January 21, 2015

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FREE EST. 1974 —SEATTLE VOLUME 42, NUMBER 2 — JANUARY 21, 2015 – FEBRUARY 3, 2015

THE IE’S NORTHWEST

GUIDE TO LUNAR

NEW YEAR

NIKKEI CONCERNS LAUNCHES INNOVATIVE CARE PROGRAM | 7 RECLAIMED QING DYNASTY TEXTILES SPOTLIGHTED AT THE WING | 5

YEAR OF THE RAM:

2 — January 21, 2015 – February 3, 2015 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. 409 Maynard Ave. S. #203, Seattle, WA 98104. (206) 624-3925. [email protected].

IE BOARD OF DIRECTORSRon Chew, President

Steve Kipp, Vice President Gary Iwamoto, Secretary Maria Batayola, Treasurer

Arlene Oki, At-Large

ADVERTISING MANAGER Kathy Ho

[email protected]

BUSINESS MANAGEREllen Suzuki

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CREATIVE DIRECTORRyan [email protected]

EDITOR IN CHIEFTravis Quezon

[email protected]

ARTS EDITORAlan Chong Lau

[email protected]

HERITAGE EDITORJacqueline Wu

OPERATIONS MANAGERJacob Chin

VIDEOGRAPHERTuyen Kim Than

PROOFREADERAnna Carriveau

MARKETING INTERN Mari Okamoto

LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Keoke Silvano

CONTRIBUTORS Kate ClarkIsaac Liu

Shin Yu PaiKseniya Sovenko

Roxanne RayYayoi L. Winfrey Clare McGrane

Gei Chan

$35 a year, $60 for two years—24 in-depth issues a year! Go to www.iexaminer.org and click on the “Subscribe” button or mail a check to: 409 Maynard Ave. S. #203, Seattle, WA 98104.

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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

The following is an open letter from Chinese American Citizens Alliance (C.A.C.A.) Seattle president Ming-Ming Tung-Edelman:

Many of you have read and heard the courageous career choice and ultimate sacrifice of slain New York Police Detective Wenjian Liu. Chinese American Citizens Alliance National has established the Detective Wenjian Liu Memorial Scholarship Fund to honor Detective Liu and his family, and recognize for the long term the work and dedication in every

In New York on January 14, members of the cast and crew of the CBS television show Blue Bloods, including Donnie Wahlberg and Will Estes, joined with Police Commissioner Bratton and members of the NYPD Detectives Endowment Association to present a check to the families (pictured above) of the fallen detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos. Also, on January 16, an anonymous donor from Hong Kong gave the detectives’ families $1 million. • Photo courtesy of NYPD

police officer. The memorial scholarship will benefit high school children of current and deceased Chinese officers across the country.

You can make a contribution at www.cacaseattle.org. Donations are tax deductible.

We will send the first check to C.A.C.A. National on February 1. Let’s make this a better year by offering your support!

Ming-Ming Tung-EdelmanC.A.C.A. Seattle president

C.A.C.A creates Wenjian Liu Memorial Scholarship Fund

CIDBIA to hold Chinatown-ID 2015 kick-off at

Nagomi Tea HouseIE News Services

The Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA) is inviting the community to a new year’s celebration and grand re-opening of Nagomi Tea House (519 6th Ave S.) on Thursday, January 22.

“We will be acknowledging the great work that has been completed in recent years, some of the exciting new developments in the district, and what’s on deck to look forward to in 2015,” said CIDBIA executive director Don Blakeney in a statement.

An open house of the Nagomi Tea House will run from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The Nagomi Tea House is a Japanese-style venue space that spotlights a traditional Japanese chashitsu tea house loaned from the Eastside Nihon Matsuri Association (ENMA). The Nagomi Tea House is a program of The North American Post, the oldest weekly newspaper published in Japanese and English in the Pacific Northwest.

The program runs from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Community organizations will reflect on the neighborhood’s recent accomplishments, identify needs and opportunities, and talk about work slated in the new year.

Community members will be able to mingle from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. There will be complimentary beer, wine, and appetizers.

For more information, visit nagomiteahouse.tumblr.com

OCA Golden Circle Awards on February 7

OCA-Greater Seattle is hosting its 2015 Golden Circle Awards and Lunar New Year Banquet on February 7 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Joy Palace Restaurant.

This year’s Golden Circle honorees are Katty Chow, Dorothy Cordova and the late Fred Cordova, Assunta Ng, Alan Sugiyama, and The Japanese American Citizens League—Seattle Chapter.

The event marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of OCA in the Greater Seattle area. Proceeds from the event will help OCA fund civil rights/social justice activities, heritage projects, and internships.

RSVP at http://bit.ly/1BysMZz and mail check (payable to OCA-Greater Seattle) to: OCA-Greater Seattle P.O. Box 14141 Seattle, WA 98114. For more information, visit ocaseattle.org. Email questions to [email protected].

South Seattle College’s Asian American Native American and Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) will host a two-day conference for Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) on February 6 and 7, with a keynote address from Senior Advisor at the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), Akil Vohra.

The conference, titled “Engaging in Promising Practices,” is the first of its kind held in the Northwest. Registration is open until January 30 at http://goo.gl/1Whsbd.

South Seattle College’s AANAPISI

conference shares best practices

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER January 21, 2015 – February 3, 2015 — 3

IE NEWS

Sue Taoka joins Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership CouncilIE News Services

On Friday, January 16, Sue Taoka was appointed by Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee to the Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council.

The Puget Sound Partnership is a non-regulatory state agency that leads and coordinates the efforts of governments, tribes, scientists, businesses, and nonprofits to set priorities for Puget Sound recovery. The Leadership Council is the governing body of the Puget Sound Partnership. Its seven members are appointed by the governor. Taoka’s term runs through June 25, 2018.

“Sue Taoka understands that a healthy Puget Sound is critical to the vitality of our region—to our ecosystem, our economy, and the legacy we are building

for the next generations,” Inslee said in a statement. Taoka is an executive vice president at Craft3, a nonprofit lender

that provides business, septic repair, and energy-efficiency loans in Washington and Oregon. Craft3 is focused on improving the environment, economy, and equity of the community. Taoka has worked at Craft3 since 2008. Her work includes supporting staff and public health departments to provide access to credit for homeowners with failing septic systems. Older and poorly maintained onsite sewage systems can leak sewage into Puget Sound, that in turn impact shellfish beds, swimming beaches, and other public health issues related to water quality.

Previously, Taoka spent 14 years as ex-ecutive director of the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and De-velopment Authority, the major property management and community development organization in the Chinatown International District. Taoka also served as the Deputy

Chief of Staff to Mayor Norm Rice for housing, economic and community de-velopment, neighborhoods, parks, and libraries. Before that, Taoka led the Inter-national District Improvement Associa-tion.

Taoka’s community involvement includes being a founding member of the National Coalition of Asian Pacific American Community. She is also a board member of several organizations, including the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, Seattle Investment Fund, Yesler Community Collaborative, and the Friends of Little Saigon.

The Puget Sound Partnership laid out three region-wide priorities in its 2014/15 action agenda: Prevent pollution from urban stormwater runoff, protect and restore the habitat, restore and re-open shellfish beds.

Sue Taoka, second from left. • Photo from livingcities.org.

2015 Asian Pacific American Legislative Day set for February 26

IE News Services

Each year, Washington’s Asian Pacific American community convenes in Olympia to voice their concerns to state lawmakers. The event is organized by the Asian Pacific Islander Coalitions (APIC) of King, Pierce, Snohomish, Yakima, and Spokane counties and South Puget Sound and Southwest Washington.

The 2015 Asian Pacific American Legislative Day happens on Thursday, February 26 at 10:30 a.m. at the State Capitol in Olympia. Attendees are asked to gather at the flag pole area in front of the Legislative Building—the Flag Circle (between the Legislative Building and Temple of Justice).

Entertainment will begin at 10:30 a.m. The program and rally begins at 11:00 a.m. Legislative appointments begin at 11:30 a.m.

For more information, questions, or transportation inquiries, contact:

• King County APIC’s Samnang Heng at [email protected] or (206) 695-7582.

• Pierce County APIC’s Lua Pritchard at (253) 590-7457.

• Snohomish County APIC’s Van Dinh Kuno at (425) 388-9312.

• South Puget Sound APIC’s Lin Crowley at [email protected] or (360) 888-6243.

• Spokane County APIC’s Van Xiong at (509) 869-5660.

• Yakima County APIC’s Dori Peralta Baker at [email protected] or (509) 945-0891.

• Other counties—Tony Lee at (206) 694-6796.

Asian Pacific American community leaders gather at the Capitol for APA Legislative Day in February 2014. • Photo courtesy of Asian Pacific Islander Coalition

APIs speak out against U.S. House vote to defund

immigration reformIE News Services

On Wednesday, January 14, the U.S. House approved amendments that would undo much of the plans set by President Barack Obama’s executive order to address immigration reform.

The House voted 236-191 to pass the $40 billion funding bill, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Act of 2015 (H.R. 240). Most of the amendments focus on the prevention of funding for the Deferred Action for the Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) programs.

The president’s executive order in November 2014 set out to protect about 4 million undocumented immigrants from being deported and allowed them to work legally in the United States.

The action leaves the fate of the immigration reform in the hands of Senate Democrats and the president and could lead to a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security if a compromise cannot be reached by the end of next month, USA Today reported. The House bill is not expected to pass the Senate. The president also vowed to veto any bill meant to undermine his immigration reform.

“Our communities have advocated for a long time to ensure that our families can be kept together,” said

Ken Lee, OCA National Acting Chief Executive Officer, in a statement. “Any attempts to undo these efforts without input from communities directly affected or offering any permanent solution is a complete dismissal of the lives of Asian Pacific Americans, along with other communities disproportionately impacted by our current immigration policies. The message our new Congress is sending is that they do not care about immigrants and the well-being of our families.”

DACA is expected to provide temporary work authorization for over 100,000 Asian Pacific American young adults, and DAPA is estimated to help over 400,000 undocumented Asian Pacific American parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents.

“These changes to the Department of Homeland Security funding bill will separate families, end DACA, deport DREAMers and parents, instead of criminals, send American children to foster care, and harm our economy,” said Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) in a statement. “President Obama’s executive action isn’t an election strategy or a scheme to grow the federal government. It’s a moral imperative. I voted no on all of the amendments and hope the President’s veto brings Republicans to reality—until they act on comprehensive immigration reform legislation, the executive action is here to stay.”


IE NEWS

Aspiring journalist?The International Examiner needs news interns to assist with editorial duties, production, and reporting. Here’s your chance to learn practical and hands-on skills in newswriting, editing, proofreading, web design, social media, layout, and breaking news reporting. We’re looking for dedicated people with their hearts set on learning and putting what they learn to practice. Flexible hours.

Please send a letter of interest and your resume to [email protected] with the

subject “IE News Intern.”

Nikkei Concerns program addresses social isolation in Asian seniorsBy Travis QuezonIE Editor in Chief

On January 14, the AARP Foundation presented a check for $150,000 to Nikkei Concerns to support a pilot program designed to reduce social isolation in Asian seniors.

The program, called “NC Club: Aging in Community,” uses a combination of technology, monitoring, and support from a registered nurse and personal concierge as part of an effort to revamp home- and community-based services.

The strategy is to maintain consistent contact with a program participant on both the clinical and social side. The nurse supports clinical needs while the concierge can work with the participant in brokering services such as scheduling activities and transportation.

These services are made easier through technology. A device outfi tted with a camera, touch screen, and other technology will be placed at the participants’ homes. They can use the technology to Skype with their nurse or concierge, take health readings, and more.

“Rather than having to send somebody over to have communication interactions, we can Skype,” said Nikkei Concerns CEO Jeffrey Hattori. “Through this technology, we can check blood pressure, blood sugar,

weight. We’ll have motion sensors and all this information is being communicated in real time to the nurse navigator, to the [personal concierge], and to the family members.”

In addition to the technology, the program offers homecare services, delivered meals, and transportation services.

Asian seniors are more likely to be isolated due to language and cultural barriers. Hattori said that NC Club can

be a model for helping seniors stay in their homes while improving their mental and physical well-being.

“It’s not just about supporting an individual at home, it’s about engaging in life,” Hattori said. “And we feel we have a model and template here that can definitely support and address social isolation, improve health outcomes. And on a broader level, [it] aligns with healthcare reform, the needs and wants of our community, and supports the strategic plan of Nikkei Concerns. And it’s a wonderful partnership and alliance with AARP’s social isolation initiative.”

AARP Foundation estimates that approximately 17 percent of adults over 50 suffer from social isolation.

“For the Asian Pacifi c Islander community, the asset is family and community,” said AARP board member Doris Koo. “But the challenge is also that we have been so strong as a community that we sometimes isolate ourselves socially and linguistically.”

Nikkei Concerns is currently seeking 25 people to participate in NC Club’s six-month pilot program. Participants are required to be over 50, live in Seattle or Bellevue, speak English or Japanese, have at least one chronic health condition, feel socially isolated, and be committed to full participation in the six-month program.

“What if we maximized the ability of support in communities and at home until such time [seniors] need to go and have a 24/7 facility care for the fi nal two or three years of their lives,” Koo said. “NC Club is an innovative effort to say let’s utilize what we have as strength and assets. Let’s collaborate with other organizations in the community because NC Club would not be exclusively just serving people in the International District, it will be serving Asian Pacifi c Islanders and elders throughout this region.”

AARP Foundation hopes to learn from the NC Club pilot program and adapt the program at a national level.

For more information or to apply to be a participant in the NC club pilot program, contact Kara Mayeda, director of Nikkei Concerns’ Home- and Community-Based Services, at [email protected] or (206) 348-0417. Applications are being accepted through January 31, 2015.

An iHealthHome device is a key part of the NC Club pilot program. • Photo by Mari Okamoto

AARP Foundation’s Doris Koo (left) delivers a check for $150,000 to Nikkei Concerns staff on January 14, 2014. • Photo by Mari Okamoto


IE NEWS

By Shin Yu PaiIE Contributor

At a January event at The Wing Luke Museum held to fete the Young Family Collection, the community celebrated the unveiling of a small but iconic group of Col. John C. and Mary Lee Young’s textiles that were rescued from de-accession by the Tacoma Art Museum (TAM). The textiles were at the heart of a highly publicized dispute between Young family descendants, Al Young and Connie Young Yu, and the former repository where Mr. Young and Ms. Yu’s parents had donated their collections decades ago. TAM sold off hundreds of items from the Young family’s collections throughout 2012 and 2013, to better streamline their collections and raise funds for new acquisitions.

In an emotional evening of programming, Al Young, son of Col. John C. and Mary Lee Young, thanked supporters who encouraged he and his sister, Connie Young Yu, to “do what’s right” and stop the auction. Asian American community members in both Seattle and Tacoma objected to the sale and organized to express concern about TAM’s disposal of the collection, in a widespread effort that also garnered the support of the Muckleshoot Tribe.

Reclaimed Qing Dynasty textiles spotlighted at The Wing

The story of the textiles captured the attention of local and national news outlets throughout last year, attracting the attention of local activists who mobilized to halt the sale. A legal team, including Laurie Shiratori, Lem Howell, and Shakespear Feyissa, filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Young family, after a third of the Young family collections sold at Bonham’s for $229,467.

While the entire collection could not be saved, the Youngs were able to select nine items that TAM agreed to donate to the Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation in Tacoma. The Foundation partnered with

The Wing to care for and display the remaining textiles that are currently on view at the Museum.

Ms. Yu expressed gratitude to her family’s Seattle supporters and provided audiences with an abbreviated history of the Chinese-American experience told through the story of the Young family ancestors. Ms. Yu’s great grandfather served as a laborer on the transcontinental railroad. A victim of anti-Chinese legislation, her grandmother was detained for over a year at Angel Island. Ms. Yu’s father, Col. John C. Young made

his fortune manufacturing soy sauce in San Francisco and investing in the first upscale Chinese-American restaurants in the Bay Area: Johnny Kan’s Restaurant in San Francisco, and Ming’s of Palo Alto.

The textile exhibition is installed in The Wing’s East Lightwell, a narrow transitional space bridging two galleries. The space quietly evokes the immigration experience, through making connections between past and present by keeping a display of steamer trunks within sight. The show features nine textiles, including women’s surcoats, skirts, a pair of trousers, and a belt, with text labels written by Ms. Yu.

One of the garments featured is a gold gilt embroidered vest with a five-toed dragon, indicating it was worn by a member of the Imperial family. Another article of clothing showcased is a pair of riding chaps with a four-toed dragon embroidered in gold thread, signifying it was worn by a prince in the Imperial court. Produced by female artisans, some of the exhibited artworks took a dozen craftswomen as long as six months to make.

Imperial Textiles of The Young Family Collection will be on display through March 29, 2015.

Connie Young Yu and Al Young, with their legal team: Shakespear Feyissa, Laurie Shiratori, and Lem Howell. • Photo Courtesy of Al Young


IE COMMUNITY

丹尼變電站項目最終版《環境影響評介》(EIS)，發佈日期：2015 年 1 月 22 日

閱讀草案和最終版 EIS，瞭解擬議的丹尼變電站項目：

• 丹尼路和斯圖爾特街附近主要的新變電站

• 輸電線路從新變電站向南到附近 SODO 地區現有變電站

• 網路配電系統擴展至丹尼路北部

在 21 世紀為整個西雅圖供電

如需查看丹尼變電站項目《環境影響評介》草案和最終版，請登入 www.seattle.gov/light/dennysub 或親臨以下西雅圖公共圖書館：Downtown, ID-Chinatown 及 Capitol Hill

Powering Seattle Through the 21st CenturyDenny Substation Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Released January 22, 2015

Read the Draft and Final EIS to learn about the proposed Denny Substation Project:

» major new electrical substation near Denny Way and Stewart Street

» transmission line from the new station south to an existing substation in the SODO neighborhood

» network distribution system extending north of Denny Way

You can find the Denny Substation Project Draft and Final Environmental Impact Statements at www.seattle.gov/light/dennysub and at these Seattle Public Libraries: Downtown, ID-Chinatown & Capitol Hill

Wing Luke Asian MuseumLunar New Year FairSaturday, February 7 at 11:30 a.m.719 S. King St, Seattle, WA 98104Admission: free for members, $9.95– $12.95

Grab a passport for a New Year journey through The Wing. Play games, create crafts, and read, watch, and share New Year stories. Activities for the entire family to enjoy. The museum is in the heart of Seattle’s vibrant Chinatown-International District.

OCA—Greater SeattleGolden Circle Awards and Lunar New Year BanquetSaturday, February 7 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Joy Palace Restaurant, 6030 Martin Luther King Junior Way South, Seattle, WA 98118. OCA members, seniors $30. Non-members $65. Students $25.

This year’s Golden Circle honorees are Katty Chow, Dorothy Cordova and the late Fred Cordova, Assunta Ng, Alan Sugiyama, and The Japanese American Citizens League—Seattle Chapter. RSVP at http://bit.ly/1BysMZz and mail check (payable to OCA-Greater Seattle) to: OCA-Greater Seattle P.O. Box 14141 Seattle, WA 98114. For more information, visit ocaseattle.org. Email questions to [email protected].

Westminster Chapel2015 Lunar New Year CelebrationSaturday, February 7 from 3:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.Westminster Chapel, 13646 NE 24th St., Bellevue, WA 98005Admission: $10 adults, $8 seniors, children $8, under 4yrs free.

In response to growing diversity in Eastside communities, Westminster Chapel began promoting the celebration of Lunar New Year 12 years ago by sharing sponsorship of this vibrant community event with schools, non-profi ts and local businesses. Tickets and info at www.westminster.org/LNY.

The Asia Pacifi c Cultural Center17th Annual New Year CelebrationSaturday, February 14 at 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall 2727 East D St., Tacoma, WA 98421Admission: Free

This year, for the fi rst time, Pakistan will serve as the host nation. The event will highlight the country’s culture, his-tory, art, and traditions. A ceremony featuring Pakistani dances, culture, and musical traditions will kick-start the day, while exotic music, arts and crafts, dem-


The International Examiner is looking for individuals interested in serving on the IE Board of Directors. Please send a letter of interest and a

resume to [email protected]!

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• •

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onstrations, and food booths serving Asia Pacific food delicacies can be enjoyed by visitors throughout the day. For more in-formation, visit www.asiapacificcultural-center.org, or call (253) 383-3900.

Portland’s Lan Su Chinese Garden Chinese New Year FestivalThursday, February 19 through Thursday, March 5239 Northwest Everett St., Portland, ORAdmission: Free for members. $9.50 per adult.

The first 100 visitors on February 19 are welcome to participate in “Rolling in the Wealth,” a traditional good fortune activity of rolling oranges and gold coins through Lan Su’s front door. “Rolling in the Wealth” is followed by a lion dance performance and much, much more. Every guest visiting on February 19 will also receive a hong bao, or traditional lucky red envelope to start the year off right. The celebration ends with three nights of lantern viewing and dragon processions. For more information, visit www.lansugarden.org.

Emerald Queen Casino I-5 ShowroomLunar New Year CelebrationFriday, February 20 at 7:00 p.m.2024 E. 29th St., Tacoma, WA 98404Admission is free.

Celebrate Lunar New Year with music, dancing, and live entertainment at a free concert featuring Tuan Anh, Bang Kieu, Quang Le, Toc Tien, Mai Tien Dung, Diem Lien, Hoang Thuy Vy, Vee Phuong, and Ban Nhac Hoang Thi Thi.

Chinatown/International DistrictLunar New Year FestivalSaturday, February 21 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Hing Hay Park, Maynard Avenue S & S King St.Seattle, WA 98104Admission is free.

Lion and Dragon dances, Taiko drumming, martial arts, and the annual Children’s Parade Contest—it’s a day full of entertainment for you and your family to enjoy together. There will also be cultural activities featuring a coloring contest, face painting, calligraphy drawing, origami, temporary tattoos, and many games and activities. For more information, visit www.cidbia.org, or call (206) 382-1197.

Tet (Vietnamese New Year) FestivalFebruary 21 to 22, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.Seattle Center, Armory/Center House Stage305 Harrison St., Seattle, WA 98109Admission is free.

It’s the largest Tet celebration in the Pa-cific Northwest where cultural roots and contemporary influences of Vietnam come alive through live music performances, arts and crafts, martial arts, multiple vendor booths, food, and games. For more infor-mation, visit www.tetinseattle.org.The Hong Kong Association of Washington Foundation Chinese Lunar New Year Gala

Saturday, February 21 at 5:30 p.m.Sheraton Seattle Hotel1400 6th Ave., Seattle, WA 98101Admission: $180 each

The Hong Kong Association of Washington Foundation will welcome over 700 guests. The event will raise funds to support the community.

Chinese New Year Cultural Fair 2015 Year of the SheepSaturday, February 21 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., art show at 7:00 p.m.Oregon Convention Center, Exhibit Hall B

777 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.Portland, OR 97232Day of Ticket Prices: $8 Cultural Fair Only, $10 Art Show Only, $15 Combo Fair & Art Show; 6 yrs & under free

Come celebrate the Chinese New Year at the Oregon

Convention Center where there will be booths featuring cultural products,service-oriented businesses, and food. Bring the whole family to enjoy the dragon dance, lion dance, Chinese cultural dance, puppet show, martial arts performances, and more. For more information, visit www.oregoncc.org.

Vancouver, B.C. ChinatownSpring Festival Celebration

Sunday, February 22 at 11:00 a.m.Millennium Gate on Pender StreetAdmission: Free

Every year, Vancouver celebrates the Chinese New Year with a 1.5km parade that attracts over 50,000 spectators and 3,000 performers, including the best lion dance teams in Canada. With cultural dance troupes, marching bands, martial arts performances and the Vancouver Police Department Motorcycle Drill Team, this event is said to be one of the three largest non-commercial annual parades in Vancouver. For more information, visit www.cbavancouver.ca.

The Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce Lunar New Year BanquetThursday, March 5 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.China Harbor, 2040 Westlake Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98109Dinner ticket: $60 per person now until February 27, $800 corporate table

Celebrate the Lunar New Year with more than 300 members and guests. A portion of the net proceeds will go to the Chamber Young Leaders Program as well as to one local nonprofit organization. To purchase ticket, visit www.seattlechinesechamber.org, or call (206) 799-0628.


CUSTODIANS: Continued on page 9 . . .

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By Kseniya SovenkoIE Contributor

To whom it may concern: I write this letter as witness to how employees are mistreated in the work environment.

So reads a message typed and dated by UW custodian Salvador Castillo, who has stored more than three boxes of records documenting what he believes to be the harassment of himself and his co-workers by department administrators in Custodial Services.

The papers include petitions, news articles relating to custodian-university relations, and copies of records from grievance and investigatory meetings. The oldest date back to 1994.

Castillo, like all UW custodians, is part of the Local 1488 WFSE chapter, the union that represents more than 3,000 employees of various professions at UW Seattle. After serving as the executive vice president for seven years, he resigned from office in 2013, but remains an active member.

According to Castillo, who has worked at the university since 1993, UW Custodial Services supervisors engage in excessive monitoring behaviors, verbal abuse, and embarrassment of employees in front of faculty and students. Supply shortages and unfair distribution of sick leave are also stressors in the work environment, he said.

“This is a free country,” said Castillo. “We are employees. We’re not a property of the university; we’re not slaves; we’re not in jail; and, we’re not in a concentration camp.”

Gene Woodard, 30-year director of Custodial Services, said he aims to create a safe and supportive environment where employees can share their goals, ideas, and suggestions.

Managers and supervisors are held accountable to a leadership standard, which mandates leading with humility and respect, said Woodard, who spoke on behalf of his supervising employees.

Growing concernsUnion representatives and custodians

also expressed concerns about staff reductions, a result of budget cuts. In the face of UW’s growing campus and swelling student population, custodians are expected to clean increasingly more square feet of space.

According to information on page 53 of the 2014 Report on WFSE-UW Relations, the gross square feet to be cleaned by a full-time custodian has increased by 26.9 percent between 2008 and 2013. Considering that an average Seattle home covers 1,899 gross square feet, UW custodians are responsible for cleaning the equivalent of 21 houses a day, the report showed.

An aid for helping the union reach a collective bargaining agreement with

the UW in 2014, the report provides a systematic analysis of grievances filed by union members, and says custodial workers face disproportionately frequent and severe discipline compared to other employees.

When questioned about strategies to address the growing need for a bigger staff to cover the university’s expanding square footage, Woodard said the problem has already been solved.

“We’ve redefined what you can do in an eight-hour work day,” he said. “Our philosophy is that you can only do what you can do in eight hours, so just do your best.”

Immigrant, minority workers push backPushback from the custodial staff, largely

composed of immigrant and minority workers, is not new to the UW campus. Since the turn of the millenium, a number of stories have documented the unfair treatment of custodians. The workers mostly come from the Philippines, Korea, Laos, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea, and English is a second language for 99 percent of the staff, according to Woodard.

In 2009, workers and supporters protested when all custodians were transferred from night to day shifts. Though the shift switch saved the department some money, it forced many custodians to quit their day jobs and those with families to add day-care to their monthly bills.

Paula Lukaszek—a UW plumber, shop steward, and current president of the Local 1488—said part of the reason harassment persists is because of the high number of vacancies in the department.

“Instead of hiring, administrators are trying to intimidate current workers to keep running, running, running,” she said. Lukaszek explained that custodians are now responsible for cleaning extra buildings, in addition to their assigned ones, on “open runs.”

Because of short-staffing and open runs, Lukazek said, older buildings are rarely free of litter or dirt, and campus restrooms are cleaned only once a day.

Former UW driver and warehouse worker Doug Nielson explained that open runs lower morale by removing people from the areas they take pride in. Nielson quit last May after 20 years at the university. Though no longer tied to the UW, Nielson works with union members to increase

awareness of harassment, blogging about his experiences.

The need for open runs, Woodard emphasized, is the result of a 12 percent absenteeism rate—a consequence of all the sick and FMLA leaves, call-ins, and vacation requests on any given day. More than 150 FMLA leaves were granted last year alone, Woodard said, adding that sick leave is provided, no questions asked.

Woodard also said that the department is trying to make a lot of new hires, but the Finance & Facilities’ Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Submission shows that management proposed adding only four full-time custodians. The 2013 Budget Submission noted that compared to 2008, the department had 64 fewer FTEs. The UW’s count of custodial FTEs differs significantly from the WFSE headcount because the university counts unfilled positions.

“The department explained that they’re not going to replace vacant positions because then they won’t have to lay anyone off when the budget gets cut again,” said Nielson.

In response to these claims, Woodard said the hiring shortage is purely mythical. Though the process to fill those vacancies is admittedly long, he emphasized that the department constantly interviews potential candidates—almost daily.

“We’ve been filling vacancies like crazy,” he said.

Still, Lukaszek believes vacancies need to be filled at a quicker pace. She wants the department to be as fully staffed as it was between 2006 and 2008 in order to compensate for the growing campus. That is the union’s biggest demand for the next rally, which will be held on Tuesday, January 27, at 11:00 a.m. on Red Square.

A similar rally brought together UW custodians, faculty, students, and other Local 1488 union members last April. They demanded management be held accountable for retaliatory practices against employees who speak up about harassment.

When asked about the impact of that rally, Lukaszek said nothing’s changed.

Because some of the immigrant custodians come from countries with human rights abuses or dictatorships, they’re afraid of speaking up about mistreatment, Castillo said.

“Some of the people, we have voice and we talk for others,” he said. “A lot of people got fired for that, or they’ve been targeted.”

Castillo said he is no stranger to retaliation. After being quoted about some of these issues in UW student newspaper The Daily and being seen at the last rally, Castillo claims to have been targeted by his superiors.

“In the three months after that rally, I lived hell with those people,” he said slowly, emphasizing each word.

UW custodians to rally against alleged abuse

Salvador Castillo, a current custodian (left), and Doug Nielson, a former UW employee (right), protest against workplace discrimination and harassment. • Photo by Linda Jansen


. . . CUSTODIANS: Continued from page 8

IE ARTS

Having requested the day off to make two medical appointments, Castillo rushed to attend the April rally after seeing his doctor in the morning. There, he witnessed his manager at the front of the lines, ready to take photos of him. Despite providing proof from his doctors of the same-day appointments, Castillo said his attendance got him into trouble. Managers involved in these events did not respond to emails requesting comments.

“The custodians know that we don’t retaliate,” Woodard began. “That is well ingrained and trained. If people have grievances, it’s compartmentalized, and we try to solve the problem.”

‘This is discrimination’Besides assigning him extra daily

work, administrators moved Castillo out of the Physics building, where he had cleaned for more than 20 years. Additionally, he said he is now expected to clear every doctor’s appointment with his supervisor’s calendar.

“If you don’t give them a week’s notice that you’re going to be sick or need to take a vacation day, they put a ‘U’ down in your file,” said Lukaszek. There are only so many unscheduled days off an employee can have, and administration is keeping a tally, she emphasized.

Additionally, Castillo alleged that some supervisors quietly keep tabs on workers, especially women, early in the morning when there are no other occupants in the buildings, startling them.

In two other cases, supervisors disbanded informal break rooms for employees. In room D1-08 of the Health Sciences building, a supervisor ordered all tables be temporarily removed after catching employees leave past their allotted break time. An unused room in

the Physics building, used by three women as a lunch area for five years, was put off limits by the managing supervisor.

“It’s not right,” Castillo said. “This is discrimination. Do they expect you to eat in the hallway? Or outside, where it’s raining?”

Salary disparity within the department has also been a subject of concern for workers. According to Nielson, and as evidenced by the UW Salary Stratification Report and Washington State Fiscal Information, managers and departmental administrators have seen healthy salary increases in the past five years.

From 2009 to 2014, the director received a 16.8 percent salary increase, and the overwhelming majority of managers and supervisors received similar raises, ranging from 14.8 to 20 percent. On the other hand, top-step custodians received a 1.2 percent raise, and bottom-step custodians a 3 percent raise.

“It used to be that the head of the custodial department was just some guy with a used desk,” Nielson said. “Now he’s a prince walking around with a suit and tie.”

While Woodard could not verify those percentages over the phone, he explained that salaries for custodians are negotiated with the UW. Woodard himself is part of that negotiation team.

In regards to the raise disparity between custodians and their supervisors, Woodard emphasized that the university allocates funds based on merit and good performance reviews.

Instead of quitting, Castillo said he tolerates working in a hostile environment because of his dedication to his co-workers, many of whom don’t have the courage to voice their concerns.

“And plus, I care for education, I care for the students, for everybody,” he said. “I think if I leave, nobody will fight back.”

While the WFSE’s count is based off of public records and information requests, UW’s count is set by the department. In 2012, where the WFSE count is dramatically lower than that of UW’s, a public records request revealed that the UW counted 19 vacant positions as part of the full staff.

By Roxanne RayIE Contributor

Survival was tough in Shakespeare’s day, as it often can be today, and director Desdemona Chiang wants to bring that struggle to modern Seattle audiences with Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure.

“This is a play about a fucked-up place where people like you and me are trying to survive, and the morals we compromise while doing so,” Chiang said. “It’s gritty, ugly, but teeming with real life.”

Chiang has been curious about Shakespeare since her earliest memories. “My interest in Shakespeare started as a young child, primarily for narcissistic reactions,” she said. “I knew that my parents had named me after a Shakespeare play, so when I was nine, I picked up a copy of Othello from the library and tried to read it.”

But this investigation didn’t proceed easily. “The play was utterly incomprehensible to me at the time, and I always assumed that Shakespeare was a thing that smart Americans were supposed to understand,” Chiang said. “So, as a culturally displaced Chinese immigrant kid growing up, I was determined to figure it out.”

And figure it out she did, with an eye toward sharing Shakespeare with others. “As I found my way into a life in the theatre, it became apparent to me that the work of Shakespeare is meant for everyone (not just the educated or the elite), and I try to dispel any myths about accessibility or class when it comes to directing his plays.”

Chiang has found links to today’s social issues in many of Shakespeare’s works, particularly her latest project. “Measure For Measure is most exemplary of this as (in my opinion) a populist and social justice play, written about and for the people and the harshness of civilian life in Vienna,” she said. “There are no kings and queens here, no gardens, gossamer fairies, or ladies-in-waiting.”

She is excited that the opportunity to direct this play arose at Seattle Shakespeare Company. “I was very lucky to have George Mount (SSC Artistic Director) attend a few shows I’ve directed in the past with Azeotrope (my company with Richard Nguyen Sloniker), and we’ve been talking about working together for a couple of years,” Chiang said. “I’ve always wanted to direct Measure For Measure, and it’s been 12 years since SSC produced the play, so it was the perfect fit.”

A production of this magnitude entails a number of different elements.

“Shakespeare’s writing is about as good as it gets,” Chiang said. “The tough part is that for most people, it’s indecipherable on the page.”

This is where the director’s work begins, along with that of the artistic team. “It takes work and patience to break down the meaning, grammar, and syntax,” Chiang said. “But when those words are clear and alive in the bodies of skilled actors, they can express some of the most deeply held truths about human existence. You just can’t be lazy about it.”

And a crucial step in creating this translation from page to stage is casting the best actors available. “I find and cast people who look like the people that I see in my daily reality,” Chiang said. “That’s it.”

Concurrently, as director, Chiang also works with the design team. “This is all about design,” she said. “Measure For Measure largely vacillates between what is public and what is private.”

The play also contrasts these two concepts in what is typically considered public space. “Every scene takes place in a civic location,” she said. “We go from a courthouse to a street, to the brothels, to churches and prisons.”

Chiang credits her design team with a significant portion of the necessary translation of Shakespeare’s work for contemporary audiences. “Philip Lineau (scenic designer) has conceived a space that can be played in many formations,” she said.

“Andy Smith (lighting designer) and Evan Mosher (sound designer) use light and sound to carve out the distinct spaces that feel either interior or exterior,” she added. “And Christine Tschirgi (costume designer) has dressed our brilliant cast of 19 actors to cover a wide range of civilians and citizens.”

Chiang hopes that a broad spectrum of Seattle residents will find this play relevant and entertaining. “I think when all the pieces come together, it becomes quite transformative.”

‘Measure for Measure’ runs at Seattle Shakespeare Company from January 6 to February 1, at the Seattle Center House Center Theatre, 305 Harrison Street, Seattle.

Desdemona Chiang brings the bard’s truths to today’s stage

Chiang


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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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By Yayoi L. WinfreyIE Contributor

Although it’s meant for kids, the Children’s Film Festival Seattle has plenty to offer adults, too. While this year’s programming doesn’t include any feature length narratives by or about Asians or APA’s, several shorts from Asian countries are worth watching.

Among them is Sprout, a live-action film directed by Ga-eun Yoon of South Korea. In this perfectly acted 20-minute tale, Kim Soo-an plays Bory, a precocious girl whose family is preparing to honor her late grandfather with an ancestral ceremony. The opening captures the scene from a child’s height to better understand Bory’s point of view. Surrounded by several female relatives discussing the planned menu, Bory looks as if she’s grasping at their conversation the way children often do around adults. When the women discover they’ve forgotten to purchase bean sprouts, it’s mentioned that Bory should go to the market and buy some. But they soon nix their own idea after considering Bory’s young age. Shooed away to go play in her room, Bory, instead, grabs her kiddie purse and heads out to the streets. Along the way, she encounters a myriad of delightful adventures in her cozy neighborhood.

Sweet in a non-sticky way, Bory is a pleasure to watch as she bows politely to the adults on her route in search for the elusive bean sprouts. With a child’s curiosity, she also displays a grown-up’s sensibility most of the time—except when she accidentally gets drunk. It’s probably the best scene in the film as Bory shows off her gift for bringing others together. A captivating story with English subtitles, Sprout is heartwarming.

The Song for Rain is a lovely animation from China. During a downpour, a boy with an umbrella spots a fox trying to collect rainwater with a leaky plastic bag. As the rain continues its inundation, the fox doesn’t even notice why his bag never completely fills. But, the boy comes up with an idea to

help him. Drawn in pastels or chalk, the illustrations are charming with details like faded posters on city building walls and a blinking traffic light. Additionally, the mood of desolation followed by joy, are expressed eloquently through the music composed by Min He. It urges the story along so there’s no need for words, which filmmaker Yawen Zheng does without. She also dedicates this piece, her grad student project, fittingly to “Mother Nature.”

Decorations is a magical stop-motion film where everything is made of scrumptious looking cakes, colorful candies, crispy cookies, crumbly cupcakes and oodles of frothy frosting. In a crowded kitchen overlooking the city, a mother—who’s actually a cake-decorating bag filled with colorful icing—creates a profusion of delicious treats. Suddenly, a baby girl appears from one of her concoctions. As the mother squirts out more sweet fluff to add to her daughter, the toddler grows from childhood

to a rebellious rocking teen and, finally, to a young adult. The mesmerizing storytelling style is complimented by dazzling music, thus rendering voices (which are nonexistent) unnecessary. Tokyo University of the Arts student Mari Miyazawa has been making what she calls “Bento Theater” for some time. The director definitely has a way of creating art with food, although this sugary tale is surprisingly bittersweet.

In Cherish Garden, another unique filmmaking style is employed using animated knitted objects. Japanese director

Children’s Film Festival features Asian films for grown-ups, tooMiho Yata features a girl who cares for a garden and everything in it: birds, bunnies, and butterflies—all of them knitted. There’s even a scene where threads knit themselves into flowers. As a rabbit with a flute performs inside a gazebo, adorable animals on park benches listen. Irish harpist Yasuko Naka fuses a European melody with Japanese lyrics, but no subtitles are needed to interpret the imaginative showcase.

It’s a special day for Dear November Boy, and the toddler can’t wait for it to begin. Awakening, he tries to rouse his unseen sleeping parent before climbing to the window for a snowy surprise. Other than music, the child’s gibberish, and birds tweeting some very familiar lyrics, this movie directed by Takeshi Yashiro has no words—just feelings.

Where’s the Fish? also begins with a character waking up. Dodo is a beautiful teal colored bear that discovers his cookies have been stolen. When he learns the culprit was a fish, he goes on a hunt for it. Directed by Enson Huang from Taiwan, the film includes colorful drawings of lovable lamas and Mandarin with English subtitles.

Also at this year’s festival are films from India, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan and Singapore. If you have kids, take them to the movies. Otherwise, bring your inner child.

The Children’s Film Festival Seattle runs from January 22 to February 7 at the Northwest Film Forum. For schedule and show times, visit www.childrensfilmfestivalseattle.org.

Sprout by Ga-eun Yoon


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Joy Palace Restaurant6030 MLK Jr., Way SouthSeattle, WA 98118

For more info, please visit ocaseattle.orgEmail questions to [email protected]

February 7, 20155:30 - 7:30pm

��

Golden Circle HonoreesKatty Chow

Dorothy Cordova and the late Fred Cordova

Assunta Ng

Alan Sugiyama

The Japanese American Citizens League, Seattle Chapter

� �� OCA-Greater Seattle invites you to the

Please RSVP at http://bit.ly/1BysMZz AND mail check (payable to OCA-Greater Seattle) to: OCA-Greater Seattle P.O. Box 14141 Seattle, WA 98114

OCA Members: $30Non-OCA Members: $65Students: $25Seniors (62 years or older): $30

What does our air quality look like?

Visit pscleanair.org for a daily air quality forecast.

For December, air quality in the neighborhood was mostly “good,” with six “moderate” days, which was similar to most of South Seattle. To check our air quality, we use air monitors located by the highway on the corner of 10th Ave S and S Weller St.

Air pollution in the Chinatown-International District mostly comes from cars and trucks on I-5 and I-90. Breathing high levels of this pollution can trigger heart attacks, strokes, or cause cancer.

Winter has the highest pollution levels of the year. Thankfully, Seattle also gets plenty of wind and rain in the winter to help clear out the pollution. We usually have our best air quality in the spring when we have the most air flow.

Last month’s review International District Air Quality

Next few months (gap due to equipment maintenance)

By Gei ChanIE Contributor

Dreams do come true. For Korean born Jean Glover, the opening of 8telierin Seattle’s Pacifi c Place Shopping Center is the capstone of over 20 years of industry experience. Jean and her business partner husband, Craig Glover opened the retail store in October 2014 to showcase Jean’s original designs of stylish, contemporary, and modern women’s wear.

Originally born in Seoul, Korea, Jean spent her early years in Seattle before entering the University of Washington to complete her undergraduate degree in architecture—a degree that proved useful in pursuing her real passion, clothing design. The discipline, design sense, and attention to detail she learned in architecture was a natural bridge to her becoming a fashion designer.

Fashion has also been a part of her family background. As a teen, her fi rst in-troduction to the apparel business was at her aunt’s New York couture design fi rm, Gregory Cicola. So it was no surprise to her Korean-born parents when she chose to pursue fashion design in New York City at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology). Jean had the full support of her parents, who always encouraged her to follow her dreams as long as she worked hard at it.

And it was a lot of hard work, Jean said. While a student at FIT, Jean acquired the basic technical skills necessary to work in the design business. She interned in New York designer Anna Sui’s sample room, which included running errands to local factories. This experience served as a major inspiration, Jean said.

She admits it’s tempting for aspiring designers to want to work for famous brands. She once had the opportunity to work at Calvin Klein, instead she went to work as an assistant designer for a small,

unknown garment manufacturer, Sherri E/Visione. Jean considers it the best career decision she ever made; to work for a small company where she had the opportunity to travel and work in Europe, learning all areas of apparel manufacturing, especially important if a designer has aspirations to start their own label.

“There are no short cuts to success,” Jean said. Hard work led to her owning

Fashion designer Jean Clover showcases own designs at 8telierand operating two apparel businesses with her husband Craig prior to returning to Seattle to open 8telier, which would feature her own clothing line and designs.

Her designs don’t chase trends; rather the savvy, seasoned designer developed her collection with real women in mind. The simple minimalist yet edgy and modern fi t of each piece in her line was designed with careful regard for practicality and wearability. Synthetic fabrics in neutral blacks, whites, greys and beiges create a timeless look wearable by women of any age and body type. Jean develops the 8telier collection based on a design philosophy instilled in her by a former architecture professor during her UW days, the late Philip Thiel.

“Design is a problem-solving process and must be functional and never art for art’s sake,” she said.

For Jean, there’s no separation between her work and her personal life. She loves what she does and rises to the challenges of the apparel business. Returning to Seattle from New York with her husband to start their own retail store and showcase her own designs brings her close to family and to her northwest roots, she explained. But most of all it is her dream come true.

Craig Glover and Jean Glover opened 8telier at Pacifi c Place Shopping Center in October 2014. • Courtesy Photo

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January 21, 2015