about the pace of change and are concerned by the resilience of patriarchal attitudes even among second- and third-generation Korean Americans. More representation in church elder boards and in the pulpit is needed to promote equality and provide role models for younger women considering ministry, they say, but bringing about such cultural shift has proved a formidable challenge.
Gender equality in Korean American churches lags well behind congregations in South Korea, according to the Rev. Young Lee Hertig, executive director of Innovative Space for Asian American Christianity, which supports Asian American women in ministry. There are more female lead pastors in South Korea, she said, “because culture changes faster when it is mainstream.”
“Korean American churches are the most patriarchal among Asian American churches. ... Things should have changed by now, but they haven’t,” Hertig said.
Male dominance in traditional Korean society has roots in Confucianism from centuries ago, when women were subject to the authority of their husbands and fathers and in many ways barred from participating in public life. Many immigrants from Korea still hold such notions, and churches especially have been slow to embrace equality, said Grace Ji-Sun Kim, a theology professor at the Earlham School of Religion in Indiana.
The Rev. Kyunglim Shin Lee, Vice President for International Relations at the Wesley Theological Seminary, poses for a portrait on March 10, 2022, in the chapel at the Seminary in Washington, D.C. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
“It’s hard for Korean women to be ministers because they are expected to be obedient to men,” she said. “It’s difficult for (Korean) men to listen to a woman who is preaching because this idea of superiority is embedded in their psyche.”
The Rev. Janette Ok, an associate professor specializing in the New Testament at Fuller Seminary and pastor at Ekko Church, a nondenominational congregation in Fullerton, California, agreed that “representation matters.”
She was fortunate to have a role model while growing up in the 1980s in Detroit, where she saw a Korean woman leading her church’s English-language service every Sunday—but at the time didn’t grasp how exceptional that was.
“I watched her give sacraments, give the benediction. I still have this image of her in a pastoral robe and stole,” Ok said. “Without her example, I would’ve never imagined I could become a pastor.”
That woman was the Rev. Mary Paik. Now retired and living in Hawaii, Paik said she was only hired as a last resort because the male applicants’ English wasn’t good enough. She received a “lot of strange looks” as an unmarried, 30-year-old female pastor.
Male church elders were patronizing and treated her like a daughter, while some of the younger men flirted with her or refused to acknowledge her. Many of the older women seemed to find her presence inconceivable.
“But some younger women were standing up a little straighter because I was there,” Paik said. “They felt good about it.”
She has seen some progress. When the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) started a group in 1991 for female Korean American clergy in the denomination, there were just 18. Today there are 150.
“When I started this, I was alone,” Paik said. “Now there are other women who talk to each other, share their struggles with one another. As long as we do it together, it’s bearable. And we do it not because it’s easy or hard, but because it’s a calling.”
But Ok said that while there are more of them in
