VOL 41 NO 23 | JUNE 4 – JUNE 10, 2022

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

VOL 41 NO 23 JUNE 4 – JUNE 10, 2022

FREE 40 YEARS YOUR VOICE

DNA testing kit reunites daughter and father

Photo provided by Kalena Johnson

Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images

BTS visits White House to discuss combating hate crime surge

BTS, the K-pop band from South Korea, and Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, address the media before the group met with President Joe Biden at the White House to discuss anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination on May 31.

By WILL WEISSERT WASHINGTON (AP) — K-Pop sensation BTS visited the White House on May 31 to talk with President Joe Biden about combating the rise in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans—bringing superstar sizzle to an otherwise sad and scary topic. Band members J-Hope, RM, Suga, Jungkook, V, Jin and Jimin joined White House press secretary Karine

Jean-Pierre at her briefing with reporters on the final day of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Jimin said the band had been “devastated by the recent surge” of crime and intolerance against Asian Americans that has persisted since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s not wrong to be different,” Suga said through see BTS on 16

d l i h c r o f k o o b c i m Co to s e m o c n o i t a n i c c a v

save the day

Thien Hong, Kalena’s father, and Kalena

By Nina Huang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY “A part of me still can’t really wrap my head around the fact that I have a sibling,” My Hong shared after finding out he had a half-sister, Kalena Johnson, through DNA testing. Last October, Kalena Johnson reunited in person with

her first cousin Annie Nguyen. Through some digging of old photos, Johnson and Nguyen were able to successfully find Johnson’s birth father and halfbrother, Hong. For Hong and Johnson, this revelation was like a fairytale. “When Annie initially reached out, to the moment we see 23ANDME on 12

THE INSIDE STORY

Image from “Handbook for Health Heroes”

By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Remember when your parents told you to stop reading comic books and do your homework? Well, now there’s a comic book that is your homework. It could literally save your life. The Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) has released a comic book, titled “Handbook for Health Heroes,” that depicts children

Dr. Dwane Chappelle, director of the Department of Education and Early Learning

facing down fears about the COVID-19 vaccine. The subtitle is: “Answers to your family’s questions about COVID-19 vaccines for kids.” The comic is available online and will be distributed in paper copies to all schools in the Seattle School District with vaccination rates below 60%. On its cover is a child wearing a mask with a Band-Aid on his arm, where he has apparently see COMIC BOOK on 16

COMMUNITY NEWS Getting to know Phyllis Campbell

NATIONAL NEWS Chinatowns more vibrant after pandemic, anti-Asian violence

WAYNE’S WORLDS A time to laugh, but no, not today

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Massive Monkees Day

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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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