The work of Lun-Yi Tsai is included in a group show entitled “Aesthetics/Analytics,” a look at the intersection of art and science from Nov. 9 – Dec. 9. Opening reception Nov. 9 from 5 – 7 p.m. SAM Gallery Art Sales And Rental, 1220 Third Ave., (206) 343-1101. samgllery@seattleartmuseum.org.

Tomiko Jones’ photographic installation, “What Could It Mean to Say Yes?” is on view at the Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA) through Nov. 12, 410 Dexter Ave. N., (206) 728-1980. www.cocaseattle.org.

Necklaces by Michelle Kumata and plate ladies by Saya Moriyasu are on view at the Square Room at 1316 E. Pike on Capitol Hill, (206) 267-7120.

Union St. Electric Gallery shows sculptor Yuki Nakamura’s “White Vanishing: Light And Shadow” through April. The 14-foot by 100-foot vinyl mesh mural features a two-dimensional representation of an original porcelain sculpture by the artist. The Mayor’s Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs manages the galley, which is currently accepting submissions from Seattle artists working in two- and three-dimensional media. Applications must be delivered by 5 p.m., Nov. 17 or postmarked by midnight that day. Only digital images accepted for review. Call (206) 233-3930 or log on to www.seattle.gov/arts for details.

Susie J. Lee presents her video installation, “Fermata,” which looks at the tension in human relationships between hanging on to one another and letting go. At the Lawrimore Project through Nov. 11. 831 Airport Way S. (206) 501-1231.

Gallery4Culture presents work by 23 regional artists that are represented through their on-line registry for Artist Make Building Parts TM. The show entitled “Art Parts: Artist Made Building Parts TM Registry Artists” includes the work of Yuki Nakamura, Craig Miller and Erin Shie Palmer. Opening reception on Nov. 2 from 6 – 8 p.m. On view through Dec. 1, 101 Prefontaine Pl. S., (206) 296-7580.

“Dim Sum at the On-On Tea Room – The Jewelry of Ron Ho” is a long overdue retrospective of the work of this creative jewelry artist and local Northwest treasure who has crafted personal stories out of carefully gathered antiques and folk art pieces. Each piece tells a story that resonates with history – that of the object itself and that of its creator. A walking tour of the show takes place on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. Nov. 5 has a jewelry workshop at noon. Call (425) 579-0770 for pre-registration. Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. features a talk with the artist. Admission fee charged for this event. On view at the Bellevue Art Museum through Feb. 18, 510 Bellevue Way N.E., (425) 519-0770, www.bellevuearts.org.

Carolyn Staley Fine Japanese Prints is showing “Kuchi-e” during November. This art form refers to the woodblock printed frontispieces of novels and magazines in the late Meiji-era Japan. The Web site features illustrations from “The Tale of Genji” all fall – 2001 Western Ave., #320, (206) 621-1888, www.carolynstaleyprints.com.

Davidson Contemporary in the Tashiro/Kaplan Building presents “Outsourced: Donald Fels in India.” Fels, a local artist spends part of every year living with his family in a foreign country. This show presents the controversial issue of outsourcing observed first-hand by the artist when he lived in India. Opening reception is Nov. 2 from 6 – 8 p.m. On view through Dec. 2, 310 S. Washington St., (206) 624-7684, www.davidsongalleries.com.

Port Townsend artist Lockwood Dennis visited Japan as part of a sister-city delegation. “Nine Days in Kobe” presents his observations in a series of recent colored woodcuts and new paintings. Nov. 3 – Dec. 2. Opening reception is Nov. 2 from 6 – 8 p.m. Davidson Galleries Contemporary Prints Gallery, 313 Occidental Ave. S., (206) 624-1324.

Davidson Galleries Antique Prints presents “SHUNGA – Erotic Japanese Prints: 1780-1900” from Nov. 3 – Dec. 2. Opening reception is Nov. 2 from 6 – 8 p.m., 313 Occidental Ave. S., (206) 624-6700.

Kensuke Yamada is a young Japanese ceramic sculptor. His work exudes a whimsical charm bordering on the surreal that grows on you. “Dwell” is the new show he shares with painter Colleen Haywood at the Catherine Person Gallery. On view through Nov. 11, 319 Third Ave. S., (206) 763-5565, www.catherinepersongallery.com.

KOBO at Higo has the following: Ceramic artist Hiro Yoshihara shows his new work through Nov. 11. KOBO, in partnership with Seward Park Clay Studio, presents “The 2nd Annual Simple Cup Invitational” which features 45 North American and 16 Japanese artists. Nov. 11 – Dec. 31. Reception is Nov. 11 from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m., 604 S. Jackson, (206) 381-3000 or www.koboseattle.com.

The Burke Museum on the UW campus presents a pair of connected shows together. “Vanished Kingdoms: The Wulsin Photos of China, Tibet, & Mongolia, 1921 – 25” present rare images of that part of Asia along with “Sacred Portraits – Eleven Tibetan “Thangkas” (large painted portraits on cloth from the Museum’s own collection). Both shows on view from Nov. 4 – Feb. 4. On Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., activities will include a lecture by the daughter of explorer Janet Wulsin (Mabel Cabot, author of the exhibit’s accompanying book), gallery tours of Tibetan thangkas by art historian Ben Brinkley, and an opportunity to visit with Tibetan artist Dhawa Shondup Ngoche. N.E. 45th & 17th N.E., (206) 543-5590.

Performing Arts
REACT presents a staged reading of Jessica Blank and Eric Jensen’s “The Exonerated” on Nov. 19 at 4 p.m. at Elliott Bay Book Co. in Pioneer Square.

SIS Productions returns with the NW premiere of Michael Golanco’s “Cowboy Versus Samurai” (see related article in this issue). It’s a romantic comedy that explores the sexual dynamics that surface around race when an attractive Korean American woman moves to town. Through Nov. 8 at Hugo House at 1634 11th Ave., (206) 325-6500.

The Porkfilled Players perform their unique brand of Asian American sketch comedy in a new program entitled “Go East, Young Ham” which probes the eternal battle of East vs. West – the Geisha vs. the saloon girl. Through Nov. 17 at the Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave. (206) 325-6500 for reservations.

JSA presents “Matsuri – Japanese Festival 2006” with live performances, Japanese food and games. Free. Nov. 5 from noon – 4 p.m. The HUB East Ballroom on the UW campus.

“Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls” takes place in a pet store in New York, the beaches of Hawai’i and Xmas in Alaska and is Naomi Iizuka’s latest play to surface in Seattle. Plays Nov. 7, 8, 9 and 11 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. Cornish College of the Arts’ Raisbeck Performance Hall, 2015 Boren Ave., (206) 726-5011 or log on to www.cornish.edu.

Cornish Dance Theater Fall 2006 Concert features choreography by Cornish dance instructor Pat Hon & others Nov. 17 at 8 p.m., Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. Broadway Performance Hall at 1625 Broadway, (206) 726-5011.

The Seattle Chinese Garden Society will host the Soaring Dragon Celebration and Auction on Nov. 5 from 4 – 8 p.m. at Bell Harbor International Conference Center. Features a “Sichuanese Marketplace” filled with goods and entertainers followed by a dinner and auction. Proceeds benefit the Seattle Chinese Garden. Seattle Pier 66 at 2211 Alaskan Way, (206) 282-8040.

Written Arts
Elliot Bay Book Company has the following readings in their on-going series: Galstan Tschinag reads from “The Blue Sky” (Milkweed Editions) on Nov. 5 at 4:30 p.m. This is the debut novel in English of a writer from Tuva who writes originally in German. Noted writer Maxine Hong Kingston and other Bay Area teachers and participants in the Veterans Writers Workshop have met since the early days of the first Gulf War. Now they present a group reading entitled, “Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace” on Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. All readings at Elliott Bay Book Co. in Pioneer Square, 101 S. Main, (206) 624-6600.

And so begins, “Be Water, My Friend: The Early Years of Bruce Lee,” the latest picture book written by Ken Mochizuki and illustrated by Dom Lee. It is the story of the childhood years of cultural Asian American icon Bruce Lee, the actor and martial artist who has attained and maintained cult-like status more than 30 years after his death in 1973.

The impetus for the book, recalls Ken, came from a phone call he received in 2003 from Philip Lee, then publisher of Lee & Low Books. “Philip called and said, ‘I just saw a Bruce Lee exhibit and I think it would be a great subject for a picture book.’” Lee was referring to the “Bruce Lee Collectors Exhibit 2003: The Beginning of a Legend, the Story of a Man,” a multimedia display of Bruce Lee memorabilia, produced by Inter*Im (the International District Improvement Association) as a fundraiser.

Ken was skeptical. He saw Bruce Lee as a one-dimensional stereotype, the superhuman fighting machine exploited by Hollywood. But he told Philip Lee that he would check out the exhibit and make up his own mind. The exhibit showcased many phases of Bruce Lee’s life — his childhood in Hong Kong, his life as a college student in Seattle, his years as an actor in Hollywood, and his innovative martial artistry — as shown through video, collectibles and recorded interviews.

After he saw the exhibit, Ken discovered that there was more to Bruce Lee than he had imagined. He learned facts about Bruce Lee that he had not known before — that Bruce Lee was born in the United States, that his mother was half German, that he had been a child star of Hong Kong-produced movies, that he had been a national cha-cha champion, and most importantly, that he had a personal philosophy developed to live his life by.

Mochizuki decided to write a book about the early years of Bruce Lee because “people need to know the intellectual, philosophical and spiritual side” of this cultural icon. Ken stated, “Many only know Bruce Lee as a movie star and martial artist, but know little about his personal philosophy. He was a voracious reader from early childhood when he wore thick glasses. Lee spent many hours haunting used book stores in search of interesting titles.”

The intended audience for Ken’s book are youth ages eight years and older. He focused on the childhood years of Bruce Lee before he gained fame as a martial artist, movie star and cultural idol. The story of young Bruce Lee is told through sharply defined illustrations and succinct wording about his struggles with school, conflicts with other youth, and his introduction to discipline through the martial arts teaching of his mentor Yip Man, the master of the Wing Chun style of kung fu.

The title, “Be Water, My Friend,” is a reflection of Bruce Lee’s philosophy about his fighting style. When asked during the interview in the documentary, “Bruce Lee: In His Own Words,” to describe his unique style of martial artistry, Lee replied, “Be formless … shapeless like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can flow, and it can crash. Be water, my friend …”

Bruce Lee died in 1973. Yet, he still remains one of the most popular cultural heroes of today. Ken said, “Everyone remembers when Bruce stood up and kicked out a light bulb hanging from a ceiling. He had lightning quick reflexes and did things that other people couldn’t do. He was a pioneer, an innovator — he made martial arts accessible to America.” And like other cultural icons such as Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Elvis Presley, Bruce Lee was relatively young (he was 32 years old) when he died.

Ken Mochizuki reads from his new book at the Wing Luke Asian Museum (407 – 7th Ave. S.) on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m.

(Editor’s Note: Ken’s previous books have received critical acclaim and have been on lists of recommended books for youth. His first book, “Baseball Saved Us,” written in 1993, was a fact-based fictional account of a young Japanese American boy, sent to an internment camp during World War II, who channels his frustration and anger over his treatment into baseball. His second book, “Heroes,” written in 1995, is a fictional story about a young Japanese American boy who, forced by his friends to play the enemy when they played “war,” learns the meaning of heroism. Ken’s third book, “Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story,” written in 1997, is a true story recounting the bravery of Chiune Sugihara, the “Japanese Oskar Shindler,” who issued thousands of visas to Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazi regime in Lithuania during World War II. His fourth book, “Beacon Hill Boys,” is a semi-autobiographical look at growing up on Seattle’s Beacon Hill in 1972. Ken is also the assistant editor of the International Examiner.)

Prior to the arrival of Korean American Veronica (played by Khanh Doan), there were two Asian Americans in town: Travis (Ray Tagavilla) is an educated, thoughtful but reserved Korean American who left Los Angeles to teach English in Wyoming; and Chester (Jose Abaoag) is an adoptee who knows nothing of his ethnicity, never mind his parentage. It is tough to be Asian Americans in an otherwise all-white town, where the only ethnic restaurant is called Taco Tuesday. Life is tougher still if you are Travis, when your only friends in Breakneck are the militant B-A-A-A (Breakneck Asian American Alliance) president, Chester, and the sweet cowboy Del (Travis Myers) who happens to be a little dull. The monotony of life in a small town is finally broken when the beautiful and smart Veronica arrives from New York City. Both Travis and Del fall for her, but who will Veronica choose?

Judging from the warm reception that she gets from locals like Frank and even Bobby Sorenson (who “keeps making chinky-eyes at [Travis]”), she can go out with anyone she wants. Travis knows that he does not stand a chance with her, having been told early on that she is only attracted to white guys. But how about his verbally challenged friend, Del? Does he have a chance at love if Travis takes over the letter writing for him?

In choosing the equally hunky Tagavilla to play Travis, director Miko Premo makes Veronica’s choice for a lover a painful reminder to anyone who has had to overcome powerful preconceptions. Yet, despite the tension that arises with the fear of rejection and commentary on the disastrous effects of stereotyping, the crisp dialogue and a talented cast make “Cowboy Versus Samurai” a hilarious and lighthearted look at interracial dating and the forging of personal identity. Abaoag is highly effective as the comic foil and his outrageous antics generate most of the laughs. Doan is, well, beautiful, and a talented actress. Myers convincingly plays a cowboy from the backwoods of Wyoming. But it is Tagavilla’s nuanced portrayal of Travis that drives home the message that in love, as in life, race should matter little, if at all.

“Cowboy Versus Samurai” runs through Nov. 18 at the Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., Seattle. Show times are Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 3 p.m. & 8 p.m.

Although judicial candidates were more difficult to discern, FAPAGOW endorsed Susan Owens for State Supreme Court for her strong record on civil rights and women’s issues. Professional judicial candidate reviews were conducted by the Asian Bar Association (www.aba.org) and the King County Bar Association (www.kcba.org) with results posted on their Web sites.

For western Washington candidates, Adam Kline and Ed Murray were advanced for state senator positions with strong endorsements for two women of color, Yvonne Kinoshita Ward for District 31 and Claudia Kauffman. Ward was endorsed for her aggressive stances on civil rights and Kauffman for her long and deep community activism for Native Americans and coalition work with Asian and people of color communities.

Local endorsement and support for state representatives Bob Hasegawa (District 11), Sharon Tomiko Santos (District 37), Eric Pettigrew (District 37), Frank Chopp (District 43), Geoff Simpson (District 47) and Pat Sullivan (District 47) were a slam dunk based on their records in leading and advancing community issues and needs. Tami Green (District 28, the Tacoma-Lakewood area), a nurse and community activist, was endorsed for her health care activism and reaching out to the Filipino community. Jamie Pedersen, a candidate for District 43, won a tough primary election. He is endorsed for his record on civil rights for people of color, women and gays, his legal work with refugees, his support for repealing I-200 and interest in tax reform as a comprehensive revenue fairness solution.

For eastern Washington candidates, support for re-electing state senators Mary Skinner (District 14) and Jim Honeyford (District 15) were made. However, the endorsement for District 15 went to Tomas Villanueva, a Mexican American farm worker, union organizer and progressive who organized a grocery co-op, a bilingual community health center and helped develop safe farm worker housing laws, advocated for the needs of the poor and people of color and conducted voter registration. Another person of color, Chris Marr, an Asian with local Seattle roots, received strong support for his longstanding community contributions by serving on education and health boards.

This election promises more people of color candidates running to advance community issues and needs. FAPAGOW’s review of Initiatives 920 and 933 brought about a resounding “No.” Initiative 920, which calls for the repeal of the estate tax, would result in a $184.5 million cut for education. Initiative 933 would place an additional unpredictable, un-funded cost to an already revenue-strapped government.

For more information, contact (425) 227-4348. Exercise your American right and privilege – vote on Nov. 7.

Marr presently serves on the Board of Regents of Washington State University, on the Board of Governors of the Washington State University Foundation, and is chairman of the Board of Empire Health Services and Inland Northwest Health Services. He has served as chairman of the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce, as well as chair of the Washington State Transportation Commission (the governing board of the Washington State Department of Transportation), and president of the Spokane New Car Dealers Association. He has also served on the boards of numerous nonprofit and arts organizations. Marr was honored with the Washington Environmental Council’s 2005 Backyard Hero Award for his leadership efforts in passing state Clean Car legislation. He is also a marathon runner.

With the election around the corner, Marr took time out to answer a few questions from the International Examiner:

International Examiner: Is Spokane/Eastern Washington overlooked by state government more than those of us in Western Washington realize?
Marr: There is certainly the perception that Eastern WashingtonÜhas not participated in the Puget Sound’s booming economic growth and that we are increasingly being denied a fair share of state tax revenues. However, this is a more recent trend and not due to some “anti-dry-side bias,” as some would believe. First, our local economy’s past reliance on agriculture and resource extraction clearly works against us. We do have some bright spots in healthcare, clinical research and skilled manufacturing – but have not clearly articulated a vision for a new regional economic focus. With my qualifications, I believe I can be an effective advocate and help obtain targeted state investment. Two other personal observations: Spokane is caught in a netherworld – we are neither Puget Sound nor are we “rural” Eastern Washington. Often, as Westside lawmakers attempt to bridge the Cascade curtain, they offer initiatives to rural counties (economic development funding, for example) which Spokane does not qualify for. Lastly, for too long, Spokane and Eastern Washington have been represented by partisan, ideological extremist legislators who speak of Seattle in an adversarial or derisive way. We need leaders who are more thoughtful, collaborative and able to put partisanship aside.

IE: Are there defining characteristics and concerns of Spokane’s Asian Pacific American (APA) community?
Marr: In relative terms, the APA community here is small and not actively engaged in politics or civic leadership. Other than Rob Fukai, former head of the Office of General Administration who served on our school board, I would be the first APA elected to a public office in Spokane. It is comprised of an older community of Japanese Americans who relocated after internment and a number of Chinese and Japanese families who owned small family businesses. Often, their children moved off to bigger cities after college. We are seeing a number of those younger people (particularly professionals) move back. I also know there is a growing Southeast Asian population, but it tends to be pretty insular. This speaks to the need for those of us APAs that can, to be more visible and active in the community, and encourage and mentor others to do so as well.

I.E.: Are you active within the APA community?
Marr: My wife, Christine, attends the Spokane Buddhist Church, of which she serves as president. She is also actively involved in the Northwest Buddhist District Council. Professionally, I interact and collaborate quite often with AHANA, a business diversity organization founded by former Seattleite Ben Cabildo. I have also worked closely with theÜSpokane Sister Cities Association and Mukogawa Institute – a local branch of a Japanese women’s university. From a social perspective, I am sad to say Spokane lacks the same opportunities for active APA networking, especially since the passing of former JACL leader Denny Yasuhara.

I.E.: Are there aspects of your campaign that specifically address APA issues?
Marr: First and foremost, as a visible APA, my campaign fulfills my personal commitment to participate actively in my community – which I hope encourages others to claim roles in the political process. In a general sense, I carry a deep belief of the power of diversity to power economic growth and create the rich social fabric that attracts people and capital to cities like Spokane. As a WSU Regent, I have led the push for initiatives that expand our inclusion of APAs and improve outreach to the Seattle APA community, to improve retention and recruitment of students, faculty and staff. I intend to continue that role on a broader scale as a legislator.

I.E.: Is your race against Sen. Benson becoming the most expensive in state history, as earlier predicted in newspaper stories?
Marr: The fact that our campaign will surpass the $500,000 mark in spending (the previous record of $418,000 was set by former Majority Leader Sen. Jim West for this same seat in 2002) is not a huge point of pride for me. I often think of how many college scholarships that could create! But, given the fact that a Democrat has not been elected in the 6th District since 1938, and that the Republicans dearly want to hold on to this seat, it’s an important part of our strategy. By the way, I’ve also knocked on over 11,000 doors and earned the endorsement of many business and moderate Republican community leaders as well. What I do take pride in is that my opponent has only raised 15 percent of his funds in Spokane County from less than 200 donors, whereas 70 percent of my donations are local and I have 10 times as many donors.

I.E.: Has your ethnicity been an advantage or disadvantage for your campaign and/or your business career?
Marr: That’s hard to answer. I think every person of color encounters ignorance early in their life and we learn to tune out any subtle negativity we may encounter. Having said that, I do not believe it’s been a disadvantage during my 20 years as a businessperson or a civic leader in Spokane. I tell a story aboutÜbeing sworn in as chair of the Chamber of Commerce. As I stood at a podium before 800 business leaders, I said, “Many of you have asked what it’s like to be the first minority chair of the Chamber.” As a hushÜfell over the crowd, I continued: “I don’t think being a Democrat has been held against me at all.” The heavily Republican crowd roared with comprehension. I guess you could say being a Japanese American running for the legislator in Spokane is less a problem than being a Democrat.

I.E.: Why are you so heavily involved with community organizations?
Marr: I have a personal passion around community building and public policy, which my former role as the owner of a successful large business allowed me to indulge, perhaps to excess. As I walk around my city, I am taken with the fact that our parks, streets, schools, museums and symphony did not get here by themselves – they were the result of community efforts led by men and women with vision. That’s why I was so proud to have the late Ed Tsutakawa, who recently passed away, serve as my honorary campaign chair. Ed was a lifelong Republican – but a huge inspiration and mentor to me. Without him, we would not have our sister cities program, our Japanese Gardens, Mukogawa Institute, Expo 74 and so many other things that increase our respect for diversity and the contributions of the Japanese American community. To think that the man emerged from the internment camps with a passion to give back to a community which conferred so much indignity on him and his family is almost incomprehensible to me. He was an inspiration.

I.E.: How do you size up your chances of being the first Democrat to be elected to a seat that’s been held by the Republicans for some 60 years?
Marr: Having runÜ40 marathons, I know enough not to get overconfident before the final stage of a race. Having said that, we have a huge lead in fundraising, endorsements, volunteers and doorbelling. I feel very good about the fact that we have run a textbook campaign to this point. However, as the campaign enters the last three weeks, given the importance of the race, I’m sure attack ads and independent expenditures will appear. We have to work hard to the end, stay on message and continue to fight a fight we can be proud of – regardless of the outcome. Don’t bet against us.

Through affiliation with Dollars for Scholars, a program of ScholarshipAmerica, our chapter created a memorial fund to honor Stephen Nadal – a community activist and APALA member who passed away at the young age of 35 on Nov. 5, 2004. Stephen’s enthusiasm and infectious smile drew people to work in coalition to register people to vote, phone-bank and doorbell for the 2004 election. Stephen helped to bridge the mile between the young and the seasoned activists by strengthening the ties of understanding and increasing activism within the API community.

The Stephen Nadal Memorial Scholarship was awarded to two students who are active in the community and take up the cause of social justice with the same passion and spirit as Stephen. We are proud to introduce to you the awardees for 2006.

For information on how to apply for the 2007 scholarship rounds or to donate to the scholarship, visit www.apalaseattle.org, or contact Joyce Tseng at tseng_joyce@hotmail.com.

Hien Kieu
Hien is currently at South Seattle Community College and is planning on becoming a nurse. She works at Refugee Women’s Alliance and also volunteers in the Coronary Intensive Care Unit at Harborview Hospital.

Why is it important for us to focus on labor rights of API workers?
It’s important to focus on labor rights of all people no matter what color. We need to focus particularly on Asian Pacific Islander workers because many of us are immigrants, and this is a foreign country to us. It is much more difficult to work here then in our native environment. Most importantly, we are intelligent, hard-working and quality employees.

What are you involved with now?
I am the president of Chamyouth.com, a Web site that began six years ago. My partners and I were wondering why there wasn’t a Web site for the Cham people, so we decided to put forth effort and time in a Web site that will benefit our community. The Web site provides resources for Cham people, and contains almost anything people want to know about the culture, history, traditions and the land of Champa. Chamyouth.com also works closely with the Champa Human Rights group by announcing news about them and the issues that takes place among the Cham people worldwide.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Besides continuing to work for the Cham people, I want to be a nurse to educate people about the importance of health and also work with children. My father was a nurse in Vietnam, and I want to be in the medical field like him.

Katrina Pestano
Katrina currently attends Antioch University as a social justice major. She is active in Pinay Sa Seattle (formerly the Seattle Chapter of Gabriela Network), does human trafficking research for the University of Washington Women’s Center, and is a policy intern for the Asian Pacific Islander Women and Family Safety Center.

Why is it important for us to focus on labor rights of API workers?
There are specific issues of immigrants, refugees and other marginalized populations that aren’t being addressed in the mainstream labor movement. Through Pinay Sa Seattle, I was involved with trying to get a Filipino hotel worker’s job back after she was fired unfairly at the Westin. At this hotel, 80 percent of the housekeepers are immigrants and mostly women. They are given such huge work loads they aren’t able to take breaks. We will continue to push for better working conditions for all the workers there.

What are you involved with now?
One of the groups I am active with is Pinay Sa Seattle. We focus on educating people about human rights violations and issues of occupation, and how it particularly affects Filipinas in our homeland and the diaspora. We also do a lot of work with the community with regard to violence against women. Through this organization, I am organizing a hip-hop event in mid-November to address women’s struggles with sexism and heterosexism, as well as celebrate their triumphs in hip-hop. Not only will women perform, but they will speak about who they are and how they got to where they are at. In Seattle, women have been doing hip-hop for years — but they are not visible. Especially in the mainstream, hip-hop is very male-dominated and commercialized but it’s bigger than that. We need to remind people that hip-hop came from oppressed communities as a way for people to have a voice.

How did you get involved, and how can we get more youth more involved?
There needs to be something to engage youths’ attention that will get them thinking about the issues. My political consciousness started from listening to hip-hop music. I got involved through the arts and my love of writing and music. APIWFSC, Seattle Young People’s Project (SYPP), and other groups use hip-hop to draw youth because it’s big with youth. It’s also important to support the youth on issues they care about. For instance, support SYPP and the events they organize to show them that you are supporting their causes, as that is the only way they will feel connected with you. Also, go to youth-led events as you can learn from them – there is always such good energy. Also, there are already lots of youth engaged and working on political issues they just have to be even more connected.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I want to be a lawyer, so I can work on the issues I’m currently working on which includes immigrant rights, violence against women, and juvenile and restorative justice. I may be interested in doing policy work. It depends on how these next years go, and what I find I’m best at. I also see myself writing about these issues, tying in law and activism, and teaching people how it all connects.

“When you get a job with the big folks, you hang out with them and learn from them,” Chao says. “Once you segregate [the homeless mentally ill], you label them, relegate them to a demographic. Give them a broader understanding of everybody.”

For eight years, Chao headed IDHA before stepping down from her director’s position last month. The Housing Alliance, born in the late ‘70s, “is a non-profit agency committed to improving the quality of life for International District residents and Asian and Pacific Islanders of greater Seattle by providing low-income housing and related services,” reads its mission statement. While she searches for what she will do next, Chao, 51, took time out to recount an eventful life so far.

Born and raised mostly in Queens, N.Y., her parents had “tough issues with immigration” and were mentally ill, she recalls. As a result, she was sporadically homeless, sometimes for months at a time from ages 7 to 16.

“I learned real quick that trouble finds you,” she says. “It was hard to stay safe.”

She made the park her home, hid under bushes or in trees. “Nobody looks up,” she says. “Nature gave me safety.” She stashed candy bars in a tin and buried it in the park, found an old blanket and washed it. By day, she still attended school, eating her meals there and using the shower in the gym.

But one pleasure she did find in elementary school was volunteering to assist disabled kids in evacuating the school during fire drills. “There were air raid drills back then, too,” she says.

“I developed a relationship with the disabled kids – that never would’ve happened if I didn’t volunteer,” Chao remembers. “I was always volunteering for something. And I wondered: could I ever do community work full time?”

By high school, she found temporary homes at the local YMCA and with friends’ families, sometimes enduring “irritating questions” about why she was homeless. As the only person of Chinese descent in her neighborhood, she remembered it being a working-class Catholic and Jewish one. Her Jewish friends and neighbors, she says, were the “most welcoming and nurturing.”

When she left home at age 16, some of her high school teachers risked their jobs by helping her move out of home or not informing her parents where she was. And attending Bronx High School of Science was her saving grace. Teachers at that magnet school were “cutting edge,” she recalls – scientists and researchers who brought their work into the classroom, hooking her on science with lots of different clubs.

“The New York public school system gave me so much,” Chao says. “That was my stability – school.”

Attending the State University of New York at Stony Brook, she continued her enthusiasm for the sciences: ecology, evolution, neurobiology, animal behavior. In 1979, she ended up in Seattle, accompanying her boyfriend who was a graduate student at the University of Washington. Chao worked in a UW research lab specializing in teratology, followed by time at a UW blood vessel biology lab.

In 1993, Chao and her husband, Michael Smyser, a community development worker for the Minnesota International Health Volunteers, traveled to Kenya and worked to improve a slum area at the edge of a city. She also volunteered with the Kenya Red Cross, counseling refugees while the war of genocide was going on in Rwanda. Chao was able to communicate with the refugees because she spoke “some French,” and she witnessed the realities of refugee camps.

“Here we think refugee camps are the way to go,” she says, “but there is a lack of concern of the impacts on the refugees, lack of follow-up of the livelihoods of the people in these camps, major impacts on the communities these camps are in are not addressed, and there are major atrocities going on – they weren’t exactly sanctuaries. When no one is allowed to leave these camps, where’s the safety?”

And being in Kenya also allowed her to “learn about the United States you don’t learn about listening to the news.”

“As Americans, we are very isolated and insulated here. We need to learn to be less self-righteous and to appreciate our own privileges.”

After the two-and-a-half year Kenyan experience and returning to Seattle, Chao faced a dilemma: continue in the scientific field or, after what she experienced, engage in community work? She earned her master’s degree in social work and then went to work with Craig Shimabukuro, IDHA director during the mid-‘90s. She and Shimabukuro engaged in discussions over what would become IDHA’s Wilderness Inner-City Leadership Development (WILD), an intergenerational program teaching young people the importance of community responsibility through environmental justice education. Participating in a Community Fellows Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chao further developed the WILD program.

“WILD was implemented over the years as part of Craig’s vision,” she says. “He was the strategic thinker; I think I’m a good implementer.”

In 1998, Chao became IDHA’s executive director and remembers thinking, “What do I know about housing?” She assumed the helm at a time when “vacancy rates were the worst,” she says, especially for limited-English speakers.

“They couldn’t find anything,” Chao recalls. “Housing searches were crucial to people, there was a lot of gang activity, there was not enough programming to address the needs of youth, and the elderly were affected by development and business changes. I looked at IDHA’s role to advocate for the International District, and somewhere that had dwindled away. We had to be aware and involved in community situations – go back to the founders.”

In 1998, IDHA employed three staff members and operated on an $184,000 annual budget. Today, IDHA has a staff of 32 and a $1.2 million budget. Chao is particularly proud of the WILD program and the Home Ownership program – “the only multilingual home ownership program in the state,” she says – that teaches the basics, including the financial process, of acquiring a home.

This program makes the “wealth building opportunity that Americans have more equitable,” Chao says. “Home ownership stabilizes communities, it fights gentrification – it was a natural for us to go in that direction.”

During the beginning of this year, Chao submitted her name for the Seattle City Council seat vacated by Jim Compton.

“After working with coalitions, policy, impacts on communities, disproportionality – I wanted to do more. It was an opportunity to serve a broader constituency, create opportunities and access, a place where I could be a more effective advocate for underserved communities. Instead of just mopping up the mess, I wanted to turn off the tap.”

She says the media scrutiny she received when she became one of the six finalists was like “taking a bath in Pacific Place mall.” The media attention on the remaining five female candidates of color having weekly dinners together and supposedly snubbing candidate Sally Clark was a “misrepresentation” and “unfortunate,” Chao says.

“We were a group of women who had worked together out of the 101 applicants,” she says. “We respected each other because we had interacted with each other before. By the time there was six, five of us we were checking in with each other every week. Supporting each other was turned into a negative thing.”

On her decision to leave IDHA, Chao says: “I never thought about being executive director; it just happened. I didn’t want to be executive director the rest of my career; there hardly ever was a time there wasn’t fires to put out, and there wasn’t after a while; there was assurance of stability and I had confidence in my staff. Maybe it’s time to jump, figure out what I want to be when I grow up.”

As to what she does next, Chao says she is “taking it slow” and “only jumping at opportunities that stir me.”

“It’s more about the scope of the work and who I work for. I want to learn.”

“When you get a job with the big folks, you hang out with them and learn from them,” Chao says. “Once you segregate [the homeless mentally ill], you label them, relegate them to a demographic. Give them a broader understanding of everybody.”

For eight years, Chao headed IDHA before stepping down from her director’s position last month. The Housing Alliance, born in the late ‘70s, “is a non-profit agency committed to improving the quality of life for International District residents and Asian and Pacific Islanders of greater Seattle by providing low-income housing and related services,” reads its mission statement. While she searches for what she will do next, Chao, 51, took time out to recount an eventful life so far.

Born and raised mostly in Queens, N.Y., her parents had “tough issues with immigration” and were mentally ill, she recalls. As a result, she was sporadically homeless, sometimes for months at a time from ages 7 to 16.

“I learned real quick that trouble finds you,” she says. “It was hard to stay safe.”

She made the park her home, hid under bushes or in trees. “Nobody looks up,” she says. “Nature gave me safety.” She stashed candy bars in a tin and buried it in the park, found an old blanket and washed it. By day, she still attended school, eating her meals there and using the shower in the gym.

But one pleasure she did find in elementary school was volunteering to assist disabled kids in evacuating the school during fire drills. “There were air raid drills back then, too,” she says.

“I developed a relationship with the disabled kids – that never would’ve happened if I didn’t volunteer,” Chao remembers. “I was always volunteering for something. And I wondered: could I ever do community work full time?”

By high school, she found temporary homes at the local YMCA and with friends’ families, sometimes enduring “irritating questions” about why she was homeless. As the only person of Chinese descent in her neighborhood, she remembered it being a working-class Catholic and Jewish one. Her Jewish friends and neighbors, she says, were the “most welcoming and nurturing.”

When she left home at age 16, some of her high school teachers risked their jobs by helping her move out of home or not informing her parents where she was. And attending Bronx High School of Science was her saving grace. Teachers at that magnet school were “cutting edge,” she recalls – scientists and researchers who brought their work into the classroom, hooking her on science with lots of different clubs.

“The New York public school system gave me so much,” Chao says. “That was my stability – school.”

Attending the State University of New York at Stony Brook, she continued her enthusiasm for the sciences: ecology, evolution, neurobiology, animal behavior. In 1979, she ended up in Seattle, accompanying her boyfriend who was a graduate student at the University of Washington. Chao worked in a UW research lab specializing in teratology, followed by time at a UW blood vessel biology lab.

In 1993, Chao and her husband, Michael Smyser, a community development worker for the Minnesota International Health Volunteers, traveled to Kenya and worked to improve a slum area at the edge of a city. She also volunteered with the Kenya Red Cross, counseling refugees while the war of genocide was going on in Rwanda. Chao was able to communicate with the refugees because she spoke “some French,” and she witnessed the realities of refugee camps.

“Here we think refugee camps are the way to go,” she says, “but there is a lack of concern of the impacts on the refugees, lack of follow-up of the livelihoods of the people in these camps, major impacts on the communities these camps are in are not addressed, and there are major atrocities going on – they weren’t exactly sanctuaries. When no one is allowed to leave these camps, where’s the safety?”

And being in Kenya also allowed her to “learn about the United States you don’t learn about listening to the news.”

“As Americans, we are very isolated and insulated here. We need to learn to be less self-righteous and to appreciate our own privileges.”

After the two-and-a-half year Kenyan experience and returning to Seattle, Chao faced a dilemma: continue in the scientific field or, after what she experienced, engage in community work? She earned her master’s degree in social work and then went to work with Craig Shimabukuro, IDHA director during the mid-‘90s. She and Shimabukuro engaged in discussions over what would become IDHA’s Wilderness Inner-City Leadership Development (WILD), an intergenerational program teaching young people the importance of community responsibility through environmental justice education. Participating in a Community Fellows Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chao further developed the WILD program.

“WILD was implemented over the years as part of Craig’s vision,” she says. “He was the strategic thinker; I think I’m a good implementer.”

In 1998, Chao became IDHA’s executive director and remembers thinking, “What do I know about housing?” She assumed the helm at a time when “vacancy rates were the worst,” she says, especially for limited-English speakers.

“They couldn’t find anything,” Chao recalls. “Housing searches were crucial to people, there was a lot of gang activity, there was not enough programming to address the needs of youth, and the elderly were affected by development and business changes. I looked at IDHA’s role to advocate for the International District, and somewhere that had dwindled away. We had to be aware and involved in community situations – go back to the founders.”

In 1998, IDHA employed three staff members and operated on an $184,000 annual budget. Today, IDHA has a staff of 32 and a $1.2 million budget. Chao is particularly proud of the WILD program and the Home Ownership program – “the only multilingual home ownership program in the state,” she says – that teaches the basics, including the financial process, of acquiring a home.

This program makes the “wealth building opportunity that Americans have more equitable,” Chao says. “Home ownership stabilizes communities, it fights gentrification – it was a natural for us to go in that direction.”

During the beginning of this year, Chao submitted her name for the Seattle City Council seat vacated by Jim Compton.

“After working with coalitions, policy, impacts on communities, disproportionality – I wanted to do more. It was an opportunity to serve a broader constituency, create opportunities and access, a place where I could be a more effective advocate for underserved communities. Instead of just mopping up the mess, I wanted to turn off the tap.”

She says the media scrutiny she received when she became one of the six finalists was like “taking a bath in Pacific Place mall.” The media attention on the remaining five female candidates of color having weekly dinners together and supposedly snubbing candidate Sally Clark was a “misrepresentation” and “unfortunate,” Chao says.

“We were a group of women who had worked together out of the 101 applicants,” she says. “We respected each other because we had interacted with each other before. By the time there was six, five of us we were checking in with each other every week. Supporting each other was turned into a negative thing.”

On her decision to leave IDHA, Chao says: “I never thought about being executive director; it just happened. I didn’t want to be executive director the rest of my career; there hardly ever was a time there wasn’t fires to put out, and there wasn’t after a while; there was assurance of stability and I had confidence in my staff. Maybe it’s time to jump, figure out what I want to be when I grow up.”

As to what she does next, Chao says she is “taking it slow” and “only jumping at opportunities that stir me.”

“It’s more about the scope of the work and who I work for. I want to learn.”

All of the speeches in the series will be videotaped to preserve the legacies of the aging Nisei, which means second generation Japanese American, for future generations.

Mitsui’s speech was titled “Good Things Grow from Horse Manure,” alluding to the many Japanese Americans who were moved into horse stalls at the onset of the internment before relocating to more permanent camps. Despite these unthinkable circumstances, Mitsui emphasized the positive that eventually came from them.

“Yes, the act of internment was unjust and the scars are numerous, but realize that it takes a great nation to admit that they were wrong,” he said, referring to the 1988 Civil Liberties Act, which provided redress and a formal apology to those who suffered the internment.

Mitsui’s speech also emphasized the lessons that can be derived from history.

“I ask each one of you to never disrespect a person because of the color of his skin, the religion he believes in, the race he belongs to, or his sexual orientation,” he said, adding, “If we show such disrespect, we disrespect God and our country and what they stand for.”

After listening to Mitsui’s speech, Gail Nomura, a University of Washington Department of American Ethnic Studies professor and a third-generation Japanese American, stressed the importance of documenting the veterans’ testimonies.

“You can see that everyone in the audience was greatly moved, and you’re transported back to that era to understand the situation that they were in,” she said.

Mitsui, who was placed in the Tule Lake internment camp after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, served in the Army Counter-Intelligence Corps. He was training as a replacement for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT), a segregated all-Japanese American unit, when the atom bombs were dropped. He then served with the force that occupied Japan after the war’s end.

Returning Japanese American soldiers formed the NVC in 1946 when they found they were not welcome in other veterans’ organizations. As the Nisei have grown older, the NVC’s purpose has become more focused on educating the public.

Many of the veterans visit local schools, ranging from the elementary to university level, to talk about their internment during World War II and their willingness to serve for the United States regardless of the prejudice against them. However, this is the first time many of them will share their presentations with a more general audience.

May Sasaki, the NVC educational-outreach chairperson, began organizing the school visits two-and-a-half years ago after she learned the veterans were already speaking to students without getting any recognition.

“If people do this in quiet without telling others, then no one knows that they’re doing it. There’s no appreciation,” Sasaki said.

Sasaki became the liaison between the veterans and the schools, coordinating their visits and eventually accompanying them into the classrooms after she realized their hesitancy to recount their time with the students.

“They’re so humble, you can’t get them to talk about themselves,” she explained.

When presenting to students, Mitsui said, “Instead of them asking me questions, the first thing I do is ask them what they would do if they were in our position.” He recalled, “One boy went real extreme and says, ‘I’d kill myself.’ You get real interesting results from the kids.”

During a question-and-answer session following Mitsui’s speech, Tosh Okamoto, 80, who served with the 442nd RCT, explained his willingness to fight during the war.

“We had to go prove that we were not enemy aliens. We were loyal Americans,” he said.

Okamoto also stressed that the internment was not his first experience with racism.

He said, “I distinctly remember, and I have to chuckle about it today, that when I was a little kid, we played Cowboys and Indians, and I was always the Indian.

“I was always on the losing side, and I think psychologically that kind of sticks with you all your life, that you’re not equal.”

Shina Kashino, 14, worked the video camera at the Saturday night presentation. She is the granddaughter of the late Shiro Kashino, another decorated member of the 442nd.

It’s important for her generation to hear stories such as Mitsui’s, Kashino said, because, “it’s a part of us. Then we know who we are.”

The NVC Foundation Speaker Series will continue over the next 15 months. For more information, contact May Sasaki at (206) 762-9146, or Bev Kashino at (206) 767-5045.

I am encouraged by the willingness of the developers of the Goodwill site to work more closely with the community to create a development that benefits all parties (Letters to the Editor, Oct. 18-31). The Vietnamese American Economic Development Association (VAEDA) and other members of the Dearborn Street Coalition for a Livable Neighborhood (DCLN) look forward to fruitful talks with Mr. Vange and his partners.

Besides VAEDA, DCLN is comprised of Inter*Im, Jackson Place Community Council, International District Housing Alliance, Seattle Alliance for Good Jobs and Housing for Everyone, Squire Park Community Council, Beacon Alliance of Neighbors, and Beacon Ridge Improvement Council. In addition, VAEDA and other coalition members have collected over 1500 signatures of business owners, residents, customers, and concerned citizens who believe that this project needs to be improved and the impacts to the community need to be mitigated before they give their support. Our coalition continues to grow as others see the enormity of this development and the impact it will have on this area.

We see an opportunity to work with the developers to create something unique and wonderful. Our vision is for a mixed-use development that fosters a sense of community by connecting and bringing together the diverse surrounding neighborhoods. It will be a development that: supports the cultural and economic vitality of Little Saigon, Chinatown/ID, and surrounding communities, promotes appropriate economic activity, provides affordable housing, and enhances the quality of life for all. Some might believe these to be unrealistic ideals but we are convinced that our vision is in line with the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Without an infusion of bold civic ideals, a project of this scale would be nothing more than a glorified suburban mall.

We are glad to hear that Mr. Vange has made some design modification to the development based on our inputs. We will continue to provide him with more inputs as this design evolves. However, our main concerns continue to be the size and nature of the development, and the resulting traffic and economic impacts that will befall the surrounding neighborhoods. Our support of this project continues to be contingent on arriving at a legally binding agreement with the developer that relieves our concerns, incorporates our vision, and provide sufficient mitigation. We encourage the City Council to seriously consider the impact to the surrounding neighborhoods and the mitigation provided before a decision is made on the proposed change in the zoning map in the Comprehensive Plan.

Quang H. Nguyen
VAEDA Executive Director