International Examiner September 3, 2014

CELEBRATING 40 YEARSThe country’s premier nonprofit pan-Asian newspaper First and third Wednesdays each month.

FREE EST. 1974 —SEATTLE VOLUME 41, NUMBER 17 — SEPTEMBER 3, 2014 – SEPTEMBER 16, 2014THE NEWSPAPER OF NORTHWEST ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN COMMUNITIES. FIND YOUR INSPIRASIAN.

Actor Hiroshi Kashiwagi still going strong Page 11

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014 UNION STATION PLAZA 6PM-MIDNIGHT

FUKUSHIMA VOICES REVERBERATE AS HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

2 — September 3, 2014 – September 16, 2014 INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

IE OPINION

IESTAFF

Established in 1974, the International Examiner is the only non-profit pan-Asian American media organization in the country. Named after the International District in Seattle, the “IE” strives to create awareness within and for our APA communities. 622 South Washington Street, Seattle, WA 98104. (206) 624-3925. [email protected].

IE BOARD OF DIRECTORSGary Iwamoto, Vice President

Arlene OkiAndy Yip

Jacqueline WuSteve Kipp

ADVISORRon Chew

ADVERTISING MANAGERKathy Ho

[email protected]

BUSINESS MANAGEREllen Suzuki

[email protected]

EDITOR IN CHIEFTravis Quezon

[email protected]

ARTS EDITORAlan Chong Lau

[email protected]

CREATIVE DIRECTORRyan [email protected]

VIDEOGRAPHERTuyen Kim Than

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTChris Paredes

PROOFREADERAnna Carriveau

CONTRIBUTORSChristina Twu J. Glenn Evans

Tony Vo Shin Yu Pai

Roxanne Ray Tamiko Nimura Yayoi L. Winfrey

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The article, “Community groups, nonprofits key in bridging the digital divide,” in the August 20, 2014 issue stated that in the Comcast Internet Essentials program, a “computer is given to enrolled families for $149.99.” It is more accurate to say that a computer can be purchased by enrolled families for $149.99. The correction has been made in the online version of the article.

In the article, “Protest at The Mikado, where yellowface is trendy,” in the August 6, 2014 issue, the photo of Asian Pacific Islander community members and allies holding signs in protest of The Mikado was incorrectly attributed to Tuyen Kim Than. The photo should have been attributed to Ryan Catabay.

In the article, “All eyes on UW: Southeast Asian recruiter position reinstated,” in the August 6, 2014 issue, a photo on page 9 was incorrectly attributed to Jillian Redosendo. The photo should have been attributed to Angelo Salgado.

The International Examiner regrets the errors.

Corrections

‘Whistling in the dark’: Words from a cultural ambassadorBy Alan Chong Lau

IE Arts Editor

The following is an acceptance speech by Alan Chong Lau upon receiving the 2014 Mayor’s Arts Award for “cultural ambassador” presented at Seattle Center on Friday, August 29:

When I first heard about this award, I had visions of a blue sash being draped across my body and how I’d travel to cities and towns along the West Coast representing Seattle, but I guess it doesn’t work quite like that.

But seriously, most of you are probably familiar with the American poet William Carlos Williams and what he said of poetry: “It is difficult to get the news from poems, yet people die miserably every day for lack of what is found there.”

I feel the same way about the arts.Arts, like poetry, quenches an incurable thirst, serves as a veritable nourishment for

the soul of the community-at-large, if you will. It’s true the artist is a participating member of the community and has a role to

contribute.But the artist is also a bit of a subversive, too. We don’t always give you what you

want but we try and give you what you need. Or as James Baldwin so beautifully put it: “Most of us, no matter what we say, are

walking in the dark, whistling in the dark. Nobody knows what is going to happen from one moment to the next, or how one will bear it. Now it’s true that the nature of society is to create among its citizens, an illusion of safety; but it is also absolutely true that safety is always necessarily an illusion. Artists are here to disturb the peace.”

We all do what we can but no one can do much without the help of many. Thanks to all who nominated me. My congratulations to my fellow nominees.

Let’s keep walking and whistling in the dark together, shall we?

2014 Cultural Ambassador Alan Chong Lau, center, sits among other Mayor’s Arts Award winners on stage at Seattle Center on August 29, 2014. • Photo by Travis Quezon

From left to right, costume designer Michelle Kumata, cultural ambassador Alan Chong Lau, his wife artist and historian Kazuko Nakane, and Ethelyn Abellanosa. • Courtesy Photo

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER September 3, 2014 – September 16, 2014 — 3

IE NEWS

Puget Sound Clean Air Agency to conduct near-road pollution study

IE News Services

Data gathered from a new air quality monitoring site in Seattle’s International District may help residents better understand the effects of air pollution from the I-5 freeway that runs through the neighborhood.

The Washington Department of Ecology recently placed an air quality monitoring site at 10th Avenue and S. Weller Street (right off of I-5). The site was specifically placed to monitor pollution from cars and trucks off of the I-5 freeway, and has a number of monitoring instruments which comply with EPA standards.

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency monitors air quality at these stationary sites and will be conducting a study in the International District from August to September. The agency is a special-purpose, regional government agency chartered by state law in 1967.

“It’s really a short-term study for us to test new technology in a slightly new, more mobile format,” said Tania Tam Park, Environmental Justice Coordinator with Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.

The agency will be conducting a study of near-road pollution levels in the International District and Atlantic Neighborhood, centered on the monitoring site at 10th and Weller. A series of monitoring devices will measure how

pollution levels change with the distance traveled from the stationary site and the road. The agency plans to use utility poles to mount their instruments, and will also drive around for some periods to gather additional information between the poles.

Specifically, the agency will be looking at pollutants that are chemical “fingerprints” of car and truck pollution. Two are gases: carbon monoxide (CO) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). And, the third is a type of fine particles, called black carbon. Special portable monitors will be placed at various locations.

This the is first time the agency will be using these specific types of monitoring instruments, so this is very much a pilot study where they will assess if these small (and cheaper) monitoring instruments work in an environment near heavy car and truck traffic, Park said.

The agency plans to share the results of the monitoring with community. The study could lead to additional air quality characterization in the area, community engagement, and possible identification of emissions and exposure reduction in the future.

“These potential future actions would need the input and support of local community members in order to be successful,” the agency said in a statement.

Announcements

IE News Services

The Youth Tutoring Program (YTP), a part of Catholic Community Services, serves students in grades 1 to 12 who live in six public housing communities throughout Seattle. Most students in the program are behind their grade level and need extra support to succeed in school. YTP tutors build up a relationship with students to help them succeed academically and personally.

Volunteers help students develop stronger reading and math skills, and provide homework assistance.

“If you have a desire to serve in a meaningful volunteer position where the impact is immediate and visible, consider joining us as a tutor,” YTP said in a statement.

Tutoring starts on September 15 and runs all school year.

With a few exceptions, the centers are open Monday to Thursday for three sessions each:

• 4:20 p.m. to 5:20 p.m.• 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.• 6:40 p.m. to 7:40 p.m.Program Locations:• High Point (West Seattle)• Jackson Park (Lake City)• Lake Washington Apartments

(Rainier Beach)• New Holly (South Beacon Hill)• Rainier Vista (Rainier Valley/

Columbia City)• Yesler Terrace (Central Area)

For more information, visit http://www.ccsww.org/ytp and click on “Learn More About Volunteering.” For questions, contact the Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected] or 206-328-5659.

Volunteer tutors wanted to help close

achievement gap

Former Medina police chief Jeffrey Chen loses retrial, city claimed no racial discrimination

IE News Services

On August 21, a jury found in favor of the City of Medina in the retrial of a discrimination lawsuit filed by former Medina police chief Jeffrey Chen.

In April 2011, Chen filed a lawsuit against the city and City Manager Donna Hanson on the basis of racial discrimination after a controversial resignation that later became an administrative leave order before resulting in his full dismissal.

In March 2013, Chen was awarded $2 million in damages for his dismissal.

However, in August 2013, a federal judge vacated the jury’s verdict, concluding that Chen’s lawyer, Marianne Jones, had improperly influenced the members of the jury in seeing Chen as a victim of racial discrimination.

At the retrial, the city claimed Chen lied about his allegations. Jones claimed Hanson intended to ruin him. Jones did not comment on whether Chen would appeal.

EDI Inclusion Fusion a night of food and

fundraisingIE News Services

For 20 years, the Executive Development Institute (EDI) has been helping multicultural leaders reach higher positions of influence across the public and private sectors. EDI partners with more than 50 Northwest corporations to provide businesses relevant leadership programs to Asians and Hispanic people.

On Friday, September 5, EDI is hosting Inclusion Fusion, an annual dinner and auction centered on food and fundraising. The event happens at Foundry, 4130 1st Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98134 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Casual and festive summer attire is recommended.

The night will feature appetizers and cuisine by Savuthy Dy, Executive Chef of Rione XIII; Toby Kim, Chef Instruction & Private Chef; and Herban Feast Catering.

Dr. Sandra Madrid will emcee. Entertainment includes EntreMundos Quarteto.

Other festivities include a live and silent auction, games, a “Golden Raffle” (for a chance to win the live auction item of your choice), a centerpiece auction, restaurant frenzy, the heads or tails game, a jewelry raffle, and Pot of Gold (one of the most unique items you’ll ever find at an auction, according to EDI).

For more information, visit edi.org or visit the event page at http://goo.gl/wYb05Z.

Please share your concerns, your solutions, and your voices. Send a letter to the editor to [email protected] with the subject line “Letter to the Editor.”

YOUR OPINION COUNTS


IE NEWS

City seeks immigrants, refugees for Utility Discount ProgramIE News Services

Throughout September, Seattle City Light staff will be available at five Farmers Markets to help sign up low-income residents for the Utility Discount Program (UDP). This effort is part of the city’s commitment to help make Seattle affordable for its working families, with a special emphasis on immigrant and refugee communities.

“Increasing enrollment in the Utility Discount Program is another critical step we are taking on the road to making Seattle affordable for everyone who wants to live here,” said Mayor Ed Murray in a statement.

Under the program, a family of four making $4,905 a month or less can receive up to a 60 percent discount from their City Light bill and up to a 50 percent discount on their water, sewer, and garbage bill.

“Immigrant and refugee residents deal with numerous language, cultural, and financial challenges on a regular basis,” said Cuc Vu, director of the Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs. “Keeping the power on and healthy food on their tables shouldn’t be among of them.”

City staff will aid with UDP enrollment and participation in the following Farmers Market locations and dates:

• University District, Saturdays, Sep-tember 6 and 20

• Broadway, Sundays, September 7 and 21• Ballard, Sundays, September 7 and 21• Columbia City, Wednesdays, Septem-

ber 10 and 24• Lake City, Thursdays, September 11

and 25The sign-up events are aimed at adding

new underserved populations to the

current 16,000 income-qualified families and individuals enrolled in UDP.

“Seattle City Light wants to ensure everyone who needs it can access the Utility Discount Program. One way to do that is to go out and speak to customers directly, make materials and information available in their languages, offer face-to-face communication,” said Kelly Enright, Seattle City Light Customer Care Director.

According to a recent city report, only an estimated 11 percent of foreign-born city residents are participating in the UDP. Focus groups conducted during

the development of the report found that language barriers present substantial obstacles to service. In order to address the language barriers, interpreters and translated materials will be available during the sign-up events.

Additionally, staff will be educating residents about Fresh Bucks at these events. Fresh Bucks doubles the purchasing power for low-income Seattle residents who use their federal food stamp benefits (called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at Farmers Markets. For every dollar spent at a Seattle farmers market, up to $10—SNAP shoppers receive an additional dollar to spend on fruits and vegetables.

The Fresh Bucks program is a collaborative effort by the City of Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment, the Washington State Farmers Market Association, and Seattle’s farmers markets to expand access to healthy food for low-income shoppers at farmers markets.

For information and eligibility requirements, visit http://murray.seattle.gov/udp.

On August 13, Mayor Ed Murray discussed the city’s efforts to promote affordability by increasing enrollment in the Utility Discount Program. • Photo by City of Seattle


IE COMMUNITY

For ICHS dental director Ji Choi, piano and dentistry

are twin passions

ICHS dental director Ji Choi. • Courtesy Photo

By Ron ChewIE Contributor

Ji Choi works as dental director at International Community Health Services (ICHS), the largest non-profit Asian Pacific American health care provider in the Pacific Northwest. With the opening of the new ICHS medical-dental clinic in Shoreline in September, he’ll move from the flagship International District clinic to a new 40,000 sq. ft. facility at 16549 Aurora Ave. N.

He’ll have his hands full, managing a rapidly expanding dental program at ICHS. With the rebound in the economy during the past two years and the restoration of Medicaid coverage for adult dental patients under the Affordable Care Act, ICHS has ramped up its dental operation.

Count ‘em. In less than two years, ICHS dental capacity will have grown from 14 to 41 dental chairs. Renovation of the Holly Park clinic bumped the number of chairs from six to eight. The Seattle World School clinic has one chair. The new mobile dental clinic added two. The new Bellevue clinic opened in May with eight chairs. Just last month, the ID clinic expanded from eight to 12. And next month, the Shoreline clinic will open with 10 dental operatories.

This is welcomed news for the API community and the other diverse groups ICHS serves. Low-income minority and non-English-speaking populations have the highest levels of untreated decay and dental disease in the state.

“The need is great,” said ICHS CEO Teresita Batayola. “We see some pretty awful cases. A lot of toddlers with baby bottle tooth decay come to us with rotted teeth. At our Seattle World School clinic, we’ve treated immigrants who have had cavities in nearly every single tooth and severe gum disease.”

Choi doesn’t seem fazed by the responsibilities of a surging ICHS shop. Those who work with him describe him as unfailingly cheery and optimistic. By day, he uses his nimble, strong hands to work on ailing teeth and gums. By night, he uses those same hands to play soothing melodies on the piano to relax.

“It brings out so many emotions,” Choi said.

Choi is most passionate about the music of Chopin and the European Romantic era. His favorite compositions are Fantaiisie Impromptu and the Nocturnes. He

makes a connection between his love of music and his love of dentistry.

“The manual dexterity you acquire from piano playing definitely helps in being a dentist,” he said. “There are three parts to dentistry. The first part is scientific—it’s medicine. The second part is artistic—it involves beauty, molding and shaping in a way that’s aesthetically pleasing. The third part is the business side.”

Serving as ICHS dental director has been quite a step up for Choi, who immigrated with his family as a 10-year-old from Seoul, Korea. He grew up in Richland, Washington.

His first encounter with ICHS was in the early 1990s, when, as a high school student, he came to Seattle to volunteer.

“I worked as an interpreter for Korean patients and helped organize pamphlets,” Choi said. “Back then, ICHS was known as the ID clinic. It was located in a tiny building on Maynard Avenue. That experience always stuck with me and that’s why I returned years later.”

Regardless of how his busy day goes, Choi comes home to the relaxing comfort of a waiting piano and his family. “Though I may not have the keyboard time I desire, I take much pleasure in listening to my children play,” Choi said. “The beautiful notes written so long ago interpreted in their hands remind me once again that music and science continues to grow and evolve from one generation to another, paving the way for enjoyment and benefit of many.”

Disclosure: Ron Chew is International Examiner board advisor and the director of the ICHS Foundation.

Read more on Ji Choi at iexaminer.org.

Travis QuezonIE Editor in Chief

The Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA) is back with the second night market of the summer on Saturday, September 13 from 6:00 p.m. to midnight. The Night Market & Moon Festival will be at Union Station Plaza and 5th Avenue South. Admission is free.

The success of the Dragon Fest and Night Market in July has been reassuring to the folks at CIDBIA, who expect the Night Market and Moon Festival to be even bigger.

“This is our second night market this summer—the first was at Dragon Fest and had over 10,000 people,” said CIDBIA executive director Don Blakeney. “We expect quite a few more on the 13th of September as we will have more food vendors, and more craft vendors, and will be activating Union Station Plaza, Seattle’s biggest transit hub.”

The upcoming Night Market will feature over 40 food trucks and vendors, an international market place, a B-Boy competition, an all-ages dance party, and the Kirin Ichiban Japanese Beer Garden.

A scene from last year’s festivities. The 2014 Night Market & Autumn Moon Festival comes to the International District on September 13. • Courtesy Photo

“We stumbled into the dance party portion by accident last year,” Blakeney said. “All of us at the CIDBIA like a good dance party. Heck, we have a disco ball in our office. So as a part of our collaboration with C-89.5 FM, we asked Richard J. Dalton if he would spin at Dragon Fest last summer. It was a complete blast, and we asked him back to Night Market last September and he hit it out of the park. With the success of the dance party portion at this summer’s Dragon Fest, we think it’s a fun component that makes Seattle’s Night Market unique.”

The festival kicks off with a break dance competition by Outshine Productions. The outdoor dance party will be led by DJ Fish Boogie and C89.5’s DJ Richard J. Dalton at the turntables.

“People travel to Vancouver just to experience the Richmond night market,” Blakeney said. “Seatteites are hungry for street food, and for night markets.”

The Night Market & Moon Festival takes place Saturday, September 13 from 6:00 p.m. to midnight.For more information, visit http://nightmarketseattle.squarespace.com.

Second Night Market of the summer brings food, dancing


By Christina TwuIE Contributor

There’s nothing like the 20s in a 21st Century metropolis, according to Richard Chiem in his first and only novel so far, You Private Person (YPP). The Seattle-based author gives readers a semi-autobiographical account of this with a sympathetic male perspective through strong, but inscrutable female characters.

The effect is just as sad as it is funny—perhaps a little sadder, with bottom lines like this from a story Chiem names “love in the club”: “Love feels like a thing people eventually learn to live without like tonsils or god.”

YPP is also pulled together by the common threads of resilience and survival after falls—many of them self-inflicted—as well as the need for having a public space for private thoughts. It gives voice to a shyness, an unheard-ness that needs the right amplifier. Chiem’s conscientious observation and ability to see strength where others might dismiss it makes him the right amplifier for this. And he does it with a tickled, 20-something forlornness—adding great text dialogue to boot.

It makes sense, considering Chiem was an early participant in the “Alt Lit” community—a group of social media-based literary collaborators. He grew up mostly in Southern California in a Vietnamese American home. While studying at University of California, San Diego, Chiem was on track to go to law school, but by 2008, was so taken by the creative writing process in some of the classes he was taking, that he ended up dropping out of school for a year to work on YPP while supporting himself as a movie theater attendant. (The other less romantic reason for dropping out was that he didn’t want to be saddled with more college debt).

Now Chiem has made a name for himself in the Seattle literary community and works with the group Authors, Publishers and Readers of Independent Literature (APRIL), which his fianceé and writer Frances Dinger co-founded.

Chiem shares more in a recent interview with the International Examiner:

International Examiner: The epigraph in your book is a quote from poet Eileen Myles: “The first fiction is your name.” To what extent is your character “Richard” a lie and to what extent is he the truth?

Richard Chiem: One of my favorite writers—his name is Dennis Cooper—he inserts like a “Dennis” character in the story. And you can almost assume it’s very much him, but because it’s still under the protection and the guise of “this is fiction.” ... The reader may do a double take where they ask that question, “Is this the author?” But because of that

IE ARTS

Richard Chiem: A Vietnamese American voice for 20-somethings

double take, I think, a new narrative like exists where you can surprise and create a lot more suspense … and therefore the reader asks more questions. I think when the reader asks a lot of questions, it’s always good for a compelling story.

IE: You empathize well with female characters in YPP. Why is this and what’s behind it?

Chiem: For me it was about giving particular characters a voice, even though they don’t really say much. It’s about having their lives lived. I don’t know if that really describes it, though. I guess I’m more interested in female characters than male, and I think, you know, there are plenty of novels and short stories about dudes. ... They take center stage many times. I’m not trying to take stuff down ... I’m just tired of what’s out there. I want to bring more to the fold. Especially as a male writer, I think it’s just something we need to do.

IE: How has your family and background influenced your work?

Chiem: I think class kind of influenced it more than anything else. We grew up very poor, but very proud of heritage and tradition, which I think is a great mix because I notice in all of my siblings that we’re all strong in our individual ways. We definitely all show our intellect and courage in these different fields. And I think that was just the result of ... very strict parents, very little income coming into the household, and a combination of figuring out how do you find the way? How do you find how to be a person?

IE: In your acknowledgments, you thanked your family, and then you thanked your dad separately. Can you maybe talk about your relationship with your dad?

Chiem: Sure. I love my father. He’s an incredible man. ... When I was very young, he was just this person to me that worked like 14-hour days and came home. Didn’t drink or anything like

that. He was just a very serious man. And then when my parents went through a divorce, I got to know my dad a lot more. ... I kind of saw his human side. Because he was going through a lot of personal turmoil and a lot of strife, I saw him kind of open up a lot more. And in that time period, pretty much when I was in high school, he gave me a lot of support. Kind of helped me find my way with just everything: Becoming a man, and what does that mean? Becoming a person.

I think I singled him out because ... I think he still believes he’s like a foreigner. ... And I always found tremendous sadness in that. Because he knows his kids are American. He knows that ... we’re estranged from him because of the fact that he doesn’t believe that he’s from here. He talks about Vietnam a lot, where it’s like reminiscent, it’s romantic. It’s someplace he wants to be, but he knows he won’t ever be there.

And I think I dedicated [YPP] to my father because I admire his strength. But despite all that and his longing, he’s still here to support basically all of us and be a great father figure.

This interview was edited by the author for clarity and length.

Author Richard Chiem. • Photo by Frances Dinger


IE COMMUNITY

By Chris LeggettIE Contributor

For centuries, New Zealand Māori have employed a traditional cooking style known as ‘hāngi.’ It’s an unorthodox method of cooking large feasts, where meat and vegetables are cooked over several hours in a pit dug into the ground. The age-old tradition remains popular among Māori communities in New Zealand today.

As a 32-year-old expat who lived in New Zealand for most of my life, it surprised me to learn that the first hāngi I’d ever attend would, in fact, take place in Seattle. For roughly 20 years now, the New Zealanders of Seattle group has held an annual hāngi that has been known to draw in close to 200 expat Kiwis and their families.

Rachel Jacobsen started the New Zealanders of Seattle some 35 years ago along with her husband and friends Clint and Diana Staf.

“In those days—this was 1979—we put an ad in the paper and it said, ‘Kiwis, Waitangi Day info,” says Jacobsen. The intention of the advertisement was to bring together any Seattle-based expat New Zealanders to celebrate Waitangi Day: a New Zealand national holiday that commemorates the signing of New Zealand’s founding treaty on February 6, 1840.

“First of all, the Seattle Times wants to know what Waitangi is—they wanted to make sure it wasn’t pornographic,” laughs Jacobsen. “And then we got calls from people looking for the ‘kye-wyes,’ so we knew they weren’t legit.”

However, several people turned up to that very first New Zealanders of Seattle pub meet-up, some of whom remain active members of the group to this day.

“Most people knew one other kiwi [in Seattle], but they didn’t know a lot,” Jacobsen says. “So we got together a lot and we started having summer picnics, and eventually the summer picnics became a hāngi.”

Jacobsen can’t quite remember when the first annual hāngi took place, but estimates that it was around 20 years ago. It’s held each year at Maltby’s Hole in the Sky: property formerly owned by friends of the Stafs, aforementioned co-founders of the New Zealanders of Seattle group. Today, the property is owned by

Snohomish County, which continues to permit the New Zealand group to host its annual hāngi on the land.

In charge of preparing this year’s hāngi on July 19 was group member Matthew Stannard, who has taken the reins from another group member who’s since moved from the region.

“It’s tricky when you’re getting instructions on the phone from the guy who used to do it,” Stannard jokes about the process of learning how to coordinate the hāngi. Preparation of the pit has become his responsibility for the last five-odd years. “It kind of is easy, but if anything goes wrong, there’s no back-up system. It’s sort of a one-shot deal.”

The night before the event, volunteers dug a 2-foot-deep pit at Hole in the Sky. Early in the morning of the hāngi itself, more volunteers turn up to heat rocks and prepare the food. Volcanic rocks are required to cook the hāngi, and the New Zealanders of Seattle group has used the same rocks since the very first feast. These rocks are burned for 2.5 hours before they’re placed at the bottom of the pit. According to Stannard, there’s a secret, perhaps not-so-traditional method to ensure that his hāngi’s heat is maintained. “There’s some really big pieces of rebar [reinforcing bar] that get red hot.”

Once the coals are in place, baskets of food are layered on top before the pit is covered up and everything is left to cook for roughly three hours underground. Approximately $1,000 of food is prepared in the morning of the feast, including “lamb, chicken, pork, a ton of root vegetables – every root vegetable you can

think of—a little cabbage, some onion and carrots,” Stannard says. The food is wrapped in tinfoil, the baskets topped off with ferns, and it’s all placed into pit. Attendees are also encouraged to bring a salad or a dessert to share. Pavlova, a meringue-like dessert common in New Zealand and Australia, is a popular inclusion.

New Zealanders of Seattle congregate for 20-year tradition of hāngiJacobsen says she feared beforehand

that the threat of rain may affect the numbers at this year’s hāngi, which was down on previous years with a still-respectable attendance of roughly 100. The hāngi event has a definitive family-oriented, picnic vibe; attendees show up a couple hours before the food is dug up and served, spending that time socializing, playing backyard cricket, and playing in a rowboat on a small pond nearby.

After attendees have eaten, there are a number of activities for the kids: a three-legged race; an egg-and-spoon race; and a lolly (candy) scramble. For the bigger kids? A tug-of-war competition between contestants representing New Zealand’s North Island and South Island. Unfortunately, I had to leave before it took place, but I’m told that the South Island team took the win this year.

Are you a Seattle-based expat New Zealander? For more information on the New Zealanders of Seattle group, visit https://www.facebook.com/NZdersofSe-attle.

Keep up with the latest news, announcements, and info by following the International Examiner on Twitter @iexaminer. Also catch editor Travis Quezon on Twitter @TravisQuezon. And be sure to stop by our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/internationalexaminer.

CATCH THE IE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Models rehearse on the runway for Fashion Fête: Marketplace and Runway Show on August 17, 2014. Anne Namba, Gei Chan, Bo Choi, Linda Horshide, Sandylew, Momo, Mieko Mintz, and Huntress & Haute showcased the latest art and styles. Over 60 guests showed up for the day of fashion, food, and fun to benefit Nikkei Concerns, which has provided health and related services in a traditional atmosphere to primarily elderly Nikkei (Japanese) in the Pacific Northwest for over 35 years. • Photo by Travis Quezon

The New Zealand flag hangs high. About 100 gathered for New Zealanders of Seattle’s annual hangi at Maltby’s Hole in the Sky on July 19. • Photo by Jennifer Leggett


IE ARTS

By J. Glenn EvansIE Contributor

The existence of nuclear weapons and the increasing industrial use of nuclear power present mankind with the threat of massive destruction, not only of the natural environment but of man himself. The bilingual publication of Reverberations from Fukushima: 50 Japanese Poets Speak Out, edited by Leah Stenson and Asao Sarukawa Aroldi, brings us the voices of those poets who foresaw the catastrophes inherent in nuclear power and those who saw the mistakes of history repeated in Fukushima. This publication revisits that tragedy and can be viewed as a warning to the American people of the dangers of nuclear power.

It is the poets of Japan who use language and the power of imagination to restore a sense of reality to the cataclysmic events of March 11, 2011 when a major earthquake and tsunami hit Japan’s east coast unleashing the horror and ongoing tragedy of Fukushima. As happens so often, Fukushima has since dropped off the radar of the American people because the political debate has disappeared from the mass media and its impact is considered minimal for new nuclear power installations.

This anthology is a record of the human spirit speaking out for what is good and what is being lost as a result of the vanity and deception of government and business leaders. It is the poet who humanizes our world by putting a human face to the events that destroy people and Nature. The poets in this critical and remarkable anthology are in the company of poets, like Denise Levertov, whose activism acknowledged the ongoing paradox of human potential for good and for evil; the dream versus the reality.

There is a diversity of voices in this anthology that reflects on the displacement of nearly 150,000 people and the sorrows on the loss of home, family, animals, farms—what we hold dear. The style of writing is vernacular and direct, adhering to common speech, but more intense, briefer and accurate. The use of free verse as the form for these poems reveals their purpose: the content is serious; there is no confusion in the message to the reader’s mind and heart. Their straightforward style makes explanation of the poems unnecessary. The reader then responds to what is on the page and in the ear. This is plain-speaking poetry that everyman can read and respond to.

One is struck by the number of prophetic voices. Several of these poets are themselves contemporaries and/or survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. Hiroyoshi Komatsu uses Einstein’s anguished cry of Oh weh! (Expressive of pain or despair) when he received the news that The atomic bomb, Little Boy, was dropped on Hiroshima at 15 minutes and 17 seconds past 9:00 a.m. on August 6, Tinian Time. [51]

Fukushima voices reverberate as history repeats itself

The lead poem, “A Letter from the Shroud,” by Hisao Suzuki, is prophetic in its narrative about the whistle-blower on the cover-up of a 10-year-old crack in the Fukushima power plant. In just a few lines he bests the mass media types in reporting the lies and corruption in government and business. The poem ends in a lament for the future. [33]

Eiji Kuroha, in the poem, “If Man Snatches Fire,” warns man of his own extinction when one recalls the horrors of “Little Boy” on Hiroshima and “Fat Man” on Nagasaki, Chernobyl, Bikini, Three Mile Island, Kazakhstan, X, Y, and Z. [36-37]

Hiromi Mishou, also a survivor of World War II, is a physician as well as a poet, and in the poem, “What Should We Do?,” the physicians from Iraq ask how they can treat children with leukemia and children born with horrible congenital deformities as a result of the dumping of depleted uranium by U.S. forces. [49] This poem reminds us that modern warfare is aimed at the civilian population.

Other poets, though younger in age, also foresaw the dangers inherent in nuclear power, as in Kazunari Usuki’s “The Walls.” [35] Their poems, several of them published years prior to the March 2011 catastrophe, warn of escalating tragedy and sorrow and the implications of nuclear power for the future.

The late Teruyuki Honda used real time reports in “Fukushima” and line endings in a kind of repeated cadence: failed / stopped / occurred / exposed / damaged. [57-58]

Rira Mizuki’s “The Ten Million Dollar Night View” is haunting in lines on our intoxication of technology’s gifts. [70]

Reading these poems, one may well ask “When will man ever learn?” as do a number of the poets, like Masumi Tanizaki in “Transition of a Myth,” citing the madness of Chernobyl, Iraq, Bikini, but offering some consolation and hope. [53] Poems like those in this collection warn us of the reckless fascination with

technology that distorts human society. Tomomasa Sugimoto in “A Song for Tomorrow” urges us to abandon our overconfidence in this uncertain cage and instead embrace this earth we live on. [71]

Hatsuko Hara makes it personal when she considers her job at the Tokyo Electric Power Company and her decision to quit. [59-60] And Junko Kimura wants to see the pink petals of a cherry tree: Neither with radioactive snow, / nor with atomic rain, / but only with profusely falling petals. [83]

The shadow of death hangs heavy on everyone’s back from Koichi Omura’s poem reflects the anguish of the citizen who allows oneself to be deceived. [85] The poets in this anthology avoided the use of capital letters to scream their outrage but in the last stanza of “The Pollution of Our Ancestral Land,” Tsutomu Sakai does ask, What in the world / have you done? [63] Shizuka Kawana is another survivor of the atomic bombing of Japan in World War II. Kawana’s poem, “Like Tomatoes” is stark in its comparison of the burning of human flesh to that of tomatoes in the frying pan. [52]

The tragedy of Fukushima is ongoing and its effects will be manifested in the ill health of future generations. The effects on children and their families, including radiation in children, are a major concern of several poets in this anthology including Yasunari Kizuka, Shinsuke Kusaka, Hiromi Asayama, and Shinobu Komura. The poet, being the witness to these ongoing tragedies, speaks out for all of us, both living and those yet to be born.

Many of these poems are a cry for Nature. As long as Man has walked the earth, he has called on Nature to provide him with sustenance. Nature gives; we take; we destroy. It was Pope who wrote in his poem, “An Essay on Criticism,” First follow NATURE, and your Judgment frame / By her just Standard. We recognize that the mass media abrogates their responsibility in reporting the corruption of both government and business in the use of language to deceive,

to depersonalize, to reduce nature and people to commodities. More than ever, we must heed the voices of the Japanese poets who speak out against the use of nuclear power for war and for increasing industrialization.

This American edition includes a preface by editor Leah Stenson and additional commentary by co-editor, Asao Sarukawa Aroldi. Hisao Suzuki and Jotaro Wakamatsu, editors of the original and full-length anthology, Farewell to Nuclear, Welcome to Renewable Energy: A Collection of Poems by 218 Poets, published by Coal Sack Publishing Company in 2012, added their commentary to this anthology. Also included are thoughtful essays by David Krieger, president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation; Francesca Giovannini, nuclear policy expert and affiliate to the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University and to the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University.

When we consider the use of language in the post-modern age of technology with its sound bites, acronyms, text-speak, and corporate government-speak, the poetry in this anthology restores meaning to language, gives meaning to shared experiences and expands the human consciousness. The poets, as keen observers of humankind, are able to perceive our relationships with each other in the collective consciousness and with nature. These poets do not try for innovation in form or language but use language that asserts what is real in everyday life, in everyday things, what it is that we can feel and comprehend. The poets have made it clear to themselves and to their readers what is essential in questions of existence. Because the poems go beyond self-expression, this, I believe, makes them art.

Their poetry makes us stop to think and feel and moves us from the personal to the universal. If the welfare of people is the primary concern of a society, as written in any constitution or bill of rights, then we may well heed the warnings of those who have witnessed the wholesale destruction of their lands by nuclear war or by nuclear industrialization. The poets in this collection plea for a different vision of what a modern society should be. It is a world where everyone matters. The poets in Reverberations from Fukushima: 50 Japanese Poets Speak Out cry out for all of us to stop to think, to take heed and to protect Nature, thereby protecting Man. This book should be read by all who claim a spirit of humanity, those who want to see an end to nuclear weapons and nuclear power.

We all owe a huge note of thanks to the editors, Leah Stenson and Asao Sarukuwa Aroldi, and to Inkwater Press in Portland, Oregon and its marketing director, John Williams, for bringing this anthology to publication and to the attention of the public.

An aerial image of the four damaged reactor buildings at Fukushima in March 2011. • Photo by Digital Globe


IE NEWS

350 take part in Tule Lake Pilgrimage on ‘Criminalizing Dissent’IE News Services

The Tule Lake Committee held its 20th pilgrimage to the site of the Tule Lake Seg-regation Center this summer over the Fourth of July weekend. The pilgrimage is the bien-nial, four-day event to connect pilgrims with the historic Tule Lake Segregation Center and its turbulent and complicated history. There were over 350 participants who made the journey from across the United States and Japan.

Pilgrims traveled on buses departing from west coast cities: San Francisco, San Jose, Union City, Sacramento, Berkeley, Seattle, Olympia, Portland, and Eugene. The bus ride is an integral part of the pilgrimage, where pilgrims create a community that re-flects on the experience of those who were forced from their homes on the west coast in 1942, and imprisoned in 10 War Reloca-tion Authority camps and other detention facilities in remote areas located all over the United States, including Tule Lake.

The theme of this year’s pilgrimage was “Criminalizing Dissent: The Tule Lake Jail”—a focus on segregation and the 12,000 dissidents who were branded as “disloyal” and imprisoned at the max-imum-security Tule Lake Segregation Center. Dissent became a crime that led to a lifetime of stigma, a stigma that, to

this day, is still felt within the community, according to the Tule Lake Committee. The goal of the Tule Lake Pilgrimage is to lift that stigma, validate the experience of those who dissented, and create an en-vironment where understanding, accep-tance, and healing can take place.

Pilgrims were able to view documenta-ries including: Cats of Mirikitani, From a Silk Cocoon, Jimmy Murakami: Non Alien, and A Flicker in Eternity. Many participated in the Castle Rock hike; the oldest person to summit was 84 years old, a teenager when incarcerated at Tule Lake.

The Tule Lake Committee and the Na-tional Park Service worked together to offer pilgrimage participants two separate options for tours of the historic site. Tour buses staffed by the National Park Service rangers and vol-unteers visited a latrine foundation, jail, Cali-fornia State Historic Site marker, and Camp Tulelake where interpretive presentations were given. At the jail, pilgrims were greeted by Jimi Yamaichi, who spoke about the Army stockade and the jail’s construction. At Camp Tulelake, the Tanimoto brothers recalled their detention after their housing block protested the loyalty questionanaire. The other tour was collaboratively conducted by Cultural

Resource Manager Jessica Middleton and TLC’s Barbara Takei, and focused on his-toric use, significance, and potential future uses for the National Historical Landmark area and existing structures. This included the carpenter shop, stockade, and two mo-tor pool buildings.

At the invitation of the Tule Lake Com-mittee, members of the local community attended activities at the Tulelake-Butte Valley Fairgrounds and the Tule Lake Pil-grimage cultural program at the Ross Rag-land Theater in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

This year’s keynote speaker was Wayne Merrill Collins, son of the late Wayne Mor-timer Collins, who was recognized by Tule Lake’s segregants as a passionate defender of Japanese American civil rights. Collins spoke of the government’s forced removal and wartime incarceration program as the source of duress that led thousands of U.S. citizens to give up their citizenship, and of his father’s 20-year fight to help thousands of Japanese Americans reverse the damage done to them by this unprecedented dena-tionalization and deportation program.

The National Park Service described the 2014 Tule Lake Pilgrimage as a powerful and healing event that reflected on the in-justice of the wartime incarceration and honored individuals who suffered a life-time of humiliation and stigma.

Pilgrims descend Castle Rock during the 2014 Tule Lake Pilgrimage. • National Park Services Photo

With the aid of a translator, Seattle police ask the Chinatown/ID community to report instances of drugs and prositution in the neighborhood on August 26, 2014 at a Public Safety Rally and Open House at Hing Hay Park. Businesses and residents had a chance to weigh-in on how they hope to make their community safer. Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole was in attendance. • Photo by Travis Quezon


IE ARTS

By Shin Yu PaiIE Contributor

When championship-winning racecar driver Al Young first heard about The Power Big Meet on NPR a few years ago, he knew one day he would visit Sweden to attend the annual gathering of American vintage muscle car enthusiasts. “It was a ‘driveway moment.’ I had to go,” says Young.

From July 3 to 5, Young and his wife, Vicki, who are both retired schoolteachers from Seattle, attended and exhibited his “murdered out” 1973 Plymouth Roadrunner at The Power Big Meet in Vasteras, Sweden, where Young was awarded the prize for travel from the longest distance. Kjelle Gustafsson, the founder of the event, touted Young’s arrival in his newsletter and the local newspaper. Stockholm television also provided media coverage of Young’s arrival.

At the gathering, the former competitive racer was mobbed by showgoers. “It was non-stop visitors at the Bardahl booth for three days,” says Young. “They loved the look of the car and made a big deal that I was once a drag racing world champion.”

Over his 25-year career in racing, Young won the American Hot Rod Association’s World Finals three times and in 1981 took home the World Championship in the “Super Street” category. In 1976, Young initiated a partnership with Bardahl Manufacturing Company in Ballard, one of the largest petroleum additive companies in the world at the time. Bardahl’s enduring support of Young has continued throughout the decades, with the company putting its support behind Young’s recent European tour.

Young approached his old sponsor at the end of 2013, with a proposal to logo Bardahl on the rear quarter panel of his classic Plymouth Roadrunner and drive it throughout Europe promoting the Bardahl brand through 14 countries and over 8,000 miles. In addition, Young offered to stop at Bardahl’s many European Distributorships and display the car during the tour, as well as help them set up a display at The Power Big Meet, the largest classic car show in the world.

“Bardahl responded in the same fashion that they have in the past 38 years of my involvement with their company,” says Young. “With an enthusiastic ‘yes’—with no stipulations other than what I had offered.” The company put Young in touch with the managing director of Bardahl Europe, who arranged the car appearances at a dozen locations throughout Europe.

Bardahl Vice President Mary Davis says there was no question of Bardahl’s support: “We knew from experience that Al was the person for the job. Over the years, Al has proven to be a winner not only on the racetrack but in all aspects of his life.”

Young’s Roadrunner shipped out of Tacoma on May 3 and arrived in Rotterdam on June 16. Al and Vicki flew to Rotterdam

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on June 18 and traveled through the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Monaco, Spain, Portugal, and England. Along the road, they were stopped numerous times by police in Belgium, Austria, Spain, and France. But all the police wanted to do was look at the car’s engine and listen to the motor.

“With the exception of the Belgian police, they didn’t even want to see our passports,” says Young. “We had a great time talking with them.”

In Germany, Young drove the country’s legendary Autobahn. While he appreciated the experience as a competitive racer, driving as a road-tripper differed. “You have to give the road and the other cars 100 percent of your attention,” says Young. “People follow too close, drive too fast, and don’t leave much margin for error. Trucks go 75 mph in the slow lane, with cars up to 110 mph in the fast lane.” Despite the pressure, Young’s muscle car excelled. “My engine was at peak torque at 80 mph, and that torque curve doesn’t lay down until 110 mph. Which means the car pulls hard whenever you put the ‘hammer down.’”

Bardahl distributors originally thought Al planned on bringing his green 1970 Challenger race car, which is now in the permanent collections of the Museum of History and Industry. Though initially disappointed by the matte black Roadrunner, “when they saw the reception it was getting by the crowds of people swarming around, they realized how unique and cool it was and took full ownership and responsibility for its arrival and appearances,” Young says. Each distributor invited the press to cover the display of the car. “I signed a lot of autographs and gave away Al Young Racing t-shirts that Bardahl had made at the Horse’s Cut Shop in Fremont exclusively for the trip.”

Over the 45-day tour, the Youngs racked up 8,200 miles, burning through 576 gallons of

Racecar driver Al Young exhibits vintage muscle road car

Al and Vicki Young drop off his Plymouth Roadrunner for shipping from Rotterdam to Tacoma. • Courtesy Photo

gas. The pair returned to Seattle on August 2. “It was a trip of a lifetime,” says Vicki. “Six weeks and all of those countries!”

Young and Bardahl have already begun to plan the route for a return tour in 2015. For Young, the experience of exhibiting

his car and meeting with vintage muscle car enthusiasts in Europe has left a lasting impression. “If you judge me by my car, you will probably be 80 percent correct about who I really am. They did, no conversations just about Chinese food.”


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Infi nity & Chashu Ramen: Nisei actor Hiroshi Kashiwagi roams the streets of Japantown

By Tamiko NimuraIE Contributor

In the streets of San Francisco’s Japantown, the venerated Nisei poet and playwright Hiroshi Kashiwagi is barking out insults at passersby. He is reaching stealthily into a young woman’s purse, then trying out her iPod. He is waving his hand in front of people’s faces.

He’s doing all of this in character, as part of the independent fi lm Infi nity and Chashu Ramen. The fi lm is coming to the Seattle area in two different early September screenings.

Kashiwagi stars as the curmudgeonly 600-year old tengu spirit Tenshi, who follows Japanese people as they have migrated abroad. Wendy Woo plays Lucy Yamaguchi, a young bright-eyed woman who has just joined Tenshi in his job of keeping the universe running smoothly.

On September 6, the Bainbridge Island Art Museum, along with the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community (BIJAC) is hosting the fi lm and a reading by Kashiwagi, starting at 3:00 p.m. On September 7, the Wing Luke Asian Museum is doing the same starting at noon. Ticket information is at www.infi nityandchashuramen.com. Both screenings will be preceded by Kashiwagi reading from his work and followed by a Q&A with the predominantly Asian American cast and crew.

“I love being Asian American,” says Kerwin Berk, the fi lm’s Sansei writer and producer. “I love being Japanese American. Our history, our culture, our world perspective ... our food ... everything that it entails, I love. And it is this kind of love and joy we take in being ourselves that we tried to capture in Infi nity and Chashu Ramen.”

I’ve been watching my uncle Hiroshi act for much of my life, but it’s a great delight to see him onscreen. We conducted the following interview over e-mail.

Tamiko Nimura: I wanted to talk about acting with you; so many interviews have focused on your personal experience, and your writing, but not much acting. I was looking back at “Reading, Writing, and Acting,” from your fi rst memoir Swimming in the American. In that piece you talk about the acting you did as an extra in commercials. Since then you’ve starred in a couple of fi lms: The Virtues of Corned Beef Hash and The Infi nity of Chashu Ramen. How has it felt to move from extra to star?

Hiroshi Kashiwagi: Yes, I did work as an extra (also known as background people) because it was available and it was pretty good pay for a few hours of work. But it is mindless, boring work. You look forward to the meal, which is required

by the union after so many hours of work or the end of the shoot when you sign out for the pay. You are also required to bring your own clothing for the several changes. Working as a featured performer in a fi lm is completely different. You are a person or a character involved in the story. It is much more meaningful, even creative.

Nimura: I’m also interested in how you feel about audience interaction now—there’s acting onstage, versus acting onscreen. Have you been able to interact with audience members still, as a fi lm actor?

Kashiwagi: On stage the interaction with the audience happens while performing. In fact, the actor needs and depends on the audience response. It not only energizes and enhances the actor’s performance but is a source of much satisfaction. When acting in fi lm, you are acting for the camera so you are not dealing directly with the audience. Only when the fi lm is shown and you happen to be involved in a Q&A is there some interaction. But the camera catches everything so you had better be on your toes. I like fi lm acting. It’s all in your head and so much is revealed through the eyes. And less is better.

Nimura: Now that you’ve been reading your work in a number of venues, have your readings also felt like a form of performance? Not as a facade, but as another way of interacting with an audience?

Kashiwagi: For me, reading is another form of performance but the audience response is more subtle. I like to throw in one of my funny poems just to see if the audience is with me. If there is laughter, I feel confi dent to continue. I must say, however, that doing anything before an Asian audience is mighty diffi cult—they are so reserved. It always helps to have some uninhibited Caucasians in the audience who set the tone.

Nimura: Tenshi from Infi nity and Chashu Ramen is such a great character—boorish, foul-mouthed, and thieving—completely opposite of the person I’ve known my whole life. Are there individuals or types that you had in mind when you read the script?

Kashiwagi: Tenshi was a bit of a reach for me. I didn’t have anyone or types of people in mind. I guess I was just following the script as it was written. Actually, it was the language (in Japanese) that drew me to the character. The lines in Japanese were a challenge. I thought I could do them without coaching. But I realize now that to a native Japanese speaker Tenshi must sound “funny.” I should have had some coaching. My rationalization is: Tenshi is a 400 year old ghost—not a contemporary Japanese—so he is free to sound whatever.

Nimura: In a different interview, Kerwin [Berk] has said, “Hiroshi’s character [in Infi nity and Chashu Ramen] represents our cultural roots—the part in all Japanese Americans that is Japanese.” What do you think the character represents?

Kashiwagi: Yes, I agree with Kerwin to a point that Tenshi represents what’s Japanese in the Japanese Americans. Basically, Tenshi represents what is human—good and bad, crude and refi ned—but most important is his concern for people.

Nimura: What do you hope viewers take away from the fi lm?

Kashiwagi: First, there is San Francisco Japantown as the background; there is interaction of diverse characters; and the use of several different languages. The viewer might wonder about what’s happening with all the different relationships but by the end it all makes sense.

Wendy Woo, left, and Hiroshi Kashiwagi, right, in Infi nity and Chashu Ramen. • Courtesy Photo


IE ARTS

By Jacqueline WuIE Contributor

Eric Liu’s A Chinaman’s Chance: One Family’s Journey and the Chinese American Dream is a reflection of the changing politics and world that colors and influences personal and national identity. Through a pensive meditation of family, Chinese Americans, and the differences and similarities between Chinese and American culture, Liu challenges readers to rethink: “What is Chinese?” and “what is American?”

The phrase, “A Chinaman’s chance,” refers to the 19th and 20th century idiom connoting little or no chance. The expression is rooted in the historical context of anti-Chinese sentiment, a time period of Chinese immigration to the West Coast. Initially attracted by gold, Chinese migrants were instead forced to labor on railroads, in restaurants, and in laundries. And because of an economic depression and job scarcity, many white Americans discriminated against Chinese both through legal channels and vigilante violence.

Liu is an author, edu-cator, and civic entrepre-neur. A Yale and Harvard graduate, Liu served as White House speechwriter un-der Bill Clinton and then as the President’s deputy domestic policy adviser. Currently, Liu is the CEO and founder of Citizen University, an organization that teaches civic engagement. He lives in Seattle with his family.

Liu’s A Chinaman’s Chance reappropriates the idiom and poses the question: What does it mean to be Chinese American in the 21st century? Or more specifically, in an era where China’s geopolitical power is rising and beginning to challenge the United States, what does it mean for Asian Americans given the backdrop of the model minority stereotype, which paints Asian Americans as successful and educated. Do Asian Americans have little or no chance in succeeding and becoming American? Is success based on chance?

When asked about the future of Chinese Americans in this political atmosphere, Liu predicted, “America will start looking towards Chinese Americans.”

Over the last decade, media exposure for Asian Americans appears to have in-creased. There are more Asian Americans in advertisements, television, and movies. Asian American stars like Jeremy Lin,

Lucy Liu, Steven Yuen, Cal Pen, Bruno Mars, Michelle Wie, Arden Cho, and oth-ers have become household names. More Asian Americans are rising into politi-cal power. For instance, Gary Locke was the first Chinese American Governor of Washington state and ambassador to China, positions historically held by white male Americans. Other notable Asian Americans politicians are Sharon Tamiko Santos, Wing Luke, Cheryl and Ruby Chow, Daniel Inouye, and so forth.

If history has taught us anything, then with this exposure comes backlash. The bombing of Pearl Harbor sent shockwaves of war hysteria that resulted in the incarceration of Japanese and Japanese Americans to internment camps by the

federal government under the pretense of national security.

When the Japanese auto companies like Toyota and Honda began competing against U.S. companies U.S. in the late 1970s, anti-Asian sentiment spread. In Detroit, Chinese American Vincent Chin was beaten to death by two formerly employed autoworkers, Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz who attacked Chin under the assumption that he

was Japanese. Ebens and Nitz never spent a single day in jail for killing Chin.

After 9/11, South Asians, Sikhs, Arabs, and Muslims became the target of violence. Within four days of the attacks on the World Trade Center, Balbir Signh Sodhi of Mesa, Arizona was shot and killed by Frank Silva Roque. Roque would go on to shoot at a Lebanese American and a house owned by an Afghan family. Sodhi was the first victim of 9/11 hysteria. Thousands of South Asians, Sikhs, Arabs, and Muslim Americans continue to face hate crimes, school bullying, workplace discrimination, and racial and religious profiling.

Liu’s A Chinaman’s Chance, explores the factors that influence national and personal identity and perception. Through the lens of his family and self reflection, Liu highlights the convergences and differences between American and Chinese culture. A Chinaman’s

A Chinaman’s Chance is for a selective audience that might be interested in the correlation between China and Chinese Americans and proponents of acculturation. After all, “America makes Chinese Americans, but China does not make American Chinese.”

A Chinaman’s Chance explores Chinese American identity and perception in the 21st century

By Shin Yu PaiIE Contributor

A decade in the making, My Proud Sacrifice marks the first full-length collection by Seattle poet Kevin Minh Allen. Spanning themes of transnational adoption, adolescence, and family, the title of Kevin’s book comes from “There Is An Outside,” a poem that juxtaposes the hardship of “a tireless wilting winter” in upstate New York with the emotional isolation of standing apart as an outsider.

Born Nguyễn Ðức Minh in Saigon in 1973, Kevin Minh Allen was adopted at nine months of age and flown to the United States, where he grew up in Webster, New York. The poet assimilated into his American family, despite the difference in their racial backgrounds. But as Kevin matured, his physical characteristics set him apart, unnerving both he and his family members. Neither had “the time, experience, nor the resources to investigate what was happening and how to deal with situations,” says Kevin. “It was perplexing and difficult to cope and carry on sometimes.”

Kevin started writing when he was 18, after regularly attending open mics in Rochester. “Poetry seemed to be the best and most useful medium for expressing what I needed to say at the time,” he says. In his early poems, Kevin wrote about his memories of childhood and his experiences as a person of color in a predominantly white community.

“I wanted to convey how history has affected my story and that although I have virtually no ties to the place of my birth, I cannot escape or look away from its influence on me and the country I was adopted into,” Kevin says.

The strongest poems in My Proud Sacrifice interrogate the turbulent history of Vietnam by delving into human worth through the lens of abandonment and adoption. The book’s opening poem, “Untitled #1,” positions the speaker in relationship to his own displacement, which arises not as a result of fleeing a war-torn land, but rather, as a result of being born and given away. “Con Lai” imagines the life of a mixed-race child growing up in Vietnam who is “fathered by an inferior and raised by a whore.” Taunted by classmates that he should “go back to America,” the poem’s speaker is ill at ease in his skin. “White porcelain, red vomit” narrates the story of an orphaned newborn, who’s mother dies as a result of birth complications, but not before giving her child a name that rolls off her tongue “into the gossip of nurses.”

Though Kevin has contemplated visiting the country where he was born, he hasn’t taken that step.

“Many personal things have dissuaded me from going forward with such a visit,” Kevin says.

Kevin’s adoptive mother shared with him the story about the circumstances behind his becoming an orphan, but the poet has never verified its truth. “I have documents about the process and disposition of my adoption, but none specifically address the circumstances behind my biological parents’ identities or whereabouts,” he says.

Drawn to Seattle’s grunge and literary scene, Kevin left the East Coast 14 years ago to move to the Pacific Northwest. He says that the multiracial and multiethnic populations of Seattle inspire and inform his own identity, as he navigates between diverse communities.

Kevin counts publisher and writer Koon Woon—author of Water Chasing Water (Kaya Press, 2013)—among his favorite local poets and has benefitted from Koon Woon’s mentorship in both the practice and philosophy of poetry. The elder poet provided encouragement and feedback to Kevin and worked with him to refine his manuscript over a nearly two-year period. Earlier this summer, Koon Woon’s publishing imprint Goldfish Press released My Proud Sacrifice.

“Kevin is an adventurous soul focused on beauty and justice, and always the truth, wherever that inquiry may lead,” says Koon Woon. “He has honed his poetry with vigor so that it has the vitality of the pistons in a locomotive.”

In addition to editing and assembling his first book, Kevin also provided the artwork for the cover of his new collection.

“Many of my family members and their friends worked for decades at Eastman Kodak,” Kevin says. “Photography was a common activity.”

When Kevin moved to Seattle, photography became a newfound passion with the accessibility and ease of use that digital photography offered. He composes his pictures in-camera and refrains from digitally altering his images.

“I take into account lighting, angles, and intuition when producing my photographs,” Kevin says. A few years ago, he exhibited his photographs at Seattle Mobile Espresso, a coffee shop in Bitter Lake.

For more information on Kevin Minh Allen or to purchase a copy of My Proud Sacrifice, visit http://myproudsacrifice.tumblr.com. The book is also available at the UW Bookstore.

My Proud Sacrifice: Seattle poet Kevin Minh Allen steps out in

first full-length poetry collection


IE ARTS

By Roxanne RayIE Contributor

A new American story is being told, and unfortunately, this story has no happy ending.

Danny Chen served in the U.S. Army, and was found dead of a gunshot wound in a guard tower in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, on October 3, 2011.

He had experienced verbal and physical assaults based on his Chinese ethnicity for several weeks before his death. Although the U.S. Army initially charged eight other soldiers in Chen’s death, it has not publicly explained the complete circumstances surrounding these events.

The incomplete nature of the official version of this story has led to a new artistic version of Chen’s last days. Composer Huang Ruo and writer David Henry Hwang have partnered to create a new opera entitled An American Soldier.

“I read about the story of Pvt. Danny Chen several years ago when it broke out,” Huang said. “When the Washington National Opera commissioned me to create a new opera that can tell an American story, I approached my dear friend David Henry Hwang. It was David who suggested the possibility of making Danny’s story into an opera.”

Huang and Hwang already had a strong history of working together.

“When I received the opera commission from the Washington National Opera, I was working with David on his play The Dance and the Railroad, which I created music for,” Huang said. “We had such a great time working together, so we decided to create a new opera together.”

For Huang, the experience has been positive. “Working with David has been a fantastic experience,” he said. “He is not only a very excellent and experienced librettist, but also is very flexible about my thoughts and inputs as well. So it has been a very blessed journey.”

In addition to this creative partnership, Huang has found the project itself to be satisfying. “Opera is a very unique genre, which can not only tell a story, but also emphasize drama and emotion through music,” Huang said. “Our opera is not

only about what happened to Danny in Afghanistan, but also is about the unbreakable love-bound between Danny and his mother.”

While Huang feels that opera is the perfect medium for Chen’s story, the creative process has not been without challenges. “The biggest challenge is that this is a very current event addressing a current problem of our society,” Huang said. “Our solution is simple, write an opera as best as we can with our honest hearts and purest artistic creation.”

An American Soldier was created in collaboration with the American Opera Initiative.

“The American Opera Initiative has been very supportive to both David and me, and to our project, and is the driving and producing force behind it,” Huang said.

The hour-long opera received its premiere at Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., but there are no current plans to tour the production to the Pacific Northwest.

“Definitely it is our hope to bring An American Solider to Seattle or to Washington state, where more audiences from the West coasts can see it,” Huang said.

He adds: “Danny’s story should be told and heard, questions should be asked, and hopefully answers will be provided.”

Huang Ruo’s Dr. Sun Yat-sen recently made its American debut with a libretto by Hong Kong-born playwright Candace Mui-ngam Chong at Santa Fe Opera. The opera is a dramatization of the turbulent times leading up to the birth of the Chinese republic and the life of the doctor-turned-revolutionary who became its first president. Conducting the orchestra is Carolyn Kuan who worked with Seattle Symphony and Pacific NW Ballet in the past. Visit santafeopera.org for details. Huang’s latest project is Bound for the Houston Grand Opera, a true story that concerns a Vietnamese immigrant high school student who was jailed for truancy when the multiple jobs she did to support her family impeded her attendance.

An American Soldier honors life, memory of Danny Chen

Chen

A Letter to Momo tells sweet story of grief and goblins

By Yayoi L. WinfreyIE Contributor

A Letter to Momo is a Japanese anime film written and directed by Hiroyuki Okiura that tackles the difficult subject of death with clarity and sensitivity. Richly drawn characters and a well-written story about three yokai (goblins) who haunt 11-year-old Momo bring charm instead of fright.

The goblins’ self-appointed leader, Iwa, sports a gargantuan square jaw that easily accommodates his permanently opened mouth full of enormous gold teeth. Bearded and bug-eyed, his sumo stature would be terrifying if he weren’t such a doofus. Making up for Iwa’s klutziness is the cunning Kawa, whose flatulence-wracked body is topped by a frog-like face. Finally, Mame, resembling a human baby, is downright adorable with black-ringed eyes and a hopeful grin—although his menacing tongue is as long as he’s tall.

Together the three mischievous imps attempt to perform their heavenly duty by helping Momo through grieving her father’s death. Under “normal” circumstances, the goblins are supposed to be invisible. So when Momo’s able to see them, she justifiably freaks out.

After losing her researcher father to the sea, Momo (Japanese for peach; her given name is Miyaura) is traumatized by her last words to him. Because he couldn’t take time off from work to celebrate a special occasion, she hurled an ugly directive at him before stomping off. After he dies, she finds a letter addressed to her that contains only the greeting, “Dear Momo.” Interrupted as if he were in mid-thought, her father begins but never finishes the letter that consumes her. Haunted by both her last spoken words to him and his last written words to her, Momo reluctantly accompanies her heartbroken mother from bustling Tokyo to Shiojima, a small island in the Inland Sea.

As they settle into their old family house, Momo’s great aunt shows her a book about Japanese mythology printed during the Edo Period. Filled with illustrations of freakish beasts chasing and devouring humans, the book both frightens and fascinates her. Later, Momo’s great uncle reveals that his father collected images of the terrifying ogres and even confessed to seeing some—comforting words to Momo, who realizes she’s the only one who can interact with the three she’s encountered.

Meanwhile, Momo’s mother, Ikuko, is preoccupied with going back to school as a way to diffuse her pain. She’s even oblivious to Koichi, the mailman, who’s carried a torch for her since childhood. But when Ikuko sees a boy, Yota, who

appears to be Momo’s age, she encourages them to make friends.

Seven long years in the making, this exquisitely hand-drawn anime features backgrounds so detailed they could stand alone. From a Shinto shrine to a gliding ferry at the lapping shoreline, the intricate images are stunning.

The narrative with its portrayal of idyllic life in a seaside village is exceptional. Every scene is rich with daily rituals; of kids diving off a bridge, men building straw boats for Obon (festival of the ancestors), and farmers harvesting their crops. For a film about supernatural beings, there’s an abundance of reality depicted throughout via everyday routines. When Momo, lying on her back on the floor, thinks she hears something in the attic above her, she remains horizontal and simply pushes herself with her feet across the floor like kids often do.

The humor is sophisticated enough for adults. In one scene, Iwa tells Kawa he likes that “amphibian look you’re sporting these days.” In another, Iwa and Kawa refuse to help Momo with something because it’s “against the rules,” but Mame naively offers his assistance because, he admits, “I don’t remember the rules.”

The audio has also been painstakingly added with minute information, like the sounds of a truck backing up in the distance, or the splashing of water, or the way a speaker’s voice fades as they walk away.

This is Okiura Hiroyuki’s second film as a director following 1998’s bloody Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. He was also an animator for the iconic anime films Ghost in the Shell and Akira. With its sweet pastel colors and gentle message of hope, Momo is a departure worth taking.

‘A Letter to Momo” starts Friday, September 5 at Varsity Theatre in Seattle for one week only. English-Dubbed and English-Subtitled versions. For more information, visit landmarktheatres.com.

A Letter to Momo


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VNSF enables underprivileged students in Viet Nam to achieve success and happiness through education. We are looking for volunteers and board members to join the team and make a differ-ence in the lives of kids in Vietnam.

P.O. Box 16016 Seattle, WA [email protected] www.vnsf.org

1300 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101Ph: 206-654-3209 Fx: 206-654-3135SAM connects art to life through special exhibitions, educational programs and installations drawn from its collection of approximately 25,000 objects. Through its three sites, SAM presents global perspectives, making the arts a part of everyday life for people of all ages, interests, backgrounds and cultures.

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[email protected] www.deniselouie.orgMulticultural preschool ages 3-5 years old. Now enrolling Private Pay full-day ($900/mo) and part-day classes ($500/mo) with locations at ID, Beacon Hill, and Rainier Beach.

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HomeSight creates homeownership opportunities through real estate development, home buyer education and counseling, and lending.

InterIm Community Development Association310 Maynard Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104Ph: 206.624-1802 Services: 601 S King St, Ph: 206. 623-5132Interimicda.orgMultilingual community building: housing & parking, housing/asset counseling, projects, teen leadership and gardening programs.

Asia Pacific Cultural Center4851 So. Tacoma WayTacoma, WA 98409Ph: 253-383-3900Fx: 253-292-1551faalua@comcast.netwww.asiapacificculturalcenter.orgBridging communities and generations through arts, culture, education and business.

Kawabe Memorial House221 18th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144 ph: 206-322-4550 fx: [email protected] provide affordable, safe, culturally sensitive housing and support services to people aged 62 and older.

Address tobacco control and other health justice issues in the Asian American/Pacific Islander communities.

601 S King St.Seattle, WA 98104ph: 206-682-1668 website www.apicat.org

Asian Counseling & Referral Service3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S, Seattle, WA 98144 ph: 206-695-7600 fx: [email protected] www.acrs.orgACRS offers multilingual, behavioral health and social services to Asian Pacific Americans and other low-income people in King County.

National Asian Pacific Center on Aging Senior Community Service Employment Programph: 206-322-5272 fx: 206-322-5387www.napca.orgPart-time training program for low income Asian Pacific Islanders age 55+ in Seattle/King & Pierce Counties.

1601 E Yesler Way, Seattle, WA 98122ph: 206-323-7100 fx: 206-325-1502 www.nikkeiconcerns.orgRehabilitation & care center; assisted living community; senior activity program; continuing education.

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Description of organization/services offered: Assisted Living, Adult Day Services, meal programs for low-income seniors. Medicaid accepted.

Community Care Network of Kin On815 S Weller St, Suite 212, Seattle, WA 98104ph: 206-652-2330 fx: [email protected] www.kinon.orgProvides home care, Alzheimer’s and caregiver support, com-munity education and chronic care management; coordinates medical supply delivery for Asian/Chinese seniors and families in King County.

Kin On Health Care Center 4416 S Brandon St, Seattle, WA 98118ph: 206-721-3630 fx: [email protected] www.kinon.orgA 100-bed, Medicare and Medicaid certified, not-for-profit skilled nursing facility offering long-term skilled nursing and short-term rehab care for Asian/Chinese seniors.

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WE MAKE LEADERS

Queen Anne Station, P.O. Box 19888, Seattle, WA [email protected], www.naaapseattle.orgFostering future leaders through education, networking and community services for Asian American professionals and entrepreneurs.Facebook: NAAAP-Seattle Twitter: twitter.com/naaapseattle

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Chinese Information & Service Center611 S Lane St, Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-624-5633 fax: [email protected] 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.

International District Medical & Dental Clinic720 8th Ave S, Suite 100, Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-788-3650 fax: 206-490-4011email: [email protected] website: www.ichs.com

Bellevue Medical & Dental Clinic1050 140th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98005ph: 425-373-3000

Shoreline Medical & Dental Clinic16549 Aurora Ave N, Shoreline, WA 98133ph: 206-533-2600

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.

Our programs help people meet their immediate needs and gain the skills and resources needed to reach solid ground and achieve their dreams.

1501 N 45th St, Seattle, WA 98103ph: 206-694-6700 fx: [email protected] www.solid-ground.org

Seattle Rotary ClubMeets every Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.New Hong Kong Restaurant 900 S Jackson St.seattleidrotary.orgShannon [email protected] the local community by engaging

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PO Box 14047, Seattle WA 98114(206) 325.0325 (Helpline)[email protected]. apichaya.orgAPI Chaya is dedicated to serving survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence and

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Seattle Chinatown/International District Preservation and Development Authorityph: 206-624-8929 fx: 206-467-6376 [email protected]

Housing, property management and community development.

Executive Development Institute310 – 120th Ave NE. Suite A102 Bellevue, WA Ph. 425-467-9365 • Fax: 425-467-1244Email: [email protected] • Website: www.ediorg.orgEDI offers culturally relevant leadership development programs.

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Merchants Parking provides convenient & affordable community parking. Transia provides community transportation: para-transit van services, shuttle services and field trips in & out of Chinatown/International District & South King County.

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Yakima’s voting system violates Voting Rights Act,

federal court saysIE News Services

A federal court ruled on August 22 that the City of Yakima’s election system for City Council violates the federal Voting Rights Act. The court ruled that the system dilutes Latino votes and that “City Council elections are not ‘equally open to participation’ by members of the Latino minority.”

“This is a major victory for Latinos, communities of color, and the entire nation,” said Kevin Chao, interim board chair of OCA—Greater Seattle, a civil rights group.

The Voting Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, after acts of violence and terrorism against voter-rights activists gained national attention: American civil rights’ workers James Earl Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael “Mickey” Schwerner were murdered in 1964 by members of the Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and, in 1965, state troopers attacked peaceful civil rights marchers crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

The Voting Rights Act allowed federal examiners to conduct voter registration, and black voter registration saw a sharp increase. The Voting Rights Act opened the door to further Supreme Court’s decisions, voting rights legislation, and ongoing efforts to restore the right to vote guaranteed by the 14th and 15th Amendments. The Voting Rights Act itself has been called the single most effective piece of civil rights legislation ever passed by Congress, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Although Voting Rights Act lawsuits have forced reforms in many cities’ election systems across the country, the Yakima case is the first such suit in Washington state, according to the ACLU of Washington.

The ruling came in a lawsuit (Montes v. City of Yakima) filed in 2012 under Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act. Section 2 prohibits cities from using voting practices or procedures which

result in “a denial or abridgement of the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.”

The suit was brought by Yakima residents Mateo Arteaga, a university administrator, and Rogelio Montes, a student at Yakima Valley College. The ACLU filed the case on behalf of the plaintiffs in U.S. District Court in Eastern Washington.

Plaintiffs contended that the City of Yakima’s at-large voting system deprives Latinos of the right to elect representatives of their choosing to the Yakima City Council. No Latino has ever been elected to the City Council in the 37-year history of the current system—despite the fact that Latinos account for approximately one-third of the City’s voting-age population and approximately one-quarter of its citizen voting-age population.

The seven members of the Yakima City Council are all elected “at-large,” with every voting resident of the city casting their vote for each council member whether they live in the council member’s district or not. This has caused the Latino community’s voting strength to be impermissibly diluted, the ACLU said.

Both parties had filed motions for summary judgment after the close of discovery. The U.S. Department of Justice filed a Statement of Interest in the case, opposing a section of the City of Yakima’s summary judgment motion. Last week, the court issued its opinion granting the motion in favor of the plaintiffs, and ordered the parties jointly to submit a proposed remedial districting plan by October 3.

“The Latino community in Yakima now will have a chance for their interests to be represented on the City Council,” said ACLU of Washington Executive Director Kathleen Taylor in a statement. “Latino voters will be able to elect a candidate of their choice and to have more of a say in how city services are distributed. All voices of the community need to be represented in local government. That’s what democracy is all about.”

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Friends of Little Saigon raise questions, express

concern about NickelsvilleIE News Services

In August, the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) announced that Nickelsville, a tent city homeless community, would be moving on September 1 to a vacant piece of land at 1001 S. Dearborn Street between 10th and 12th Ave. South across from the entrance to I-5 North.

In response to the announcement, Friends of Little Saigon sent a letter to the City Council and to LIHI executive director Sharon Lee asking for a delay in Nickelsville’s move. The mission of Friends of Little Saigon is to preserve and enhance Little Saigon’s cultural, economic, and historic vitality.

“While we share your vision to ‘provide homes and services to homeless and low-income adults, children, seniors, and veterans around Puget Sound,’ we are left confused and distraught by the news [of Nickelsville moving into the Little Saigon area],” Tam Nguyen said in the letter. Nguyen is the board president of Friends of Little Saigon.

The letter expressed concerns about LIHI’s process and communication,

which Friends of Little Saigon said left the community with “virtually no time” to assess the potential impact and give thoughtful input.

Friends of Little Saigon also expressed concerns regarding cultural sensitivity and consideration.

The letter stated: “Friends of Little Saigon, along with its many constituents and stakeholders, have worked tirelessly in the past five years to improve conditions in and the image of Little Saigon. Yet, we continue to face many obstacles, such as socio-economic inequities, social stigmas, public safety, etc. Adding another level of complexity in the mix would only create further conflicts and problems.”

Nguyen also had questions related to strategic planning, such as what studies were done to assess the impacts on surrounding businesses and community and what other sites were considered.

LIHI said Nickelsville’s term at the new location will be initially six months, but may be extended an additional six months. A condition of Nickelsville is for the residents to donate at least one hour per week per person to the Chinatown ID community.


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International Examiner September 3, 2014