VOL 37 NO 4 | JANUARY 20 – JANUARY 26, 2018

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36 YEARS YOUR VOICE

Photo by Assunta Ng

A unified police precinct for the ID

100 YEARS OLD Surrounded by family and friends, Tai Tung matriarch Shun Jing Louie Chan mark ed her 100th birthday. Close to 100 people atten ded the celebration at Tai Tung restaurant on Jan. 15.

Carmen Best speaking at a community meeting about the Donnie Chin investigation in August 2017.

By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Starting on Jan. 24, Chinatown, Japantown, and Little Saigon will all be in the same police precinct.

“I’m excited about it,” said Seattle Chief of Police Carmen Best.

“It’s been a long time coming.”

Best said that about a year ago, the Chinatown-International District (C-ID) Public Safety Task

Force did a lot of work, and came up with several recommendations for the Seattle Police Department (SPD). One of them was to have a unified precinct. The precinct boundaries will be adjusted to incorporate the community of Little Saigon into the West Precinct — welcome news to many in the community.

“We are relieved that finally, see POLICE on 15

Sheila Edwards Lange

Photo by Mary Levin

By Nina Huang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Sheila Edwards Lange

While she’s the president of Seattle Central College (SCC), Sheila Edwards Lange thinks of herself as an activist. She’s in an ideal role because her true passion

■

is education.

As president of SCC, no day is the same for Edwards Lange. A current challenge that she faces is trying to respond to multiple demands from various communities and having limited resources to accomplish everything.

Edwards Lange said the leadership team at SCC has identified five strategic directions to work on for the next few years: increasing enrollment and retention, increasing students’ graduation/completion rate, eliminating institutional racism and increasing equity and diversity for the campus, building a shared sense of community on and off campus, and to advance the college’s long-term financial health.

“All are connected, the heart of what we want to do is increase student success and completion.

In addition, equity and inclusion see LANGE on 12

“TAI TUNG MOTHER ” AND HER GRE

TWIN SISTERS » 7 Woman did a DNA test, discovered she had twin

PEERLESS » 8 Asian American teens fighting for college admission

AT GRA NCHILDREN

WELLNESS » 9 Little-known wellness programs

What made 2017 so serendipitous and extraordinary PUBLISHER’S BLOG » 10

Trump says program to protect ‘Dreamers’ is ‘probably dead’

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE ASSOCIATED PRESS PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump said on Jan. 14 that a program that protects immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally

as children is “probably dead,” casting a cloud over already tenuous negotiations just days before a deadline on a government funding deal that Democrats have tied to immigration. see DREAMERS on 13

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36 YEARS

JANUARY 20 – JANUARY 26, 2018

■ NAMES IN THE NEWS Aegis Gardens wins national design award

Kaiwan Lee in the outdoors

Contest winner

The fourth and final winner of a recent contest where our readers picked the top five biggest stories of 2017 affecting the local API community, has claimed her prize.

Zer Vue won a $25 gift certificate to King’s Barbeque House. 

Zer Vue

National Parks leader

Kaiwen Lee, Wilderness Inner-City Leadership Development (WILD) program manager at InterIm CDA, was recently named one of the National Parks and

Conservation Association’s “10 under 40” leaders.

Lee, 30, has worked with a variety of partners to provide opportunities for youth, including outdoor leadership training and intergenerational enjoyment of the outdoors.

Lee empowers the unique voices of students while honoring their cultural-ethnic identities and perspectives.

For the past 20 years, WILD’s leadership projects have engaged diverse high-school-aged youth from the greater Seattle area, including those from Asian Pacific Islander, immigrant and refugee families. 

InterIm’s deputy director Tom Im has been serving as InterIm’s deputy director since his appointment to that role in August 2017.

Im has been with the agency since 1997.

He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science. He also has a master’s degree from the University of Hawaii. 

Tom Im

80 years young

More than 100 people attended the 80th birthday celebration for businessman George Hira on Jan. 7.

Guests enjoyed Indian food and entertainment at the Pabla Punjabi Palace in SeaTac.

George Hira and wife, Bindu

Hira was born in the part of India that’s now Pakistan.

His family moved to Hong Kong when he was 16, then Hira arrived in the United States in 1978. 

Neon sign at Tai Tung There’s something familiar back in the Chinatown-International District skyline.

The neon sign that reportedly cost $15,000 at Tai Tung is a replica of the historic sign taken down in a remodel in the 1960s, which was likely installed in the 1930s.

The project was facilitated by SCIDpda. 

Photo by John Liu

Aegis Gardens won the prestigious 2017 Senior Housing News Architecture and Design Award for its purposeful design aimed at improving the lives of residents.

Located near Lake Boren in Newcastle, Aegis Gardens is the most distinctive Asian American community in America, with an adjacent multicultural center to serve both residents and the public. The design is inspired by Asian cultures, with emphasis on décor, authentic cuisine, culturally specific activities, a culinary-demonstration kitchen, and entertainment.

The first residents have begun moving in this month and the facility is holding its grand opening celebration on Feb. 10. 

Property owner Ling Chinn and Tai Tung owner Harry Chan

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YOUR VOICE

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

JANUARY 20 – JANUARY 26, 2018

Community celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Photo by Assunta Ng

By Staff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, King County Executive Dow Constantine, and Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best were among the community leaders at the Jan. 12 celebration.

3

Several community leaders joined the 45th Annual Community Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Jan. 12, held by Seattle Colleges.

The theme this year was “Nonviolence in a violent world.”

The event at Mount Zion Baptist Church was

emceed by KIRO 7 reporter Essex Porter and the keynote speech was delivered by Ijeoma Oluo.

The attendees enjoyed gospel music by DaNell Daymon.

Dr. King led the civil rights movement and fought for racial equality. Seattle Colleges believes that everyone benefits with a lifetime of opportunity, and our individual success is made greater by the success of those around us. 

State agency gives drivers’ info to immigration authorities SEATTLE (AP) — The Washington’s Department of Licensing has been regularly providing photos and driver’s license applications upon request to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), state officials said.

From 20 to 30 times a month, the department has been giving residents’ personal information to federal immigration-enforcement officers — information used to arrest and deport people in keeping with the president’s policies, The Seattle Times reported on Jan. 11.

The department is among a minority of such agencies around the country to allow people living in the country without legal permission to get driver’s licenses.

When the licensing department gives information to ICE, it redacts a field on the driver’s license application

showing whether someone has a Social Security number, but leaves visible fields showing where someone was born (possibly a foreign country) and the ID used (sometimes foreign passports or other documents).

ICE uses that information as evidence that someone doesn’t belong in the United States.

Gov. Jay Inslee ordered the practice halted immediately this week and his spokeswoman told the newspaper that Inslee hadn’t been aware of the extent of the information sharing.

The department’s practices seemingly contradict Inslee’s promise when he signed an executive order last year that Washington remains a state that “doesn’t utilize state employees as agents of the federal immigration services.’’

Inslee spoke then about people who have been living here for decades “providing the food we eat,’’ building our homes, and paying millions of dollars in taxes. He voiced distress about reports of immigrants “already not participating in some of our programs because people are concerned that somehow their personal information will be shared with the federal government.’’

Public safety was given as the reason Washington continued giving driver’s licenses to immigrants after Congress passed the 2005 Real ID Act, which says licenses issued without proof of legal status cannot be used to board planes or enter federal buildings. At one point, Washington see ICE on 14

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JANUARY 20 – JANUARY 26, 2018

36 YEARS

■ NATIONAL NEWS

Comedian Aziz Ansari responds to sex misconduct allegations

By Associated Press Comedian Aziz Ansari has responded to allegations of sexual misconduct by a woman he dated last year.

Ansari said in a statement on Jan. 14 that he apologized last year when she told him about

her discomfort during a sexual encounter in his apartment he said he believed to be consensual.

The woman, identified as a 23-year-old photographer in an interview with Babe.net, says she was furious when she saw Ansari was wearing a “Time’s Up” pin while accepting a Golden Globe on Jan. 7.

She said it brought back memories of him assaulting her after a date in his apartment.

The next day, the woman texted Ansari letting him know that she was upset with his behavior that night.

Ansari says he was surprised and apologized. 

Aziz Ansari

Hawaii officials mistakenly warn of inbound missile

By AUDREY McAVOY and JENNIFER KELLEHER HONOLULU (AP) — A false alarm that warned of a ballistic missile headed for Hawaii sent the islands into a panic on Jan. 13, with people abandoning cars in a highway and preparing to flee their homes until officials said the cellphone alert was a mistake.

It wasn’t clear exactly what happened — House Speaker Scott Saiki said someone pushed the wrong button, and

the White House said the episode was “purely a state exercise.’’

But for nearly 40 minutes, it seemed like the world was about to end in Hawaii, an island paradise already jittery over the threat of nuclear-tipped missiles from North Korea.

The emergency alert, which was sent to cellphones

Alcohol may be ‘very damaging’ to people with ‘Asian glow’ If your face flushes red after you sip half a bottle of beer, like many Asians, you could be doing more damage to your DNA from a night of drinking than other people.

A recent Cambridge University study found that mice exposed to a dose of alcohol roughly equivalent to a person drinking four or five pints of beer have observable DNA and chromosome damage in their blood cells afterwards.

And mice with the gene responsible for the “Asian flush” or “Asian glow” in humans show four times more DNA damage after a single dose of alcohol.

The study was published in the journal Nature earlier this month.

Professor Ketan (KJ) Patel who led the study said that some cancers develop due to DNA damage in stem cells, and drinking alcohol may increase the risk of that damage. 

see ALERTS on 12

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JANUARY 20 – JANUARY 26, 2018

5

■ WORLD NEWS Chinese university sacks professor over sexual misconduct

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN ASSOCIATED PRESS BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese university has sacked a prestigious scholar following accusations of sexual misconduct against him by multiple women, the result of a campaign heralded by his chief accuser as the start of a Chinese chapter of the (hash)MeToo movement.

Beihang University in Beijing said in a message on its official microblog on Jan. 11 that an investigation found that Chen Xiaowu’s behavior had violated professional ethics and created an “odious influence on society.”

YouTube punishes star blogger over apparent suicide post TOKYO (AP) — YouTube said it has punished wellknown blogger Logan Paul over a video that appeared to show a body hanging in a Japanese forest that is said to be a suicide spot.

The company said in a statement on Jan. 11 that it has removed Paul’s channels Logan Paul from Google Preferred and will not feature him in the new season of the web series “Foursome.” It said his new video blogs are also on hold.

Paul earlier announced he was stepping away from posting videos “to reflect” following an outcry when he uploaded images of the apparent body and his reaction to finding it in the forest.

YouTube prohibits violent or gory content posted in a shocking, sensational or disrespectful manner, the company says. It issued a “strike” against Paul’s channel for violating its community guidelines after the posting.

The video was viewed some 6 million times before being removed from Paul’s YouTube channel, a verified account with more than 15 million subscribers.

A storm of criticism followed despite two apologies, with commenters saying Paul seemed disrespectful and that his initial apology was inadequate.

Google Preferred’s advertising program aggregates top YouTube content for advertisers to buy time on them. 

“Morality and ability are paired; actions and talent are one.

This is the demand of Beihang’s values and the school has zero tolerance for violations of professorial ethics.”

— Beihang University It said Chen has been relieved of his duties, including as professor and deputy head of graduate students.

“Morality and ability are paired; actions and talent are one. This is the demand of Beihang’s values and the school

has zero tolerance for violations of professorial ethics,” Beihang said in its statement, pledging also to upgrade see SEXUAL MISCONDUCT on 12

China rebukes Zara, Delta for calling Taiwan ‘country’

By JOE McDONALD AP BUSINESS WRITER BEIJING (AP) — Chinese regulators rebuked fashion brand Zara, Delta Air Lines and medical device maker Medtronic on Jan. 12 for calling Taiwan a country on their websites in a fresh show of Beijing’s acute sensitivity about the self-ruled island.

Zara, Delta and Medtronic were ordered to remove the “illegal content’’ and make public apologies, airline and internet regulators said. Other airlines were ordered to check their own websites.

Taiwan and the mainland split in 1949 after a civil war but the Communist Beijing government claims the island as its territory. It regularly lashes out at publishers of books, maps or other materials that call the island a country.

“We apologize for hurting the feelings of the Chinese people!’’ Delta said on its website. The airline said it took “urgent steps to correct errors’’ on its website and was “thoroughly examining internal processes.’’

In a statement on its microblog 10 minutes ahead of a 6 p.m. deadline set by the internet regulator, Medtronic said it understood the Chinese authorities’ position but was only trying to help users quickly find the appropriate location.

Zara added a three-sentence statement to its website expressing “sincere apologies’’ and said it would conduct a “self-examination.’’

The hotel chain Marriott was ordered last week to shut down its mainland China website and app for a week after it sent out a customer survey that included Taiwan, Tibet and the Chinese territory of Hong Kong in a list of countries.

“Cyberspace is not an extralegal place, and multinational corporations should abide by relevant laws and regulations,’’ the Shanghai Cyberspace Authority said on its microblog account.

— Shanghai Cyberspace Authority “Cyberspace is not an extralegal place, and multinational corporations should abide by relevant laws and regulations,’’ the Shanghai Cyberspace Authority said on its microblog account.

Zara and Medtronic were “required to conduct a comprehensive self-examination,’’ it said.

Marriott International Group executives were questioned by Shanghai police in an investigation of possible violation of cybersecurity laws, according to news reports.

The CEO of Marriott International Inc., Arne Sorenson, said in a statement the company “respects and supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China.’’ see CHINA on 14

Woman dies in Nepal village because of menstrual exile KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A woman has died in a remote village in Nepal because of a tradition in which women are exiled from their homes and forced to live in huts during menstruation, a government official said.

The 21-year-old is believed to have died from smoke inhalation from a fire she lit in the hut to keep warm in the freezing temperatures in the mountain village, said government administrator Tul Bahadur Kawcha.

The woman was found dead on Jan. 8.

Kawcha said the tradition is still practiced in some remote villages despite a government ban on the practice and a law introduced last year to punish people who force women to follow the custom.

The new law goes into effect in August this year,

with violators who force women into exile during menstruation facing up to three months in prison or a fine of 3,000 Nepalese rupees ($29).

Many menstruating women are still forced to leave their homes and take shelter in unhygienic or insecure huts or cow sheds until their cycle ends, though the practice — called “Chhaupadi” — was actually outlawed a decade ago. But without any penalties, the custom continued in many parts of the majority Hindu Himalayan country, especially in the western hills.

While exiled in isolation, some women face bitter cold or attacks by wild animals. Unclean conditions can also cause infections. 

asianweekly

6

JANUARY 20 – JANUARY 26, 2018

36 YEARS

■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR JAN 20

NEIGHBORHOOD VOICES: STORIES OF IMMIGRANTS & COMMUNITIES IN THE ID Wing Luke Museum 719 S. King St., Seattle 2 p.m.

RSVP at 206-624-5633, extension 4136 jeffh@cisc-seattle.org SEATTLE WOMEN’S MARCH 2.0 — 2018 Cal Anderson Park, Seattle 10 a.m.

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Mirai Nagasu has known all of those ups and downs — plus a whole lot more.

Now 24, Nagasu is going to the Olympics eight years after finishing fourth at the 2010 Vancouver Games; no U.S. woman has done better since or is likely to in Pyeongchang. Her climb has been an extraordinary one even by the drama-filled standards of the sport. see NAGASU on 16

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YOUR VOICE

■ NATIONAL NEWS

asianweekly northwest

JANUARY 20 – JANUARY 26, 2018

7

Virginia woman did DNA test, discovered she had twin sister VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — The moment gave Katey Bennett goosebumps.

Scrolling through the pictures on Amanda Dunford’s Facebook page, Bennett saw herself with people she didn’t know, in places she’d never been. Days before, she had never even heard of Dunford. Now she was staring at a face identical to her own.

Then a message popped up.

It was Dunford.

“We’re sisters,” it read. “Twin sisters.”

DNA testing had brought the 33-year-olds together for the first time since they were adopted as babies by different families.

For Dunford, a Navy chief stationed in Virginia Beach, it ended years of wondering, guessing and agonizing about where her sister was, who she was, or if she was still alive.

“My parents told me when I was 7 or 8 that I had a twin sister,” Dunford said.

Bennett, who works at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California, was shocked. She had no clue she had a twin.

“I always wondered about things,” Bennett said, like her birth parents and whether she had any siblings. “But I just can’t imagine what the years must have been like for Amanda, knowing but not knowing. This is such a relief for her.”

The two were dropped off at a Seoul, South Korea orphanage as infants. Bennett was adopted within weeks, while Dunford stayed until she was 2. Bennett grew up in Los Angeles, Dunford in Arizona.

But a trip to the doctor by Dunford, coincidental 23andMe’s Ancestry Service DNA tests, and a huge stroke

Courtesy of Amanda Dunford

By LEE TOLLIVER THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT OF NORFOLK

Amanda Dunford (left) and Katey Bennett were abandoned at a Seoul, South Korea, orphanage as babies and met 32 years later.

of luck changed both their worlds.

Dunford was getting a routine medical procedure done, but didn’t have any background information for the medical forms. She used the genetic tests — which reveal health and ancestry information — to get a few answers. Meanwhile,

months later, Bennett and her adopted parents all decided to take the test just out of curiosity.

“I wanted to know how Korean I was,” Bennett said.

“Turns out it’s only 53 percent, with some Chinese and Japanese.”

Then she read the family results, where the test usually shows possible distant cousins.

“Something like 180 relatives of various degrees of separation,” she said. “And one that said I had a 23-outof-23 chromosome match with someone.

“It said I had a twin sister.”

After finding out about each other, the two talked on social media for weeks before the “Today Show” brought them together in New York just before Thanksgiving.

“I knew she was there and she knew I was there. We’d been texting back and forth,” Dunford said. “It was an odd experience. They did such a good job of keeping us apart until it was time to meet.”

When the curtain was drawn and the two finally saw each other in the flesh, surprisingly, there were no tears.

“When we talked about each other’s personality, we both said we weren’t much of a crier,” Dunford said.

Added Bennett: “When she walked out it was like looking into a mirror that came to life. Oh my goodness, what a strange feeling. But it was so nice.”

On Christmas Day, the Korean Broadcasting System aired the first of a five-part series documenting the turn of events with the goal of finding one or both of their biological parents.

That would be an extra chapter in the strange tale the two never thought would be told.

“Someone would have to see the show, and come forward see TWIN on 13

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asianweekly northwest

8

36 YEARS

JANUARY 20 – JANUARY 26, 2018

■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Recreating Macbeth, Asian style

By Andrew Hamlin NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY The new play “Peerless,” written by Jiehae Park, advertises itself as an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic “Macbeth,” a tale of kings, queens, treachery, murder, and ultimately, ruin.

Still, don’t expect to see Shakespeare’s trio of witches cackling, “Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble,” around their cauldron.

Jiehae Park The play’s director, Sara Porkalob, isn’t planning on any conventional, well-trodden approach, even if Park’s distinct re-envisioning of the material would allow that. “’Macbeth,’” explained Porkalob, “was written by perhaps the most famous dead white guy playwright. I can’t re-create what he did and I don’t want to. With reenvisioning, context and intention are key. This play was written by an Asian American woman who used ‘Macbeth’ as a jumping off point and then bent the narrative to her will, to make something brand new, unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

Local actor Erin Bednarz, who plays a character called “Dirty Girl” in the production, explains that her character represents the rough equivalent of those famous witches.

But the show is set in a high school, featuring some of the cliques, rivalries, and backstabbing associated with that atmosphere. Most of the characters have capital letters for

their names. see PEERLESS on 16

■ PROFILE

Michelin star boosts chef at outdoor Thai kitchen to stardom

◄ ASSUNTA & NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY — 35 YEARS, A RETROSPECTIVE

► DRAGONFEST TRASHION SHOW 2017

Photo by Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto/Sipa USA

◄

NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY’S 35TH ANNIVERSARY GALA FUNDRAISER

Jay Fai cooks in kitchen on coal powered stoves at street eatery in Bangkok, Thailand, in December 2017. A 70-year-old Thai street food seller who makes wok-fired dishes has been awarded a Michelin star at the launch of Bangkok's first guide.

By KAWEEWIT KAEWJINDA ASSOCIATED PRESS BANGKOK (AP) — After spending more than three decades cooking in an unassuming outdoor kitchen, a wokwielding, goggles-wearing Thai chef has been propelled to international culinary stardom by having her restaurant awarded

a Michelin star.

Supinya Jansuta, better known as “Jay Fai,” is among 17 Bangkok-based chefs whose venues received the coveted honor from Michelin in a guidebook released last month — its first foray into the country.

Jay Fai, as her restaurant is also known, see JAY FAI on 15

► 2017 LUNAR NEW YEAR COSTUME CONTEST & PARADE

NOW ON YOUTUBE bit.do/NWAW

asianweekly northwest

YOUR VOICE

JANUARY 20 – JANUARY 26, 2018

■ HEALTH

9

Get paid to lose weight

By Saeju Jeong SPECIAL TO THE NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Washington residents only have a few more days to take advantage of little-known wellness programs that essentially pay consumers to get healthier.

These wellness programs cover the cost of gym memberships, pay for weight loss and smoking cessation programs, and in many Saeju Jeong cases cover stress-management programs.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, roughly 70 percent of U.S. employers provide wellness programs, but they are rarely used. A Harvard Business Review survey found 69 percent of consumers don’t even know these free health-related programs are available.

These wellness programs are especially helpful for Asian Americans. The Centers for Disease Control says obesity rates among Asian Americans in the Pacific Northwest continues to climb more than any other racial group. Asian American children and adolescents are particularly at risk.

According to a study conducted by the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, about 20 percent of Asian American children are overweight. Additionally, Asian children born in the United States are at a higher risk for developing obesity and related complications.

Ask your employer

As the CEO and co-founder of Noom, a healthtech startup, I’ve seen how wellness programs are bought and sold in the free market. Insurance brokers rarely take the

V-SITS

time to explain their benefits to Human Resources (HR) companies. Likewise, most HR executives don’t educate their employees on their benefits. It’s always up to the employees to figure out which is the best health plan for their families.

If losing weight is a part of your 2018 resolution, you

still have time. Many private insurance plans provide see WELLNESS on 16

NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY / SEATTLE CHINESE POST PRESENTS 9TH ANNUAL LUNAR NEW YEAR COSTUME CONTEST

SUNDAY, FEB 11, 2018

CHINATOWN-INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT LUNAR NEW YEAR FESTIVAL

no age limit!

Please submit completed application through one of the following methods: Mail: Northwest Asian Weekly Lunar New Year Costume Contest 412 Maynard Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98104 Name:

________________________________________________________

School Name: ___________________________________________Age: ________ Profession: ________________________________________________________ Phone:

________________________________________________________

E-mail:

________________________________________________________

Contestants must adhere to all rules and regulations. Contest officials will remove any contestant failing to cooperate with officials or failing to comply with the rules and regulations. If you have any questions, please contact Northwest Asian Weekly at 206.223.5559 or via email at rsvp@nwasianweekly.com.

Costume Parade Schedule: • 11 AM — Registration • 12:30 PM — Line up • 1 PM — Parade begins • 1:30 PM — Parade winners announced • Start from Northwest Asian Weekly’s front door, march to main stage • Contestants must be present at the announcement of finalists (1:30 PM).

• Finalists will be lined up in numerical order.

• The first 20 registered will get a gift.

SPONSORs

Registration/Sign-Up: • You may pre-register for the contest by filling out this application and sending it in or sign-up on the day of the contest (Sunday, February 11) beginning at 11 a.m. at the registration table. Registration table will be located in front of Seattle Chinese Post/Northwest Asian Weekly – 412 Maynard Ave S. • Contestants must sign-in at the registration table 30 minutes prior to parade.

Rules/Guidelines: • Adults & children are welcome to participate • Parents are welcome to accompany their children during the Parade • All contestants will be given a contestant number for order of Parade lineup • Contestants’ attire should be culturally relevant to the Lunar New Year Celebration Judging: • All contestants will be judged by the provided judging criteria.

• Prizes will be awarded to First ($150), Second ($100), and Third ($50) Place Winners, Publisher Award ($100) (an organization which has the most participants), and 15 Honorable mentions will receive a gift bag.

• All decisions made by competition judges are final.

COMMUNITY SPONSOR JIM DOANE

FOR MORE INFO, GO TO CIDBIA.ORG

asianweekly northwest

10

36 YEARS

JANUARY 20 – JANUARY 26, 2018

■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG

A year of wonder

Photo by George Liu

By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

that they could meet many new friends.

Other surprises

Photo by George Liu

for yourself, not scholarships.” Why did we raise funds for two UW endowments when we, like all print companies, are struggling “Triumph” is the word I use to depict with extreme adversity? the year 2017. It’s not that I had invented a The endowment is part of the Northwest major breakthrough to save the Northwest Asian Weekly/Seattle Chinese Post legacy.

Asian Weekly, which has been struggling If we don’t do it now, then when? Do we like all print media. But the more I thought wait until newspapers are extinct? All I about last year, words like “extraordinary,” need is energy and enthusiasm. With the “serendipitous,” and even “miraculous” support of many community leaders, it began to flow out of my mind. would be silly not to.

What defines a miracle? A surprising I admit, it was challenging to raise gift! Something highly improbable and $200,000. If people give so much to our unexplainable. causes, our concern is, will they still be When I told my friends I wanted to raise willing to advertise or sponsor events? $200,000 for two University of Washington However, that’s not a good enough reason (UW) scholarship endowments to celebrate for me to give up the scholarship idea. I our 35th anniversary last February, quite was the beneficiary of a UW scholarship in a few raised their eyebrows. “What if my junior and senior year. you can’t raise that amount during the What was priceless last year is that we anniversary gala?” one asked during a brought back “a village” with us. We were planning committee meeting. able to reconnect with many past staff and “We have five years to do so, according supporters, who contributed many articles to UW rules,” I replied. I had my own and attended our gala. In addition, we skepticism and fears at the time. Yet, I hid achieved innovations during the process. them well.

We didn’t have enough manpower to or“How much do you really think you can ganize an auction, including Raise the raise at the gala?” our event manager, Stacy Paddle. For those of you in the fundraisNguyen, probed me privately. The truth ing business, you know how much work an was, I had no clue. auction involves. Preparing the bid cards Together, we sat down and projected the and assigning bid numbers to more than numbers last May. But the numbers were 400 guests is time-consuming. Nor could not even close, no matter how we stretched we afford to hire a professional auctioneer the raised amount. From corporate and a management team for all the logissponsorships to individual ticket sales, the tics. dessert auction, live auction, and Raise the Event manager Nguyen suggested we Paddle, we totaled up to only $75,000. That use the “honor system,” which saved us day, we realized that we had a monumental tons of time. The bidder wrote down her task. bid number and credit card number on But I always told myself, “Just work the assigned card, and totaled the amount hard. And it will happen.” herself. Many events had long lines of Then, the unexpected happened five guests checking in before the event, and weeks before our Oct. 21 gala — some after, for checking out. Our efficient system major sponsors like Bloodworks gave had no lines at all. us $10,000. Individual supporters who Our event accomplished many goals in one night. From honoring close to 30 Asian American leaders over the past 35 years, to giving out appreciation plaques for long-time sponsors and advertisers, to raising funds for the scholarships, it was a wonderful community celebration dinner and a joy to see old friends.

There were some folks who came to all three Asian From left: Marge Young, Bettie Luke, Mayor Jenny Durkan, and Ruby Luke Weekly events last year: Chinese Post and Asian Weekly couldn’t attend our gala donated online galas and honoring Mayor Jenny Durkan and mailed checks. Dr. Doug and Belinda at a dinner. Bless the Luke sisters. Bettie, Louie’s donation exceeded $4,000.

Marge, and Ruby for not only showing up, On Nov. 14, the Northwest Asian Weekly but also organizing a table.

Foundation handed $100,000 to the UW’s College of Education, completing our first How the 35th gala differed promise. (As of today, it will be the fourth from past galas scholarship endowment Asian Weekly has Our 35th anniversary didn’t have two established since 2004.) governors like our 25th anniversary On Dec. 7, a $70,000 check was made celebration, including Christine Gregoire to the Communication Department. When and Gary Locke. (Gregoire even changed Wing Luke Asian Museum Co-chair Ellen her flight to accommodate us.) In 2012, Ferguson heard our story, she said, “I will gubernatorial candidates Jay Inslee pledge another $5,000 in 2018.” She had and Rob McKenna attended our 30th already given $13,500 at the gala. As of anniversary gala. Each led a different today, we have only $21,000 left to raise for dragon in a dragon dance, entering from the Communication endowment. opposite sides of the Seattle Sheraton Hotel One reader said, “You should raise money grand ballroom.

David Ka

Last year, I didn’t expect the top two contenders for Seattle mayoral race, Jenny Durkan and Cary Moon, to be present. But their supporters insisted that they show up.

In other Asian community events, I have observed only one candidate attending.

The mayoral race might be smaller than a statewide race, but it did stir up a lot of interest at our gala. Each woman had her own star power. Each had their own groups of supporters, helping them to navigate the room. Since we hadn’t endorsed anybody at the time, we had to remain neutral and be a good host, and both seemed to be pleased

I had many incredible moments last year especially in December. I will soon elevate to the status of mother-in-law this year. My younger son John proposed to his girlfriend and she said “yes.”

David Ka, a graduate of Asian Weekly’s Summer Youth Leadership Program (SYLP) in 2001, asked me at an event and asked, “Do you remember me?”

“Of course, David Ka,” I said. We had lunch in December.

No more the boy when I first met him, Ka now works for Vulcan’s real estate division.

A high school student at the time, Ka did the unusual heroic act. That year, SYLP students were stopped and patted down like criminals by a Seattle policeman, for jaywalking on a side street on 4th Avenue South and South Main. The street was partially closed. The cop asked if the students if they spoke English. When one of the students challenged the cop, he received a citation. Ka quietly snapped a photo of the cop’s act lining up the students from across the street. Represented by pro-bono attorneys Leo Hamaji and Yvonne Ward, that photo was later submitted as evidence showing what the cop did when we contested the citation in municipal court. The judge dismissed the ticket. If this had happened today, that photo will likely go viral. And it would be a video, not just a still photo. see BLOG on 15

asianweekly northwest

YOUR VOICE

JANUARY 20 – JANUARY 26, 2018

■ EDITORIAL

11

OPINION

Asians spared in ‘sh**hole countries’ tirade?

By now, you’ve heard President Donald Trump’s reported labeling of Haiti and African nations as “sh**hole countries.”

Last week, conservative commentator Carrie Sheffield attempted to argue that Trump isn’t as anti-immigrant or racist as those comments suggested. The president “said he would welcome immigrants from Asia, so he is open to accepting people from other countries,” Sheffield said, quoting a White House official.

The underlying message seems to be: Asian immigrants are skilled. Black and Latino immigrants are not.

The idea of Asians as the “good immigrants” — the “model minority” — is a harmful stereotype that pits Asians against other communities of color, often to the benefit of only white people. The model minority myth keeps serious issues in the Asian American community from being

addressed and ignores the diversity of experiences within the group.

When Asians first arrived to the United States en masse in the mid-1800s, we were portrayed as the “yellow peril” or the sinister “Fu Manchu” stereotype. Then came the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 limiting immigration to the United States. But some time after World War II, public opinion shifted, and Asian Americans were seen as examples of family values and assimilation.

Some people think that racism toward Asians diminished because Asians “proved themselves” through their actions.

That is only a sliver of the truth.

The image of the hard-working Asian became an extremely convenient way to deny the demands of Blacks.

As historian Ellen Wu explains in her book, “The Color of Success,” both liberal and conservative politicians pumped

up the image of Asian Americans in the 1960s as a way to shift the blame for Black poverty. If Asians could find success within the system, politicians asked, why couldn’t Blacks?

Wu wrote, “The insinuation was that hard work, along with unwavering faith in the government and liberal democracy as opposed to political protest, were the keys to overcoming racial barriers, as well as achieving full citizenship.”

The myth of the model minority is one of the trickiest and hideous cover-ups for discrimination against Asian Americans. It limits the choices Asian Americans can make and puts the pressure of Asian American kids to succeed in certain acceptable professions and ways. We should call out prejudices, no matter how cloaked, less we do not do justice to all Americans, especially Asian Americans. 

■ COMMENTARY

Asians were ‘refuse and dregs’ in the 1880s.

Is that how Trump sees Haitians and Africans?

By Buck Gee and Albert Shen

Buck Gee

Albert Shen

We are high achievers now. But U.S. leaders have not learned from history and may repeat the same mistake with immigrants from another continent.

The office of the President of the United States should be an institution of world respect and leadership. Regrettably, recent remarks by President Trump reportedly dismissing immigrants from “shithole” countries serve to degrade America’s standing as the world’s moral conscience, especially when so many senior elected U.S. leaders stand silent. There comes a time when we look to our leaders to say more than “unhelpful,” “disappointing,” or “sad comment.”

More than 130 years ago in the House, pushing for tougher immigration sanctions, Rep. Albert Shelby Willis, D-Ky., argued that immigration of non-white workers “who are without homes or families, whose education and habits disqualify them for citizenship, whose cheap wages degrade labor … should be promptly and effectually checked.”

That debate was about the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned Chinese laborers from immigrating to the United States. It marked the first time in U.S. history that lawmakers chose to exclude a specific immigrant group based on race, nationality and class. The Exclusion Act was later expanded to exclude nearly all Asian immigration and, until it was repealed in 1943, eliminated any path to citizenship for all Asian immigrants residing in the country.

To ensure that, as Sen. Samuel Maxey, D-Texas, declared, “the refuse and dregs of the countless hordes of China will never find a welcome here,” an immigration station was built

on Angel Island in San Francisco Bay to detain, interrogate sued Executive Order 9066 from which all U.S. citizens of and deport Asians arriving in California. Today, the Angel Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from their homes Island Immigration Station stands as a stark reminder of and relocated to desolate internment camps. It was not a time when immigration policy was crafted to protect a until 1988, in an effort started under President Carter and more desirable race, ethnicity, class and religion. concluded under President Reagan, that Congress formally It took 129 years for Congress to admit that it had wrongly apologized to the Japanese-American community for the used race and class to decide who should be allowed into racist internment. the country and who deserved to become U.S. citizens. In The congressional actions in 1988 and 2011 affirmed passing statements of regret in 2011, Congress reaffirmed the truth that punitive policies targeting Asian immigrants “its commitment to preserving the same civil rights and were misguided, and that the country celebrates Asian constitutional protections for people of Chinese or other Asian descent in the United States accorded to all others, see COMMENTARY on 14 regardless of their race or ethnicity.”

As children of Asian immigrants who immigrated to America through a period of openly hostile immigration policies, it is maddening to now hear the same political arguments and ethnic slurs used to justify Asian exclusion more than a century ago.

Last week’s disturbing comments about Haitian and African immigrants echo the same racial stereotyping that cruelly branded our grandparents from Asia as “the most debased people on the face of the earth.”

We refuse to believe that America’s leaders who heard the president making similar remarks about African immigrants share them, but we challenge their silence as a travesty of partisan politics and a failure of personal leadership.

In 1942, President AMERICAN HWANGAP is the funny and moving story of a Korean-American family and their Franklin D. Roosevelt isuneasy reunion with the father who left them 15 years ago.

asianweekly northwest

12

JANUARY 20 – JANUARY 26, 2018

ALERTS from 4 statewide just before 8:10 a.m., said: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.’’ On the H-3, a major highway north of Honolulu, vehicles sat empty after drivers left them to run to a nearby tunnel after the alert showed up, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. Workers at a golf club huddled in a kitchen fearing the worst.

Professional golfer Colt Knost, staying at Waikiki Beach during a PGA Tour event, said “everyone was panicking’’ in the lobby of his hotel.

“Everyone was running around like, ‘What do we do?’’’ he said.

Richard Ing, a Honolulu attorney, was doing a construction project at home when his wife told him about the alert. His wife and children prepared to evacuate while he tried to figure out what was happening.

Cherese Carlson, in Honolulu for a class and away from her children, said she called to make sure they were inside after getting the alert.

“I thought, ‘Oh my god, this is it. Something bad’s about to happen and I could die,’’’ she said.

The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency tweeted there was no threat about 10 minutes after the initial alert, but that didn’t reach people who aren’t on the social media platform. A revised alert informing of the “false alarm’’ didn’t reach cellphones until 38 minutes later, according to the time stamp on images people shared on social media.

The incident prompted defense agencies including the Pentagon and the U.S. Pacific Command to issue the same

SEXUAL MISCONDUCT from 5 mechanisms and increase its attention to such issues.

The official China News Service said the move followed accusations of sexual misconduct against Chen by Luo Xixi, a Chinese academic now based in the U.S., and at least five other women. The allegations date from as far back as a dozen years ago.

Chen could not immediately be contacted on Jan. 12, although he was quoted by the official newspaper Beijing Youth Daily earlier this month as saying that he had done nothing that was illegal or violated school discipline. Chen said he would await the result of the school’s investigation.

Calls to Chen’s office at Beihang rang unanswered on Jan. 12 and a graduate school receptionist said she had not seen him.

Luo hailed the school’s decision on her Weibo microblog as a “victory in the initial stage” and said she and the other women involved would continue to monitor Beihang’s handling of the matter.

“Women who have awoken to themselves are even more powerful!”

Luo wrote, while congratulating Chen’s other accusers who had chosen to remain anonymous.

“Kindness and bravery are our most beautiful expressions,” she wrote.

Chen is among a select few named by the Education Ministry to the Cheung Kong Scholars Program, considered one of the country’s highest academic honors. The program funded by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing is also known as the Changjiang Scholars

statement, that they had “detected no ballistic missile threat to Hawaii.’’

The White House said President Donald Trump, at his private club in Florida, was briefed on the false alert. White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said it “was purely a state exercise.’’

Saiki, the House speaker, said the system Hawaii residents have been told to rely on failed miserably. He also took emergency management officials to task for taking 30 minutes to issue a correction, prolonging panic.

“Clearly, government agencies are not prepared and lack the capacity to deal with emergency situations,’’ he said in a statement.

The alert caused a tizzy on the islands and across social media.

At the PGA Tour’s Sony Open on Oahu, Waialae Country Club was largely empty and players were still a few hours from arriving when the alert showed up. Workers streamed into the clubhouse trying to seek cover in the locker room, which was filled with the players’ golf bags, but instead went into the kitchen.

Several players took to Twitter. Justin Thomas, the PGA Tour player of the year, tweeted, “To all that just received the warning along with me this morning ... apparently it was a ‘mistake’?? hell of a mistake!! Haha glad to know we’ll all be safe.’’

In Honolulu, hair salon owner Jaime Malapit texted his clients that he was cancelling their appointments and was closing his shop for the day.

“I woke up and saw a missile warning and thought ‘no way.’ I thought ‘No, this is not happening today,’’’ Malapit said.

and the Yangtze River Scholars.

According to reports, he holds a doctorate and multiple honors in computer engineering. His personal profile was removed from Beihang’s website on Jan. 12.

According to a Dec. 31 post on her official Weibo microblog using the (hash)MeToo hashtag, Luo said she was inspired by the movement originating in the U.S. to expose sexual predators.

Luo said she was a graduate student under Chen’s advisement in 2004, when he drove her to his sister’s home, ostensibly to water the flowers. After he attempted to force himself on her, Luo resisted and Chen backed off, driving her home and telling her to keep quiet about the matter. Luo said she suffered from depression after the incident and subsequently moved to the U.S. to continue her studies.

“I know there is a risk in standing up. My family’s privacy is my biggest concern,” Luo wrote. “I know my status as being overseas might expose me to nasty attacks, so it is a doubleedged sword,” she wrote.

Little research has been done on the issue of sexual misconduct in China, where men overwhelmingly dominate leadership positions in politics and the economy.

However, Luo’s going public with her accusations will likely stir women to come out with their own stories, said Fang Gang, director of the Institute of Sexualities and Gender at Beijing Forestry University.

“This will definitely influence more females who have experienced sexual harassment to step out,” Fang said. 

36 YEARS Brian Naeole, who was visiting Honolulu from Molokai, said he wasn’t worried since he didn’t hear sirens and neither TV nor radio stations issued alerts.

“I thought it was either a hoax or a false alarm,’’ he said.

Ing, the Honolulu lawyer, tried to find some humor in the situation.

“I thought to myself, it must be someone’s last day at work or someone got extremely upset at a superior and basically did this as a practical joke,” he said. “But I think it’s a very serious problem if it wasn’t that, or even it was, it shows that we have problems in the system that can cause major disruption and panic and anxiety among people in Hawaii.’’

Others were outraged. Hawaii U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz tweeted the false alarm was “totally inexcusable’’ and was caused by human error.

“There needs to be tough and quick accountability and a fixed process,’’ he wrote.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said on social media the panel would launch an investigation.

With the threat of missiles from North Korea in people’s minds, the state reintroduced the Cold War-era warning siren tests last month that drew international attention. But there were problems there, too.

Even though the state says nearly 93 percent of the state’s 386 sirens worked properly, 12 mistakenly played an ambulance siren. At the tourist mecca of Waikiki, the sirens were barely audible, prompting officials to add more sirens there and to reposition ones already in place. 

LANGE from 1 is more important than diversity — providing equitable access and resources to students so that they can be successful,” she said.

Student completion is near and dear to her heart. In order to impact student completion, she has to work on equity and the financial health of the campus.

Edwards Lange got her start in education during her first year at the University of California at Irvine, in a work-study position in the Office of Housing and Food Services. She paid her way through school and was exposed to how educational institutions work, and she enjoyed it. She’s mostly been in administration, but she later taught at the University of Washington (UW)’s Evan School of Public Affairs.

Edwards Lange has had the great fortune of working in leadership offices. She soon realized that she loved teaching after starting at the Evan School, but also learned that it was impossible to be both a teacher and a president.

INTERNATIONAL IMPACT ON SCC In recent news, Edwards Lange said that SCC’s international enrollment is down 20 percent due to the Saudi Arabian government’s decision to fund only students who attend top 10 colleges — a policy change unrelated to the Trump administration.

However, current U.S. foreign policy hasn’t been sending the message to the rest of the world that they’re welcomed and supported here — which has impacted enrollment. Edwards Lange explained that four-year colleges have gotten more aggressive about international student recruitment, even using recruiting agents overseas and creating more competition for SCC. “It’s important to meet students where they are and to make sure the campus and classrooms are welcoming. No matter what their racial/socioeconomic background, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or gender identity, people should feel welcomed and supported here like this is their place — that’s what inclusion is,” she added.

On the other hand, she’s observed a lot more activism around religious freedom, DACA, Black Lives Matter, and social justice issues.

SCC hired a navigator to work specifically with undocumented students last year, as they are trying to make resources and support more visible.

“2017 has been surreal in terms of the amount of organizing and activism that is happening in response to national policy on campus,” she said.

Edwards Lange saw mostly full-time students traditionally aged 18-24 while working at the UW, but when she came to a place like SCC,

where students are older and working professionals, she finds it incredible that they still find time to be engaged in their studies and social justice issues.

“The students at community colleges in general are some of the most motivated and engaged students I’ve ever worked with,” she said.

EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS AND INSPIRATIONS One of Edwards Lange’s proudest achievements was the construction of the longhouse at the UW. She said the faculty, tribes, and community members pulled together to make it happen.

“When the building opened, there was something spiritual and magical about the facility.

It wasn’t just a building, it’s part of the legacy of native people in Seattle... it’s a very special place, when you walk in, you feel something different about it,” she said.

Rebuilding the UW’s Ethnic Cultural Center was one of the biggest challenges of her professional career. The team had to figure out how to honor the past and embrace a new future to include different groups and where the building would be located. Her job was to negotiate strong, differing opinions and deliver a product that would fit more programs and respond to student needs.

Constance Rice has been one of her greatest mentors and someone Edwards Lange looks up to for advice and counsel.

Other trailblazing Black college presidents, such as Ruth Simmons and Johnnetta Cole, have been incredible role models as well.

Simmons was the first Black woman to head a major college, Smith College. She was also Brown University’s first female president.

Cole was the first Black female president of historically Black school, Spelman College, and served from 1987 to 1997. She’s now the director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Edwards Lange said that she had been following Cole’s career for over 20 years and was able to meet her last year at the UW graduation, where Cole was the commencement speaker.

“Education is a pathway for everyone to get access to stability, jobs, housing, and I like to think of my work as civil rights and activism. If I can kick the door open for other folks to follow behind me, for them to get access to education, their families will be better off,” she said.  Nina can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

asianweekly northwest

YOUR VOICE

JANUARY 20 – JANUARY 26, 2018

■ ASTROLOGY

13

Predictions and advice for the week of January 20–26, 2018

By Sun Lee Chang

Rat — Why just scratch the surface when you have a chance to delve deeper? It is an opportunity worth pursuing.

Dragon — Not much escapes your watchful eye, but try not to read too much into something that is an incidental occurrence.

Monkey — Something just doesn’t quite ring true in what is being told to you; reserve judgment until you receive confirmation either way.

Ox — The tables have turned more than once, so you have reason to be cautious. Luckily though, this time it will be in your favor.

Snake — Rather than dismiss outright those who disagree with you, it would be better to listen and address their concerns.

Rooster — Is there someone close to you who is nudging you forward? If it is not where you want to go, then you should let it be known.

Tiger — A source of tension should soon be alleviated. With the weight off your shoulders, it should be quite a freeing moment.

Horse — Don’t let a preconceived idea be your guiding force. Instead, each step should evolve naturally from the last.

Dog — A shift has occurred in your perspective.

It may be a small change, but the effects will be larger than expected.

Rabbit — You are inspired by an example set by someone you admire. Allow the momentum to propel you forward in a positive direction.

Goat — Your enjoyment is very personal, so what is pleasing to another might not be so for you.

Keep that in mind before you opt for a popular option.

Pig — Dancing around an issue won’t diminish it.

In fact, it could make it appear more consequential than it actually is.

What’s your animal sign?

Rat 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 Ox 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 Tiger 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 Rabbit 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 Dragon 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 Snake 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 Horse 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 Goat 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 Monkey 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 Rooster 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 Dog 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006 Pig 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007

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

DREAMERS from 1 At issue is the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program created by President Barack Obama to shield hundreds of thousands of these individuals, known as “Dreamers,” from deportation. Trump, who has taken a hard stance against illegal immigration, announced last year that he will end the program unless Congress comes up with a solution by March.

“DACA is probably dead because the Democrats don’t really want it, they just want to talk and take desperately needed money away from our Military,” the Republican president tweeted. “I, as President, want people coming into our Country who are going to help us become strong and great again, people coming in through a system based on MERIT. No more Lotteries! #AMERICA FIRST.” Republicans and Democrats were already at odds over funding the government, and the negotiations became more complicated after Democrats — whose votes are needed to pass a government funding bill — insisted immigration be included. Government funding expires midnight on Jan. 19 without a deal in place, and some government functions will begin to go dark.

Further roiling the talks are comments by Trump during an Oval Office meeting in which he questioned the need to admit more Haitians to the U.S., along with Africans from “shithole” countries, according to people briefed on the conversation but not authorized to describe it publicly. He also said in the Jan. 11 meeting he would prefer immigrants

from countries like Norway instead. The White House has not denied that Trump said the word “shithole,” though Trump did push back on some depictions of the meeting.

A confidant of Trump’s told The Associated Press that the president spent evening of Jan. 11 calling friends and outside advisers to judge their reaction on his inflammatory remarks. Trump wasn’t apologetic and denied he was racist, instead blaming the media for distorting his meaning, said the confidant, who wasn’t authorized to disclose a private conversation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The president also rejected as insufficient an immigration deal drafted by the bipartisan group of lawmakers who attended that meeting. The deal had included a pathway to citizenship for the “Dreamers” that would take up to 12 years, as well as $1.6 billion for border security, including Trump’s promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump’s staunchest supporters consider any route to citizenship for the “Dreamers” amnesty for lawbreakers.

The president has said any deal must include funding for the wall as well as changes to make the immigration system a more merit-based structure.

The debate over DACA’s fate came as lawmakers faced questioning about whether Trump is racist.

Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, the first black female Republican in Congress and the daughter of Haitian immigrants, denounced Trump’s comments as racist and called on him to apologize. “I think that would show real leadership,” she said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Jan. 14 Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., who was at the Jan. 11 Oval

Office meeting, insisted that Trump did not say “shithole” in referring to African countries.

“I am telling you that he did not use that word. And I’m telling you it’s a gross misrepresentation,” Perdue said on ABC’s “This Week.” He said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., were mistaken in indicating earlier that that was the case.

Perdue and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., had issued a joint statement on Jan. 12 saying they “do not recall the President saying those comments specifically.” Cotton said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that he “didn’t hear” the vulgar word used.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who also attended the Jan. 11 meeting at the Oval Office, said, “I don’t recall that specific phrase being used.”

Nielsen did dispute, however, Trump’s assertion that DACA was “probably dead.”

“I do not believe DACA is dead,” Nielsen said on “Fox News Sunday.” She said that the bipartisan proposal rejected by Trump did not address core security issues facing her department and that Trump’s administration was not interested in “half measures.”

Perdue said that “the potential is there” for a deal to protect the “Dreamers” but that Democrats needed to get serious.

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., defended the agreement as a “principled compromise” on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and said, “I hope people will explore it.” 

TWIN from 7 and be tested,” Bennett said. “We were abandoned in a basket on the street with no information. They had to guess everything about us.”

Bennett contacted the orphanage several years ago and gave them all her information in case someone came forward.

Dunford said she would like to know the particulars about why the two were given up.

“I have absolutely no ill feelings towards them,” she said. “I know it wasn’t an easy choice. It must have been some extreme circumstances.”

Both said meeting their biological parents would have no effect on their relationships with their adoptive parents.

“They are my parents, and nothing would change that,” Bennett said. “I know Amanda feels the same. But some closure would be nice. My life had been kind of confusing to this point, no sense of who you are, and all that.

“But now I have a sister, and it is amazing.” 

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Outdoor Research is hiring experienced fulltime sewing operators, especially Flatseam, Coverstitch, and Single needle machine operators. This position will be eligible for medical insurance and paid vacation benefits.

Day and night shifts. Please come apply in person at 2203 1st Ave S. Seattle, WA 98134 or fax resume to 206-467-0374 or email jobs@ orgear.com Freelance writers Northwest Asian Weekly is accepting applications for freelance writers. Should be interested in politics, business, education, health, arts and/or food articles. Flexible hours.

Send resume and writing samples to: Ruth Bayang, NW Asian Weekly, PO Box 3468, Seattle, WA 98114 or email editor@nwasianweekly.com

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COMMENTARY from 11 Americans as vital contributors to America’s great economy, society and culture.

Amid 19th century American nativism, Asian Americans — now recognized as high achievers — were then branded “a race of people whom nature has marked as inferior, and who are incapable of progress or intellectual development.”

Even with the success of minorities and immigrant entrepreneurs, we see that our most senior elected leaders have not learned from history and may repeat the same

36 YEARS

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

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EMPLOYMENT

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JOB AD Executive Director provides strategic direction and collaborative leadership to develop and execute the organization’s mission to serve the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community locally, regionally, and nationally under the direction of the Board of Directors (Board). Provides leadership, guides strategic planning, oversees all administrative, advocacy, program and development efforts, and is responsible for the effectiveness and efficiency of organization operations. Cultivates collaboration with community leaders and partner organizations, bringing together advocates, services providers, government agencies, the business community, donors, and volunteers. Qualifications include Master’s, 10 years non-profit management and deep knowledge of AAPI community and social justice issues. See https://acrs. org/careers/current-openings/ for more information. Submit cover letter and resume to EDSearch@ acrs.org.

mistake with immigrants from a different continent.

We offer this view from dissimilar perspectives, one a Republican and former Fortune 100 executive, the other a Democratic small business owner and former Obama appointee. Yet as Asian Americans, our history compels us to condemn the notion that accident of birth by country, continent or class makes an immigrant less worthy of the opportunity for the American dream.

We are alarmed at a disturbing trend of dishonest politics and polarizing policies that aim to destroy the decency that made America great. Will it take another century or

ICE from 3 was one of only a few states to give licenses to such immigrants, and now is among 12, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Before Inslee put a stop to the department working with ICE, the licensing department’s Deputy Director Jeff Devere said the department treats ICE no differently from any other law-enforcement agency.

more before another congressional resolution is needed to apologize for the folly of a 21st century conceit for a more desirable mix of citizens? It is time for accountability and action from our elected officials; otherwise, the moral compass of America will truly be lost for our children.

We call on our elected leaders: We need your leadership, not your silence.

Buck Gee is the board president of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation and member of the Committee of 100. Albert Shen is former Seattle resident and a former Obama administration official. 

Devere said the department’s practices are longstanding and stressed that they won’t provide “database dumps’’ that allow ICE to do a search, for example, on everyone born outside the United States.

It will only respond to requests about specific individuals when given a name and a crime that officers are investigating, he said. 

CHINA from 5

SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 6.

Want to become a fan on Facebook

Chinese news websites carried screenshots of what they said were the websites of other prominent foreign brands that included Taiwan on lists of countries before being abruptly changed last week. 

or follow us on Twitter?

Visit www.nwasianweekly.com.

WANT TO BE A PART OF OUR TEAM?

Northwest Asian Weekly is accepting applications for freelance writers. Should be interested in politics, business, education, health, arts and/or food articles.

Flexible hours. Send resume and writing samples to: Ruth Bayang at editor@nwasianweekly.com.

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JANUARY 20 – JANUARY 26, 2018 of the Asian Weekly page and texted it to her mom. This was not the photo we wanted to use initially. Somehow, my layout editor Han Bui misunderstood and ended up with the photo of Tran’s dad. What a good mistake! I have never seen Tran so happy.

Photo by Assunta Ng

Photos by Han Bui

BLOG from 10

Phuong Tran

On a Thursday afternoon, librarian assistant Phuong Tran, of the International District Library, smiled as if she had just won the lottery. She had just read my story on Vietnamese veterans. She pointed to the veteran photo we used in the story, “This is my dad. He passed away a few months ago.”

It touched her so much that she took a photo

asianweekly northwest

YOUR VOICE

Photos make me proud of the work the Asian Weekly does. Bui put photos of all 10 Seattle mayoral candidates on the front page last July. I didn’t ask her to. It takes lots of time to layout that many photos, just for one story on one page. But it

JAY FAI from 8 is often featured in foreign travel guides but is mostly shunned by Thais for its high prices of what is generally considered cheap local food.

But a closer examination of the 72-year-old chef’s dishes reveals an abundance of fresh seafood and prime ingredients.

“The No. 1 thing with Jay Fai is people say it’s too expensive,” said Oliver Irvine, editor of the Englishlanguage weekly BK Magazine, which regularly critiques Bangkok’s food scene. “This is an old classic hole-in-the wall place which charges 800-1,000 baht ($24-31) for its famous crab omelet, which is nowhere near street-food prices. But when you cut that thing open, it’s literally bursting with the freshest crab in the whole city.”

Jay Fai is the only restaurant in the Bangkok guide listed under the “street food” classification to receive a star.

“Jay Fai is a place that both taxi drivers and foodies wax lyrical about and it’s easy to see why,” the Michelin guidebook says of the restaurant.

Bangkok is renowned for its street food, with cartwielding vendors selling everything from Thailand’s signature noodles to spicy tom yum goong soup.

The stalls, with their metal folding tables and rickety plastic stools, serve as a gastronomic go-to for budgetconscious locals and adventurous tourists alike.

In recent months, however, officials in the militaryruled country who see street food as an illegal nuisance have warned hawkers to clear out of some of the city’s neighborhoods.

While Jay Fai is one of 14 Bangkok restaurants to receive a single star, none got three stars, the highest Michelin honor. Three were awarded two stars — the Indian restaurant Gaggan, French venue Le Normandie and European establishment Mezzaluna.

Following the lead of several other Asian nations, Thailand’s government earmarked $4.1 million last year to commission five years of Michelin Guides dedicated to the country.

Michelin says the Bangkok guide was “solely, independently and anonymously” produced by its team of critics.

Jay Fai said she was happy about receiving the Michelin honor, but questioned why it came so late in her career.

“I’ve been cooking for 30 to 40 years, so I don’t know why I’ve only just got it,” she said. “I’m happy that they’re starting to recognize Thailand and Thai chefs.”

“I hope more Thai people will win the award next year, and they don’t just give it to Jay Fai again,” she said as she expertly flipped and tossed vegetables in a flaming wok.

Since receiving the accolade, Jay Fai’s once relatively quiet restaurant has been busier than ever. Her shop is open from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m., but many people start queueing up well before opening time. By afternoon on most days, a “full house” sign is hung up, indicating that no further customers can be accommodated.

After waiting in line for over two hours, David Goldman, a tourist from Los Angeles, left the restaurant satisfied.

“The food was really fresh. It was probably the best Thai food I’ve ever had,” Goldman said. “The only advice I have for anyone coming here is bring a book” given the long wait, he added. 

served everyone well at an API mayoral candidates’ forum. Everyone was confused about who was running for mayor. With the photos, the audience matched the faces of the candidates to the photos of the Asian Weekly. A few candidates thanked us for printing their photos.

By now, you know how much hard work we put into each issue. There is no shortcut for putting out a great edition each week.

15

A million thoughts and ideas are threaded together in the stories, long or short.

One reader asked me after reading the front page, “How do you keep up with all these stories?” Teamwork. Brainwork.

Passion. Our love for the community. On Tuesday and Wednesday before we go into production, every element seems to blend together, evolving every minute into something magical, as if we are guided by a supernatural power.

Every one of us has contributed her heart and soul in the issue. How we pursue and receive every story, every photo, every quote, every line… has always been a miracle. Whatever it takes...even after 36 years.

Yes, Jan. 20 will be our 36th anniversary.  Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.

POLICE from 1

the C-ID will be under the same precinct,” said International Community Health Services (ICHS) CEO Teresita Batayola.

“Our neighborhood has experienced public safety challenges, including an active shooter a couple of weeks ago.

While this action does not ever cover our loss of Donnie Chin, at least we now know our go-to precinct.”

Batayola had expressed concern in the past that the neighborhood “falls through the cracks in terms of timely and effective police coverage and response.”

Currently, the precinct boundary follows I-5, which runs through the middle of the C-ID, and divides it into two separate police districts — Chinatown on the west side of the freeway and Little Saigon on the east side.

“The physical barrier [of I-5] does not represent the community barriers,” said Best. She said this precinct has been a community wish for at least a decade and she credits the Public Safety Task Force for making it happen, as well as support from the city and mayor.

“We really listened and we made the commitment that we were going to follow through with as many of those recommendations [from the Public Safety Task Force] as possible.”

Best described the list as “daunting.”

“We had to restructure our maps, our dispatching, account for different equipment and additional people, but we’ve done it because it was really important to the community.”

Three more officers will join the West Precinct by the end of February. Salimah Karmali of SPD Public Affairs said, “We do intend to have an Asian officer.” The officers will respond to 911 calls, do proactive patrols, and build relationships with businesses and residents.

“This will allow us to be more effective crime fighters and really show that we are a part of the community, and not apart from it,” said Best.

In regards to the Donnie Chin case, Best said the investigation is ongoing and that police are looking for people to come forward with information. She is preparing a full briefing to present to Mayor Jenny Durkan and her staff “in the near future.”

A tour of the new precinct boundaries with Durkan and Best was scheduled for the evening of Jan. 17.  Ruth can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.

PUBLIC SAFETY INFORMATION Public Safety Meeting Every third Tuesday of each month at 3 p.m. at various locations around the C-ID. If you are interested in attending, please contact Sonny Nguyen for the location.

Public Safety Coordinator: Sonny Nguyen (206) 838-8718 sonnyn@seattlechinatownid.com C-ID Neighborhood Block Watch Meet at Bush Hotel, Hing Hay Park Entrance on Tuesdays, 5:30–6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Bill Lee at (206) 331-9849.

asianweekly northwest

16

36 YEARS

JANUARY 20 – JANUARY 26, 2018 NAGASU from 6

Photo by Robin Ritoss

In 2014, Nagasu broke out of a slump and finished third at nationals behind Gracie Gold and Polina Edmunds, then was unceremoniously dumped by a U.S. Figure Skating committee commissioned to select the team for Sochi. Ashley Wagner, with a stronger all-around resume, was chosen instead.

Nagasu was crushed.

“I wanted to be done with skating,” she said. “Did I agree with the decision? I believe I belonged on the team. But it wasn’t my decision.”

As she looks back now, she recognizes why Wagner went and she stayed home.

“I felt so disappointed in myself and I had so much regret,” Nagasu said. “I did finish in third place, but I was a little bit careless over the season, and I didn’t put out the body of work that I needed.”

Her body of work wasn’t much better the past few years. Nagasu slipped as low as 10th at nationals in 2015, and her best performances came at Four Continents, a solid event but not a major.

She joined Tom Zakrajsek’s impressive stable of skaters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and re-examined everything, on and off the ice. And she set a goal.

“I put a lot of that responsibility on myself, and I didn’t want to feel that same way this year,” Nagasu said. “I took on the full responsibility

Mirai Nagasu at the 2017 NHK Trophy

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of becoming a stronger competitor and person, and I wasn’t going to let a decision that wasn’t mine keep me from my dreams.

“I decided I was going to build a resume that they couldn’t say no to.”

Yet Nagasu entered the U.S. championships — yes, the quasi-Olympic trials because a committee would have final say once more — as something of a long shot to wind up in Pyeongchang. Wagner was back, with by far the strongest international reputation and results. Karen Chen had burst onto the scene and won the 2017 title. Edmunds was in the field. Bradie Tennell, also an outsider, had risen in the evaluations after a strong Skate America.

Then Nagasu lit up the ice in San Jose, California. No, she didn’t land her triple axel — no other U.S. woman even tries it — and she finished second to Tennell, who hit pretty much every jump, spin and footwork display.

But Nagasu was the story.

“That’s a great story for me because most people have a hardship in their life and they blame and they point fingers, and they say I was screwed over,” Zakrajsek said. “Mirai could have said that, right? And she could have been bitter. I’ve never heard her say that.

And to hear that maturity in her — even in this moment she’s just owning it.”

Nagasu owned it by remaining in the present.

“I was getting a little choked up when she

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In addition to saving money, employers have seen reductions in employee

was talking, because we maybe spent all of five minutes talking about the decision from Sochi where she was left off the team in the four-plus years I’ve been coaching her,” Zakrajsek added. “I wasn’t interested in living the past with her; it was always about moving forward.”

Now, a decade after winning her only U.S. title at age 14, Nagasu again is an Olympian.

The fear of failure, the attack of nerves that plagued her — she admits she feels the pressure every time she competes — have been turned into a positive energy.

And those tears of frustration, even anger, turned into tears of joy last earlier this month.

“I think as a skater I started out really strongly,” Nagasu said as she looked back on the prosperous and the lean years, “and as I have grown in the public eye I have had my rough seasons that most people don’t get as much attention for.

“I think being in the public eye has made me more determined than other people to show that I do belong at the top, and I believe I am one of the hardest working people at the rink. I feel like I have always been that way, but sometimes I just get in my own way.”

Not this time.

“I think it is like getting into university,” she concluded. “If you don’t get in, what are you going to do? You keep applying until you make it happen.” 

absenteeism, staff turnover, employee stress, and an increase in productivity.  Saeju Jeong is the CEO and co-founder of Noom — a leader in mobile health coaching that combines technology with the empathy of real human coaches to deliver successful behavior change at scale.

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“Corinne Magin and Maile Wong perform as twins M and L, with such timing and sinister grace,” elaborates Bednarz about her castmates. “Jonathan Keyes is an effortlessly cool and earnestly cliche BF, and it’s been such a pleasure getting to know him.”

Chris Quilici is an idyllic D — the problematic white boy, and the audience gets trapped into feeling for his character.

“The particular energy of our ensemble is calm and collected, with a clear goal of wanting to watch everyone kill it on stage.”

Porkalob, who acts as well as directs, muses that being one of the first companies to do a new play has its advantages artistically.

“That’s the wonderful thing about a play, especially a new play,” she enthused. “The director and production team have the privilege of choosing what the tone of the play is and how that plays out in aesthetic and storytelling approach. ‘Peerless’ is marketed as a dark comedy i.e. it’s really funny...until someone dies.”

“The most challenging thing about this is knowing that some people may

be offended with the subject material, depending on the theater’s established audience demographic. This play deftly examines the intersection of race, gender, class, age, and how that factors into power, control, and ambition.”

Bednarz explains the tone of the new play as “encrypted satire.” The drama and the comedy often seem in-your-face, but Jihae tricks the audience, allowing the characters to speak truths so directly that the audience’s first instinct is disbelief.

But, Bednarz counseled, the deeper, darker messages will sink in, to those attending intently, seriously.

“A great listener will love this play,” she concluded.  “Peerless” plays from Jan. 18 through Feb. 11 at ArtsWest, 4711 California Avenue South West, Seattle. For prices, showtimes, and other information, visit artswest.org/2017-18-i-am-season.

Andrew can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.