The Mohamaths: baby boy, Adam; father, Asari; mother, Salima; and daughter, Nurhaliza. Photo c. 2007 and courtesy Asari Mohamath.

Reporting by Julie Pham.

I left Vietnam when I was ten years-old. When I was one year older, in 1981, I made it to America. To get there, I spent 4 nights and 5 days on a boat at sea with my older brother, my uncle, and his family, and about 30 others. On the fifth day, we arrived on the shores of Thailand, where we stayed for six months. Then we moved to another refugee camp in the Philippines for another six months. Eventually, we settled in the Rainier Valley.

I was born in Chau Doc, Vietnam. I speak Vietnamese fluently. But I am not Vietnamese. I’m Cham, an ethnic minority in Vietnam. I’m also Muslim. On the first day of school, when students introduced themselves, I always saw the Vietnamese kids eyes pop out when I said I was from Vietnam. “But you don’t have a Vietnamese name!” I could hear them think. I would explain that I’m Cham.

One of my early memories in Seattle was attending my first American birthday party. I was in awe of the cake, the decorations, the games. I had never seen anything like it before. I went home and shared my exciting experience with my family. Only later did they explain to me, in our religion, we don’t celebrate birthdays.

As recent refugees in the Rainier Vista in the 1980s, being Cham, being Vietnamese, it didn’t matter. We were just Asian together. We would have barbeques and hang out. We clung to each other. As our community grew, we began to distinguish ourselves.

When I was in high school, I began to notice there was a Vietnamese club, a Chinese club, but no Cham club. My curiosity was huge. I went to the library and started to read about my culture. I was the fourth Cham student to attend the University of Washington and the third Cham to ever graduate. I am a founding member of the Cham Student’s Association.

When I opened my first business in 1995, it was a janitorial service. Many Chams worked as janitors and I was able to employ 50-60 Vietnamese and Chams. I wanted to create economic development for my community. But the “dot com” bubble burst, and so did my business.

In 1997, I returned to Vietnam for the first time as a backpacker. I wanted to see the place of my childhood. I met my wife there and after knowing each other for three weeks, I proposed. There was another Cham family in France whose son was pursuing her, so I had to act fast. Now we return to Vietnam every year, with our children, for three to six weeks at a time.

We had a Halal restaurant for a few years on MLK Way. It was named after my wife, Salima. People came from far to eat there. It was very popular and successful. We had to close it because the pressure of having young children and building our business on MLK during Light Rail construction was too much. I dream of having a Halal food service one day.

We try to do our best to pass on as much of the Cham culture to our children as we can. But we can only do so much. I send my children to Cham school. At home, when I hear English, I say, “Speak in Cham please.” I just hope our efforts are enough until my daughter gets old enough to become curious and wants to find out more on her own, like I did.

I still live near my first home in America. The 98118 is home to the center of the Cham community, the largest in the United States. We have our mosque on Graham and 39th, behind Aki Kurose Middle School. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. This is my home now.

After earning my masters degree from the University of Nebraska, I worked for four years at two different renowned architectural firms: SOM in Chicago and Leo A Daly in Omaha.

In 1994, drawn by the beautiful Pacific Northwest, my husband and I moved to Seattle. It was one of the best decisions we ever made. I joined Mithun, an architecture firm nationally renowned for their sustainable designs. I have been with the firm for 17 years.

In 2007, I became one of the owners/shareholders at Mithun, a huge accomplishment in the architectural field. Among the owners/shareholders at our firm, I am the only woman, minority and first-generation immigrant to be a shareholder.

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to design a building for the non-profit organization, Abused Deaf Women’s Advocacy Services (ADWAS). ADWAS provides services to deaf and deaf-blind women and their children. I was especially inspired by the founder and Executive Director of ADWAS, Marilyn Smith. I admired the great impact she and her staff have made in the deaf community. Together, we delivered a beautiful building designed specifically for the deaf and deaf-blind, the first of its kind in the country.

ADWAS exposed me to the non-profit world. I wanted to continue to help others. I then discovered Seattle’s chapter of the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP). I found the organization’s mission of building professional Asian American leaders compelling.

So, I joined a non-profit board for the first time and I serve currently as NAAAP-Seattle’s Scholarship Chair. I believe in the power of education and how it can change lives. That was certainly true for me. Through running the scholarship program, I organize opportunities for the next generation of leaders to pursue their professional aspirations. I am humbled by achievements of NAAAP-Seattle’s high school and college scholarship winners.

Through volunteering with NAAAP, what I thought was an opportunity to invest my time and energy in others, I soon discovered was also an investment in myself. I am a mother of two young boys, a wife, and a daughter whose parents still live in China. I am also in the leadership ranks of one of Washington’s large architectural firms, during a recession that has been especially difficult for my industry. I’m very busy, but I make time to serve on NAAAP-Seattle’s board because doing so is an investment in building my leadership skills.

Aside from gaining non-profit experience, I have become a more effective leader at work. I am excited about NAAAP’s new national initiative, the Women in NAAAP (WIN!) program, which aims to build Asian American women leaders. NAAAP-Seattle is organizing the West Coast launch of the WIN! Conference on June 4.

Though this conference aims to help Asian women, men and women of all races will benefit from investing a day from their life in learning how to become better, more efficient, productive and powerful leaders. On-site childcare is even available, which is great for moms like me.

The WIN! conference theme is “Invest in yourself!” I’m one of the featured faces on WIN! marketing material. I never thought I would appear on public transit advertising or on posters. But I live the message “Invest in yourself!”every day, and I love sharing it with others.

For more information on the WIN! Conference, please visit: win.naaapseattle.org.

My long time commitment is to the children and youth of this southeast district. But my compassion is to really make changes within my southeast districts so all the children and youth will receive the equity education that they so long to receive.  As a mother and grandma of 17 grandchildren, it is my belief that school should be a sanctuary for all children and youth who attend each individual school.  We as a school should be equipped to make sure that every student that enters our school building would feel safe, motivated, and ready to learn.  If they are not ready to learn then it is the responsibility of the schools to provide whatever assurance that they can to every student who is in their school building.  School staff should always be ready to provide the necessary remedy needed to any student who attends their schools.

As an employee of the district for 32 years, this is what I provided for every student that I came in contact with.  I gave students the ability to know that there was someone who really cares about them.  They are special and no matter what negativity anyone told them, they are one of a kind.  God did not make any of us alike; we are all different. Each of us are special and children should be treated the same.  Just because a student is always in trouble does not mean that they can’t be reached. Remember: negative + negative = negative. I know this because for the last 32 years I have worked with students from all kinds of bad situations.  Many teachers are having problems reaching these very students, but I can tell you, it doesn’t make any difference if you are a good teacher. If you can’t reach every student in your class it means there is more work to be done.  Having a positive attitude with students will certainly help you to be a great teacher.

Remember, we were all students once. Understanding and compassion will make a difference in the attitudes of the students we deal with daily.

In the fall of 2008, I ended my nomadic life as a graduate student and returned to my hometown of Seattle to learn about entrepreneurship firsthand, by working at the family business, the Northwest Vietnamese News newspaper.

Although I researched Asian history for most of my adult life, only when I returned to Seattle did I join any organization that focused on serving Asians. When I first decided to study Vietnamese, academic ambition rather than personal reasons drove my efforts.

Now, being Vietnamese American is very much a part of my personal and professional identity. My newspaper keeps thousands of Vietnamese across the state informed of local news. I cannot imagine not being able to speak to my parents in Vietnamese, though I only spoke English to them up until ten years ago.

Over the past two years, I have learned what it means to serve Asians, not to just study Asian history.

When I first started working at the newspaper, I saw its potential to be a bridge between my ethnic community and mainstream society. This is true for all ethnic media. To fulfill its potential, I needed to find supporters not just from within, but also outside the Vietnamese community. So, I ventured outside my Rainier Valley office and began to build my local networks, focusing first on the Asian American community.

I Googled “Asian American” and “Seattle,” and found the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP)-Seattle. It became my first formal network.

As I assumed the role of the newspaper’s spokesperson, I realized I needed to become the leader people perceived me as.

My parents and academic advisers never mentioned “leadership development” and “networking.” They stressed that if I studied and worked hard, success would follow. When I made a career change at an age most of my friends were on their second or third promotion, I knew that I had to work smarter, not just harder.

I discovered volunteering provides unique opportunities to network. Through volunteering on the boards of the MLK Business Association, NAAAP-Seattle, and Celebrate Asia! Seattle Symphony, I am able to hone my leadership skills and work alongside dedicated individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

Through NAAAP, I learned about the Executive Development Institute. I applied for and won the 2010 NAAAP-Prudential Benefit to EDI.

Aside from formal training with EDI, numerous community leaders have generously mentored me, helping me refine my raw energy and passion. Yoshi and Naomi Minegishi have shown me how to organize and negotiate efficiently, effectively and with grace. Christine Chen always asks me hard questions, pushing me to clarify my message. Elaine Kitamura has taught me the art of networking. Dr. Skip Rowland, Lourdes Sampera Tsukada, Assunta Ng, among many others, continue to inspire me with their pioneering spirit and their commitment to diversity.

In the Vietnamese community – my father Kim Pham, the president of the Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce Trong Pham, and the Executive Director of the Vietnamese Friendship Association Vu Le always share their invaluable insights.

After seeing a need for ethnic media outlets to become stronger as businesses, I created and launched a capacity-building program for local ethnic media called Sea Beez this past May, with the support of New America Media and the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. Sea Beez includes over twenty different ethnic media organizations, which serve communities as diverse as the Somalis, Chinese, the Yakama, Jews, African Americans, and Hispanics, among others.

Looking back over these two years, by returning home, new worlds have opened up to me.

Tomio Moriguchi

Tomio Moriguchi is a life-long resident of Seattle. He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Washington in 1961 and joined the family business, Uwajimaya Inc., in 1962 with the passing of his father, Fujimatsu Moriguchi.  Tomio is currently its Chairman of the Board. Uwajimaya businesses include three retail Uwajimaya Asian Food & Gift Markets, Kustom Foods (manufacturer of Asian foods) and Food Service International (wholesaler to Asian restaurants).  Tomio led the successful real estate development of Fujisada Condominiums and the Uwajimaya Village complex in Seattle’s International District. Tomio has received numerous awards and recognitions of his business leadership and volunteer involvement in civic and charitable affairs.

In the mid 1960’s, the Seattle Model City program was formed and designated a large parcel of land, from about 2nd and Yesler Avenue all the way to what is now MLK Way, for massive urban renewal.

This program to provide better housing for the masses was far from perfect. Inequalities, discrimination and hardships are difficult issues to overcome. If you are a member of any majority community within a society, these facts may be more of an annoyance rather than of any interest or concern. We as people of color or non-main line heritage need to deal with these issues on a daily bases. The goals of the Model City program although best intended did not achieve its lofty goals.

Photo courtesy Tomio Moriguchi.

I went to see what this was all about since parts of the ID and our business (Uwajimaya) was included in their land swash. I was told to put together a group of interested people to join in the Model City program. We were sent a few dollars and a technical advisor.

A few of us met to form the International District Improvement Association, known to us as Interim. As chair of this new organization, we rented a store front and hired an executive director. The Model City program was successful for the ID as it provided the impetus and planted the seed of working with government to better provide, housing, and health and related social services.

For me and the people in the district, the fundamental desire was to have a safe desirable place we can be comfortable. Having worked at the family business since I was 10 years-old in the Seattle Chinatown International area, I felt that both the business and its location should be a comfortable place to visit. When the opportunity came to help the Model City program and enhance as well as preserve this district it was only natural to step-up to do a fair share of the lifting. We saw movements to preserve the Pike Place market area by people like Victor Steinberg and a valuable historical asset was preserved. If the Seattle Chinatown International District was allowed to succumb to the bulldozers, it would have taken more than all the Kings men to put it back together.

Coupled with what our father told us – that as we come into the world naked and leave naked – we knew that it was what we do while here that defines us.

With an Asian Confucius background, the desire to be harmonious is important, too. The challenge in both my business and non-profit work was, and is still today, to harmoniously accomplish goals while not being confrontational. This method has served me well in both business and my many non-profit works. I believe that by continuing to recruit fresh faces and working together, the ID continues to have a bright future.

Shortly thereafter, I established The Oki Foundation and became a full-time volunteer devoted to causes that I care passionately about – particularly if they benefit children. I even went so far as to develop a personal mission statement, which is: “To marry my passion for things entrepreneurial with things philanthropic in ways that encourage others to do the same.”

I’ve served on almost one hundred advisory boards and boards of directors for both for-profit and nonprofit corporations and I’ve founded or co-founded sixteen nonprofit organizations. The most recent entities are SeeYourImpact and the Outrageous Learning Foundation. To give you an idea of the thinking and inspiration behind them, I’ll briefly share the story of each.

SeeYourImpact is a micro-giving organization that connects donors in the developed world with recipients in the developing world. What makes it unique is that we’ve designed a system that allows charities on the ground in the recipient country to capture digital photos and video of the actual beneficiary of a gift. SeeYourImpact will then route these images to the appropriate donor to create a meaningful, virtual connection between them.

This idea materialized because I noticed a sizeable void in the philanthropic world. I know everyone isn’t capable of writing large checks, but I also know there are a lot of people with very good intentions who haven’t been active in conventional philanthropy. That’s why I became determined to find a way to engage them. Now, with a small gift of $5 to $50, they can have a significant, positive impact on the life of someone living on the other side of the world.

I also wanted to create a satisfying, personal connection that might inspire them to give repeatedly and tell their friends about it. It’s a groundbreaking concept and I’m confident it’ll improve the lives of thousands and perhaps even revolutionize global philanthropy as we know it.

The Outrageous Learning Foundation is an organization I formed after writing my book, “Outrageous Learning: An Education Manifesto”. I’d never written a book before, but I decided to do so after my wife Laurie encouraged me to tackle a big problem. I was threatening to retire from my full-time volunteer work and, faced with the prospect of her husband spending more time at home, she wanted to help me find a project that would keep me very busy. After a great deal of discussion, we both arrived at the same conclusion – our public education system is in dire need of reform and we’ve avoided the issue for too long. We had always been convinced that our time and money wouldn’t make a difference because the problems just seemed so large, complex, and intractable, but we decided it was time for me to roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty.

Please don’t get me wrong – I’m a product of Seattle’s public school system and, while the system wasn’t perfect back then, it served me and my family well. In the decades since my graduation, however, things have steadily become much, much worse. The problems are now so deeply ingrained, the outcomes are now so appalling, and the costs are now so astronomical that we, as a society, can no longer afford to accept the status quo.

I’m fortunate to be able to send my three children to private schools, but I understand this isn’t an option for many families. I believe that all families – regardless of their financial means – deserve an education system that is innovative, well-managed, and staffed by insanely great teachers.

I certainly don’t think I can achieve real, systemic education reform by myself, but I’m committed to raising awareness of the issues, igniting public dialogue, and working collaboratively to arrive at solutions with parents, students, teachers, and community leaders. That’s why I wrote the book. It’s an effective vehicle for spreading the message and engaging people who want to make a difference.

In closing, I believe that each of us has a duty to get involved in our communities – local, national, and global – and that we need to work collectively to make them better places for all of us to live. I intend to continue doing my part as long as I’m able and I hope to see you in the trenches.

President John F. Kennedy’s words changed my life, as they did for many of those who came of age during his presidency. They caused me to seriously consider the purpose of my life. I changed directions as a result of those words, and the thoughts they stirred up in me, enrolling in the graduate school for public administration instead of my original plan to pursue an MBA.

The only part of the country I truly know is Seattle. So when the time came to give something back, as JFK asked us to do, it was Seattle that I focused on.

I am a third generation Seattleite, who graduated from Roosevelt High School when there were only a handful of minority students there, as a result of housing discrimination in NE Seattle. It was a natural progression for me to enroll in the University of Washington after high school—why would I want to go anywhere else? While there, a small band of Asian students and myself—including kung-fu master Bruce Lee—would support each other and push each other to achieve, meeting regularly at the “HUB.” During these meetings, we would say our generation would build on the accomplishments of our ancestors and push us closer to the American Dream.

It was an optimistic time, but soon war was in the news. War in Vietnam.

Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, I spent over a year in the Far East commanding an Army company—time that instilled in me an even greater love for my country, and a greater desire to improve it. After my service, I moved into public service, focusing on what I was good at: budgets, audits, treasury operations and numbers. I worked in Olympia for Gov. Dan Evan’s budget office, where I developed a close relationship with Ruth Woo. Throughout my political career, she’s been there, whether I was serving as King County Auditor, Seattle City Treasurer, most recently as Seattle Port Commissioner and running for King County Assessor.

Ruth was there for me, and in a similar way, I’ve tried to create a support system for others who want to give back to their community and encouraged young leaders like Gary Locke, Velma Veloria, Kip Tokuda, Conrad Lee and David Della and others to run for political office. I founded community-based organizations like Employment Opportunities Center, which helped several local Asian leaders get a leg-up, such as Al Sugiyama, Mark Okazaki, Vicki Assukura, Alison Sing, and many others. I founded the International District Rotary Club, which was the first to break down the gender barrier and introduce women to the Rotary organization worldwide.

No man or woman is an island. We have to push each other to excel, and nothing in my life gives me a greater sense of pride than supporting my community, and trying to leave it a better place, so our children can truly benefit from the struggles of our ancestors.

Because when it comes down to it, our legacy should be one of giving back, not taking.

In the past few years, Redmond has become a place of abundant diversity. These trends have created a new community that is not currently represented on council. Our council is not lacking experience, rather a member of the next generation who is passionate about service and ready to shoulder responsibility. The most important lesson I learned from my first campaign in college was that city politics is where the real work of the people gets done. That experience from college inspired me to take action in the community I now call home, Redmond.

The issues that are important to me are improving the lines of communication between the community and city council, and having just the right amount of government. City council has the most direct impact on our daily lives; therefore it is especially important that the city provides basic responsibilities without impeding on people’s livelihood. Please visit my website at www.sallyjchen.com to learn more about important issues.

My mother taught me that it is an honor to serve in your community, and that true leadership comes from getting involved.