December 17, 2014

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FREE EST. 1974 —SEATTLE VOLUME 41, NUMBER 24 — DECEMBER 17, 2014 – JANUARY 6, 2015

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2 — December 17, 2014 – January 6, 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].

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Dispel the ‘Model Minority’ stereotype, turn exercise into habitBy Michael Corsilles

IE Columnist

There’s a common misconception that the Asian American community is healthier than our other American counterparts. A 2013 Washington Post article titled, “50 million US whites obese; Asian-Americans most fit” only added to this misconception. The negative “model minority” stereotype even applies when it comes to health! This obesity statistic might seem true at first glance since 11 percent of Asian Americans are obese when compared to the nation’s average, about 35 percent. However, it’s a misleading statistic because Asian Americans comprise a variety of different ethnic groups, each with different eating and exercise habits. When you break the numbers down, there’s a wide range of obesity rates. For example, a 2008 CDC study found that “Filipino adults are 70 percent more likely to be obese than the rest of the Asian American population—but about one in 10 Vietnamese and Korean adults is underweight.”

My bigger concern is that the overall obesity trend is only worsening across the board, regardless of ethnic background. The super-sizing of our waist size is driven by our American lifestyle, not our genes, according to a study in the American Heart Journal. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. I frequently have the “weight loss” conversation with my patients. Patients often respond, “I already know what I need to do to lose weight.” But I often wonder, then why is your weight not improving? The big issue surrounds habits. And bad habits are hard to break. So, how do you make the change? Here are 4 tips I recommend to turn a bad habit into a good one.

1. Don’t join a gym. Try the Mall.Don’t join one at least until you’re com-

mitted to going to your gym regularly—meaning at least 3 times a week. So start small: Walk just 20 minutes a day during your lunch break. Over time, you’ll develop daily walking into a good habit. If it’s rain-

ing outside, do daily brisk walks in the mall. For the shopaholics out there, do your walk first, then reward yourself with shopping after. For the folks who think, “I’m very busy and active running around in my current job or life and it’s not work-ing,” I say for things to change, you have to make changes. Start by increasing your pace. If you’re already active, over time your body acclimates so you need to keep pushing yourself if your current routine is too easy or not working. Don’t use lack of time as a barrier to get you healthy. You have to make the time.

2. Workout with a friend.Exercise works even better with an

accountability partner to keep you motivated. If that workout buddy is more fit than you, then all the better. A 2010 study in The Journal of Social Sciences found that the more active a person you work out with, the more likely you’ll move up to their level. The converse was also found. If you work out with an unmotivated person, they potentially could bring you down to their level. So go for your lunch time walk. But note that if you’re struggling to carry a simple

conversation during your workout because you’re too out of breath to talk, then you’re pushing too hard. Simply slow down your pace. Your workout buddy will slowly improve your pace.

3. Join a sport.Basketball is my sport of choice. I’m not

that good, so I make it up with hustle. I run up and down the basketball court constantly (probably because no one passes me the ball). But at least I’m getting my exercise. If you like to dance, try a Zumba class, or dance at your local community center. Dance is great for cardio, strengthens your core, and is fun! Tai Chi is another great exercise routine. Multiple studies have backed up the effectiveness of this gentle yet powerful mind-body practice, showing it helps improve balance, strength and flexibility.

4. Do a TV cleanse.If you find you’re coming up with

excuses to do these basic suggestions at this point, then please change the way you think. Lack of time is probably the top reason for not exercising. However,

if you make something a high enough priority, you will find a way to make time. Try a 1-week hiatus from watching TV, particularly Reality TV. Sorry to all the Jersey Shore fans, but it’s time to spend some time in your own reality, not someone else’s. I can assure you that you will be just fine if you take 1 week off. The world won’t stop. If anything, you’ll feel even better.

Regardless of the breakdown of obesity rates for each ethnicity, overall our waist sizes are only worsening because of the standard American lifestyle. It’s time to build up some exercise momentum, especially with the cold hibernation weather here. When it comes to turning exercise into a habit, make it easy. If it’s too hard, you’ll fail fast. If it’s too cold to walk outside, walk in the mall. If you truly can’t give up your TV shows, just promise yourself to exercise during commercials. Do you think you can fit in a minimum of 10 pushups or 10 seconds of planks during a commercial break?

Michael Corsilles, ND, PA-C, practices family medicine in Bellevue, WA.

Statistics on Asian American health, that do not account for the vast diversity of different ethnic groups, can be misleading. • Photo by John Loo

INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER December 17, 2014 – January 6, 2015 — 3

IE OPINION

‘Silence is violence’: APIs must act, stand in solidarityBy Alexa-Rio Verzosa Osaki

IE Columnist

Last week, sitting in on the last day of my Asian American Race, Law, and Justice class at the University of Washington, my professor instructed her students to take out a pen and paper for our last assignment. In a moment of reflection, she told us to inscribe a quote we heard in class that stood out to us.

Rambling in my head over cliché truisms I could use to impress her, I ultimately found myself staring blankly at a Table of Elements chart. She must have noticed our lost expressions because within moments she stated: “‘Silence is violence.’ Aki Kurose.”

Exhausted and delirious from finals, I scribbled down the first thoughts that came to mind in response to her quote. At that moment, I couldn’t recognize what gravitated me toward it. But now, reflecting over what I learned in that class, in the midst of the events in Ferguson, Missouri and the nationwide solidarity with those taking part in civil disobedience, I understand why those simple words meant so much to me. And I understood why as an Asian American community, we must recognize their value and reassess the way we understand violence.

As a society we generally associate violence solely with evil, criminalizing it and shaming the perpetrators. And as Asian Americans we are expected to be anything but violent. But for me growing up, violence was not taught to only be inherently evil. In elementary school, my grandmother, the daughter of a former Jodo Shinshu Minister at the Seattle Buddhist Church during World War II, would have my cousins and I recite verses from our church service books.

“I will try to be kind and gentle to every living thing and protect all who are weaker than myself ... knowing that what I do now depends not only my happiness or unhappiness, but also that of others.”

—Amida’s Golden Chain IIIFrom my experience, violence was

a choice. It could be used for the sake of good. It can come in forms like self-defense or protection, forms we commonly forget are associated with it but must also recognize equally in this time of racial and political tension.

To further explain, one of the greatest misconceptions about Martin Luther King, Jr., is that he only preached for a passive movement. Yes, his message was to never respond to hate immediately with violence, but he also understood violence and nonviolence were interdependent. In April 1963, after witnessing the disturbing realities of Alabama, Dr. King inscribed in the margins of newspaper articles, his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail” speech.

“We had no alternative except to prepare for direct action. ... Mindful of

the difficulties involved, we decided to undertake a process of self-purification. We began a series of workshops on nonviolence, and we repeatedly asked ourselves: ‘Are you able to accept blows without retaliating?’ ‘Are you able to endure the ordeal of jail?’

—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Between the racial tension in the

South and atrocities in Vietnam, King’s perspective began to radicalize. Most notably demonstrated in the 1965 Selma march and “Bloody Sunday,” when King led protesters toward Montgomery. They were met with billy clubs, dogs, and police brutality. Although King’s practices were non-violent, he knew his actions would perpetuate a violent outcome. Understanding it would take violence to gain universal attention. And it worked. It was these images of violence streaming through the family televisions that led to nationwide pressure for government intervention. And within months, President Lyndon B. Johnson passed the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

In 1969 it was the movement of Pan Asian Americans leading the Third World Liberation Front. Frustrated with the U.S. educational system, Asian, African, Chicano, and Native American students of San Francisco State College and UC Berkeley led mass protests demanding representation of minority culture within the classroom. Using the concept of “Third World,” students demonstrated that there was a history of colonialism, racial oppression, and exclusion that needed to be addressed in a dominantly Eurocentric realm. They picketed their institution, blocked entrances, held teach-ins and mass rallies and were met with militarized law enforcement.

Perpetuating actions they knew could have violent consequences, these students understood it was what was necessary for their voices to be heard. For these moments, violence played a strategic role in the path for justice. Therefore, we must use these actions to further reflect over the injustices of Ferguson and systematic oppression.

Which leads to the following questions: How does this relate to the Asian American community? And why is the Asian American experience still commonly unheard?

Understanding Asian America and its relation to Ferguson can be seen in parallels between Mike Brown and Vincent Chin, a Chinese American male murdered in 1982 by Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz, on the night of his wedding celebration. A racially motivated crime, Chin’s death galvanized the Asian American Civil Rights movement. Like Brown, it became a lightening rod that unified communities across ethnic borders—a movement demanding representation and protection under the law. Yet, despite outrage and injustice, Chin’s death is relatively unknown in this generation.

To this day, Asian Americans are somewhat lost in the racial hierarchy, and still forced into the model minority sphere. Angelo Ancheta, author of Race, Rights and the Asian American Experience states: “The ‘model minority’ stereotype of Asian Americans becomes a two-edged sword, breeding not only incomplete and inaccurate images of Asian American success but resentment and hostility on the part of other racial groups.”

Expected to be passive, Asian Americans are foreignized as the “other,” told we are the “privileged” minorities, yet still face subordination from Anglo hegemony. Sometimes resented or unacknowledged

by other racial groups, we are seen as detached and silent. And lastly erased, unknown, or omitted in U.S. history are the decades of discrimination and disenfranchisement inflicted upon the Pan Asian American population.

The Asian American community must continue to be active in the events of Ferguson and others alike. Debunking the model minority myth, we must take our experiences and unite them with other communities in a universal fight towards justice. And just like the events in Selma, Alabama, we must recognize the interplay of violence and revolution. So before you shame the actions of rioting, we must remember the historical significance of these acts. Yes, violence with the intention to hurt an individual is wrong. But violence is and has also been a strategy for social justice.

“And unless we want to live in terror for the rest of our lives, we need to change our view about acquiring things. We have the opportunity to take a great leap forward in these very challenging times.”

—Grace Lee BoggsViolence can protect those who are

in need. Violence means speaking up and shaming the institutions that have betrayed us. Change never came to those who stood still. It came to those who provoked the system. We must remember those who demanded to have their voices heard by any means necessary, because of the subordination upon their community.

Eric Garner, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Akai Gurley, Tanesha Anderson, John Crawford and, in Seattle, First Nation member John T. Williams. It is for these individuals and the tragedies alike, that we must continue to practice civil disobedience. We must look beyond the sole action of violence.

Like Aki Kurose said, “Silence is violence.” It has many forms. We must reassess the way we perceive it. Violence should never be the immediate answer, but at times, it is necessary. And as Asian Americans we have the advantage to have the element of surprise. Because of model minority stigma, we are the least expected to be militant. So let’s use that as a catalyst for change. We understand how it feels to be systematically oppressed. And so we must keep protesting in solidarity, and provoking the system so that the next generations do not have to endure the injustices we face today.

“These are the times for real choices and not false ones. ... Every man (and woman) of humane convictions must decide on the protest that best suits his convictions, but we must ALL protest.”

—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, “Beyond Vietnam,” 1967

On December 6, demonstrators marched down Jackson Street through the Chinatown/International District. • Photo by Angelo Salgado


IE OPINION

Compost Food. It ’s Not Garbage Anymore!

(206) 684-3000 www.seattle.gov/util

Compost Food. It ’s Not Garbage Anymore!

Starting Jan. 1Starting Jan. 1

No Food in the Garbage!

A story about love and learning Mandarin in BrazilBy Nick WongIE Columnist

I’m walking down the street in Paraty, a small colonial town about four hours outside of Rio de Janeiro, and I’m searching for a wall-charger for my phone. An incense dis-play outside of a neighborhood corner store catches my eye and I soon realize it’s one of those “we-sell-everything” sort of places, which in Latin America, are often owned by Chinese immigrants. The cashier is a young Brazilian with whom I communicate in Por-tuguese, so I think that maybe this is an ex-ception. I see a few chargers on the wall, but none for my model phone. I ask her if they have any others in the back.

“Let me ask the owner,” she tells me. She then begins speaking in a perfect, fl uent Mandarin Chinese. My mouth drops and I look at her a bit sideways, asking if she is Brazilian. She is, and she just happens to speak Mandarin better than I can. I tell her my parents are from Taiwan and she imme-diately asks in Mandarin whether I’m fa-miliar with some famous Taiwanese singer (who I later fi nd out is Jay Chou). When I shake my head to tell her I don’t recognize the name, she kind of gives me this look and says, “Hey, are you really a Taiwanese per-son or not?”

Dyana da Silva Faustino began speaking Mandarin a little over seven years ago and has more or less immersed herself in the Chinese culture ever since. She knows all the music, cooks all the food, and told me the majority of her friends are Chinese. Her inspiration to involve herself in the language (and later the culture) was work related.

“I used to work for this jewelry shop, and I wanted to learn German, but my manager told me to learn Mandarin instead because more people spoke it,” says Faustino. “It was also easier to fi nd a job when you speak Mandarin because it’s very unique, very dif-ferent. It was good for the opportunities.”

Faustino’s experience is an example of a growing trend of Brazilians (and Latin Americas in general) adopting more Asian languages as China and the East become bigger players in the international market. This is particularly relevant for Brazil.

“Nowadays Brazil is the bigger partner of China, and China is a bigger partner of Brazil,” Faustino says. “Because of that, they are trying to have a direct conversation [with the people], like it used to be that they just used English, but Chinese English is hard for Brazilians to understand, so I think that now it will be better if they have someone that speaks Mandarin. The local language is always easier.”

The Brazilian native speaks from personal expe-rience, as she’s been to the country a number of times, the fi rst being a result of winning fi rst place in a Chinese talent show in her home city of São Paulo.

“The fi rst time I went to China, I won an international championship for people who spoke Mandarin,” Faustino recounts. “A friend of mine signed me up because she knew I was studying the language.”

Singing a song from Wang Leehom, Faustino impressed the judges enough to earn a trip to China, and even sang the winning tune on China’s famed CCTV television station. She visited China a sec-ond time the next year, winning the same championship, then a third time to visit, and a fourth to marry her husband, the aforementioned owner of the store.

“It’s funny because his mom fi rst saw me on TV,” Faustino says. The two met through a mutual friend, him not believing she was Brazilian when they fi rst spoke over the phone. At 31-years of age, Faustino’s hus-band Chen Wen Jun has spent the last nine-and-a-half years living in Brazil due to the overcrowded job market in China, the driv-ing factor for most Chinese that immigrate

to the continent. Recently, the two opened their own shop in Paraty.

“It’s a very happy affair, working with my wife,” Chen says. “It’s like we’re do-ing something together. China is better for work, but after a while I got used to being here and now I don’t want to go back.”

With most of his family still in China, I wondered what the experience has been like for the couple, since I spent a good part of my 20’s away from home and am well-aware of Asian familial expectations to marry within the culture. For these two, however, the cultural differences have not been too much of an issue.

“His parents are like most Chinese parents, very reserved and a bit closed, but I’m Brazilian so when I arrived I just gave them a big hug and they sort of got scared,” Faustino says. “Over time though they’ve gotten used to me, the mother even came up to hug me the last time I visited, on her own. The dad though, he’s still a bit scared of me,” she laughs.

Chen adds: “My parents wanted me to marry a Chinese girl, but I don’t think you can just marry someone because some-one else thinks you should marry them. You have to follow what your heart wants. That’s what’s important.”

Chen and Faus-tino. • Photo by Nick Wong


IE NEWS

City council approves $1.2 million to aid homeless over next two yearsBy Sam HylasIE Contributor

Seattle City Council finalized the bud-get on November 24, adding $1.2 million over the next two years to fund a wide range of homelessness services. The deci-sion was spurred by Councilmember Sally Bagshaw’s original plan to add $5 million to the budget to help nonprofits and faith-based institutions shelter homeless people.

Mayor Ed Murray’s original budget al-ready included $35 million for the issue over the next two years, but the council concluded additional funds were needed.

Bagshaw called the decision a good start, but said she believes her original budget proposition addresses the true scope of the issue. She also emphasized the importance of finding funds for homeless people living with mental-health issues.

“We’ve got 3,123 people on the streets,” Bagshaw said at the meeting, referencing a recent one-night count. She stressed that as-sistance with mental-health issues and ad-diction problems are major factors in get-ting people off the streets. “We want to be able to focus some significant money on the mental-health area.”

The 2014 Street Count was a three-hour survey of people living without shelter in King County conducted on January 24. The results showed a 14 percent increase from the previous year’s tally.

The council allocated $175,000 in 2015 to “incentivize regional partners,” phrasing that Bagshaw would like to see clarified to include mental-health services specifically.

Other allocations include:• $250,000 in 2015 for the University

Food Bank• $200,000 in 2015 and 2016 for hygiene

services like the Urban Rest Stop• $120,000 in 2015 and 2016 for a year-

round women’s shelter with few barriers for entry

• $100,000 in 2015 and 2016 for contracts with nonprofits and faith institutions to aid those in transitional encampments like tent cities or those living in their vehicles

Councilmember Sally Clark suggested that the $100,000 for transitional encamp-ments be set aside until Murray’s Task Force on Unsheltered Homelessness deliv-ers its final report by December 15. How-ever, Councilmember Kshama Sawant and several other councilmembers decided they would rather not wait.

“The task of the mayor’s committee is to find much bigger solutions for housing, not small things like $100,000 for transitional encampments,” Sawant said. She went on to break down the expenses this money would cover, including fire and health safety, ac-cess to toilets, running water, electricity, gar-bage collection, and internet.

Her proposal to provide internet to home-less camps has sparked conversations about how the city could implement and maintain internet resources. It’s also raising questions of whether or not this would be a responsible way to spend public funds. But Sawant be-lieves internet access is crucial for those who need to research jobs or shelters.

“Imagine that day you didn’t have internet access at all,” Sawant told KIRO Radio’s Ja-son Rantz. “You wouldn’t be able to commu-nicate with a lot of people and you wouldn’t be able to know what’s going on.”

President Barack Obama called for the internet to be reclassified as a utility ser-vice, perhaps signifying a shift in how the American public perceives internet access. The United Nations has declared that high-speed internet access is a basic human right.

The council separately set aside $200,000 to help carry out recommenda-tions from Murray’s task force, but task force members think more money will be required.

“One of the ideas on the table is to get more local community centers involved with providing shelter at night” said Quynh Pham, a member of the task force and the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority.

Another point of focus for the task force has been to provide shelters with addition-al support from the city. With more fund-ing, some shelters could switch from be-ing exclusively overnight to operating 24 hours a day, and others could secure larger, more secure locations.

Task force member Alison Eisinger, ex-ecutive director of the Seattle/King Coun-ty Coalition on Homelessness, wants the city council to approve additional funding of least $500,000 toward expanding shel-ter capacity.

“All shelters that receive public funds also have to do a lot of private fundrais-ing and also manage finding locations,” Eisinger said. “I want that additional $500,000 to be dedicated to stabilizing and expanding those shelters.”

Tent City 3, located along Ravenna Boulevard underneath I-5, is one of the encampments that will benefit from extra aid for transitional encampments. • Photo by Sam Hylas

AnnouncementsICHS awarded

Affordable Care Act funding

IE News Services

International Community Health Services (ICHS) was recently awarded $84,169 in Affordable Care Act funding by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to recognize and expand quality improvement efforts among the top health centers in the nation.

ICHS is the only community health center in Seattle-King County and one of only four in the state of Washington to be cited by the federal government as a “National Quality Leader” for exceeding national clinical benchmarks for chronic disease management, preventive care, and perinatal/prenatal services. By recognizing the top community health centers, the federal government wants to demonstrate the critical role they play in promoting higher quality health care nationwide.

“We are very proud and gratified to receive this award and recognition because these are merit based and only given to health centers that meet the rigorous standards set by the federal government for improving patient care,” ICHS CEO Teresita Batayola said.

Batayola said the funds will be used to further improve the quality of care given to ICHS patients and clients.

Education night examines Obama’s immigration plan

IE News Services

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and Casa Latina are hosting a free community education night to inform people about how President Barack Obama’s new immigration program could affect them and their families. The event happens Thursday, December 18 at Seattle Center Exhibition Hall 305

Harrison Street Seattle, WA 98109. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Presentation begins at 7:00 p.m.

This event is supported in partnership with the City of Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs.

The event is free and open to all community members. Attorneys will be available to answer questions. Learn more at www.nwirp.org or call 1-800-445-5771.

BIJAC celebrates with Mochi Tsuki

on January 4IE News Services

As one of the nation’s longest-running public mochi tsuki (moe-chee-zu-key) events, the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community’s (BIJAC) 26th annual community celebration happens on Sunday, January 4 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at IslandWood, located at 4450

Blakely Avenue NE. Staff and volunteers will offer tours of the award-winning School in the Woods.

The event is free and donations for mochi are welcome. Parking is limited at the site and nearby Blakley Elementary School; carpooling is strongly encouraged.

Highlights include performances from the acclaimed Seattle taiko drum group Kokon Taiko, and to comply with fire safety laws, each of the three taiko drum performances will be limited to 175 seats. Free tickets for each performance will be available 20 minutes prior to each performance on a first come, first served basis. Models and renderings of the Bainbridge Island Japanese-American Exclusion Memorial “Nidoto Nai Yoni—Let It Not Happen Again” National Historic Site will be on display, along with the award-winning exhibit “Kodomo No Tameni—For the sake of the children.”

For more information, visit www.bijac.org.


IE NEWS

Announcement

Seattle Kokon Taiko presents Taiko for Beginners—Naname Style

IE News Services

Seattle Kokon Taiko presents taiko for beginners—Naname Style. The beginner class is a 4-week series with a focus on slant-stand (naname-dai) style drumming, which will explore the intricacies of Left and Right, Loud and Soft, Big and Small, Up and Down. Participants will learn Matsuri Taiko, a well-known North American taiko piece written by Seiichi Tanaka of San Francisco Taiko Dojo.

Matsuri Taiko (Festival Drum) uses the basic taiko elements of kuchi-shoga (mouth singing), kata (stance/form), and jiuchi (stick technique), and then incorporates movement about the drum. Students will learn drum dynamics, timing, patterns and how to put ma (space) in their rhythm and genki (spirit) in their form.

Dates: Sundays, January 11 to February 1Time: 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.Cost: $95 per personDeadline to register is Friday, January 2, 2015. Registration form available at:

www.seattlekokontaiko.org.

By Bernadette ConnorIE Contributor

With the Affordable Care Act pushing the subject of healthcare into the national radar, many of us in the APIA community are dealing with the debate on a more personal front as we try to figure out the best means of caring for aging parents and grandparents. There is a delicate balancing act of preserving personal autonomy with necessary care and overall quality of life.

For many longtime Chinatown International District residents, there is a strong preference to stay within the neighborhood with familiar faces, food, and languages rather than relocating to foreign and potentially isolated homes with children or grandchildren. For the families, allowing frail or mobility-limited elders to live alone can be a source of continual stress and worry. Until recently, the conundrum seemed like an either/or prospect, but a collective of ID organizations is looking to change that.

International Community Health Services (ICHS), Kin On, Nikkei Concerns, and the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority’s (SCIDpda) Legacy House have teamed up for a predevelopment study to assess the feasibility of expanding senior care in the area.

Each member is taking their decades of experience providing culturally competent care within the APIA population to design a program that provides comprehensive holistic care focused on keeping people healthy. A quick glance of Legacy House residents shows ages ranging from 64 to 103, which suggests a possible 40-year span to plan for.

One primary component is providing adult day care services, where seniors can come for social interaction, including activities and meals, plus their necessary

medical and dental checkups, physical and occupational therapy, medication review, social services, and counseling.

Another consideration is determin-ing what social programs people are qualified for after the precipitous in-come drop that usually accompanies retirement. For adults who have never considered themselves low-income, the realization that their fixed-incomes change their status is a surprise. Navi-gating insurance, government bureau-cracy, and specialized care becomes exponentially more complicated with language and cultural differences cre-ating additional barriers to access and quality of care. Having everything all in one place minimizes confusion and oversights, for seniors and providers alike.

To ensure that elders outside the ID have access, an expansion of current vanpool and transit services is also be-ing considered, along with meal deliv-ery and home visit nurses. Rather than treat the aging population as a problem to be solved, the partners look to ex-pand the number of options offered to

seniors and their families to maxi-mize independent and healthy living.

This model for full service care is based on the Program for All-inclusive Care for Elders (PACE). Conceived in early 1970 when San Francisco’s Chinatown faced their own pressing need for long-term care for immigrants from China, Italy, and the Philippines, the program was the preferred alternative to the traditional (yet financially impossible and culturally inappropriate) nursing home. Rather, they looked to the British geriatric day hospital system, a combination of housing and attendant medical and social services utilized since the 1950s.

Unlike early predecessors, the implementation of multidisciplinary care will not have to be created whole cloth—each partner already provides a necessary component of the whole. ICHS has numerous clinics in neighborhoods with a high APIA population. Along with offering a multitude of Asian languages, there are a large number of practitioners who show special interest in elder care and have built long-term relationships with patients. According to Dr. Grace Wang, ICHS’s Chief Medical Officer, it is an honor to be able to help seniors. Kin On, Legacy House, and Nikkei Concerns all provide housing for people throughout the aging process, from independent living to hospice. They provide care and recreation for residents as well as assistance for families, including in-home care, family caregiver support, food delivery and transportation.

To a great extent, says SCIDpda’s Executive Director Maiko Winkler-Chin, it is recognizing a particular skill set and expanding it to include more people.

Phase I of the feasibility study is projected to finish in September 2015. Whether the findings result in new facilities or an expansion of current programs, parties agree that the ultimate goal is to help seniors live the best life possible.

“We want to make everything easier by eliminating the stress,” explains Winkler-Chin, “ultimately focusing on people instead of the process.”

Senior care organizations lead initiative for full service model in ID

A predevelopment study will evaluate the feasibility of expanding SCIDpda‘s Legacy House, a low-income housing facility located at 8th Avenue South and South Lane Street, and adding a new International Community Health Services (ICHS) clinic. • Courtesy Photo


IE COMMUNITY

By Jacob ChinIE Contributor

They say that the mysteries of life can be explained through the deliciousness of a cheesecake. One bite of a truly delicious cheesecake and the secrets of the universe are placed at your fi ngertips. The levels of enlightenment attainable are directly correlated with the heights a particular cheesecake has reached in cheesecake evolution. .... Okay, so maybe this just wishful thinking. But it should be mentioned that one particular cheesecake inspires the aforementioned thoughts and came to be as a result of two different cultures, a microcosm of resistance, and the brilliant mind of Chera Amlag. This cheesecake comes direct from the Hood-Famous Bakeshop: the Hood-Famous Ube Cheesecake.

Why is it that the combination of a Filipino sweet yam and an American classic desert is yet another symbol of resistance? The answer to this question can only be attained by understanding that the ube cheesecake comes from a culmination of history. It comes from the Philippines. It comes from the meeting of East and West. It comes from the South End of Seattle. It comes from a place of pride and dignity. It comes from souls deeply rooted in resistance to oppression.

In November, I had the great pleasure of sitting down over coffee with Chera and talking about what the Ube Cheesecake meant to her and her family. To say that this conversation was solely about cheesecake would be to grossly misunderstand not only who Chera is, but also why and how this cheesecake came about. Sometimes an ube cheesecake is just an ube cheesecake, but other times an ube cheesecake means more to a community than what is just read on the label.

Jacob Chin: Could you describe the process from when you fi rst got the idea to start your bakeshop till now?

Chera Amlag: Well, I have loved baking since I was a child. So about a year ago Geo (my husband) and I, started Food & Sh*t, where we did monthly Pop-Ups. He’s more of the savory and I’m more of the sweet, so we divvied up the task. So he would do the entrées and then I’d be in charge of the deserts. And we both kind of make sure we’re marketing and we’re

getting the word out there so people can come through. But the second Pop-Up was October of last year and I decided to do an ube cheesecake because our thing was trying to take Filipino fl avors and we were just having fun with them. [We were] reinventing traditional dishes, we were taking familiar dishes and putting a Filipino twist to it. … So I had an idea. I said I want to do something with ube. Cause I grew up making halaya with my mom, which is an ube pasty type desert. And [Geo and I] were constantly brainstorming. … So in October of last year I decided to do an ube cheesecake and usually my desserts are a one-time thing. I have it for one Pop-Up. … I think we [sold] out of all the cakes that time, but what was more interesting is right away it just snowballed on social media into this thing.

Chin: With the cheesecake blowing up on social media, what happened in which the “Hood-Famous” title was attached to it?

Amlag: I think the social media aspect to it was really interesting and it kind of blew up from there. One of our friends who went to one of the fi rst few Pop-Ups he was just like, “Man this cheesecake is good, it’s like hood-famous good.” So that’s where the name came from.

Chin: Have you encountered any challenges or obstacles as people of color and owning your business?

Amlag: I feel like in general, [to the general public] we haven’t encountered really a lot of challenges. We get the question, “Why that name?” I think when they hear the name [Food & Sh*t], they laugh. They’re like, “Really? Is that your name?”… The “Sh*t” is really important shit. Because if you look at every single one of the Pop-Ups and you look at the write up of each one, there are a lot of deeper layers of what that shit is. We talk a lot about where does that food come from. We talk about our culture. Like one Pop-Up we had kamayan, which means eat with your hands, and it really was this throwback of being able to talk about colonization in the Philippines and how when the colonizers came they imposed the use of a spoon and fork, because eating with your hands is uncivilized, even though our people had been doing that for generations. So this idea of a spoon and a

fork, we were like, “Let’s go back. Let’s go back to that precolonization and bring it back.” Cause we still see our families, our parents eating with their hands and I remember Geo saying, “At some point when you have friends over and your parents are eating with their hands, there was a point at a younger age when you kind of feel a little ashamed of that, cause you feel embarrassed.” But when you go back to it that is the closest you can get to your nourishment, by actually having it in your hands and there is nothing wrong with that.

It’s a part of who we are and it’s a part of our history and the reason why we have a spoon and a fork is because people were trying to civilize us. So to us food, we want to keep it fun but we want to also come from a place where anything that we do, we want it to be meaningful. So if we have a platform where people are listening,

people are looking at us through the Pop-Ups we’re gonna try our best to really start conversation that are important to us and meaningful to us. And what people decide to do with that is up to them.

Chin: What is the next step after this?Amlag: It’s a bakeshop, so there is more

to come. We’re not just going to sell ube cheesecake all the time and we’re working on some new fl avors coming out. I’m working on buko pandan, which is like a coconut pandan cheesecake and a white chocolate guava cheesecake. And then I’ll be rolling out some other deserts from the Pop-Ups, like we do a kalamansi lemon bar. So we’re taking a traditional lemon bar and we’re using kalamansi instead of lemon. We’re going to keep playing with the fl avors and having fun. Things that you saw at previous Pop-Up menus will most likely show up and go on the website, in our bakeshop. So all those will be available for order and pick-up at Inay’s and then there will be a platform for delivery through, we’ve partnered with a mobile app called Lishfood. And people can order online and get it delivered to them. So there will be hopefully more to come. We’re going to try to get into more stores but for now that’s a lot for us.

To read the interview in its entirety, stay tuned to iexaminer.org.

Ube Cheesecake: Talking about the hidden history in delicious food

Food & Sh*t founders Chera Amlag and Geo Quibuyen. • Courtesy Photo

The Hood-Famous Ube Cheesecake. • Courtesy Photo


IE NEWS

Immigrant voices memorialized at former detention centerBy Ana Sofia Knauf

IE Contributor

Walking into the Inscape Arts and Cultural Center didn’t feel quite like I thought it would. The building looks more like a school or a train station than the former home of United States Immigrant Station and Assay Office. But that’s exactly what it is.

This past Sunday, December 7, Inscape opened “Voices of the Immigration Station: 72 Years of History on Five Floors,” a permanent exhibit documenting the troubled history of the building, in partnership with the Wing Luke Museum. The office, also known as the INS building, opened in 1932 as a stop—sometimes a permanent one—for new Americans.

Droves of people once waited outside of the building, hoping they could become American citizens, dreading the possibility of being deported back to the countries from which they fled. Because of this, the INS building became known as Seattle’s Ellis Island.

In the exhibit, voices of immigrants and refugees are finally memorialized, said Jay Stansell during the exhibit’s opening reception. Stansell is an assistant federal public defender who once represented detainees in INS. The Inscape lobby, which once served as the building’s front desk area is now a small art gallery and museum dedicated to explaining the history of refugees and immigrants in the United States.

“We rarely bring [the conversation] to the present to talk about [what’s happening] today,” Stansell said. “The building is now a positive place of creativity … but it bears noting that in place of this, [the government] made a high-tech deportation facility in Tacoma.”

The INS building closed in 2004 when the Northwest Detention Center,

a privately-owned facility, opened just outside of downtown Tacoma.

Stacey Fischer, founder and creative director of Buoyant Design, housed in the Inscape center, helped design the three-dimensional elements of the exhibit, including informational placards and historical timelines.

One of the installations is by comic artist Eroyn Franklin, who turned the oral histories of two former detainees into Detained, a double-sided panoramic graphic novel. On the first side, readers follow Many Uch, a Cambodian-American immigrant, who was detained at the INS near the end of the facility’s operation. The other side examines the Northwest Detention Center through the eyes of Gabriela Cubillos, a Mexican immigrant, who was once held at the prison.

“When [the building] was empty, it still felt full of people,” said Franklin, who worked with The Seattle Globalist, formerly The Common Language

Project, to produce “Between Worlds/Behind Bars,” a four-part radio series exploring immigration in Washington.

And the building is full of people. After some renovations in 2008, the historic Inscape building was converted into rented studio space for more than 100 local artists. Where there were once towering filing cabinets documenting each person who passed through INS, there are now portraits and abstract artworks.

“Artists came [into Inscape] to help breathe new life into the building. The eagerness of the tenants to want to know the history helped with this partnership,” said Cassie Chinn, deputy executive director at the Wing Luke Museum. “The revitalization of the neighborhood is important for us.”

While colorful canvases and sculptures line five stories of the building’s hallways, scars of the building’s darker past still remain. The basement, once used as booking facility, still bears the painted handprints where INS officers routinely

searched detainees. There are spackled-over holes that once bolted a cage-like enclosure to the wall, which was used for interviewing detainees. A placard on the third floor notes that a hallway of studios were once solitary confinement cells that echoed with the screams of inmates, some of whom were mentally ill.

The rooftop recreation courtyard left me feeling particularly winded. After passing through the heavy metal door, your eyes are immediately drawn to the words on the walls. The detainees’ words are etched in melted tar, spelling out their names or from where they emigrated, as if to say “I was here.” The words, some probably more than 50 years old, stare out at CenturyLink field, out into Seattle. It’s from this courtyard, about two stories up, that one East African detainee fell to his death during an attempted escape.

The building has a bit of an eerie feel to it, to say the least.

But today, the Inscape building is full of life and good energy—there are artists roaming the building, creating dreamlike spaces out of rooms that were once a living nightmare for the people who were held there.

Ultimately, the center is a place for reflection through art. It is a place for us to remember our history and commit to the continued effort to strengthen our community.

“It’s important to tell the history through art because art can always touch on those harder stories,” Fischer said.

Eroyn Franklin’s comic ‘Detained’ was done in collaboration with The Seattle Globalist. They did the tours of the INS building and the interviews together, but the comic was not created as part of the Globalist’s Between Worlds/Behind Bars series.

Cassie Chinn, deputy director of the Wing Luke Museum, center, talks with visitors during the opening night of “Voices of the Immigration Station.” • Photo by Ana Sofia Knauf

Detainees left their marks on the walls of the building’s outdoor recreation courtyard using melted roofing tar. Many left their names and from where they emigrated. • Photo by Ana Sofia Knauf

Visitors read Detained, a panoramic graphic novel by Eroyn Franklin, a local comic artist. • Photo by Ana Sofia Knauf


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By Jacqueline WuIE Heritage Editor

Chants of “Black lives matter! Black lives matter!” echoed through the streets Saturday afternoon, December 6, as demonstrators marched down Jackson Street through the Chinatown/International District. Organizers had rallied to show resistance to the national epidemic of police brutality against the black community.

The peaceful march blocked off Jackson Street and the rally was momentarily held on the cross street of 5th Avenue. Access to the Chinatown/International District transit tunnel was closed off to prevent interference with public transportation.

Organizers of the protest compiled a mission statement:

“We are here on behalf of the Black Community, in solidarity with Ferguson, in honor of Mike Brown to address through non-violence, the crisis of police brutality towards the Black Community in order to achieve the short term goal of a fair and just

Black lives matter: Demonstrators march in solidarity through IDtrial for Mike Brown and the long term goal of reconstructing the justice system that has continuously failed the Black Community.”

Brown was an unarmed eighteen-year-old Black man who was shot by police on August 9. On November 24, a grand jury decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for shooting Brown.

Organizers of the protest also stated:“We, the youth, are the next generation

of this country. We are the voice of the future. If we want to live in a world where people are not afraid of the police we have to continue to protest and fight for change. This event is to help spread awareness about a problem that has been happening in the United States for years. We are tired of people being killed simply because they are black, simply because of who they are. The recent shooting of the Brown family’s child was the last straw. People are angry now. We have to use our anger to fuel this movement. We cannot stop until we see the change that we want.”

SOLIDARITY: Continued on page 10 . . .

Members of the API community stand in solidarity with demonstrators on December 6, 2014. The march went through the International District and ended in front of the Seattle Police Department Headquarters. • Photo by Jacqueline Wu


IE NEWS

In addition to Brown, protesters also reacted to a grand jury verdict regarding the death of Eric Garner. Garner, a 43 old Black man in Staten Island, New York, died after being held in a chokehold by officer Daniel Pantaleo on July 17. On December 3, a grand jury decided not to indict officer Daniel Pantaleo for any wrongdoing.

Garner’s last words captured in a video that went viral: “I can’t breathe.”

The march originated at Garfield High School and ended at 5th Avenue and Cherry Street, in front of the Seattle Police Department Headquarters.

. . . SOLIDARITY: Continued from page 9

Photos by Jacqueline Wu


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“Where Are the People of Color in Children’s Books?”

Dear Readers, welcome to Part II of our Children’s Pacific Reader. When noted children’s writer and illustrator Walter Dean Myers wrote these words in an op-ed column in the New York Times Sunday Review in the early spring of 2014, it drew many comments. In part II of our Children’s Pacific Reader, mother and daughter educators Valerie Ooka Pang and Jennifer Pang try to track down the reasons for this glaring omission in our literary landscape with their essay in this issue. We also add on a few more book reviews that didn’t quite fit in part 1. Happy holidays and happy reading!

—Alan Chong Lau, Coordinator of Pacific Reader Literary Supplement

By Tamiko NimuraIE Contributor

This holiday season, consider these four books for kids, which in their different ways testify to the power of imagination, from the everyday through the most difficult of circumstances.

Junzo Terada’s book, A Good Home For Max (originally pub-lished in Japa-nese as Tabi’s General Store) is a charming book that helps young-er readers (3-5 years old) to see the quiet beauty of an imaginative friendship. It’s a story about a little shopkeeper mouse named Tabi who tries to find a home for his friend, the toy dog Max. Tabi tries several tactics, but none seem to work until one day he finds out that Max is missing. Younger children will like Tabi’s different antics to find Max’s new home. Terada is a graphic designer as well as an illustrator, which is evident from the cheerful patterns on the shop floor to the cursive French labels on the goods in Tabi’s shop, to the “vintage” color scheme (remi-niscent of early Little Golden Books like The Tawny Scrawny Lion).

My young daughters also enjoyed the book Juna’s Jar, written by Jane Bahk and

Four children’s books reaffirm the power of imaginationillustrated by Felicia Hoshino. With the help of her older brother Minho, Juna uses her empty kimchi jar to go on unexpected adventures and find a friend. Hosh ino’s illustrations convey Ju-na’s inner and outer worlds beautifully, from the range of emotions on Juna’s ex-pressive face to the playful settings of the wondrous adventures that she embarks on during the night. Kids will appreciate how Juna’s able to use her imagination on her quest, as well as the many ways that she’s able to use her empty jar.

Parents who are seeking a book for very young readers about the Japanese American incarceration experience will appreciate the power and beauty of Lori-ene Honda’s book, The Cat Who Chose To Dream. Jimmy is a cat in a concentra-tion camp, who uses his imagination and dreams in order to process and transcend the emotions and experience of trauma and incarceration. Among camp narra-tives, it’s remarkable for its emotional transparency, which can connect younger readers to the experience with a mini-mum of necessary historical context. The

By Fei Wu HuangIE Contributor

Both author Gabrielle Wang and illustra-tor Sally Rippin in their short-yet-elegant story tells us of the making of the Chi-nese Zodiac through a race across a river set up by the Jade Emperor. With 13 animal contestants and only 12 avail-able spots up for the taking, The Race for the Chinese Zodiac takes the reader on an emotional ride of anticipation and ex-citement all the way to the finish line.

With each animal given its own unique personality, there is no telling what kind of tricks each one of these animals has up their sleeve. What separates this folktale from other stories that have been passed down from generation to generation is how this story uses a back story of two of the un-likeliest of friends to tell of this old legend.

From animals that come in all different shapes and sizes and colors and abilities, there are many ways in which to achieve such a goal. This is more than just your average folktale, but a story about life’s lessons. It will

leave the reader all the more curious about fig-uring out which animal they see in themselves. While other children books may have told this tale, Wang and Rippin’s version is es-pecially unique. Not only do the ink paint-ings provide glimpses of ancient China, but the animals are also given a brief descrip-tion about how they achieve great things that might seem im-possible in response to the challenge of the Jade Emperor.

With each passing second of the race, the book engages the reader from both start to finish. The colorful pictures and large text on each page are perfectly crafted as there are no dull moments. This folktale is sure to entice the minds of young readers.

The Race for the Chinese Zodiac: Folktale will entice young readers

book’s illustrations are by camp survivor and artist Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani, subject of the documenta-ry The Cats of Mirikitani, who gave his per-mission for the artwork to be used before his death in 2012. The book’s also helpful in show-ing young kids different coping techniques for dealing with trauma, such as mindful breathing.

Finally, slightly older readers and Hayao Miyazaki fans can look forward to the Eng-lish translation of Princess Mononoke: The First Story. Rather than a storybook adapta-tion of the 1997 movie with a similar name, this book is actually Miyazaki’s stand-alone adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast,” ac-companied by a series of wa-tercolor “con-cept sketches” that he did in 1980. Many ele-ments from this fantasy book emerged later in his movies, including My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. As with

several of his movies, there are themes of parental transformations and abandonments, environmental destruction, spirit possession, and anti-war messages, revolving around a strong central female character and a lov-able animal-like companion. Here, Princess Mononoke must use her bravery as well as her imagination to save the day. Readers who enjoy Miyazaki’s movies will enjoy this book, although they should not expect it to follow the plotline of the movie.

These four books show that it’s a good time to be reading multicultural kids’ books, and to support efforts like We Need Diverse Books. Enjoy reading with your kids over vacation!


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By Valerie Ooka Pang and Jennifer M. Pang

IE Columnists

Asian American young readers often ask us: “Why don’t I see anyone like me in books?”

They are right. Sure there are a few books that talk about Chinese New Year or eating sushi, but why don’t we see AAPI children in their natural everyday lives?

We believe more books like the Alvin Ho series by Lenore Look are needed. One of the most funny in the series is Alvin Ho: Allergic to Dead Bodies, Funerals, and Other Fatal Circumstances. This is a hilarious book with funny illustrations by LeUyen Pham. Alvin is a second grader who, though stricken by shyness, has a rich interior life. The author gives him a distinctive voice that is appealing to readers of all ages.

For example, Alvin was supposed to give a letter to his parents from his teacher, but he didn’t.

“After a few days, when it was too late to give it to the Parents of Alvin Ho without some sort of trouble, and I couldn’t stand it any longer, I ripped open the letter and read it. Then I was very sorry I did. There was nothing in the letter that said anything good about me. If the Parents of Alvin Ho read it, there would be weeping (mine) and gnashing of teeth (my dad’s) ... So I pushed it, along with my test, into the garbage disposal between the fish skeleton and coffee grounds ...”

Another scary story is about going to a funeral. Like most other second graders, as well as a good portion of adults, Alvin is afraid of death. However, he promises his GungGung (grandfather) that he would go with him to Charlie’s funeral. Charlie was GungGung’s best friend and Alvin knew him too.

This is what Alvin said about going to the funeral:

“I stared straight ahead.Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw

it.The dead body.It looked like Charlie. Sort of.A strange, sad feeling went up my nose

and fell into my chest.”Why do we like Look’s Alvin Ho series?

Alvin is just like any other kid who gets bullied, doesn’t want to do his homework, and his big brother often bothers him.

However, Look integrates aspects of Alvin’s Chinese American culture like his relationships with his GungGung (grandfather) and PohPoh (grandmother), as well as traditional Chinese cultural customs such as in funerals. By naturally weaving culture into the story without making it a focal point, Look reflects what many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders do in their own lives.

We believe there are five major reasons why there are few Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and multicultural children’s books published in the past 20 years.

First, lots of publishers and Americans in general think that racism has been eliminated, marked by the election of a Black President for two terms. In addition to believing that Asians are all prosperous, many may think that there isn’t a need for “cultural” books. We are all the same, right? Because of these kinds of thoughts, few children’s books present the lives of multicultural children and their families. We believe that books like the Alvin Ho series not only show AAPI students that they can be the focus of their own stories, but also demonstrate to others the nuances of what it’s like to grow up in a diverse society.

Second, there are few AAPI and other publishers of multicultural children’s books. For example Lee and Low Books is one of

the few book companies whose goal is to find and publish great stories about children and people of color. This is their vision. They were willing to take a financial risk to produce books like Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki, which is about the Japanese American internment experience, and Dia’s Story Cloth by Dia Cha, a wonderful picture book about the Hmong community’s flight to the United States during the war in Vietnam and Laos. Both of these titles continue to be found in bookstores and schools.

Third, the occupation of multicultural children’s book author and/or illustrator is not inherently valued. This is not an upwardly mobile career path; it is difficult to get published and to support oneself. This continues to be a problem for authors of various diverse backgrounds. There are few prolific authors such as Laurence Yep (Chinese American, Dragonwings), Faith Ringold (African American, Tar Beach), Gary Soto (Latino, Baseball in April), or Allen Say (Japanese-Korean American, The Favorite Daughter). We need many more like them.

Fourth, children’s literature with a multicultural focus often gets pigeon holed. Many teachers and parents think that books with protagonists who are people or children of color must only be for students of color. The United States is a culturally diverse nation. The books are needed for all readers. The labeling and categorizing books in this way can limit the vision of who we are as a nation. Consider a beautiful book like Shaun Tan’s The Arrival, a haunting, wordless story for older readers about immigration to a foreign

land. Though focusing on a potentially difficult topic, The Arrival can be used to illustrate how immigration has impacted our nation, families, and personal lives.

Finally, we must advocate for authors of color and books which center around characters who are culturally diverse. Just like those ads that we are bombarded with during the election season, we must lobby and purchase the books we want. We need to work together to support publishers like Lee and Low Books and AAPI authors and illustrators such as Lenore Look, Dia Cha, Laurence Yep, Ken Mochizuki, LeUyen Pham and Yangsook Choi. They tell AAPI stories and these stories enrich the lives of all children.

THE MISSING PICTURE: Where are Asians in children’s books today?


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By Bruce FultonIE Contributor

Black Flower, the third novel by Kim Young-ha, recounts a little-known chapter of the Korean diaspora—the transplantation of a thousand-plus Koreans to the henequen fields of Mexico in 1905, the year Japan defeated Russia in the Russo-Japanese War and assumed suzerainty over the last of the Korean kingdoms, Chosŏn. It’s a well-researched book that’s rich in historical detail, surveying not only the jousting among the colonial powers in East Asia but also the early twentieth-century civil conflicts in Mexico and Guatemala. (Kim visited Mérida, on the Yucatán Peninsula, in the spring of 2003, and at one point, realizing he had few names for his Mexican characters, walked the streets of the city asking passersby their names.)

On the other hand, the novel’s large cast of characters leaves it short in character development. The relationship between the aristocratic Yeonsu and the orphan Ijeong is a kind of gender reversal of one of Korea’s cherished tales, of the love between the well-born Yi Mongnyong and Ch’unhyang, daughter of an entertaining woman. The episode of same-sex desire for Ijeong on the part of a Japanese, Yoshida, feels gratuitous unless we read it as a metaphor of the Japanese seizure of Korea in 1910. Kim is at his best describing military men, such as Bak Jeonghun, and the soldier’s mentality. In an Epilog we learn what became of the various characters, in places as far afield as Mexico City, Cuba, Florida, and the Bay Area.

The latter sections of the novel are over-reliant on coincidence, a characteristic pointed out to me by one of the students in my Modern Korean Novel course at the University of British Columbia. Even so, my UBC students found the novel as much of a page turner as any modern Korean novel I’ve taught, on a par with Cho Chŏngnae’s novel of young Korean soldiers swept up in the vicissitudes of World War Two, How in Heaven’s Name.

In an Author’s Note, Kim explains that he chose the title Black Flower because black “is a color created by combining all the other colors. Similarly, everything is mixed together in this novel—religion, race, status, and gender—and what emerges is something completely different” (p. 304). Black is also an appropriate symbol of Kim’s writing life, which has been inspired in large part by a childhood incident of carbon monoxide poisoning that sucked the memories of his own past into a black hole. Recovering the lost history of the Korean settlers in Mexico and Guatemala is perhaps a surrogate for the author’s reclamation of the lost narrative of his own early years. The Koreans in Guatemala also disappeared into that black hole: restoration work on the Mayan ruins in 1991 uncovered “no traces ... of the group of mercenaries who had passed through that place, or of the small, insignificant country they had founded” (p. 302).

At the end of his Author’s Note, Kim mentions that in writing this novel, he thought of himself as “a short of shaman.” The literary translator, too, is a kind of medium, who must channel the voice not only of the author but of his or her characters. The more time a translator spends with an author, the more successful the outcome. It would seem that the right shaman to translate

Kim’s novels has yet to be found. (His short stories are another matter, as can be seen in the excellent translations by Dafna Zur.) The translation of Black Flower is too literal and wordy and feels wooden; in some passages it seems as if Kim Young-ha has just learned how to write (in fact Black Flower was his

fifth book of fiction). The text is littered with words and expressions that appear with much more frequency in literary Korean than their counterparts in literary English. Conventions such as “open one’s mouth” (a common form of attribution appearing at the beginning of an utterance) and “ask back” (to respond to a question with another question) appear to have been translated verbatim from the Korean. At one point the term

translate is used when interpret is meant (p. 145).

That the translation survives in its present form is evidence of the editorial neglect that marred Kim’s first novel in English translation, I Have the Right to Destroy Myself. As far as I can tell, the published copy of Black Flower differs only in the correction of a few obvious typos from the advance reading copy I read for this review. Unaddressed are oxymorons such as “became lost in thought for a moment” (p. 142); redundancies such as “bowed their heads” (p. 152); problems with terminology (the burrowing bugs mentioned on pp. 278-79 are the ones my father used to remove from my ears with a burned match head—they’re called ticks); and cultural oddities such as “shamaness” (section 39—the great majority of practitioners of traditional spirituality in Korea are female, and in the Korean language it is the male practitioners who are identified by a gendered term). Another peculiarity is the use of a romanization system promulgated by the South Korean government, instead of the standard McCune-Reischauer system. Mexican names of persons and places are spelled with the proper diacriticals—why not Korean proper names as well?

Kim Young-Ha is an accomplished writer who continues to develop. His short fiction in particular is witty, imaginative, and rich in psychological insight—qualities less evident in the three published translations of his novels. Let’s hope for better with his newest novel, I Hear You, now being translated by the gifted Krys Lee (Drifting House). And it’s high time for a selection of Kim’s short fiction to appear in English.

Kim Young-ha continues to develop in Black Flower

Ron Chew delivered the keynote speech at the National Guild for Community Arts Education conference in Los Angeles on November 20. Chew spoke about the arts and the movement for social justice. • Courtesy Photo


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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.

Arts & Culture

[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.

3327 Beacon Ave S.Seattle, WA 98144 ph: 206-725-9740

Education

Housing & Neighborhood Planning

HomeSight5117 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118ph: 206-723-4355 fx: 206-760-4210www.homesightwa.org

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.

Legacy House803 South Lane Street Seattle, WA 98104ph: 206-292-5184 fx: [email protected] www.scidpda.org/programs/legacyhouse.aspx

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.

Senior Services

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

Social & Health Services

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 Avenue S, Seattle, WA 98114 ph: 206-788-3700email: [email protected] website: www.ichs.com

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

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

Holly Park Medical & Dental Clinic3815 S Othello St, Seattle, WA 98118ph: 206-788-3500

ICHS is a non-profit medical and dental center that provides health care to low income Asian, Pacific Islanders, immigrants and refugees in Washington State.

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

activities such as community improvement projects, scholarship opportunities, and undertakings that promote education.

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 human trafficking in the Asian, South Asian and Pacific Islander communities. We offer multi-lingual services that are free and confidential.

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.

Professional & Leadership Development

Please mail a check for $35 to the International Examiner or donate to: 409 Maynard Ave. S. #203, Seattle, WA 98104.Thank you for your contribution.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER FOR

$35/YEAR FOR 24 ISSUES!

ph: 206-624-3426 www.merchants-parking-transia.org

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.

Social & Health Services

Agape Senior Group Activity Center36405 Cedar St, Suite UTacoma, WA 98409ph: 253-212-3957 [email protected]


IE NEWS

Check back for Sudoku in the IE every issue! Answers to this puzzle are in the next issue on Wednesday, January 7.

Event Manager

The Washington State Convention Center, located in downtown Seattle, has an opening for the position of EVENT MANAGER. The position is responsible for the successful coordination of assigned events within the facility. Working directly with WSCC clients and Service Partners, the Event Manager communicates the needs of the client to other WSCC departments and ensures compliance with the event contract.

Required Qualifications: BA/BS degree and three (3) years experience within the hospitality/convention meetings industry. Prefer at least two (2) years experience coordinating major, complex events.

Visit www.wscc.com for further info or to download an application. Applications are also available at the WSCC Service Entrance, 9th and Pike, Mon-Fri, 8:00am – 5:00pm. This position will be open until filled. Jobline: (206) 694-5039. EOE.

Security

WA State Convention Center (WSCC) is accepting applications for Full-Time Security Officers. Must have experience working directly with the public & strong customer service skills. Officers are responsible for the safety and security of the facility, property & occupants. Requires HS diploma or GED and at least 2 years security experience.

Visit www.wscc.com for further info or to download an application. Applications are also available at the WSCC Service Entrance, 9th and Pike, Mon-Fri, 8a-5p. WSCC applications must be completed for consideration. Jobline: (206) 694-5039. EOE.

Jobs

Viet-Wah is currently hiring for Store Manager, required at least 3 years experience in retail management, Chinese speaking preferred, please email your resume and cover letter to [email protected].

Scammers pose as Seattle City Light workers, target

non-English speakersIE News Services

Seattle City Light is warning the community about scammers targeting utility customers by threatening to shutoff power unless payment is made to a fraudulent bill collector.

Seattle City Light said it is receiving 25 to 30 reports per week from customers targeted by such scams, often some of Seattle’s most vulnerable residents.

“Scammers commonly target non-English speaking individuals, elderly, and small business owners,” Seattle City Light said in a statement. “They use phone calls, email, even home visits, posing as Seattle City Light employees. In the scam, they are demanding the customer’s fi nancial and personal information in addition to payment with a pre-paid credit card (MoneyPak/GreenDot) or else the customer will face an immediate shutoff of service.”

Seattle City Light is reminding people that it does not call, email, or visit customers demanding immediate payment to avoid shutoffs. Anyone who falls behind on payments will receive at least two written notifi cations before the shutoff process starts.

Additionally, City Light employees will never need to enter your home to conduct any kind of test. If someone claiming to be from City Light approaches you at home and asks for personal or fi nancial information, requests to enter your home, or cannot provide you with employee identifi cation, immediately shut your door, secure your home and call 911.

If a customer suspects a scam attempt or has any questions regarding their bill, City Light urges them to call a customer service representative at (206) 684-3000.

City Light is taking a proactive approach toward stopping scams through its “Spot It, Report it, Stop it,” scam prevention campaign. To learn more, visit: www.seattle.gov/light/EndScams. The website offers various resources for customers to protect themselves and their family and friends from scams.


SCAMALERTSpot ItlRepoRt ItlStop It

Seattle City Light employees will never…•Call,emailormakeahomevisittorequestpaymentoraskfor financialinformation•Shutoffyourservicewithoutprovidingadvancewrittenwarning•Failtoprovideemployeeidentification•Enteryourhomeforanytests

Don’t let it happen to you. Protectyourselfbybeinginformed.Visitwww.seattle.gov/light/EndScamsorcall206.684.3000.

@seacitylightSeattle City Light

December 17, 2014

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