INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
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September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016 — 1
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FREE EST. 1974—SEATTLE VOLUME 43, NUMBER 17 — September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016 THE NEWSPAPER OF THE NORTHWEST ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COMMUNITIES. FIND YOUR INSPIRASIAN.
Legendary. Uncle Bob Santos: A Community Shares Its Memories | Page 3
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2 — September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
IE OPINION
About labor, about jobs, about slavery, about change
By Bob Shimabukuro IE Columnist
Early morning, mid-August 1963, Portland International Airport: I was stunned by the sight of haole blue-collar workers with lunch pails streaming into the airport. And likewise, on the bus ride from the airport to a downtown hotel to catch a bus to Reed College, I saw another first for me, haole farm workers, out in the farm fields around the airport. And after a few days, I met another haole worker, our dorm house cleaner, … Me, a poor Okinawan boy from Hawai‘i, had a maid. A haole maid! Is this fo’ real??? ***
High School, 1961: There was a discussion in class about slavery, when a student mentioned that she didn’t see what was wrong with that. “You know, it just depended upon who the master was,” she said. “If you had a good master, then they had a pretty good time.” And some students agreed. No one said anything to counter her, including me. I was tired at that point. Being the class revolutionary was not my idea of fun. ***
“Bob, I know where you’re coming from, but revolutions are never made by poor people. Revolutions come from the middle class. Poor people don’t have enough time to make revolutions. That’s a historical fact. They make riots. You want to be a revolutionary, you really have to work the middle class.”
—One of my high school history teachers.
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***
What was he talking about? What was the middle class? My world, as taught to me by my Dad and Zenwa Uncle, was divided into: (1) The Big Five (super rich families and the corporations they represented in Hawai‘i), rich bosses, and their “running dog lackies;” (2) Bourgeois individualists and organized “skilled workers;” and (3) “unskilled”poor workers/unemployed folks. So I guess middle class meant “bourgeois individualists and skilled workers.”
Dad and Uncle were also telling me that soon no mo’ work for everybody, and everybody need share the work and maybe the pay too: “‘Cause machines goin’ do lot of the work for people. Folks then get plenny time fo’ help or work with odda people. So make me feel funny kine when people think they no need care about folks who no mo’ money or no can take care themselves. So I worry ‘cause that’s no fair, yah?”
Also began for think, “Dad not thinking ‘bout no mo’ work for do; he thinking no mo’ jobs. Get plenty work fo’ do. Important work. Like take care families; protect people-people from corporation-people. I wonder if get capital punishment for corporationpeople. Should, you know.” (Abbreviations: people-people=peeps; corporation-people or Supreme Courtpeople=SCpeeps)
But dat’s what we need. Real paying jobs for peeps. Right now we get only high paying jobs for SCpeeps workers. Even athletes, they work for SCpeeps. Next time you watch football, try watch the ads. Get plenny beer, alcohol, and drug ads. Big pharma. (Don’t get me started on that one. Maybe next time.)
IE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ron Chew, President Gary Iwamoto, Secretary Arlene Oki, At-Large Jordan Wong, At-Large Edgar Batayola, At-Large Heidi Park, At-Large COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER Lexi Potter lexi@iexaminer.org
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Get plenny money ads: insurance, stock brokers, rich folk stuff, the fancy car, the high life, the big house. The Dream. The Lifestyle. So now what dat mean, when folks say, “middle class revolution,” or “we gotta strent’en da middle class?” Hear that a lot now. What goin’ happen to people below middle class? What dey goin’ do? Fifty years later, lots of folks talk about jobs. Contract jobs. And redefined jobs.
From cleaning houses, hotels, and hospitals; to care for elders, soldiers, the infirmed, children, and pets. All kinds of buying and delivering services because people don’t have time to do these things, because they’re too busy designing apps to work themselves out of a job. Temps, consultants, self-created jobs.
The real ugliness of the jobs that are being created by the SCpeeps: We’ve (and I say “we’ve” because we are letting this stuff happen) got prisoners in “detention” who are charged for their “room and board,” and working for the SCpeeps that pays them less than their room and board costs them. So, the longer they stay, the more they get in debt. In Bob’s perfect world, caretakers are paid a lot. Home caretakers. All domestic workers would be paid well for what they do, whether it’s their own home or other peoples’ home. All childcare workers would be paid well, whether it’s their own kids or other peoples.’ For too long, we have seen taking care of folks at home as work, but not as jobs. We think, “It’s easy” fo’ take care kids, old folks or sick folks,” that anybody can do the job. It isn’t.
EDITOR IN CHIEF Travis Quezon editor@iexaminer.org
NEWS EDITOR Izumi Hansen news@iexaminer.org
ARTS EDITOR Alan Chong Lau
arts@iexaminer.org
DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR Rhea Panela rheapanela@iexaminer.org
CHIEF COPY EDITOR Anna Carriveau STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Isaac Liu STAFF WRITERS Chetanya Robinson Alia Marsha
INTERNS Anakin Fung Rosida Mohamathno CONTRIBUTORS Bob Shimabukuro Sally Yamasaki Andre Stackhouse John Pai Yayoi Winfrey Roxanne Ray Sharon Lee Alexandra Olins Taylor McAvoy APACE Elaine Chu Elaine Ikoma Ko Sue Taoka Theresa Fujiwara
Try it sometime. For a year, maybe two, maybe 10. Then compare that to Wall Street conmen whose main purpose is to separate you and your money by influencing laws that allow them to do so.
So 50 years later, I’m still with Dad and my Uncle, wary about the Strong Middle Class or a Middle Class Revolution, which could once again forget those who have suffered most from the actions of the upper classes.
Maybe later we’ll talk about Bob’s Perfect World some more; for now, everybody go check out the Movement for Black Lives’ “A Vision for Black Lives” (visit https://policy.m4bl.org). Plenty to think about. ***
For the past year, I’ve been on a roller coaster of emotions, health issues and deaths of close relatives, friends, and heroes. On August 7, the day that my immediate family was celebrating my (Aug 4) birthday, I learned that Fumiko Auntie (103) had died. It was tough, the last of the previous generation was gone. And she lived longer than her son, and two of her nephews. RIP Auntie. No one deserves to more than you.
And two weeks later, Bob Santos and Justice Charles Z. Smith (two very important people for the community and Washington State) died a day apart. Very humbling times. Maybe more about this past week personally for me in a later Fo’ Real. This week, it’s still a little numbing to write about. Let’s catch a breath, then keep moving.
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INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016 — 3
IE COMMUNITY
Robert Nicholas Santos (1934-2016) By Gary Iwamoto Special to the IE Robert Nicholas “Bob” Santos was born on February 25, 1934. Bob grew up in the 1930s, in what is now called the International District. Among the prostitutes, manongs (older Filipinos), and transients squatted in the often neglected and abandoned buildings, Bob developed a love and appreciation for this neighborhood. Throughout his career, Bob was a catalyst for change—as a civil rights activist, a community developer, and an advocate for affordable housing. Bob first became involved in the civil rights movement in the ’60s through his participation with the Catholic Interracial Council. Carrying the banner of the Catholic Interracial Council, Bob marched in his first civil rights march and soon took up the struggle for open housing. Soon thereafter, he served on the City of Seattle’s Human Rights Commission. For the next 50 years, Bob would be a passionate advocate for social justice. He marched, picketed, boycotted, and chanted for fair employment in the construction industry; justice for Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes, cannery workers who were both murdered; against martial law in the Philippines; and against apartheid in South Africa. He was arrested six times for criminal trespass on the front lines of demonstrations. The charges were dropped each time. The early 1970s was a period of time when civil unrest reached its peak, not only nationally but locally as well. The anti-war movement, the women’s movement, the civil rights movement, the labor movement took root in Seattle. In 1970, the St. Peter Claver Center was the local center of progressive activity. Finding that community service was his calling, Bob took up the management of the St. Peter Claver Center. A lot of groups met there—the Coalition Against Discrimination; the Asian Coalition for Equality; the United Farm Workers, Radical Women, and Tyree Scott and the United Construction Workers Association. The Black Panthers used it daily for their free breakfast program. For many of these groups, St. Peter Claver Center was the only place in the area where they could hold meetings. It was there where the paths of Larry Gossett, Bernie Whitebear, Roberto Maestas and Bob first crossed. In 1972, Bob became Director of the International District Improvement Association (Inter*Im), an agency devoted to promoting the revitalization of Seattle’s International District, the traditional center for Seattle’s Asian American communities. When Bob became the director, the District had been in a steep decline. The construction of Interstate 5 in the 1960s physically divided the International District area and eliminated businesses, homes, and churches. Families has left the area. Closer to the commercial core, buildings were abandoned, some torn down for parking lots. The 1970s brought stricter building and fire codes that resulted in the closure and demolition of many buildings. Over half of the 45 hotels and apartments in the area were closed. Businesses failed and buildings deteriorated. The construction of the nearby Kingdome, beginning in
“Uncle” Bob Santos. • Photo by Maria Batayola
1972, generated traffic and parking problems for the district. As director of Inter*Im, Bob was instrumental in sponsoring, developing, and providing seed money for needed social services programs such as mental health counseling (the Asian Counseling and Referral Service); child day care (the Denise Louie Education Center), community health services (the International Community Health Services), and tenant advocacy services (the International District Housing Alliance). In addition, under Bob’s leadership, Inter*Im sponsored a meal voucher program, a legal referral service/clinic, and a nutrition program. One of Bob’s proudest accomplishments as the director of Inter*Im was the development of the Danny Woo International District Community Garden. The hillside between Washington and Main Street was overgrown with weeds and sticker bushes. Bob rallied a massive community effort to make the garden a reality. He negotiated lease agreements with the City of Seattle and the Woo Family. He coaxed and cajoled the use of bulldozer and heavy machinery to remove the underbrush, persuaded the local horse race track to dump tons of horse manure to fertilize the land, and organized community work parties, bringing in not only the young Asian activists but work crews from El Centro de la Raza and the United Indians for All Tribes. Bob instituted the annual community pig roast in the garden, which continues today. In 1985, Bob became a community-based aide to U.S. Congressman Mike Lowry and served the Congressmen until Lowry made an unsuccessful bid for senator. It was during this time, while working on the senatorial campaign for Lowry, that Bob first met Sharon Tomiko Miyake, who was coordi-
nating the campaign’s phone bank. They would later marry in 1992. In 1989, Bob returned to the International District as the executive director of the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda). Bob was instrumental in bringing badly needed housing back to revitalizing the District. He spearheaded federal housing grants, low interest loans, and partnership development agreements to support the rehabilitation of older apartments and hotels such as the Bush Hotel, the New Central Apartments, and the Jackson Apartments. Bob also laid the groundwork for the International District Village Square by having the foresight more than thirty years ago to acquire the site, an abandoned bus maintenance and storage facility, from Metro. In 1994, Bob was asked to serve as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Regional Director (Region X), a position he held for seven years in the Clinton Administration. During that tenure he established many new HUD-sponsored housing programs in urban, rural, and tribal areas. As an advocate for the homeless, he was the first director to open up the Federal Building as an emergency shelter. He was selected by then-Seattle Mayor Paul Schell to be the key negotiator between officials and the World Trade Organization demonstrators in the 1990s which drew national and international attention. After the Bush Administration took office in 2001, Bob was again tapped to serve as the executive director of the Inter*Im, a position he held until he retired in 2006. But he never really retired. He still gave tours, speeches, and advice for Inter*Im until the day he died. Interim CDA established the Bob Santos Sustainability Award in his honor to recognize those who made signifi-
cant contributions to improving the quality of life in the community. Recipients of the Bob Santos Sustainability Award include Martha Choe, Tim Otani, and Sue Taoka. His relationships with other minority community leaders Bernie Whitebear, executive director of the United Indians for All Tribes; Roberto Maestas, executive director of El Centro de la Raza; and King County Councilman Larry Gossett, former executive director of the Central Area Motivation Program, were not only political alliances but strong friendships. Collectively, they became known as the “Gang of Four.” The “Gang of Four” brought their communities together and developed a united stand on such diverse issues as fishing rights, immigrants’ rights, welfare reform, and funding for social services. Serving a little on ham on rice, the “Gang of Four” performed skits and musical numbers and were the most popular amateur act at Northwest Asian American Theatre’s Annual Community Showoff. In 1992, the “Gang of Four” were invited by invited by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide Japanese government and business leaders with insights about grassroots democracy, the relationships of American minority communities working with each other, and U.S.-Japan relations. They met with government and private officials, the press, and youth groups in a variety of formal and informal gatherings in a six-day period in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Kobe. The Gang of Four made written and oral presentations about their respective communities, their grassroots organizing, their ability to work together as a coalition, and their struggles as minorities to be accepted in a dominant white country. In 2002, Bob wrote an autobiography of his life in the trenches, Hum Bows, Not Hot Dogs (Seattle: International Examiner Press 2002.) In 2015, he co-authored (with Gary Iwamoto) Gang of Four: Four Leaders. Four Communities. One Friendship. (Chin Music Press 2015), which detailed the friendships between Santos, Whitebear, Maestas, and Gossett over a span of forty years. Bob was a tireless advocate for the preservation of the International District as a viable place to live and work, speaking out to protect the International District against the negative impacts from the sports stadiums, downtown development, and traffic congestion. Bob’s major accomplishment can be viewed through the revitalization of the International District as a viable neighborhood where people live and work. Prior to Bob’s involvement, the International District was a decaying neighborhood. That it stands today is a testament to the legacy of the man we loved as “Uncle Bob.” Bob is survived by his wife, Sharon Tomiko Santos, his six children Danny, Simone, Robin, Tom, John, and Nancy, his 19 grandchildren, and his 16 great-grandchildren. Bob Santos passed away on August 27, 2016. The family requests that remembrances be made to International District Emergency Center, P. O. Box 14103 Seattle, WA 98114 or Inter*Im CDA, 310 Maynard Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98104.
4 — September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
IE COMMUNITY
Celebration and Remembrance of ‘Uncle’ Bob Santos set for September 23 at WaMu Theater the following community nonprofit A celebration and remembrance in organizations: honor of Robert “Uncle Bob” Santos will International District Emergency be held on Friday, September 23 from Center: P.O. Box 14103, Seattle, WA 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at WaMu Theater 98114 at CenturyLink Field (800 Occidental The late Donnie Chin devoted his life Avenue S., Seattle, WA 98134), located on to IDEC, training youth and coordinating the corner of S. Royal Brougham Way & neighborhood safety and emergency Occidental Avenue S. The public is invited services, as he was doing when he was to attend. killed by gunfire a year ago. During the IE News Services
The event will be held on the edge of past year, Uncle Bob led efforts to bring Seattle’s International District/Chinatown Donnie’s killer to justice. where Uncle Bob dedicated his life to InterIm CDA: 310 Maynard Ave. S, develop and preserve. Seattle, WA 98104 Uncle Bob is survived by his wife, This is the first International District/ Sharon Tomiko Santos, his children Chinatown organization that Uncle Bob Danny, Simone Busby, Robin, Tom started back in the early 1970s. In addition (Nancy), John (Meagan), and Nancy V. to building affordable housing and finding Santos; 19 grandchildren and 16 great- creative ways to preserve and develop grandchildren. the ID/Chinatown, InterIm spawned Uncle Bob has been entrusted to the care of Butterworth Arthur A. Wright Chapel, 520 West Raye Street, Seattle, WA 98119. Public visitation will be on Monday, September 12, from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and on Tuesday, September 13, from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
many community organizations from the Asian Counseling & Referral Services, International Community Health Services, the ID Housing Alliance as well as IDEC. Uncle Bob was executive director of InterIm for at least four times over the decades.
The family suggests that, in lieu of Cards and letters can be sent to: P.O. flowers, remembrances be given to Box 28992, Seattle, WA 98118-8992
InterIm: ‘Long live the CID. Long live social justice. Long live the legacy of Uncle Bob.’ The following is a statement from InterIm CDA:
Our beloved Uncle Bob passed away on Saturday, August 27, 2016, a very sad day for all. Uncle Bob’s passing is a profound tragedy and loss for the Chinatown-International District and the community that he loved. Our hearts go out to Uncle Bob’s wife, Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos, and his loving family.
For us, the InterIm CDA family, this loss leaves a void that can never be filled. Our hearts will ache for Uncle Bob every day and every minute. We will miss him dropping by the office; sitting at his desk; giving us his warm, reassuring hug; and making us laugh with his corny jokes. Whether things were good or “Uncle” Bob Santos. • File Photo bad, Uncle Bob had our backs, no until the end, and he inspired countless matter the situation. It’s hard to believe we will never others to join in the struggle. see Uncle Bob again. He loved InterIm CDA. It was his life, and he loved us all dearly. We will now need to proceed on our journey for civil rights and social justice without his physical presence, but we know he will always be walking side by side with us. We will feel his presence as family, every step of the way. Uncle Bob was our beacon of hope, our mentor, and our guide. Nearly 50 years ago, InterIm CDA was founded to preserve the Chinatown International District, especially on behalf of its low income, elderly, Asian and Pacific Islander pioneers who built the neighborhood. That the Chinatown International District remains intact as an ethnic neighborhood, and a home for low income elderly and families, immigrants, and refugees, is a testament to Uncle Bob’s vision and effectiveness as an activist, organizer, and mentor. He was a fierce and tireless advocate for the Chinatown International District
Uncle Bob, along with lifelong friends and comrades, Roberto Maestas, Larry Gossett, and Bernie Whitebear, known as the Gang of Four, forged a path toward justice for people of color in Seattle. We will now need to carry his legacy forward and continue to carry his beloved InterIm CDA on our shoulders.
The days ahead for all of us at InterIm CDA will be very emotionally difficult. Each of us has lost a part of ourselves that can never be replaced. As the InterIm CDA family, we come together to honor and remember Uncle Bob, and commit ourselves with strengthened resolve, to uphold his legacy and everything he stood for. Social justice. Racial justice. Fairness. Economic justice. Activism. API organizing. Immigrant and refugee empowerment. Community. In the spirit and forever memory of Uncle Bob, InterIm CDA remains strong. We seek strength in his loss as we know he would want us to do. Long live the Chinatown International District. Long live social justice. Long live the legacy of Uncle Bob. Uncle Bob Santos is forever in our hearts.
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016 — 5
IE COMMUNITY
Legendary. Uncle Bob Santos: A Community Shares Its Memories Rememberances
The International Examiner asked the community to share their memories of “Uncle” Bob Santos. What follows are some of the responses. Please visit iexaminer. org and see future issues of the IE for more memories. And please continue to share your memories of Uncle Bob by emailing editor@ iexaminer.org.
each evening (I was too young to drink) and made sure I was okay. After returning to Colorado, Bob would write and let me know about the activism in Seattle and I would tell him about the organizing we were doing in Denver. He ended each letter with, “Come to Seattle and I’ll give you a job.” I did and he did! I am indebted to that man for so much! (He even introduced me to Dicky, but that’s another story.)
Theresa Fujiwara:
It is hard to find the right story to share about Bob Santos. He was such a big part of my life—professionally and personally for the last 50 years. I think he cherished the “Gang of Four” exchange trip to Japan as a unique and memorable experience so I will share a little about the trip.
In March of 1992, I was able to spend a week in Japan with Bob and his other gang of four—Larry Gossett, Roberto Maestas and Bernie Whitebear. We were there to share their community building experience as leaders of color in the U.S. with Japanese government and business officials. Our hope was to build a better understanding of the race and social justice movement in America.
During the day, Bob was a serious diplomat—presenting information on the Asian American movement and the struggle to preserve the International District—in Tokyo, Kyoto and Kobe. At night, he was “Uncle” Bob to everyone in the karaoke bars. I was able to witness Bob use his peopleto-people charm in an international setting just as effectively as here at home. I also watched as he deepened his lifelong bond with his Gang of Four brothers.
Elaine Ikoma Ko:
I have hundreds of memories and stories of Bob as I worked along side with him for four decades. Even right before his untimely death, we had plans to reprint his Hum Bows, Not Hot Dogs book.
Some of my best memories are working with Uncle Bob in the ’70’s in the old Inter*Im offices in the old bank building on the corner of Jackson and Maynard. Because we were in a storefront, all the “manongs” and elderly Chinese residents would be hanging out with us staff and the young activists would stream in to the office all day long. Looking back, working in the office everyday was like a “party” with Bob the “life of it,” of course.
It seemed like staffer Dan Rounds would always be the only one working Sue Taoka: and every once in a while, he’d look up Of the many stories I have of Bob, my from his desk in the corner and join in favorite is how we first met. As a student the laughs. Actually everyone worked at the University of Colorado, I was is hard and partied hard, too. was sent to the White House Conference I do remember the serious moments. on Aging in Washington DC as a youth About once every week, Bob would delegate. Bob saw a country kid awed by the chandelier in the hotel lobby. He then slam the phone down on someone as he came up to me and said, “You must be Sue was cussing. It was his way of getting Taoka, you’re coming with us, sister.” Bob things done, and it worked. We do have (or the Silver Fox as he was known then) a real neighborhood and community as and Jim Miyano each took an elbow and a result! lifted me off my peddling feet and took Uncle Bob, thank you for being my me to the API Caucus meeting. Bob made best friend forever. sure I had someone to have dinner with
Estela Ortega:
Our beloved Bob Santos is one of those people who figured how to live his life fully with passion and love. Maybe this is why Roberto always called Bob by his last name in English, “Bobby Saintly.” Bob always ensured that El Centro was connected to struggles and events in the Asian Community. We were with there helping protest the construction of the Kingdome, we were at memorials, fundraisers, the skits with the Four Amigos at the Northwest Asian Theatre, the get together’s at Bob and Sharon’s home on New Year’s Day to the yearly pig roasts and so many other times supporting each other and most importantly creating relationships and friendships for a lifetime. El Centro de la Raza was given the honor to open up a childcare center at Hirabayashi Place; Bob, Roberto, Bernie, and Larry will forever be remembered at Hirabayashi Place as each of the classrooms is named after one of the Four Amigos. Bobby Saintly es un ejamplo (is an example) to our children on how we are to live our lives with justice and beauty in this world of ours. VIVA Bob Santos, PRESENTE!!”
Larry Gossett: Bob Santos was a pivotal figure in the life of people of King County. The strong and vibrant International District will be “Uncle Bob’s” living legacy for the people of this region—it was his home, and he protected that neighborhood and the rich history of the people of all races who lived in that community every day of his life. Personally, I’ve lost a dear friend and ally who worked on empowering communities of color throughout our region and nationally. I was immensely proud of Bob being one of my ‘Amigos’ and with Roberto Maestas and Bernie Whitebear, we spoke, marched and, at times, went to jail to ensure that our communities received the opportunities that had been denied them for too long. My deep condolences to his wife Sharon, his six children and his grand and great–grandchildren. He will be deeply missed.
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6 — September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016
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Bob Santos—A champion for homeless people By Sharon Lee Guest Columnist When “Uncle” Bob Santos died, we lost a dear friend and champion for low-income and homeless people. He made a difference in the lives of so many people. Uncle Bob was not just known for his tremendous work in preserving the community in Seattle’s Chinatown International District, he was a hero to many disenfranchised populations and homeless people. He was appointed under President Bill Clinton in 1999 to head up the local U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) office as the regional administrator. Uncle Bob was the first HUD official in the nation to open up space in the Federal Building for a shelter for men and women. The Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) in partnership with SHARE sponsored a shelter there. When housing activists from Operation Homestead and homeless people occupied a rundown vacant building in downtown Seattle to bring attention to the loss of low income housing, the police came and arrested people. Uncle Bob happened to know the owners of the building. He worked with me to contact the owner to negotiate a long-term lease. The building, Arion Court, now contains 37 renovated apartments for homeless veterans and others. This would not have happened without Uncle Bob stepping in and taking leadership! Uncle Bob was a key advocate along with former Seattle City Councilmember Cheryl Chow, to make sure that homeless people got basic hygiene services at the downtown Urban Rest Stop. When the mayor was opposing the initial location of the Rest Stop at the Glen Hotel, this delayed the Rest Stop from opening. Uncle Bob made sure that federal funding was saved to build the Rest Stop at the
Julie Apartments and to pay for annual operating costs for showers, restrooms, and laundry. This enabled thousands of homeless people to stay clean and healthy so they can stay employed, or find a job, and apply for housing. He also worked with LIHI to transfer HUD and VA foreclosed properties to house homeless people. That is how LIHI acquired the Othello Duplex in Rainier Valley and Tukwila House. Uncle Bob was so happy he could make this happen. He had a big heart. During Thanksgiving he would bring turkey dinners over to the residents. There is a funny story of when we tried to name the apartment building at Sand Point Magnuson Park after Uncle Bob. I told Uncle Bob that LIHI and the residents (we operated the building under selfmanagement) wanted to name the building after him. He said that he would first have to check with the HUD attorneys to see if that would be okay. He then told me that the HUD attorneys said “no.” They said that it would be a conflict of interest because he is a HUD official and LIHI gets HUD funding. I told the residents that this could not happen. The residents said “To hell with the HUD attorneys, we are going ahead and naming the building Santos Place, after Uncle Bob.” So that is how it happened! After a big battle with the business community, LIHI acquired the Fleetwood Building in downtown Olympia to create 43 apartments for homeless men and women. We had to put in an application to HUD for Section 8 Moderate Rehab funds to renovate the property. We needed an official letter from the Mayor of Olympia stating that the proposed housing was consistent with the city’s downtown housing plan calling for more affordable housing. The mayor refused to give us that letter because he was not in support of
Uncle Bob, Sharon Lee, and Jaime Garcia at the opening celebration of Tyree Scott Apartments in Rainer Valley in 2003. • Photo courtesy of LIHI
homeless housing in downtown. Getting this letter was a threshold requirement to obtain funding. I called up Uncle Bob in desperation and asked for his help. Uncle Bob then called the mayor and told him that if he did not sign a letter for us that he would make sure that all federal funds would be cut off from the City of Olympia. So this is how we got our letter! We successfully competed nationally for HUD funds for the Fleetwood, which resulted in capital renovation dollars and Section 8 operating support. Uncle Bob got a Commendation for Courage from HUD because of what he did during the 1999 protests demonstrations against the World Trade Organization (WTO), otherwise known as the Battle of Seattle. Anarchists, protestors, and homeless young people had illegally occupied a vacant building (now Spruce Street School) next to LIHI’s Julie Apartments to make a statement about the lack of housing for homeless people. When we found out, LIHI worked with the building’s owner to provide water, first aid kits, flash lights, food, hygiene, and safety supplies. But after a few days, the owner changed his mind and
decided that he wanted to evict everyone and called the police. At first, the police were distracted by the protests and riots in downtown and did not pay much attention to this building. Then the precinct commander and undercover agents met with me and said that if the anarchists and homeless people did not move out by a set deadline they would take action, storm the building and even use smoke bombs to force people out. I knew that the anarchists had secured the building in such a way that would make it impossible for large numbers of people to get out quickly or safely. The front entrance was rigged so that only one person at a time could get in or out and everyone had to pass through an obstacle course. I had been talking to the occupiers trying to mediate a solution for them to come out peacefully without the police having to take forceful action. I called Uncle Bob for help. I offered that if the occupiers left the building voluntarily that LIHI would put them up at the Julie Apartments (which was vacant before undergoing renovation). We would then have the owner agree to work with LIHI to develop one of his other sites for low-income housing. With the police in full riot gear surrounding the building ready to action, and frantic parents on the street trying to persuade their children to get out, Uncle Bob went inside to present the “deal” or compromise for everyone to leave peacefully. Finally, after a short tense period of time, where Uncle Bob was seen on the roof negotiating, he emerged from the building and said he got agreement for everyone to leave. That is how LIHI put up anarchists, protestors, and homeless young adults in the Julie for a week during WTO! It is sad to see the passing of Uncle Bob. However, he would want us to carry on with our work for housing justice. So let’s celebrate his life! Let’s keep in mind Uncle Bob’s special efforts to help homeless people. He was always there for so many of us.
Announcement September 15 summit to mobilize APIA voters in Washington State
With the spotlight on civic participation in this important election year, over 2,000 Asian Pacific Islander Americans, the country’s fastest growing racial minority group, are expected to gather in Tacoma for the statewide Asian American and Pacific Islander Democracy Summit on September 15, 2016. The Asian Pacific Islander Coalition (APIC), a statewide network of Asian and Pacific Islander community groups organizing the summit, said it will be one of the largest events of its kind in the nation. “We are bringing Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) together to celebrate our cultural diversity and promote greater engagement in our democracy among our rapidly growing communities,” said Diane Narasaki in a statement. Narasaki is the co-chair of King County APIC and executive director of Asian Counseling and
Referral Service in Seattle. “The summit will demonstrate the Asian American and Pacific Islander community’s strength, unity, and diversity, educate our voters, and inspire our community to vote. It is part of the Asian American Pacific Islander Democracy Initiative, which is mobilizing Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through voter registration, voter education, candidate forums, phone banking, door knocking, and ballot parties to enable AAPI voters to make a difference in this critical election year and beyond. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders can be the margin of victory in close elections.” Showcasing Asian and Pacific Islander cultural entertainment and organizations, the summit will bring together registered voters who speak more than 20 languages and will help register additional voters. Martha Choe, co-chair of the Asian
American and Pacific Islander Democracy Initiative’s Honorary Committee, will be the keynote speaker. The summit will feature a gubernatorial candidate forum with interpretation in those languages. “Governor Jay Inslee and Bill Bryant will participate in the candidate forum. Robert Mak will moderate,” Narasaki said. Participants are expected from all over Washington, including King, Pierce, Snohomish, Yakima, Spokane, and Thurston counties. To date, over 80 organizations have endorsed the summit. The “2016 Asian American Pacific Islander Democracy Summit: Celebrating Unity & Civic Engagement” happens Thursday, September 15, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall. It is a free event targeting all Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders—immigrants, refugees, and American-born youth, adults, and seniors. For more information, contact: • Diane Narasaki at (206) 695-7600 or Tony Lee at (206) 795-9110 for King County. • Faaluaina Pritchard for Pierce County at (253) 590-7457. • Van Dinh Kuno for Snohomish County at (425) 388-9312. • Dori Peralta Baker for Yakima Valley at (509) 945-0891. • Vang Xiong X. Toyed for Spokane at (509) 869-5660. • Brian Lock for South Puget Sound at (360) 771-2398. • Lin Crowley for South Puget Sound at (360) 951-1289
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016 — 7
APACE seeks a just America for Asian Pacific Islander Americans By Akemi Matsumoto Founding APACE Board Member Our APIA Community has a long history of activism to increase our political power. In the 1960s, ACE (Asian Coalition for Equality) sought to create affirmative action programs inclusive of APIA communities. Recentlydeparted Ruth Woo, our beloved political godmother, was a Akemi Matsumoto one-person APACE from Governor Dan Evan’s administration in the ’60s onward for our community. Anyone who was interested in elected or appointed political positions first sought her wise counsel and support. In 1997, APACE (Asian Pacific American Coalition for Equality) formed the state-wide APIA coalition to join other communities of color, women’s organizations, and national organizations to oppose the passage of I-200, an initiative to end affirmative action in Washington state. At the end of the campaign, APACE had a membership of over 24,000 individuals and organizations across the state of Washington. The APACE No!200 campaign was a 24-7 grassroots effort to fight for the continuing need for affirmative action.
Knowing the need for a sustained organization dedicated to the political empowerment of our many diverse APIA communities, APACE continued until the early 2000s. Other coalitions such as APIC, R.O.A.R (Raising our Asian Representation), and APIA VoteWA developed to continue building our political power. Every election season, different parts of our communities would join campaigns for APIA candidates or work for legislative initiatives under various names. We would gear up, work hard, and then dissipate until the next election. A candidates-forum was organized every year since by various groups of APIAs to educate our communities about the candidates and the issues on the ballots. In 2006, many of these same electoral activists would mount voter turnout activities to increase the political voice of our often-overlooked communities with funding received from national AAPI organizations such as APALA or APIA Vote. In 2008, the first PAC was formed by Albert Shen and Jeffrey Hattori. In 2010, the current iteration of APACE (Asian
Pacific Islander Americans for Civic Empowerment) was launched as a sustained political AAPI organization for our evergrowing population. We formed three separate organizations, a C3 APACEvotes, a C4 APACE, and an APACE PAC. We began with C4 work, endorsing candidates, translating candidates’ brochures, doing in-language phone banks and ballot parties. We held workshops on voter registration, political campaign strategies, and raised money for our endorsed candidates. In April 2011, we organized a conference, “Taking the First Step: APIAs and Public Leadership,” together with the Progressive Majority, Seattle University School of Law, and People of Color for Progress. In 2012, APACEvotes began to receive regular funding from APIA Vote for nonpartisan voter registration, education, protection, and turnout. Our funding increased many-fold in 2014 with a capacity-building grant from the Progress Alliance of WA and the National AAPI Civic Engagement Fund to hire a fulltime program manager in October 2015. The three Boards of Directors number
24 officials and are intergenerational, ranging from ages 21 to 70, with many skills and talents. Our Community Advisory Board includes elected officials and former board members. The vision ahead will take time to fully create, but we are now well on our way: “Our vision is a just America that assures social, economic, and political equity for the diverse Asian Pacific Islander American Communities. We see active and powerful APIAs who fully participate in our democracy, that are well-educated on the issues, and informed of the political process. “We transform our democracy by politically engaging and empowering the APIA community, and holding ourselves and our leaders accountable to progressive values of social, economic and political justice. APACE increases access and participation in electoral and civic affairs by registering, educating, protecting and turning out Asian and Pacific Islander American voters.” Well aware that there are many perspectives and memories about any history, in this article, I hope to capture the vision and purpose of the current manifestation of APACE (Asian Pacific Islander Americans for Civic Empowerment).
8 — September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
3,000 attend AAPI Presidential Election Forum By Arlene Oki APACEvotes Board Member
I recently had an opportunity to attend a Presidential Election Forum in Las Vegas with APACE (Asian Pacific Americans for Civic Engagement) members Bao-Tram Do, Akemi Matsumoto, Rick Polintan, and Stanley Tsao. This first-ever Presidential Election Forum for Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) was hosted by Asian Pacific Islander Americans Vote (APIAVote) and Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA). A key objective of the Forum was to mobilize these communities to strengthen their political power by increasing voter registration and working on get-out-the vote (GOTV) efforts. Approximately 3,000 AAPIs from many U.S. cities assembled in the Colosseum at Caesars Palace to hear presidential nominees New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party and surrogates for Secretary Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Former president Bill Clinton represented Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes represented Republican presidential nominee Trump. Congresswoman Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), and Congressman Mike Honda welcomed the group and urged everyone to become actively involved in this important election year. They said AAPIs are no longer invisible and can provide a margin of victory in key races. Congressman Honda said, “Not voting is not an option—AAPIs can swing this election.” Comments by President Paul Cheung and Executive Director Kathy Chow of Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), as written in the program booklet, captured the sentiments of many in the audience: “In 2016, we are the fastest growing group in the country. But we are still being treated like foreigners. Too often, our stories are reduced to stereotypes. While we are the highest educated racial group in the country, we see few Asian Americans in the executive suite. We are ignored as a potential political force. This needs to change and the time to take action is now!” Richard Lui of MSNBC interviewed Governor Gary Johnson and Dr. Jill Stein. His sharply phrased questions and comments helped the audience learn more about two candidates who have not received the media attention directed at Democratic and Republican presidential candidates. Dr. Stein echoed many of the progressive positions of former presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders while Governor Johnson said he believes problems do not need to be solved by more government spending and regulation. Stein said she wants a defense budget that is not an offense budget and advocated for a clean, renewable energy plan by 2020, which includes making all rental properties solar and removing incinerators that pollute. She argued that the government bailed out the guys on Wall Street—now it is time to bail out the students with debt. Stein was the only candidate who said there should be an Asian American on the U.S. Supreme Court. Former President Bill Clinton was not interviewed, but took the podium to express his support for Secretary Hillary Clinton. Much of his speech focused on the economic successes of his administration
Clockwise from top left: Former President Bill Clinton representing Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes representing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein.
and his sponsorship of the White House Initiative for Asian American Pacific Islanders, which Secretary Clinton has agreed to support. He said Hillary Clinton wants to accelerate small businesses, which she knows is an issue important to Asian Americans. In response to a question about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), he replied the proposal is not supported by Hillary Clinton. He added that too many companies are no longer “stakeholderbased” and are instead dominated by those with a “stockholder mentality.” Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes spoke on behalf of Donald Trump. Reyes, of Filipino and Japanese heritage, made a case for less government regulation, particularly as it relates to administrative laws that are a burden to small businesses. He noted that Donald Trump believes the Affordable Health Care Act has not improved health care and advocates for private health resources for veterans. After telling the audience he was once a rapper, he concluded his remarks with a politically charged rap! Workshops were held the following day on such topics as Native Hawaiians Vote to Rise! Sovereignty—Our Right to Self-Governance, Converting Data into Voting Power, What’s the Game Plan for the 2016 Election?, Building a Pipeline to Ensure AAPI Representation, Youth Vote Training, Transforming the AAPI Voter into an Educated Voter, and Policy Priorities and What’s at Stake in the AAPI Community. The Forum provided strong evidence that AAPI communities everywhere
are rising to the challenge of becoming communities come together to hear why actively involved in the political process. these candidates deserve our votes. After all, in a democracy every voice As AAPIs, we do not all vote the should count. same. In fact, AAPIs are considered “swing voters”—not always voting for Here are thoughts from a couple one particular party. Too often our votes are taken for granted and candidates are APACE leaders: unaware or overlook the fact that we have It was interesting to hear policy the ability to impact elections. The AAPI positions of both the Green Party and the Presidential Election Forum showed that Libertarians since I usually do not read we are organized, engaged, and certainly about these parties. So much of the election worth the attention. media is negative bantering between the Bao-Tram Do Republicans and the Democrats with little APACEvotes President substance so it was good to dig into policy issues. I did hear a Bill Clinton quote on NPR on Monday which heartened me that APIC Legislative Summit the mainstream media paid attention to what was said at our AAPI Presidential Asian Pacific Americans will Election Forum. I was amazed that the Trump campaign found an Asian soon have another opportunity American, a person of color, and a target to hear candidates for political of some of Trump’s tirades to support and office. APIC (Asian Pacific present Trump’s positions. Most of all it Islander Coalition) will host a daywas great to be in the company of so many long Legislative Summit at the committed AAPI activists! Akemi Matsumoto APACEvotes Founder and Board Member
*** Asian American and Pacific Islanders are the fastest growing ethnic demographic in the country and the AAPI Presidential Election Forum demonstrated the growing political power of AAPIs. The quad-partisan event was the first time the Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, and Green Party presidential candidates addressed the AAPI community at large. It was incredible to see our diverse
Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall on September 15. Many Asian Pacific Islander organizations are supporting the Summit with funding and volunteers. Past summits have drawn more than 1,000 people. Candidates and representatives of candidates need to hear the concerns of the AAPI community. It is an event you would not want to miss. For more information, visit goo.gl/ M57htX.
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016 — 9
We must honor the legacy of Ruth Woo by encouraging APIs to take part in politics By Bryan Yambe Fife City Councilmember & APACE Board Member
At the early age of 6, I was exposed to politics and government through my mother, who was then serving as the first chair of the City of Federal Way Diversity Commission. She had volunteered to serve on the body, encouraged in 1981 by Ruth Woo and Delores Sibonga, who put the idea in over a lunch that it was something worth aspiring to when mom was in her 20s, nearly a decade before I was born. The daughter of two second generation, U.S.-born Japanese Americans, who were still teenagers when they were incarcerated with their families during World War II, mom said it was a mystery whenever her folks talked about a placed called “camp” with other Japanese Americans. Their voices got so quiet— it was a topic that never died. The legacy of the forced evacuation and incarceration of over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry who had their constitutional rights stripped away was never far—it had continued to be the proverbial elephant in the room. In one instance, my grandparents had quietly worried what their white neighbors might think when a third Japanese American family bought a house in the next block, it was a memory my mother never forgot. So when she was in seventh grade and her social studies teacher introduced his class to politics, she wondered if politics might someday offer some solutions and help empower change. He said politics was: “Who gets what when, where, why, and how.” She wondered if it might help her family. Over the years mom shared community stories about Asian Pacific Islanders such as Wing Luke, Lloyd Hara, Ruby Chow, Liem Tuai, Dolores Sibonga, and, yes, Auntie Ruth, among many others. She wanted me to know of the pioneers that stood up, challenged stereotypes of our collective Asian Pacific Islander American communities, helped to open doors of opportunity, and worked for a more just and equitable world. When mom grew up, women were not always active in community organizations outside of schools, churches, and small groups. Men made many of the decisions. Women often were relegated to menial tasks like getting coffee. She was heartened to hear about women like Ruth showing by example that things could be different. She was encouraged by Ruth’s belief that it was not important just to elect people from the diverse communities into office, but that it could further serve to make our participation the norm by volunteering for boards and commissions.
The late Ruth Woo. • Photo by Jon Honda
A scan of a letter to Bryan Yambe’s mother, Jane, from Ruth Woo.
Fife City Councilmember Bryan Yambe.
Auntie Ruth was a role model for both of us. Ruth was raised by Japanese Americans, worked in the community, and did not necessarily seek to be in the limelight, but felt that she was called to and felt passionately about the need for all of us to have representation in the decision-making process. She was willing to work hard, campaign for good candidates, and mentor those who were trying to change the system
when almost no one else was out there. While I am gregarious and my mother is a low-key introverted person, we share a passion for politics, want to contribute to building community, and believe like Ruth that politics can be a tool to achieve justice and equity. This is a thread that Auntie Ruth, my mother, and myself share. In the Spring of 2015, my mentor and friend, Al Sugiyama, took me to meet Ruth over lunch. During our conversation, which ranged from my background, how I got into politics and then campaign to retain my seat on the Fife City Council, I was struck by how carefully she watched, listened, and observed. When the subject of politics arose, her gaze sharpened and her smile noticeably widened. When I shared how my mother praised that long ago lunch with Ruth and Delores as giving her courage back in the day, she said she thought that was something but wouldn’t accept credit. For nearly an hour we talked about the latest political gossip, a few stories of the old days and a little campaign strategy. I enjoyed myself so much I nearly forgot to inquire if she might
endorse me. When that moment arrived, she said, “yes.” It’s a memory I will cherish for as long as I live. Ruth, like Al Sugiyama, knew that the way to achieving this was to intentionally seek out, recruit, persistently encourage, and make all efforts to find individuals who could step into these roles. She believed in those who might not recognize their own potential and helped them along to find their voice. Ruth Woo was motivated by the belief that our politics and government institutions are only as good as those who serve in them, which is why these bodies should be reflective of the incredible diversity we have in our region and state—why especially Asian Pacific Islanders, women, and people of color must have representation. The question that remains is who will pick up the torch from Ruth Yoneyama Woo? The need for equity and representation today is as relevant as it was in the 1960s. We need to continue making gains and keeping them. How can we continue to honor our collective past, to further build upon the progress Auntie Ruth dedicated her life, to honoring the legacy and spirit of those who have come before? Not everyone will or wants to run for public office. In our own way, we must make our voices heard. But it is up to each and every one of us to do what we can to encourage talent and recruit people to seek positions on boards and run for public office. Our community and society work best when each of us is doing their own part to use their talents and skills to help build a better world.
10 — September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
Government and philanthropy partnership to increase the voice of underrepresented communities By Bao-Tram (BT) Do APACEvotes Board President & Seattle Foundation Community Programs Associate On August 16, 2015, King County Elections and Seattle Foundation hosted the kick-off event to celebrate 22 organizations receiving funding to carry out voter outreach work in underrepresented limitedEnglish-speaking (LES) communities. The public and philanthropic partnership awarded nearly $242,000 through two funding rounds in its pilot partnership program. The event program included an affirming speech from Julie Wise (King County Elections Director) about King County Elections’ commitment to supporting the work of community-based organizations in voter outreach. Aaron Robertson (Seattle Foundation Senior Officer) made a presentation on the unique funding partnership and other upcoming Seattle Foundation initiatives. Cherry Cayabyab (King County Election Inclusive Engagement Consultant) introduced the grantees and language service staff. And a number of featured grantees shared information about their organizations and the impacts of this funding. Following the kickoff event, a grantee workshop and training on the “Voter Participation Community Toolkit” was held. These investments in community outreach and language support are crucial to engaging high barrier LES communities. For nonprofit organizations working on voter engagement, some of their biggest goals include making sure that people who are eligible to vote are registered, informed about the candidates and initiatives on their ballots, and turn in their ballots. Due to language barriers, cultural differences, and unfamiliarity with the voting process, there are challenges at every step for our communities to fully participate. Voter ballots end up in trash or recycling bins because our communities do not understand the importance of their vote, are
King County Elections and Seattle Foundation celebrate 22 organizations receiving funding for voter outreach work. • Courtesy Photo
overwhelmed by the booklet information, or do not know how to fill out and turn in their ballots. The funds provided by the partnership will enable community-based organizations to conduct educational workshops, candidate and ballot forums, voter registration drives, and other community events. By providing organizations with funding to carry out this work, underrepresented communities have a better shot at shaping the political and social environment that impacts their lives. Ten of the 22 funded organizations serve a large number of AAPI communities, which is commensurate to the need for AAPI language support since three out of the four mandated ethnic languages are AAPI languages (Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean). The public and philanthropic partnership between King County Elections and Seattle Foundation to increase the civic voice
of underrepresented immigrant, refugee, and underrepresented LES communities is unique. This partnership honors community needs and expertise and contrasts the voter suppression efforts and restrictions that are occurring in other parts of the country. Through this effort, we are proud to see our region leading the country in increasing access and demonstrating how shared institutional priorities can lead to community benefit. Organizations that received funding include: • Asian Counseling and Referral Services • APACEvotes • Eritrean Community in Seattle and Vicinity • Inter*Im Community Development Association • International Community Health Services • Iraqi Community Center and South King County Emerging Communities for Equity
partners, Bhutanese Community Resource Center of WA, Nsanga Corporation and Partner in Employment • Korean American Coalition • Latino Community Fund and partners South Park • Information and Resource Center and Colectiva Legal del Pueblo • Open Doors for Multicultural Families • Rajana Society • SeaMar • Somali Community Services • Somali Family Safety Task Force • Somali Youth and Family Club • Tasveer • White Center Community Development Association and partner Coalition of Immigrants, Refugees and Communities of Color
Overcoming Voter Suppression Beyond the Voting Rights Act: Connecting with AAPIs on the Why By Derrick De Vera APACEvotes Board Member “Don’t boo. Vote!” President Obama put forth that simple message during the 2016 Democratic National Convention. It may seem like a straightforward task. Show up and put your political power into action instead of just voicing displeasure on the sidelines. And it is difficult to argue with such an American ideal, especially considering the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Shelby v. Holder. That case invalidated the coverage formula from the Voting Rights Act, which was used to determine whether states and localities needed to obtain federal preclearance before changing voting laws. In essence, local jurisdictions can just implement changes to voting practices without federal oversight, even with a history of voter discrimination. However, voter suppression comes in all shapes and sizes.
Lack of access to resources, language barriers, and an absence of representation in the political process are just a few common issues that keep many Asian American and Pacific Islander voters at home. But perhaps the deeper underlying question for an AAPI voter is: Why vote in the first place? According to Washington’s Secretary of State, only about 34% of Washington registered voters submitted a ballot in the August 2, 2016 primary. Although the AAPI voting population nearly doubled from 2 million voters in 2000 to 3.9 million in 2012, AAPI voters are not known for being the highly sought after voting bloc at the national and local levels. In a recent survey of Asian American voters, 62
percent said they had not been contacted by the Democratic Party and 72 percent have not been contacted by the Republican Party. This lack of outreach simply does not empower any sort of voter energy or increased participation. Naturally, one of the first steps to increase access to the political process is to address the issue of language. 60 percent of Asian Americans are foreign-born and almost half of Asian American adults are limited English proficient. Locally, the King County Council expanded access to voting by unanimously approving the requirement that voting materials be translated into additional languages, starting with Spanish and Korean (to supplement Chinese since 2002 and Vietnamese
since 2010). Yet efforts must go beyond language. More local public officials must address core issues that the broader AAPI communities (and yes it is plural and diverse) find important, whether that is immigration reform, education, or the economy. Why does the Seattle City Council passing the Mandatory Housing Affordability law matter to an AAPI developer or an AAPI resident? Why does Secure Scheduling legislation impact the AAPI worker or the AAPI employer? Why should AAPI voters understand what the McCleary decision means to their child’s schools or how that one case plays into the current judicial elections? Without adequate and sincere outreach, AAPI votes will continue to be suppressed. Looking into the future for the fastest growing racial group in the country, the hope is that the question is no longer why should an AAPI vote, but rather, which AAPI should I vote for?
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016 — 11
T H E D I G I T A L D I V I D E
Who’s being left behind? Presented by
12 — September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
Digital literacy and its impact on job-seekers By Alexandra Olins Guest Columnist The economy is improving for many, and recently adopted minimum wage increases are having a meaningful impact—helping low-wage workers move toward financial self-sufficiency. However, these gains have the potential to leave others further behind. Between 2007 and 2013, in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, where Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) are among the fastest growing racial group and the largest minority racial group overall, the number of unemployed AAPIs increased 73%, and the poverty rate grew 63%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Within a population where over half (57%) are foreign-born, and over twothirds speak a language other than English at home, there can be many barriers for AAPIs. As wages increase, and more jobseekers enter the labor market, those who speak limited English may find it harder to find entry-level jobs. And, if they do not know how to use computers, their labor market challenges will be compounded. That’s why I am so proud of the spectrum of employment programs ACRS offers to help community members gain the skills they need to succeed in this country. We work with employers to learn what they need from workers today. We work with community members to help them get the support and skills they need to find, get and keep that first job. And, we’re helping those
with the lowest levels of English gain English language and digital literacy skills—a need for which we’d long sought funding. The job search and application process is now entirely digital in the vast majority of industries. All applicants—regardless of job type—must be able to apply for jobs online, and be able to access and upload digital versions of their resumes and cover letters to a variety of platforms. Once they are hired, more and more workplaces are relying on mobile devices for clocking in, reporting hours worked, completing tasks while on the job and communicating with supervisors. Employees are expected to have a degree of digital literacy, even in entrylevel jobs ranging from home care aides and production assistants on assembly lines to hotel room attendants. Employees must know the basics of how to use the internet, such as how to open and respond to email, and how to access essential work-related information like schedules and policies and procedures online. Those job-seekers that cannot bridge the digital divide will be unable to obtain and retain a job, or advance in the labor market in the United States. AAPI jobseekers and workers—many of whom do not speak English fluently—will be further penalized in the labor market if they cannot use tablets, smartphones, and the internet with some level of proficiency. To keep their jobs, learn their schedules, submit their time to get their paycheck and communicate with supervisors, employees must now be computer literate. This year, thousands of
home care workers across the state were affected when the state moved their timekeeping system online, potentially costing those unfamiliar with computers their jobs or their pay. That is why ACRS is deepening our digital literacy efforts across our programs. With generous support from Comcast, we are launching our Digital Literacy Initiative. In October, we will debut an enhanced computer literacy class for up to 20 jobseekers in our recently upgraded computer lab. The class will be taught by an ACRS instructor with extensive computer literacy skills. Our curriculum builds on new skills and elements each week, starting with basic skills, like turning a computer on and off, typing and using a mouse—skills that many of us use with such regularity in our daily lives that we cannot imagine not having them. But, for many of our clients, these are indeed new skills. From the basics of using a computer, we will move into setting up an email account, remembering passwords, using the internet, doing online searches to find specific information, applying for jobs, and using maps to get directions to interviews. The class will be offered several times a year. Our upgraded computer classroom has become a vital part of all our employment programs. For the home care workers who care for elders at home in their native tongues, we are partnering with our Aging and Adult Services program to offer computer training so they can track and report their hours online, a new requirement
of the job. Moreover, we’re helping them keep their jobs and pay by teaching them to use a computer to report their hours. When clients in our computer classes learn to search and apply for jobs online, they gain skills critical to their success in the United States. When they learn to use and send emails, they can communicate more effectively not only at work, but also with their children’s teachers and with their families in their home countries. When they understand how to save their resume on a thumb drive, or on Google Drive, accessible from any computer in the world, they learn skills that are essential for becoming selfsufficient. And, when a home care worker uses her smartphone to report her monthly hours, she can continue to do the work that she loves, and her client can continue to receive the culturally competent care they need in their home. Asian Counseling and Referral Service offers hope and opportunity in over 40 languages and dialects. For over 43 years, ACRS has helped people feed loved ones, find jobs, learn English, become citizens, recover from addiction, and achieve mind and body wellness. ACRS is one door through which Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, from youth to elders—whether immigrant, refugee, or American born—can find the resources they need to succeed in a new land. Alexandra Olins is Director of Employment and Citizenship Services at Asian Counseling and Referral Service.
Bridging the digital divide: Seattle Goodwill puts focus on English learners By Anna Carriveau IE Contributor President Barack Obama said it best in a March 11 interview with The Texas Tribune at this year’s South by Southwest in Austin, Texas: “It’s not enough just to focus on what’s the cool next thing. Part of what we have to do is to figure out how do we use and harness the cool next thing to make sure that everybody in this country has opportunity.” In terms of bridging the digital divide, which President Obama has adamantly addressed since his nomination, we’ve come a long way over the past several years. According to White House Council of Economic Advisers Issue Brief in March 2016, “The number of U.S. households subscribing to the internet has risen 50 percent from 2001 to 2014, and three-quarters of American households currently subscribe.” Yet there is still a large sum of individuals without access to or the ability to use computers or the internet. And, unfortunately, a majority of these individuals fit within the lower income bracket and are the ones who would benefit most from digital access. Broadband access and computer literacy provide numerous socio-economic benefits to communities and individuals, improving labor market outcomes, increasing economic growth, providing access to better health care, and enhancing civic participation, the White House Council of Economic Advisers said. Locally, Seattle Goodwill is working to bridge the digital divide felt by lower
Seattle Goodwill offers free digital-equity-focused job training and education programs. For more information, visit seattlegoodwill.org. • Courtesy Photo
income families and neighborhoods of color. With funding and support provided by Comcast, since 2014 Seattle Goodwill has offered three digital-equity-focused job training and education programs: web-based ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) training, done through Rosetta Stone for students to strengthen their English language skills; point of sale cashiering training, for equipping students with skills for better employment opportunities; and job search and employment readiness training, which teaches students to research and navigate the internet.
Completely free and open to the public, all three programs are designed to empower individuals—especially those who may otherwise not have access to computers, tablets, or the internet—with essential computer skills many of us take for granted. Students walk away from class ready to apply for jobs online, schedule appointments online, and send emails. These skills open the door to new opportunities in the workplace. What’s special about Seattle Goodwill’s digital literacy initiative is that it’s primarily focused on Vocational Education for Speakers of Other Languages (VESOL),
which allows students to learn English and job skills while familiarizing themselves with technology. According to Katherine Boury, Seattle Goodwill’s Communications Manager, the program is heavily used and growing in popularity. “Last year we had students from 132 countries that spoke 99 languages,” Boury said. ”And, 37% of Goodwill students are immigrants and refugees.” The VESOL program goes beyond providing English and technology training, too. After students complete the program, Goodwill helps place them in fitting employment roles. “We are hoping to help place VESOL students in entry level positions with employers that will help them practice and enhance their English skills, so they can advance and be promoted,” Boury said. As part of its digital equity effort, Goodwill’s goal is to find employment for at least 67 students who complete their VESOL program. When asked about who is being left behind by the digital divide, Boury said: “Low income, working people, and communities of color are being left behind. It matters because in today’s environment you need to have access to technology for so much—it is not only being able to apply for a job, but it is also being able to set up a doctor’s appointment or setting up a conference for your child. When people have these skills it allows them to support their family better and the stronger families are then the stronger our community as a whole is. We really appreciate Comcast understanding this need and supporting the Internet Essentials program.”
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016 — 13
Youth Media Program provides students with technology training By Rhea Panela IE Staff Young people spend a lot of time on their phones and computers, which is why one program used their interests in digital media to teach them how to foster their creativity and work toward a successful future. A 10-week long youth media program for young people ages 11 to 19 was held for the first time as a joint effort between The Coalition of Immigrants Refugees & Communities of Color (CIRCC), 21 Progress, Multimedia Resources and Training Institute (MMRTI), Seattle Foundation, and Experience Ease. It took place from March 31 to June 4 of this year. Program director Che Sehyun taught the students basic videography and photography skills including framing and taking goodquality photographs, properly lighting a shoot, and multi-layered editing for videos. “The way that you see things can change your reality,” Sehyun said. “A lot of people can take videos or photos, but what is it you see?” The students had to complete three projects by the end of the program: a photo story, an interview, and a visual storytelling piece. Although it focused on media and technology training, the program also served as a way for youth to learn about life skills and give them the support and motivation to advance in a future career. To be able to participate in the program, youth needed to demonstrate their interest through an application and short answer questions. Sehyun said the focus was on digital media so that young people would be more engaged with the underlying message of the program: to find their own unique gift and nurture it. “The purpose of the program was to help empower, invest into, and support the
Che Sehyun (kneeling, bottom right) with CIRCC Youth Media Program participants and their friends and family at the program’s graduation ceremony. • Courtesy Photo
growth of youth of color by training them to become media makers and independent, creative thinkers within a loving, supportive community,” Sehyun said. He said digital equity is important for people from all backgrounds and ages because no one is immune to its influence, especially youth. However, Sehyun said one of the biggest struggles students faced was the lack of community or parental support. While some students’ parents were also active participants in the program, others were not. According to Sehyun, every student who participated was a first-generation American student. Half of them were born in the United States to immigrant parents and the other half of them were immigrants themselves, mostly with Asian and African backgrounds. Sehyun said people of color are the ones left behind in the
transition to the digital age and are usually the ones excluded from social power, resources, and equity. “The basis of society is people, so when people are conditioned to live in a way that is rooted in an unsustainable exploitation of people and natural resources, everyone suffers,” Sehyun said. According to a survey by Seattle Public Schools for families of students, 68% of participants had less than a 12th grade education and 61% indicated that they had an average household income of under $25,000. Sehyun said struggling with finances was also an issue for some students and their families. He added that one student had to drop out of the program because the program standards were set high. The program demanded a 30-to-40 hour
work commitment per week. All of the students were balancing time for school and some also had to juggle an afterschool job. “My hope is that future generations follow in the footsteps of their ancestors and cultures that lived in harmony with nature and respected life,” Sehyun said. Students were allowed to keep $500 worth of professional camera and video equipment to continue their work in digital media after successful completion of the program. For young people of color rooted in economic hardship, this was their first kit of digital media equipment. In subsequent years, Sehyun hopes to make the program go on longer than 10 weeks and have it take place during the summer when youth will have more free time. He reiterated the importance of youth having access to digital technology and training because they have the potential to be leaders of the future. “Youth are more inundated with social media, sophisticated propaganda, and have more powerful technology in their hands than ever before, which calls for an equally powerful rise in consciousness,” Sehyun said. “The youth need to increase their awareness and understanding of how these forces shape their minds, their hearts and their lives.” Che Sehyun graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English (honors), a Bachelor of Science degree in biology (physiology) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in comparative history of ideas. He also picked up minors in African Studies, chemistry, and diversity. He is the founder of Experience Ease and once gave a Tedx Talk at the University of Washington entitled “Change Yourself to Change the System —because the system lives inside you.”
How older generations are adjusting to the digital age By Rhea Panela IE Staff In a society where scrolling down on tablets, doing work on laptops, playing videogames, and communicating on cell phones are now a pastime for most people, it’s hard to imagine spending time doing activities that don’t involve electronics. Millennials grew up in a time of technological innovation, just a decade after Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in 1975 and when Steve Jobs created Apple in 1976. Since then, the concept of “bigger is better” has been replaced with thinner designs being better for the sake of convenience. Lightweight Mac laptops and three-inch-wide computer monitors are preferred over the wider, cubic computers and heavy laptops of years past. Landline phones and cell phones with antennas now seem like a distant memory, after the iPhone and other multi-interfaced smartphones were introduced to the market. How are the Baby Boomers and Generation X fairing in the digital age? Despite the fact that people who were born and raised surrounded by these technological devices make up the majority of users, it’s the people who were between the ages of 46 and 64 who spent the most money on electronics in 2010, according to a tech study by Forrester Research. People in their 80s are also trying to keep up with the rise of technology by
either taking classes at community centers, having their family teach them, or teaching themselves how to use electronics. One of these tech-savvy people is Mitsue Cook, a former university teacher and now an international business consultant. “I work at home, so my face-to-face communication is my coffee shop and going to the market,” she said. Cook first encountered the world of technology when she was directing a summer institute at Stanford University for seven years and then taught writing at a community college in Hawai‘i. She described it as a low-tech world. At the time, she decided the proposed digital transition in the Stanford University library system was too complex and new to be of interest and of use. Cook moved to Seattle to teach English as a Second Language (ELS) at Seattle Central Community College. She instructed students on how to research using the computer lab and, although they did the thinking and writing, she as the teacher had to learn about computers as fast as she could. As Seattle continues to be a hub of global technological and social change, people have to adapt to the rapid pace. “In Seattle, there is a need to be self-sufficient, to learn a lot; and to be emotionally and mentally flexible is very useful and even necessary,” Cook said.
Mitsue Cook. • Courtesy Photo
Cook did not have to teach herself how to use digital devices and work with social networks. Her adult daughter, with whom she lives, provides her technical support such as connecting her to Facebook and Yahoo News. For Cook, online communication allows her to keep in touch with people who she might not be able to otherwise. Technology does not come without complications. Synchronizing time differences with her son
and his family in Hawai‘i became too difficult for them to keep in touch with Cook. However, she is optimistic about the benefits of digital media. “Most of my communications are online,” she said. “Most of my close friends live in different cities and countries. They are long time friends who are usually from other countries and well-traveled.” Cook meets with a computer tutor to help her organize her computer software. She also learned about password collection, synchronizing her iPhone and iPad and a computer for phone contacts, calendar, emails, and other applications. Currently, she is working on two PowerPoint slideshows to present in Hawai‘i next January to architects and engineers, one about Seattle and the other about Hanoi, Vietnam. Despite the benefits and convenience that are given by technology, Cook cautions parents to not allow their children to be too attached to their electronic devices because they need human development and cultivation. She said people should first be with people, not machines, and that we as a society need to work together as adults and play together as children. “Technology and media should not be managing our intellectual discernment,” she said. “We humans should always to mindfully and consciously choosing what we see, hear, feel in order to have quality lives.”
14 — September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
Edward Lee Vargas: Our kids, our nation are being left behind by the digital divide By Travis Quezon IE Editor in Chief The digital divide separates the haves and the have-nots when it comes to computer and internet access. As the internet becomes more ubiquitous in education, business, and daily life, the ability to access the internet becomes ever more important. Dr. Edward Lee Vargas spent six years as the superintendent for the Kent School District, the fourth largest and one of the most diverse districts in the state. Vargas saw firsthand the effect of the digital divide on student learning. For his leadership, Vargas was named the 2014 State Superintendent of the Year. Vargas is now an executive vice President at education nonprofit AVID. The International Examiner caught up Edward Lee Vargas with Vargas to learn more of the effect of the digital divide on students. public, and the American Dream, if you’re not educated, and all of our citizens, and International Examiner: What’s at our democracy and our quality of life. stake in terms of addressing the digital It’s more than just a moral issue, and it divide, and who exactly is being left is a moral issue, because in America all behind as a result? kids should be provided with an equal Edward Lee Vargas: What’s at stake education, and an equitable one, because is the American democracy. And, I say equal doesn’t always mean the same. And, that because, if we can’t educate all of so there’s a moral issue there, but there’s also our kids, to compete in a hyper-connected an economic imperative and a democratic global economy, our ability to sustain imperative, that lets public schools fulfill a democracy is severely at risk. Let me their mission so ... our children, your explain why. Public schools were created children, your grandchildren, can continue with two core purposes in mind. to have a quality of life unlike anywhere If you look at our founding fathers and else in the world. ... mothers, the common school movement, they wanted to build public schools accessible to all to, one, educate a nation of immigrants to become literate, civicminded citizens that could participate in this experiment, that we were calling at the time, democracy. They had to have a literate society. And, two, in order to acquire a quality of life unlike anywhere else in the world, which is what people were looking for was an improved quality of life, you had to be able to compete economically. And, Our nation’s being left behind in the of course, in an agrarian culture that was very different. In an industrialized global economy and our young people economy, obviously there’s a different and their children and grandchildren are set of skills. And, that’s really how the going to be left behind if we can’t equip public schools really flourished during the them with the basic necessities of public education. industrial economy. ... And I underscore the basic necessity. But I say that because today that purpose of public education continues to It used to be that public schools used to hold true and continues to play a profound be the depository and distributors of and significant role in America’s ability knowledge. You had to go to this place, to compete and sustain a democracy. you had a book, a pencil, a piece of paper. Because, while the industrial economy And, that’s how you learned. Now you can is disappearing before our eyes, a new access information and knowledge 24/7 knowledge and global economy is anywhere you have internet connection, but it’s no longer a school day that limits emerging at a hyper speed. your learning, it’s unlimited, in terms of So if we can educate all of our kids, access to information and knowledge, and and I underscore all because there are also the availability to it. only about 313 million people in the U.S. It’s a basic necessity because when There are 7.2 billion on the planet. And, if you dig down, 80 percent of them speak you look at public schools of today and languages other than English. So in a you look at STEM, science, technology, hyper-connected world, you have 2 billion engineering, math, even art, everything people already connected to the internet. you look at is linked to our ability to access and utilize our technology. So And they project in the next five years, thinking about the equity issues, too some folks from Google were sharing ... horizontal equity means the equal with me, there will be 4 to 5 billion people treatment of equals, everybody gets the connected. So when you think about the same [treatment]. exchange of goods and the economic Vertical equity is what we’re talking transformation that is occurring, our kids need to be able to compete with those 7.2 about, [which] is the unequal treatment billion people that are out there. Who’s of unequals. So if you have young people, being left behind? Certainly the American because of their life position or their
economic situation, that don’t have that equal access to technology and internet connection, then that becomes an inequity, because they all don’t get the same. The basic requirements now, it’s kinda like a three-legged stool, for anybody who sits to benefit from public education, they need three things. First you need the content, the lessons, all of the materials, that are now digital. Two, you need a device, an Apple iPod, an iPad, or a smart surface or a laptop, or whatever, you need a device. But the stool would totally collapse if you don’t have the third, which is the connection. You have to have a transport. The connection [is what] will transport that content, those lessons, that learning, those tutoring, those units, the homework. ... So when you leave out the connection the three legged stool will collapse. When I mention that digital learning and technology are a fundamental part of education today it holds true more than ever and it’s accelerating at light speed. So our kids are being left behind, our nation is being left behind, our economy is being left behind, and the future of our country in a global knowledge economy. We represent 5% of our planet’s population. I take this stuff dead seriously because my kids and now my grandkids, their future is severely at risk if we can’t compete globally and maintain our place in the global world. Public education has
“When I mention that digital learning and technology are a fundamental part of education today, it holds true more than ever and it’s accelerating at light speed.” been the backbone of our democracy and the backbone of our economy. Doesn’t matter that we’re 5% of the population when you think about the creativity and the economic positions we hold in the world, it’s because as we’ve been creating a society of individuals and groups that can create and can compete in this economy today. IE: There are many in the community who aren’t necessarily aware of the impact of the digital divide, what’s at stake, or even what digital equity is. How do you go about communicating about this to people? Vargas: Public education is a public good and so is technology and connectivity. I use the analogy of electricity, it’s as basic to education right now as electricity is to our homes. Keep in mind there was a point in time where it was a dream that every home in America would be connected to electricity, especially in the rural parts of the country. ... Some people thought it was impossible. So if you think about the fundamental need of public good—public goods are those things that benefit everybody—like police protection. What if we didn’t have police? Would our neighborhoods be safe? What if we didn’t have electricity? What if we didn’t have firefighters to put out those
fires and save lives? Those are all public goods. Public education is a public good. For those individuals who maybe don’t understand how critical this is, without internet and access to technology 24/7 it would be like limiting access to electricity in your home to just 180 days a year, 6 hours a day, because that’s how long kids have to go to school. They only have to go to school 180 days. They only have to be there about 5 hours a day. There are 365 days in a year and there’s 24 hours in a day. And, if you look at those numbers, our kids are only in school 20% of the time. 80% of the time they are not in school. They are in their communities, they are at home, they are in other environments. ... So if we limit their learning by limiting their connectivity and their access to technology, that would be no different than me saying you can only have electricity 180 days out of the year. That’s how fundamental it is. ... Learning is now 24/7 anywhere, anytime. That’s the reality of learning and education today. IE: What have you observed during your time as the Kent superintendent, in such a diverse school district, that speaks to the need for bridging the digital divide? Vargas: Well, I walk into a classroom in Kent, everyday the globe comes into the classroom. There are 138 languages in the Kent School District. And, I tell the students, “You are so lucky you are being educated in the Kent School District because you’re in classes and schools that represent the future workforce on the planet earth.” ... I observe people coming from Korea, Australia, from other parts of the world, come to Kent to ask the question: “How are you educating such a diverse population so effectively?” They have some of the highest graduation rates ... “And, how did you manage to get so much technology into the teachers’ hands and the students’ hands and the community?” What I observed is they had a school board and a community who recognized the need, well before I got there, who passed a tech levy back in the early 2000s, that put between 4 and 5 million dollars a year into only classrooms and for infrastructure. By the time I got to Kent in 2009, we already had the backbone of connectivity. ... So I observed a community that understood the value of education. A board that had the vision and the leadership to put the community and kids first and not the adults and the politics. And, I also observed a tremendous synergy with teachers and principals to make this work everyday in the classroom. IE: The Asian Pacific Islander community in Washington state is so diverse. What’s it going to take for these communities to overcome barriers and to have digital equity? Vargas: Every ethnic group we are talking about came from another ethnic group. We are a blended society. ... We have more in common than we can imagine and unless we come together and put our children who need to live together, and for this society and democracy to work and function, they all need to come together and understand it’s about the whole, not the individual. Unless they do that, their children won’t have the opportunity they want them to have.
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016 — 15
Editor’s note: The International Examiner proposed the question “Who is being left behind by the digital divide?” to various community members featured throughout these pages. What follows are more responses from community members actively working to bridge the gap. As a former Seattle City Councilmember, the question of who is being left behind is a critical public policy question. That is why I sponsored and the City of Seattle adopted the first policy framework around data disaggregation in the nation.
We know that as the world moves towards digital service transactions, unless we have good disaggregated demographic data on who is being served and not served, we risk underserving people.
The U.S. Census collects demographic data by broad ethnic categories. The U.S. Census data is used to draw conclusions as to the health and welfare of people groups, and for important decisions regarding resource allocation and service delivery. Yet we know that the Asian category has 20 subgroupings. Limited studies show that not all subpopulations within the Asian category are as healthy, educated, and succeeding as the aggregated data would suggest. We know recent Asian immigrants do not have the same needs as established Asians. Yet if we don’t count the needs of Laotians, Bhutanese, and other Asian subgroups, they won’t count and they won’t get the services they need and deserve. If they aren’t counted, they are invisible to policy makers.
John Okamoto, former Seattle City Councilmember
We take for granted the opportunities that easy access to the internet provides. Teachers assume students can do online research at home to do schoolwork and parents will be able to get updates on what’s happening at school. Employers assume their employees can check and send email all the time. Imagine if your out-of-school or work internet access is limited to a one-hour block at the public library or what you have available on your smart phone, if you have a smart phone. There are many people who can’t compete with their classmates and their co-workers who do have access to internet. There’s a real digital divide between those who have constant, consistent access to internet and those who don’t. Regular access to the internet means become access to opportunity.
Julie Pham, Vice President of Community Engagement and Marketing for the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA)
The first group is those who are financially constrained and/or less educated. They lack the resources to buy and use technology.
The second group of people are those who get left behind because they don’t know the basics of how to use technology and/or how it can help with their personal or work lives. Often times, the information they rely on from their friends and/or relatives get misconstrued, which can lead to frustrating technology experiences. The third group being left behind is everyone who does not interact with technology on a daily basis. Technology is advancing faster than most people can comprehend or keep up with.
It’s great that Kin On and City of Seattle have partnered together and started the Kin On SmartLab initiatives to help narrow the “divide.”
Victus Wong, Kin On Technology Committee Member and SmartLab Tutor Volunteer The Kin On SmartLab began in 2016 funded by The City of Seattle and Kin On. SmartLab offers basic computer classes, free open lab hours on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10-2pm, and free private technology tutoring (including computer, tablets, and smartphones). For more information, contact Anne Nguyen, Kin On Community Engagement Coordinator at 206.556.2272 or healthyliving@kinon.org.
16 — September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
The ADA Developers Academy:
Bridging the gap between the digital and social divides By Taylor McAvoy IE Contributor With the increasing demand of new technology and new software comes the increasing demand for people trained in coding and programming; especially for students graduating from universities with technological degrees. Co-founders Scott Case and Elise Worthy started the ADA Developers Academy (ADA) three years ago with an intent to bridge the gap between underrepresented people in tech and the education they need to enter the workforce. Worthy attended a computing boot camp in Washington DC and felt the experience was lacking in diversity. She was inspired to start her own computing boot camp for women in Seattle with sponsorship from the Technology Alliance. The first cohort graduated with 15 students and the second with 22 students, demonstrating that a training style of six months in the classroom and another six months in an internship was a valid model to get more women and underrepresented groups of women in the tech field. ADA has sponsors and professional relations throughout the tech community in Seattle like Year Up, Unloop, and Floodgate Academy, all of which work to increase diversity in tech. For the future, ADA is working to prove that their current model of 48 students twice a year is sustainable. ADA is also working with Tech Hire, which is a grant-funding project in Seattle for tech companies and academies. Tech Hire is currently expanding their reach with current partners.
The digital divide
Technology is a constantly expanding field and is becoming more and more of a necessity to navigate a contemporary society, but some people are being left behind in its advancement in what is called the digital divide. Certain groups of people have less access to devices and the internet in developing countries and in the United States. For example, there are places in the United States and abroad that rely heavily on mobile devices because people do not have access to computers. “Mobile is different technology paradigm,” ADA teacher Jeremy Flores said. “When we don’t consider those things [the differences between mobile and computer software], we don’t build tools that are accessible to people limited to those devices.” ADA also teaches students to create software that is appealing and accessible to a broad audience in order to mitigate the digital divide. Flores reminds his students that they learn and create software in a controlled environment with a nice computer and strong internet connection but that is not often reflexive of the audience they create programs for. “We have a responsibility to build things that are accessible to as broad a
ADA Developers Academy recently opened its next application window on August 22. • Courtesy Photo
population as we can,” Flores said. “By recognizing that the digital divide exists, only then can we attempt to bridge it.”
The social divide
The divide is not only digital but social. The tech field has long been homogenous, which is what ADA strives to change. “I think that ADA is doing something huge in terms of bridging a diversity gap in tech right now,” student Yuri Nakashima said. “ADA is deeply invested not just in your ability in learning how to code but in you being a good software developer in a professional setting.” ADA student Mengyao ‘Maya’ Wang grew up in Beijing and came to the United States to get her master’s degree in law at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Wang worked as a lawyer in New York before moving to Seattle to get married and discovered a passion for tech. “To improve creativity, you have to have the base of diversity,” Wang said. Flores echoed the effect that diversity has on quality. “If we can increase the inclusion, increase the diversity on our teams, our software, our product begins to better reflect the communities that it serves,” Flores said. “People are more apt to support a product that they feel is reflective of their needs and their values.” ADA’s Executive Director Cynthia Tee was born and raised in the Philippines by ethnically Chinese parents who encouraged her to get into computer science at a young age. Tee developed a passion for programming and traveled to the United States to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for computer science. Tee said she felt privileged to be accepted into MIT to take classes and conduct research but expressed the challenges of being an international student after graduation. She said she had limited choices as an international student but was fortunate enough to have English as a first language and to land an internship as a software engineer with Schlumberger.
“I think one of the larger challenges is our Asian culture and the way we get viewed as a model minority,” Tee said, referring to stereotypes of the welleducated and quiet model worker and expectations that come with it. “When people assume things and those assumptions are incorrect, it creates friction,” Flores said. “It creates friction whether you try to correct those assumptions or not.” Tee said that she often hears microaggressions that Asian Americans are model workers and all the same. “We’re all very different actually, Tee said. “Even the immigrant population is actually very different. I feel like you need to recognize there’s lot of deep diversity in this population.” Tee became a program manager lead at Microsoft in April 1994. She worked in a division lead by women but realized that the situation was unique and rare in tech. “I felt like my few years in that nurturing environment gave me the confidence to succeed and persevere,” she said. “Over time, I worked my way to a position where I felt like I could influence and contribute to nurturing even more women into the field and diverse sets of people into the field.” Tee said she found ADA when a woman she worked with passed on the executive director opening and she hit it off with the co-founders and board members. “Right now I’m very focused on finding what the right student support model is especially for the underrepresented because I think it is a hard problem to crack,” she said. “There’s not one solution. We have to attack it from many different angles.” Tee said that every admission cycle strives for more diversity and more inclusion of underrepresented groups like women of color and those who are non-binary gender. ADA is in its sixth cohort with 48 women. “I would really like to see the leaders of this industry go out of their way to integrate themselves into a minority rather than having the minority integrate with them,” Tee said. “And if you have
that attitude I think what happens is eventually both sides integrate better. ... The good news is I think in Seattle there’s so many companies that have that intention, are already down the path of that journey, are very supportive of it. Given the high interest of supporting ADA interns, I think that’s starting to turn around.” Still, Tee believes that changes could be made on both a technical and professional level like networking, for example. “It’s not in our DNA to network,” she said. “We’re really great with our families, Asian and Pacific Islander people. But our ability to just go up to people and say, ‘Hey, here’s my professional affiliation,’ I think doesn’t always come naturally to us in this population. I think more groups in Seattle that foster that and help people be more proactive about their professional network is a good thing.”
The economic divide
ADA is a very selective tuition-free program with about 8% acceptance per cohort, according to their website, based on the limited space available and projected success in the program. Still, ADA’s recent expansion has doubled the number of students accepted from previous years. To help students succeed no matter their economic limitations, ADA makes its curriculum available online for free along with recordings of lectures and a Jump Start program designed to prepare those who are new to programming for an academy like ADA. Tee expressed her privilege with a welleducated family and financial stability but said that her situation is not reflective of a large portion of the population. “There are also a set of underprivileged people, very intelligent with the right aptitude that deserve access to these opportunities [programs like ADA] as well,” Tee said. ADA Student Heather Herrington was working with a career consultant when she developed an interest in code and programming. Herrington said most code and program schools’ high cost ruled them out as an option for her. “Without ADA, I don’t know that I would have been able to pursue a coding career,” Herrington said. She learned about ADA from Skillcrush, a free online code resource, and moved to Seattle from Pittsburgh to attend ADA. “My students are brilliant,” Flores said. “They learn so much and they work so hard. It is a tremendous leap of faith to participate in this program.” “It is a very positive environment,” Wang said. “People are not competitive over each other, it’s just cooperation ... you can feel really safe to grow and have the inner energy, the incentive to grow.” For more information, adadevelopersacademy.org.
visit
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016 — 17
Comcast Internet Essentials eligibility reaches an estimated 75,000 HUD public housing homes in Washington state Comcast recently announced the biggest expansion ever of its lowincome broadcast program, Internet Essentials, which will now reach an estimated 75,000 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) public housing homes in Washington state. Comcast provided the following estimates of the number of households across Washington State that are part of HUD housing programs and within its fiber-optic network and plant. • Households in Washington State: 75,000 • Households in King County: 34,000 • Households in Seattle: 19,000 • Households in Pierce County: 9,000 • Households in Snohomish County: 8,000 • Households in Spokane County: 7,000 • Households in Tacoma: 6,000 • Households in Spokane: 5,000 • Households in Everett: 4,000 • Households in Kitsap, Whatcom counties and the city of Kent: 3,000 each • Households in Auburn, Bellingham, Bremerton, Federal Way, Olympia and Renton: 2,000 each About a third of these households have children in them and so could have been eligible for the existing Internet Essentials criteria. Under the new announcement, you do not need to
have children of a certain age to qualify, simply live under specified HUD housing programs. The following is a statement from Comcast: On July 15, 2016, Comcast and [the HUD’s] ConnectHome initiative took an historic step to close the digital divide in America. Now, public housing and HUDassisted residents living in Comcast’s service area are eligible to apply for Internet Essentials, the company’s acclaimed, high-speed internet adoption program for low-income families. Including homes covered by Comcast’s pilot public housing expansion announced in March, an estimated total of up to 2 million HUD-assisted homes, including Public Housing, Housing Choice Voucher, and Multifamily programs, will now have access to low-cost internet services. Internet Essentials from Comcast is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive high-speed internet adoption program. It provides low-cost high-speed internet services for $9.95 a month plus tax; the option to purchase an internet-ready computer for under $150; and multiple options to access free digital literacy training in print, online and in-person. For more information, or to apply for the program, visit www.InternetEssentials. com or call 1-855-846-8376. Spanish speakers should call 1-855-765-6995. “ConnectHome is opening doors of opportunity for our next generation of Americans,” said HUD Secretary Julián Castro. “Today’s announcement has the potential to transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of kids across the nation by
giving them the tools to reach their full potential. We’re grateful to Comcast for joining the ConnectHome initiative, which has extended its reach to more than 1.5 million children in one short year.” “This announcement reaffirms Comcast’s determination to make a meaningful impact to close the digital divide for low-income families in this country,” said David L. Cohen, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer of Comcast. “This is the single largest expansion of the Internet Essentials program in its history, and we’re thrilled to be working with HUD to help connect even more families, including seniors, veterans, and adults without children, to the transformative power of having internet service at home.” Between 2009 and 2014, broadband service providers spent over $422 billion on capital investments, and three in four American households now use broadband at home. Despite this significant progress, one in four American households still don’t access the internet at home, particularly lower-income families with children. According to the 2013 American Community Survey, less than 43 percent of individuals without a high school diploma or equivalent lack home internet access, but under this opportunity adults and young learners can get connected from the comfort of their own homes and take advantage of resources to get GED credential, apply for and complete college, and acquire the necessary digital literacy skills to thrive in a highly competitive, global workforce. This is the ninth time in five years Comcast has expanded eligibility for
Internet Essentials. The policy change marks the first time, nationally, households without children eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program are officially able to apply for Internet Essentials. In 2011, the program was first offered to families with children eligible to receive a free school lunch from the National School Lunch Program. It was expanded, in 2012, to children eligible for the reduced price school lunch program. In 2013, Comcast expanded eligibility to include families with children in parochial, private, charter, and cyber schools, as well as students who are home schooled. Last year, Comcast extended the program two more times, on a pilot basis, to low-income seniors and low-income community college students. Earlier this year, another pilot program extended Internet Essentials to those living in public housing in Seattle, Miami, Nashville, and Philadelphia. Finally, Comcast has expanded the number of schools where every student in the school will be deemed eligible for the program so long as a certain percentage of the kids in that school are NSLP eligible—from 70 percent, to 50 percent, and now to 40 percent. As a result, Comcast estimates autoenrollment now applies to about half of the 48,000 schools across its service area. From August 2011 through December 2015, Internet Essentials has connected more than 600,000 lowincome families, benefitting more than 2.4 million Americans, to the internet at home.
Back to school means getting back to basics. That’s why Comcast helps local families get affordable basic Internet at home. Families with children on the National School Lunch Program and people with or without children who live in HUD-assisted public housing may qualify for Internet Essentials now for only $9.95/month.*
©2016
18 — September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
Back to school means getting back to basics. That’s why Comcast helps local families get affordable basic Internet at home. Families with children on the National School Lunch Program and people with or without children who live in HUD-assisted public housing may qualify for Internet Essentials now for only $9.95/month.*
©2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016 — 19
IE COMMUNITY
Announcements stereotypes surrounding “Chinatown,” a neighborhood where Asian immigrants The Chinatown-International District and their families seek refuge to uphold Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA) their culture and heritage. will host its annual Night Market on September 10. The market will be from Korean American Coalition 4:00 p.m. to midnight in the International convention in Bellevue District. The Korean American Coalition’s Vendors and local restaurants will be (KAC) National Convention will be held selling food while other vendors will be selling a variety of goods. There will also on September 16 and 17 at the Westin be live performances by local musicians Hotel in Bellevue, WA. and performers throughout the night. State Sen. Pramila Jayapal (D) will be the keynote speaker for the kick-off on September 16. The convention will Dean Wong book reading include sessions on civic engagement, September 7 entrepreneurship, community organizing, Dean Wong will be reading from his and media. Over 20 organizations will book Seeing the Light, Four Decades in take part, including Korean American Chinatown on Wednesday, September 7 at associations, as well as special guests from 7:00 p.m. at Third Place Books in Seward some of the KAC chapters, government Park (5041 Wilson Ave. S.). agencies, and community representatives. Wong included photos and stories from More information and a way to register Chinatowns in San Francisco, Vancouver, for the convention is available at www. B.C., and New York City as well as in kacla.org/events.html. Registration ends Seattle. He reveals the diversity within on September 14. Chinatown and shows photographs of events like Lunar New Year while Event to honor Nisei Veterans, also chronicling the life of individuals who have lived and grown up in these America-Japan alliance neighborhoods. As a photojournalist, The Nisei Veterans Committee along he uses the photographs to combat the with the Japan-American Society and the
CID Night Market on September 10
Consulate General of Japan will hold a luncheon to celebrate Nisei veterans and the alliance between American and Japan. The event will be held on September 17 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at the NVC Memorial Hall (1212 S. King St., Seattle, WA, 98144). The event coincides with an annual training exercise between America and Japan at the Yakima Training Center. Forces from American and Japan along with officials from Joint Base LewisMcChord and veterans will be at the event.
According to the National Fair Housing Alliance, minority homeowners and tenants are not always aware of their rights and protections under the Fair Housing Act. The campaign targets African American, Latino, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities. The campaign seeks to educate minority community members of their housing rights through social media, public service announcements, and community outreach with partnering organizations in order to recognize and stop different forms of housing discrimination.
The event will include a luncheon, taiko drumming, speakers, and a video presentation featuring Nisei Veteran Sam Mitsui. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits The event is free and open to the public but pre-registration is necessary. Register housing discrimination based on race, at jassw.org/calendar/jas-calendar-2. color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability. Persons InterIm to inform homeowners, who believe they have experienced discrimination may file a complaint by tenants about housing rights contacting Northwest Justice Project InterIm CDA was chosen by the National Fair Housing Media Campaign to at (206) 464-1519, or Seattle Office for inform and educate Seattle homeowners Civil Rights at (206) 684-4500 or by and tenants about their housing rights. The contacting HUD’s Office of Fair Housing campaign was developed in partnership and Equal Opportunity at (800) 669with Latino and Asian Pacific housing 9777 or (800) 927-9275 (TTY). Housing organizations and the U.S. Department of discrimination complaints may also be Housing and Urban Development in order filed at www.hud.gov/fairhousing. to lessen housing discrimination.
20 — September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
IE NEWS
Justice Charles Z. Smith, key figure in Redress movement, passes away IE News Services Former Washington state Supreme Court Justice Charles Z. Smith passed away on Sunday, August 28. He was the first African-American minority to serve on the state Supreme Court and was an active member of the Redress movement for Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II. Justice Smith broke many racial barriers throughout his career, becoming the first African-American judge on both the King County Superior Court and Seattle Municipal Court. Justice Smith served on the Board of the Japanese American Citizen’s League (JACL) Seattle Chapter, after becoming acquainted with the Japanese-American community through his wife, who grew in Hawai‘i. As momentum increased for redress to Japanese-Americans placed in incarceration camps during WWII during the 1960s and 1970s, Justice Smith provided legal help for the movement for about three decades. In an oral history with the Seattle Civil Rights and Labor Movement Project, Justice Smith said he served for about 25 years on the Seattle JACL board. “Charles Z. Smith was an active member in the fight for Japanese American redress. He offered his time, expertise, and counsel on critical issues, which help shaped the strategy to achieve redress,” wrote the
Justice Charles Z. Smith
JACL Seattle Chapter in a statement. “Justice Smith was a true Seattle JACLer.” Born in Florida in 1927, when segregation was commonplace in the South, Justice Smith was the son of a mechanic from Cuba and an AfricanAmerican mother. He earned his undergraduate degree in Philadelphia, PA in 1952, then moved to Seattle where he entered and subsequently graduated from the University of Washington Law
School. He was one of two Black students to graduate with a law degree in 1955. He returned to the law school as a professor and associate dean in 1973. “Charles Z. Smith was a man of impeccable integrity, a straight shooter, who was the personification of ‘dignity.’ He had an aura about him that demanded respect,” said Gary Iwamoto, a former student of Justice Smith and a board member of the International Examiner.
“When I went to law school, I first met Charles Z. Smith, who was then the Associate Dean of the UW School of Law,” Iwamoto said. “He took an interest in how I was doing with my studies. Like many lawyers and law students of color, he became my mentor and served as a role model toward my aspirations to be an attorney.” Gov. Jay Inslee in a statement recognized Justice Smith’s “commitment to justice throughout his career.” “Seattle lost another icon this past weekend,” said Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. “Justice Smith blazed the trail as the first African American Supreme Court justice in our state’s history, and spent years fighting for civil rights and social justice. As a lawyer and a mentor to many, he broke boundaries both in this city and in the field of law nationally. Justice Smith leaves behind a legacy dating back to the early days of the civil rights movement and a spirit that will continue to live on in Seattle.” Referring to the passing of “Uncle Bob” Santos and Justice Charles, Executive Director of the Densho Project Tom Ikeda, wrote, “These two men left behind a legacy of mentoring and connecting people of color, and an army of admirers and social activists to carry on their work.”
The following is a statement from the family of Justice Charles Z. Smith: Retired Washington State Supreme Court Justice Charles Z. Smith died peacefully in his home on Sunday, August 28, 2016. He was 89 years old. Justice Smith was the first person of color to serve as a judge in Washington state when he was appointed to the Seattle Municipal Criminal Court in 1965. He was appointed to the King County Superior Court in 1966, making him the first person of color to serve at that level in Washington state. Justice Smith’s career also included serving as Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for King County from 1956 until 1960, and Special Assistant to the Attorney General of the United States under Robert F. Kennedy, from 1960 until 1964. After serving on the King County Superior Court for seven years, he left to become an Associate Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Washington until 1986. That year, he also retired from the United States Marine Corps Reserve (Judge Advocate Division) with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Justice Smith was appointed to the Washington State Supreme Court in 1988 by Governor Booth Gardner, the first person of color to become a Justice in the state’s history. He was subsequently elected to that position unopposed until his retirement in 2002 at the mandatory retirement age of 75. In 1987, he was founding chairperson of the Washington Supreme Court’s Minority and Justice Task Force, which became the Washington State Minority and Justice
Commission in 1988. He retired as cochairperson of the Commission in 2009. Throughout his career, Justice Smith was actively engaged in local, national, and international programs and organizations related to education, human rights, family and children, religion, health, prison reform, military justice, and racial, ethnic, and cultural awareness. He received numerous awards in recognition of his public service. Justice Smith lived an exemplary life founded on the three pillars of “Truth, Justice, and Freedom”. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. His legacy extends beyond his family to the larger community that he mentored and served. Justice Smith is survived by his wife of 61 years, Eleanor M. Smith; his children Carlos Smith, Michael Smith, Stephen Smith, and Felicia Gittleman; daughtersin-law Sumi Hayashi and Mary Jane Efflandt; grandchildren Mahealani Smith, Alexander Gittleman, Miguel Smith, John Smith, Taliya Gittleman, and Xavier Smith; siblings Julia Stoudemire, Boneva Heflin, Clint Bartholomew Smith, and Freddie Burt Smith; and many nieces and nephews. A memorial service is planned. Details will be announced at a later date. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, remembrances be made to the Charles Z. Smith Scholarship Fund at the University of Washington Law School, or to your favorite charity.
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER 4 — August 3, 2016 – August 16, 2016
September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016 — 21
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
IE COMMUNITY
Refugee and immigrant advocate Rachel Hidaka remembered By Sally Yamasaki Guest Contributor Rachel Hidaka, long time advocate for the refugee and immigrant population, friend, mentor, and “mother” to all who had the opportunity to work with her, passed away peacefully with her children by her side on June 28, 2016 at the age of 85. Rachel was born on August 27, 1930 in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, and is survived by her children Anne Hidaka and Mark Hidaka and his wife Nicole, her grandchildren Brandon and Allison Turner, Kai and Lea Hidaka, her sister Anna and husband Thomas Toyama and her sister Ruby Fujimoto, as well as many other cousins, nieces and nephews. For more than 20 years, Rachel headed the ESL program, rising to the Associate Dean of Basic Studies. In her tenure, Rachel’s deep sense of mission, nurturing spirit and fierce resolve, grew the program to become the largest of its kind in the state and one of the top programs in the country. Duang Tengtrirat, who worked for Rachel for over 10 years said: “Rachel was the epitome of social justice and equality and went to utmost extent to bring it to her
community. She dedicated her working life to serving those who were disadvantaged. At that time, the population most in need were the SE Asian refugees. She fought for their rights, for their share of social service, for governments to give them what they deserved and for her staff to treat them with respect and integrity. “She was selfless in her work and her outlook. Whatever and wherever refugees could be best served, she made sure that they got to that place. She touched them at every level from intake to the classrooms to government offices. When they cried, she comforted them. When the end of term came, she cooked, ate, and laughed with them. When their children graduated she attended the ceremonies. Nothing stopped her from being with her refugee students.” Another instructor, Nancy Strom, from Seattle Central Community College said of Rachel’s retirement: “I remember the many tears and shock in the Basic Studies when she told us she was retiring. We were shaken and did not know how we could go on without her, but Rachel did such a wonderful job setting up our programs, that we found our way to move forward.
proclaimed May 22, 1996 day as “Rachel Hidaka Day” in her honor. “It was nice to see all of her efforts being applauded. She dedicated her life to education and to her family. She was a very bright, accomplished, Asian woman who was ahead of her time as a leader and at the forefront of ESL studies,” said Rachel’s nephew, David Fujimoto. At Rachel’s celebration of life, long time colleague Judy de Barros recounted, “When I hear the phrase, ‘we stand on the shoulders of those who go before us,’ I think first of Rachel. “She was a great friend, mentor, and supporter to everyone who worked with her. She taught us, not through lessons, but by walking along side us, listening to us, supporting our work and ideas.” Rachel Hidaka Rachel touched so many lives. We will all miss her. Luanda Chan, Rachel’s long time friend and dedicated secretary, said she remembers how even after Rachel retired, she would call Luanda at work after the normal day had ended, to remind her to go home. Education In 1996, Rachel was recognized by the International Examiner with a Community Voice Award for her ongoing contributions to the community. Seattle Mayor Norm Rice
Employment
Answers to this puzzle are on Wednesday, September 21.
Since 1935
Tai Tung Restaurant
Banquet Facilities - Catering - Delivery
Full/Part-Time Maki Sushi Chef SUSHI CHINOISE 19122 Beardslee Blvd, Bothell WA - Must have 3 years of experience - Can read ticket orders in English - Enjoys talking with customers - If interested, call (206) 790-3611
Public School Questions? We listen. We inform. We help solve problems. Call 1-866-297-2597 or visit www.oeo.wa.gov or oeoinfo@gov.wa.gov.
Thông Báo Công Cộng về Cơ Hội Công Bằng và Không Phân Biệt Đối Xử Trường Cao Đẳng Kỹ Thuật Renton tạo cơ hội công bằng trong môi trường giáo dục và việc làm, cũng như không phân biệt đối xử trên cơ sở chủng tộc, màu da, nguồn gốc quốc gia, độ tuổi, khuyết tật thể chất hoặc tâm thần được quan sát thấy hoặc thực tế, tình trạng mang thai, thông tin di truyền, giới tính, định hướng tình dục, nhận biết giới tính, tình trạng hôn nhân, tín ngưỡng, tôn giáo, cựu chiến binh giải ngũ danh dự hoặc tình trạng quân nhân, hoặc sử dụng chó hướng dẫn nghiệp vụ hoặc động vật phục vụ, theo quy định trong Tiêu đề VI của Đạo Luật về Dân Quyền năm 1964, Tiêu đề VII trong Đạo Luật về Dân Quyền năm 1964, Tiêu đề IX trong Sửa Đổi Giáo Dục năm 1972, Phần 504 và 508 trong Đạo Luật Phục Hồi năm 1973, Đạo luật về Người Mỹ Khuyết Tật và Luật Sửa Đổi ADA, Đạo luật về Chống Phân Biệt Đối Xử theo Độ Tuổi năm 1975, Đạo luật tái phê chuẩn về vấn nạn bạo hành với phụ nữ và Luật chống Phân Biệt Đối Xử Bang Washington, Chương 49.60 RCW và các quy định thi hành. Nhân viên sau đây của trường đã được bổ nhiệm giải quyết các câu hỏi về chính sách này: Lesley Hogan Chức vụ Điều phối viên IX / EEO, Giám Đốc Điều Hành Nhân Sự 3000 NE 4th Street Renton, WA 98056
(425) 235-7873 titleix@rtc.edu hoặc lhogan@rtc.edu
公平機會和反歧視公告
Come Enjoy the Oldest Chinese Restaurant in Town!
655 S King St, Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 622-7372 Mon-Thurs 11am-10:30pm Fri-Sat 11am-12am Sun 11am-10pm
根據《1964 年民權法案》第六篇、 《1964 年民權法案》第七篇、 《1972 年教育修正法案》第九篇、 《1973 年康復法案》 第 504 和 508 條、 《美國殘疾人法案》和《ADA 修正法案》、 《1975 年年齡歧視法案》、 《反婦女暴力法案》和《華盛頓州 反歧視法》、 《華盛頓州修訂法》第 49.60 節及其實施細則的規定，蘭頓技術學院 (Renton Technical College) 在教育與 就業方面提供公平機會，不會因宗族、膚色、民族血統、年齡、感知或實際的身體或智力殘障、妊娠、遺傳信息、性別、性取 向、性別認同、婚姻狀況、信仰、宗教、光榮退伍老兵或軍籍狀態或者使用經過訓練的導盲犬或服務動物而歧視任何人。 下方的學院高級職員已被指派處理有關本政策的查詢事宜： Lesley Hogan 教育法修正案第九條/平等就業機會協調員，人力資源執行主管 3000 NE 4th Street Renton, WA 98056
(425)235-7873 titleix@rtc.edu 或 lhogan@rtc.edu
22 — September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
IE NEWS
Members on Task Force on the Use of Deadly Force in Community Policing say community voices face uphill battle By Alia Marsha IE Staff Writer On July 20, Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAAPA) held an informational meeting on the Joint Legislative Task Force on Deadly Force in Community Policing to amend RCW 9A.16.040, which is one of the most restrictive laws on prosecuting police misconduct. The meeting was led by Toshiko Hasegawa, who provided a recap of the first task force meeting in June. Hasegawa is one of 26 members of the task force that will review and make recommendations regarding laws, practices, and training programs on deadly force in law enforcement in Washington state. Earlier this year, the Washington state Legislature approved and Governor Inslee signed into law House Bill 2908 creating the task force. The task force has until December 1 to submit a report to Governor Inslee and the appropriate committees of the Legislature. Between June to December, the task force will have met four times. Shankar Narayan from ACLU Washington, Leslie Cushman from the Olympia Coalition for Reform of Deadly Force Laws, and Rev. Paul Benz from the Faith Action Network attended the July 20 meeting. The informational meeting was held not long after the deaths of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Philando Castile near St. Paul, Minnesota, who were killed by police. The law in question is Washington RCW 9A.16.040: Justifiable homicide or use of deadly force by public officer, peace officer, or person aiding. According to this law, “A public officer or peace officer shall not be held criminally liable for using deadly force without malice and with a good faith belief that such act is justifiable pursuant to this section.” The language in
After a recap and a presentation of HB 2907, which addresses the use of deadly force by a public officer or peace officer, and HB 2908, which establishes the joint legislative task force on the use of deadly force in community policing, the meeting turned into a comA Seattle Police car on patrol near 2nd Ave downtown. • Photo by Matthew munity input sesZalewski sion where attendees the law, Hasegawa said, makes it virtually voiced their recommendations to improve impossible for a law enforcement officer future task force meetings. to be prosecuted for using excessive use Rev. Paul Benz suggested that the next of force. task force meetings be held in a “commu“What we’re looking for is common nity space.” The first one was held in Olymsense when abuse has occurred,” Hasegawa pia, and the second was held at the Crimisaid in her introduction. nal Justice Training Center in Burien. The Hasegawa is one of the members of the third is scheduled at the same venue. task force that are considered “community OCA—Greater Seattle president Jacquerepresentatives.” Other members include line Wu, who said she has worked a lot with De’seann Quinn of the Washington State youth, suggested that the youth be included Commission on African-American Af- in the conversation. fairs and Jorge L. Baron of Northwest ImIn an email sent before the informational migrant Rights Project. In an email sent to community partners, Hasegawa wrote that meeting, Hasegawa wrote that based upon community representatives are seeking the history of the formation of the task “commonsense measures” of accountabil- force, the composition of the task force, and ity in the law by striking the word “malice” and replacing “perceived threat” with “imminent threat.” “An officer perceiving a someone as threat is not an acceptable standard to justify the killing of a member of the community,” Hasegawa said. “There must exist an imminent threat in order to justify taking a life.” Hasegawa said she was surprised by the way the first task force meeting was run. She said that often, community representatives were cut off by law enforcement representatives at the table.
the way the meeting was run, community voices clearly have an uphill battle for their recommendations to be taken. “The fear is that a recommendation on policy accountability is going to come from the police,” said Hasegawa. Shankar Narayan from ACLU Washington said that the conversation around police misconduct should not stop after the task force is over and the law amended. Along with reasonable ground to hold police officers accountable for their use of deadly force, or after abuse has occurred, Narayan mentioned reform of police practices such as crises prevention and police-community trust building as necessary. “It’s one piece of the problem,” said Narayan. The third meeting of the Joint Legislative Task Force on the Use of Deadly Force in Community Policing is scheduled for September 13 in Olympia to allow for an all day meeting, including time for public comment. For more information on the Task Force on the Use of Deadly Force in Community Policing, visit http://capaa.wa.gov/taskforce-on-the-use-of-deadly-force-in-community-policing.
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016 — 23
24 — September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
IE COMMUNITY RESOURCE DIRECTORY Arts & Culture
Professional & Leadership Development
Asia Pacific Cultural Center 4851 So. Tacoma Way Tacoma, WA 98409 Ph: 253-383-3900 Fx: 253-292-1551 faalua@comcast.net www.asiapacificculturalcenter.org Bridging communities and generations through arts, culture, education and business.
Education For more information: Ph: 206-767-8223 Email: info@deniselouie.org Website: www.deniselouie.org Offering home visiting services for children birth to 3 and full & part-day multicultural preschool education for ages 3 to 5 in the International District, Beacon Hill and Rainier Beach.
Housing Services HomeSight 5117 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 ph: 206-723-4355 fx: 206-760-4210 www.homesightwa.org HomeSight creates homeownership opportunities through real estate development, home buyer education and counseling, and lending.
InterIm Community Development Association 310 Maynard Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 Ph: 206-624-1802 Services: 601 S King St, Ph: 206-623-5132 Interimicda.org Multilingual community building: housing & parking, housing/ asset counseling, projects, teen leadership and gardening programs.
Executive Development Institute 310 – 120th Ave NE. Suite A102 Bellevue, WA Ph. 425-467-9365 • Fax: 425-467-1244 Email: edi@ediorg.org • Website: www.ediorg.org EDI offers culturally relevant leadership development programs.
Senior Services
Social & Health Services
Cathay Post #186 of The American Legion Supporting veterans for over 70 years Accepting new members - contact us today to learn more! P.O. Box 3281 Seattle, WA 98144-3281 Email: cathaypost@hotmail.com Phone: (206) 762-4058
1601 E Yesler Way, Seattle, WA 98122 ph: 206-323-7100 www.keironorthwest.org rehabilitation care | skilled nursing | assisted living | home care | senior day care | meal delivery | transportation | continuing education | catering services
International District Medical & Dental Clinic 720 8th Avenue S, Seattle, WA 98114 ph: 206-788-3700 email: info@ichs.com website: www.ichs.com
We make leadeRS Queen Anne Station, P.O. Box 19888, Seattle, WA 98109 info@naaapseattle.org, www.naaapseattle.org Fostering future leaders through education, networking and community services for Asian American professionals and entrepreneurs. Facebook: NAAAP-Seattle Twitter: twitter.com/naaapseattle
Senior Services Horizon House
900 University St Seattle, WA 98101 ph: 206-382-3100 fx: 206-382-3213 marketinginfo@horizonhouse.org www.horizonhouse.org A welcoming community in downtown Seattle, offering seniors vibrant activities, independent or assisted living, and memory care.
The Kin On Team is ready to serve YOU! www.kinon.org
Southeast Seattle Senior Center 4655 S. Holly St., Seattle, WA 98118 ph: 206-722-0317 fax: 206-722-2768 kateh@seniorservices.org www.sessc.org Daytime activities center providing activities social services, trips, and community for seniors and South Seattle neighbors. We have weaving, Tai Chi, indoor beach-ball, yoga, dance, seniororiented computer classes, trips to the casino, and serve scratch cooked lunch. Open Monday through Friday, 8:30-4. Our thrift store next door is open Mon-Fri 10-2, Sat 10-4. This sweet center has services and fun for the health and well-being of boomers and beyond. Check us out on Facebook or our website.
Social & Health Services Asian Counseling & Referral Service
3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S, Seattle, WA 98144 ph: 206-695-7600 fx: 206-695-7606 events@acrs.org www.acrs.org ACRS offers multilingual, behavioral health and social services to Asian Pacific Americans and other lowincome people in King County.
601 S King St. Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-682-1668 website www.apicat.org Address tobacco control and other health justice issues in the Asian American/Pacific Islander communities.
Kawabe Memorial House 221 18th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144 ph: 206-322-4550 fx: 206-329-3330 connie.devaney@gmail.com We provide affordable, safe, culturally sensitive housing and support services to people aged 62 and older.
Bellevue Medical & Dental Clinic 1050 140th Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98005 ph: 425-373-3000 Shoreline Medical & Dental Clinic 16549 Aurora Avenue N, Shoreline, WA 98133 ph: 206-533-2600 Holly Park Medical & Dental Clinic 3815 S Othello St, Seattle, WA 98118 ph: 206-788-3500 ICHS is a non-profit medical and dental center that provides health care to low income Asian, Pacific Islanders, immigrants and refugees in Washington State. Fearless Asians for Immigration Reforms (FAIR!) ph: 206-578-1255 Info@ItShouldBeFair.com www.ItShouldBeFair.com
Free and confidential support for undocumented Asians and Pacific Islanders. DACA screenings, financial assistance, legal help, scholarships, DACA renewals, and consultations for service providers. Benefits include: work permit, $$ for school, protection from deportation, driver’s license.
7301 Beacon Ave S Seattle, WA 98108 ph: 206-587-3735 fax: 206-748-0282 www.idicseniorcenter.org info@idicseniorcenter.org IDIC is a nonprofit human services organization that offers wellness and social service programs to Filipinos and API communities. ph: 206-624-3426 transia@aol.com
Merchants Parking provides Chinese Information & Service Center 611 S Lane St, Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-624-5633 fax: 206-624-5634 info@cisc-seattle.org www.cisc-seattle.org Creating opportunities for Asian immigrants and their families to succeed by helping them make the transition to a new life while keeping later generations in touch with their rich heritage.
Seattle Chinatown/International District Preservation and Development Authority ph: 206-624-8929 fx: 206-467-6376 info@scidpda.org Housing, property management and community development.
Legal Services
Organization of Chinese Americans Asian Pacific American Advocates Greater Seattle Chapter P.O. Box 14141 Seattle, WA 98114 www.ocaseattle.org
Legacy House
Public Interest Law Group, PLLC 705 Second Avenue, Suite 1000, Seattle WA 98104 Ph: 206-838-1800 Email: info@pilg.org www.pilg.org PILG attorneys Hank Balson, Wendy Chen, and Nancy Chupp provide information, advice, and representation in areas such as employment discrimination, unpaid wages, and other violations of workers’ rights.
convenient and affordable community parking. Transia provides community transportation: para-transit services, shuttle services, and field trips in and out of Chinatown/International District, and South King County.
803 South Lane Street Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-292-5184 fx: 206-838-3057 info@legacyhouse.org www.scidpda.org/programs/legacyhouse.aspx Description of organization/services offered: Assisted Living, Adult Day Services, meal programs for lowincome seniors.
Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs GA Bldg., 210 11th Ave SW, Suite 301A Olympia, WA 98504 ph: (360) 725-5667 www.facebook.com/wacapaa capaa@capaa.wa.gov www.capaa.wa.gov Statewide liaison between government and APA communities. Monitors and informs the public about legislative issues.
OCA—Greater Seattle Chapter was formed in 1995 and since that time it has been serving the Greater Seattle Chinese and Asian Pacific American community as well as other communities in the Pacific Northwest. It is recognized in the local community for its advocacy of civil and voting rights as well as its sponsorship of community activities and events. 2500 NE 54th Street Seattle, WA 98105 ph: 206-694-4500 info@youthcare.org www.youthcare.org
Working to prevent and end youth homelessness with services including meals, shelter, housing, job training, education, and more.
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INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016 — 25
IE ARTS
Dean Wong’s new street photography brings national spotlight after decades as community stalwart By John Pai IE Contributor The summer of 2016 has truly been the summer of Dean Wong. His newly published book Seeing the Light: Four decades in Chinatown arrived on book shelves in late May. An exhibition of new work from Dean opened at the Jack Straw Cultural Center in mid-June as well as an exhibition at Kobo at Higo in the International District. He has received resplendent and insightful reviews of his work from the New York Times, The Stranger and the International Examiner. After all these years, what took so long? For over four decades, Dean has been a stalwart photo documentarian of Seattle’s Asian American community as well as a photo journalist who is a well-seasoned wordsmith and storyteller. In his view of the lives of others, he has brought his perspective and lens work to illuminate moments of a vital and vibrant community that is often glossed over and cast with stereotypical imagery of exotic festivals and mysterious lifestyles. In a single Dean Wong photograph there are layers of stories imbedded into the view of a single frame. Look at the edges of the frame, what is in the foreground versus the background, what is in the shadows and what is in the light. The juxtapositions within the frame and the choreography of the elements allows the viewer to see even deeper outside the frame to the story that extends from the image—an obvious moment enhanced in viewing his black and white photographic work but also front and center in his color work as well. These are actually single works of art. An orchestration of perspectives in lights, darks, monochrome, and color.
Photo by Dean Wong
What took so long? Over the years, Dean has been turning his lens and wordsmithing to other Chinese American communities across the country. He has also been a fierce community activist through his images and and stories; something we’ve been privileged to partake for several decades in the pages of the International Examiner. It’s been long overdue that Dean’s work is being recognized for its artistry,
essentialness, depth, perspective and boldness. As a true documentarian-artiststoryteller, the fruits of his labor are not often displayed in galleries or published in coffee table books. Because the work is challenging and thought-provoking there isn’t always a good way to expose and readily share it in a forum respectful of the creator. Yet, in this summer of Dean Wong, we’ve been fortunate to see on a larger scale what a gem we have here in
Seattle. Something we can look forward to in the future as well. For any who may have missed the book readings and exhibitions, the Jack Straw Cultural Center, 4261 Roosevelt Way NE (southwest corner of 43rd and Roosevelt), Seattle 98105, is extending its run of Dean’s Exhibition “New Street Photography.” Their hours are Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The Guangdong National Orchestra brings ‘The Silk Road Melody’ to Seattle By Andre Stackhouse IE Contributor The age of the internet and globalization has delivered on many of its early promises. The exchange of information and materials to and from destinations worldwide is more open and common than could have ever been predicted. However, the promise of true cultural exchange leading to greater understanding has proven to be a more challenging and less measurable goal. For instance, how does one quantify the significance of veteran composer Zhao Jiping leading the Guangdong National Orchestra on its U.S. debut performing a work of cultural fusion know as The Silk Road Melody. Performing in Seattle on September 13, Mr. Zhao will bring together what is the result of over two years preparation—seven movements written by seven composers performed by 70 musicians in Seattle’s Benaroya Hall. Conceived in 2013 and first performed in 2015, The Silk Road Melody is a musical epic named for the network of trade routes that connected the West and East from China to the Mediterranean Sea. It tells the story of Chinese sailors who make a pioneer journey across the
ocean and establish the exchange of goods and culture between China and foreign lands. In the spirit of its namesake, composer Zhao Jiping, known for writing the scores to films including Raise the Red Lantern, To Live, and Farewell My Concubine, hopes the show will further cultural connection between East and West. “There was once a story in China called ‘Journey to the West.’ It’s about a person called Xuanzang traveling all the way to Europe. This story was once called a very great opportunity to spread the culture of China to the Western world. In some ways, The Silk Road Melody is similar,” Zhao said. The seven movements, each written by a different composer, evoke different feelings of whimsy and whist that one might experience on a long adventure. Starting on a movement called “Setting Out,” progressing to, “A Foreign Land,” and eventually moving into, “Nostalgia,” it fell on Zhao to blend the individual pieces into a single cohesive musical performance that would capture the essence of Southern China. “We even went to small fishing villages to better understand the
feeling of Guangdong’s music and lifestyle,” Zhao said. After undergoing several revisions, the music was finalized in September 2015 where it was performed on national tour in China for a year. However, the upcoming shows in San Francisco and Seattle will be The Silk Road Melody’s international debut. “I think the Guangdong National Orchestra is not very familiar for the Americans. It is very different from the Western symphony. I think the music and sounds of each instrument will be very fresh and identifiable for American audiences,” Zhao said. “I need to use the traditional Chinese instruments and their special characteristics and sounds to express the feeling of the ocean and the meaning of cultural communication and Chinese cultures. For example, the traditional Chinese drum is a kind of percussion. It has a very loud sound and I need to use this characteristic, however I also need to make sure that the sound does not affect the others.” Founded in 1949, the Guangdong National Orchestra consists of 70 musicians and is considered one of China’s greatest orchestras.
Despite its decades of establishment, when asked about his experience of working with the musicians, Zhao made note of their relative youth. “Although a large portion of the orchestra is very young, they work very hard. Despite all the time and energy we put into it, the young musicians can still absorb it all,” Zhao said. “They don’t complain. They still feel very excited. I would say they are very lovely and energetic.” The energy will have to continue for a few more weeks as according to Zhao: “We have other programs to present to American audiences, but we are mainly focusing on rehearsing right now.” The Guangdong National Orchestra will perform at Benaroya Hall on September 12 and 13 at 7:30 p.m. both days. The Silk Road Melody will only be performed on September 13, while the show on September 12 will feature a more traditional collection of China’s most famous musical masterpieces under the title “Autumn Melody” and scheduled to coincide with the Chinese Moon Festival. Tickets are available for purchase at www.seattlesymphony.org.
26 — September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
IE ARTS
Tale for the Time Being adaptation a contemplative journey By Roxanne Ray IE Contributor The “Book-It Theatre style” takes compelling literature and adapts it for the theatre stage in a way that preserves the narrator’s voice, as well as the voices of the characters in dialogue. Next up at Book-It is an adaptation of Ruth Ozeki’s Tale for the Time Being. Adapted by Laura Ferri, this production will be directed by Desdemona Chiang in her Book-It debut. “Book-It and I had been circling around the idea of working on a production together for a while now, and we had considered several options before landing on this book,” Chiang said. “I hadn’t heard of Ruth or her books prior this project, but I’m a big fan now.” Chiang has been involved in the production from its inception. “I met with adapter Laura Ferri very early on, before the writing process even started,” Chiang said. “The book itself takes over 14 hours to read (based on the length of the audiobook, which Ruth Ozeki herself narrates), but we only have two hours in the theatre to tell the story.” That constraint immediately required tough choices. “The first thing Laura and I talked about was what we would decide to focus on for this production, and what we had to be willing to cut,” Chiang said. “It was important for us to set clear parameters for focus. It’s tough when there’s so much that you like, but we had to be diligent about it.” Part of this collaborative process required Chiang to wear multiple hats. “I would
essentially act as dramaturg and give Laura feedback and questions, and she would act as playwright, cutting, writing and rewriting scenes,” Chiang said. “A month prior to rehearsal, we had a ‘working draft’ that we workshopped with the cast over the course of one week, where we could hear the words in the actor’s mouths.” Most of the actors in Tale for the Time Being were previously unfamiliar with Ozeki’s work, but are enthusiastic about their roles. Mi Kang, who plays the protagonist Nao, a Japanese teenage girl, finds her character inspiring. “While reading A Tale for the Time Being, I was completely absorbed as it ties different subjects like quantum physics and Zen Buddhism into an almost ‘comingof-age’ type story,” Kang said. “The book and script are both beautifully written, and the story, personally, gives me a lot of hope.” Likewise, actor Kevin Lin, who plays Haruki, appreciates the communityoriented opportunity. “I am excited to work with so many Asian American artists,” he said. “Opportunities like these are few and far between!” In addition to inspiration, the actors have been energized by the challenges of this production. Actor Khahn Doan plays multiple characters, including Jiko, a 104-year-old Zen Buddhist Nun. “Because I go in and out of different characters of varying ages, we decided not to use aging makeup, but to imply her age with the way I walked, facial expressions, voice, and manner,” Doan said. “This is probably one of the most challenging roles I’ve had to play, but it’s very fun.”
Actor Annie Yim, who plays Tomoko, Nao’s mother, and Babette, Nao’s friend from the maid cafe, as well as various chorus characters, has found challenges in the Japanese language and in mastering the Book-It style. “Learning the Japanese has been a challenge, and I don’t even have as much as other characters! I would sit with my ear buds and repeat words over and over to myself,” Yim said. “Now my entire family knows little bits of Japanese!” Likewise, Yim wasted no time in studying the Book-It theatre style of presentation. “I had never seen a Book-It production, since I am new to Seattle, so I immediately went to see The Brothers K in order to understand the style. It was pretty mesmerizing!” she said. “I was immediately drawn to how the writing style allowed the audience to feel as if you were taking the ride with the characters because you could hear some of
their inner dialogue being spoken, and then there were times when what was not spoken filled a moment.” Director Chiang emphasizes that this style must always support and benefit the story being told. “Book-it has unique style that leans towards narrative, but at the end of the day, we’re still making a piece of theatre,” she said. “I’m still directing characters who need to play actions, in situations with circumstances, problems and obstacles. I don’t think adding the occasional ‘he said, she said’ should ever change any of that. I don’t ever want the audience to feel like the actors are just standing onstage, saying the book to them.” At the same time, Chiang and the actors wrestle with how to present this story, which unpeels itself like layers of onion and unwinds itself toward new discoveries, none of which are ever complete. “It touches on so many ideas—bullying, suicide, honor, Buddhism, and the fluidity of time and space,” actor Yim said. “It’s unlike most other books I’ve read in both the breadth of subject matter and the style of storytelling.” Chiang wants her audience to be ready for a journey. “I thought the book was deeply spiritual and very contemplative,” she said. “It touches on the big ideas I often want to explore when I make theatre—questions about life and death, interconnectivity, personal worth, and our ability to impact others when we least expect it.” ‘Tale for the Time Being’ runs from September 14 to October 9 at Book-It Repertory Theatre, The Center Theatre at Seattle Center, 305 Harrison Street, Seattle. For more information, visit bookit.org/2016-2017-mainstage-season.
Films: Tunnel a true life horror, War Brides of Japan hits the road By Yayoi L. Winfrey IE Contributor Note to self: Under no circumstances ever get caught inside a collapsed tunnel in South Korea. According to the newly released film, Tunnel, rescue crews will take their sweet time digging me out while politicians seek vote-inducing photo ops snapped by parasitic paparazzi eager for a sordid story. *** Lee Jung-soo (Ha Jung-woo) is a typical white-collar career man who sells Kia cars and spends a lot of time on his mobile phone making deals while driving. One fateful day, his patiently sweet wife (Bae Doo-na) waits at home for him and the cake he’s bringing to celebrate their daughter’s birthday. Stopping at a gas station, while incessantly chatting on his mobile, Jungsoo’s horrified to discover the elderly attendant has filled up his tank when he’d requested only $30 worth of fuel. The old man (whose boss rushes over to apologetically explain his employee’s deafness) then tries to rectify his error by offering Jung-soo two plastic bottles of drinking water. Those two seemingly
innocuous gifts will become Jung-soo’s lifeline when mere minutes later he enters a highway tunnel and it suddenly, and violently, crumbles—trapping him inside his car buried beneath mounds of dusty rubble. In just seconds, Jung-soo’s life goes from a loving husband and father driving a birthday cake to his daughter to a helpless, frightened and ensnared man. Interestingly, in another recent South Korean disaster movie, it was also a young girl’s birthday and her insistance on seeing her mother, separated from her father, that got them trapped—on a train full of zombies. That horror film, Train to Busan, and another, The Wailing, seem to be setting a trend in South Korean cinema. All of those catastrophic movies share high production values, skilled acting talent, and scripts filled with tension and suspense, although not always believable. In the case of Tunnel, there’s little of the blood and gore featured so graphically in the other two films, although Tunnel offers something far more sinister: It’s based on a true story. However, instead of zombies and evil spirits, the monster in Tunnel is, well, a tunnel. But it’s also the bumbling bureaucracy that South Korean government has become, which director Kim Seong-hun contemptuously
implies by presenting incompetent public employees and preening political leaders throughout his film. As days crawl by, Jung-soo remains trapped in the tunnel. His two bottles of water have been drained and he’s instructed to drink his own urine. The bars on his cell phone are dangerously low from numerous calls to his wife and the rescue team leader (Oh Dal-su) who agonizes over the incident to the point of drinking his own urine in solidarity with Jung-soo. Meanwhile Jung-soo discovers an injured young woman and her dog in another vehicle; then, demonstrates great strength of character as he puts her needs before his wants. There’s also the matter of another, nearby tunnel that work has been halted on while bumbling rescuers attempt to free Jung-soo. Any deliberate explosion at the new tunnel site would likely cause farther collapse of Hado Tunnel, where Jungsoo is buried, and deliver him an instant death sentence. But with millions of public dollars wasted while construction at the new tunnel lags and inept rescuers make one horrifying mistake after another, the country begins to wonder if one man’s life is even worth saving.
‘Tunnel’ opened August 26 at AMC Lowes Alderwood Mall 16, Lynwood; Cinemark Century, Federal Way. *** The War Brides of Japan documentary crew hits the road on September 1. Traveling to a dozen cities in California, Arizona, and Washington, they will record the stories of Japanese war brides—women who married American servicemen occupying Japan after WWII. Some interviews will include the adult children and grandchildren of war brides as well as a historian. Filming is planned for scenes at a Little Tokyo restaurant, several California Japanese gardens, an internment assembly center and a Buddhist temple. Please stay updated by following the crew at their blog, “War Brides of Japan: On the Road” (warbridesofjapan.blogspot. com) or at their “War Brides of Japan” Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ WarBridesOfJapan). Donation opportunities are ongoing indefinitely, and a tax-deductible contribution to help finance the film can be made any time at: fromtheheartproductions. networkforgood.com/projects/15778-documentaries-war-brides-of-japan.
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER
September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016 — 27
28 — September 7, 2016 – September 20, 2016
INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER