For many people, the idea of a color blind society is a laudable and self-evident goal to aspire to. The very phrase evokes iconic images from Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, in which he famously declared, “I have a dream that my four little children will [...]
I don’t consider myself a writer. I doubt anybody has ever described me as articulate. How is it that I find myself writing my first ever published column? Do I have anything to say that readers will be compelled to actually read? Apparently, Diem Ly, the young and thoughtful editor of the International Examiner, thinks [...]
History. Culture. And, integrity. These three elements were spoken by Jonathan Chen, Seattle’s Danny Woo Garden Manager, to an intimate crowd of community supporters, International District elders, children and families during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Danny Woo Children’s Garden on May 15, 2010. History: The garden was built in 1975 by the efforts of [...]
For many Seattle residents, South Park, located west of Boeing Field, is an unknown and hidden neighborhood. Contrary to what outsiders think, it is one of Seattle’s most historic areas and home to a rich population of immigrants and a working class of multi-ethnic families. “The community has been neglected for so long,” says Ammara [...]
When I tried looking for the historic South China Restaurant on Beacon Avenue South, I forgot that Ron Chew told me that it had moved from the neighborhood a couple of years ago to re-settle in Bellevue and is now named Perry Ko’s South China Restaurant. But, in the process of searching for this landmark [...]
Last month, a fire in an apartment building in New York’s Chinatown made national headlines. Two people were killed, dozens injured, and some 200 left homeless by the blaze, which also left a trail of accusations of hazardous conditions, building code violations, and neglect. Catastrophes like this grab our attention and beg the question: could [...]
Despite the city’s predictions that light rail would benefit the local economy, Asian-owned businesses have keenly felt the unexpected negative consequences of light rail. Especially for the Vietnamese community, business owners have had to endure a slew of difficulties, resulting in a decline of business by thirty percent in some areas. The city approved construction [...]
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month – a time to commemorate the contributions of the Asian American community as a whole. While this sense of unity is deeply important, the APA label lumps together people with origins from countries as diverse as China, Vietnam, and India. If we hold each of these countries under [...]
Perhaps it’s because I lived on Ka’iulani Avenue in Waikiki that the princess for whom the street is named captivates me. While studying Hawai’ian language at ‘Iolani Palace in Honolulu, I’d sit in the same gazebo where she once sat, on the palace’s expansive grounds, wondering how she felt experiencing the end of Hawai’ian sovereignty [...]
The Asian Pacific Directors Coalition in partnership with Seattle Center Festal, presented the Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration on May 2 at the Seattle Center. The celebration included a children’s API Heritage Month art contest. The four top winners are featured. Congratulations to the winners!
