Dorothy Parvaz.

As detained American journalist Dorothy Parvaz’s situation dragged out, her colleagues and supporters throughout the world were stepping up their efforts to win her release from Syria. Now, the efforts will have to refocus on Iran, where she is reportedly being held after being sent from Syria.

Syrian officials had earlier assured her news service, Al Jazeera English, that Parvaz was being held in Damascus, suggesting she eventually would be released. On May 11, an Al Jazeera spokesman said: “We have now received information that she is being held in Tehran. We are calling for information from the Iranian authorities, access to Dorothy, and for her immediate release. We have had no contact with Dorothy since she left Doha on 29 April and we are deeply concerned for her welfare.”

Parvaz, a former Seattle Post-Intelligencer writer and 2009 Nieman Fellow at Harvard, was detained after arriving in Damascus on April 29 to cover anti-government protests in Syria. Parvaz, an Al Jazeera correspondent since 2010, had returned from covering the aftermath of the earthquake in Japan.

In the tinderbox of Middle East geopolitics, Parvaz’s predicament has captured our attention as much for what it says about the politics of failed states as it confirms what many of us already know about the perils of being an independent journalist in strife-torn nations.

As former Seattle Post-Intelligencer managing editor, David McCumber, wrote the other day, the safety of journalists covering war-torn nations in the Middle East these days is anything but guaranteed. “Most of us in this business are aware of the horrifying statistics that are just a click away on the Committee to Protect Journalists’ excellent website.”

Journalists have faced ever-increasing restrictions in Syria since the protests began. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal crackdown on dissidents and journalists leaves little doubt that truth will be the first casualty of the Arab Awakening there.

As McCumber notes, the committee reports that at least 16 journalists already have been killed in the line of duty in 2011, and that some 145 journalists are imprisoned worldwide — a number that is, according to the committee, at a 14-year high. CPJ’s count does not include journalists who have been imprisoned after January of this year.

Parvaz, a former P-I editorial writer and columnist (under the byline D. Parvaz), is a courageous reporter whose commitment to ferreting out the truth has never wavered throughout her career. Her dogged pursuit of tough stories, however, overlooks another facet of her many gifts — her thoughtfulness.

At a roundtable focus group of local media at CityClub of Seattle convened less than four years ago, Parvaz’s creative insights were on full display as together we explored collaborative strategies between news media and CityClub to shine a spotlight on the vital issues affecting the life of our region. It was my first and only encounter with Parvaz, but that session left a lasting impression on me and speaks volumes about her qualities as a journalist and the compassion she brings to the craft of reporting.

The Asian American Journalists Association, UNITY Journalists of Color, Committee to Protect Journalists, Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, scores of human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, and private citizens here and elsewhere have collectively voiced their concern for one of their colleagues.

“UNITY believes that a free press is one of the pillars of a democracy,” said the organizations spokesperson last week. “And it is our hope that Syria will adhere to the principles that guarantee the free flow of information and ideas.” We must insist that the government of Iran do likewise.

To ensure that the leaders in Iran abide by those same principles, Parvaz’s plight requires our unwavering and vigilant response, now more than ever before. As citizens of a free society, we owe her nothing less.

This article was written in partnership with Crosscut.com.

Nicole Dixon is featured on the left. Photo credit: Simone Busby.

Imagine that you are 29 years-old, engaged, and ready to begin your adult life. Suddenly, life deals you a devastating blow: cancer. That’s what happened to Nicole Dixon, a young Filipino-Caucasian woman from Kent. With no family history of breast cancer, she found a lump in her breast and decided to get it examined. That decision would save her life.

On June 5th, thousands around Puget Sound will participate in an annual event called “Race for the Cure”, organized by Susan G. Komen for the Cure to help raise awareness for early detection of breast cancer. In one glance, you’ll see a lot of people walking in pink. Look more closely, and you’ll discover story after story of amazing courage and survival. Dixon’s story is just one in our community.

Just after Dixon’s 30th birthday, she was officially diagnosed with breast cancer, sending shock waves through her entire family. There were days when Dixon couldn’t stop crying, leaving her supportive family to feel helpless. Although Dixon initially asked herself the inevitable question of, “How did it choose me?” Her thoughts then turned to something more positive, “Maybe it’s a good thing, because I’m probably the only one in my family that would have gone to get it checked out,” Dixon told us.

According to the latest statistics looking at minority groups, Asian American and Pacific Islander women have a lower risk of breast cancer diagnosis: 92 women out of every 100,000 Asian American and Pacific Islander women are diagnosed, compared to non-Hispanic white women (133 per 100,000) and African-American (120 per 100,000).

Here’s what makes Dixon’s case especially rare: only five percent of all breast cancers occur in women under age 40 according to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Dixon began chemotherapy in March 2010, forcing her to put off her wedding arrangements with her fiancé. With her wedding on hold, Dixon began to look forward to a new event, Race for the Cure. Although she would still be undergoing chemotherapy, she made it her goal to walk in the 2010 Race for the Cure, no matter what. “I just knew that I wanted to be a part of it, so there wasn’t much of a question.”

With the help of her sister, they set up a team called “Hot Cocoa,” in honor of one of Dixon’s nicknames. Her team recruited 50 people – mostly family. Participating in the walk was a huge milestone for Dixon, and it was also a huge celebration for her and her family. “The walk turned into so much fun that my team and I started a dance party on the grass,” exclaimed Dixon.

Looking back on her life just a year ago, Dixon is sharing her story so people know that breast cancer can strike anyone at any time. She wants others, perhaps people as young as she, to understand that chemotherapy doesn’t have to prevent you from living your life.

“The thought of chemo scares people. My decision to participate in the race while undergoing chemotherapy shows people that yea, it’s chemotherapy, but you can still be active.” Dixon’s family played a huge role in her recovery. She says that she would not have been able to get through it without the support of her amazing family, which she says, highlights the need for support in the midst of disease.

As she ramps up for this year’s Race for the Cure, Dixon celebrates one year of being cancer-free. She’s enthusiastic for the race and grateful for the support that helped her heal from a disease that came out of nowhere.

Dixon tied the knot at the end of March 2011. In the end, Dixon said her wedding was just as beautiful as she hoped it would be. At the race, she expects her team “Hot Cocoa” will be bigger than last year, inviting anyone who wants to join her for “another huge celebration” to dance on the grass for all of life’s gifts.

If you’d like to know more about breast cancer prevention and screening, or you would like to walk, run or dance with Nicole and thousands of other women on June 5th, sign up at www.komenpugetsound.org.

The Cinnamon Soul band. During his career with Cinnamon Soul, Kuniyuki toured much of the Northwest.

As a kid, Y.K. Kuniyuki, 61, would sit and soak in the R&B, jazz and soul sounds that escaped out of the backdoors of the clubs on South Jackson Street. One of the first Asian American musicians to play professionally in the unique era of soul music that came out of Seattle in the 1960s, Kuniyuki believes everything about his career pathway began with the community he was raised in.

During his growing-up years, Seattle was “plagued by segregation,” he said. Discriminatory housing policies pushed people of color into certain neighborhoods, including the Central District and Yesler Terrace neighborhood, where Kuniyuki spent his childhood.

“It was a forced situation of diversity,” he said. “But because of that segregation there was a positive side, and we were exposed to the many different cultures that were compressed in this area.”

Right next to his family’s house was a dancehall, a rented space frequented by the area’s stage jazz bands. In addition, music emanated from the numerous African American churches located within blocks of his house as well as from his own Buddhist church’s drum and bugle choir. The Filipino youth percussion unit, the Chinese girls’ drill team and the dragon drummers often played in the nearby Chinatown International District.

And Garfield High School’s robust music program drew youth, including Kuniyuki, into school bands. Garage bands were abundant as well, fueled by the growing legacy of rising star Quincy Jones.

“It was this wonderful environment if you were into music,” said Kuniyuki. “That’s how the seed was planted. By the time I got of age to learn an instrument, I was ready and very motivated.”

Only when he graduated from high school in 1968 and started to play music professionally did Kuniyuki come face-to-face with the realities of discrimination.

At that time the music scene reflected an overall social climate of segregation, and musicians of color did not have many opportunities to work outside of the Central District and historic clubs.

“I was fortunate because I was playing in a black band that had job opportunities playing within the black community,” said Kuniyuki.

But Kuniyuki, a drummer, and a handful of others were the first Asian Americans to break into that community and play professionally within the Seattle soul scene.

“Rod Manon, George Shinbo, Danny Liago, Merwin Kato — they were pioneers, along with me,” he said. “Even though we were good at what we did we were still novelties. We were the only ones that were out there.

The Nitemen band.

“Asian Americans didn’t have a known history with music,” he pointed out. “If there was an image of an Asian American musician it was probably classical. There were perceptions: ‘Can this guy play? Can he really play?’ Once that they could see that you could hold your own, then everything was fine.”

After playing with numerous other bands, including The Nitemen, Kuniyuki joined Cinnamon Soul, a multi-ethnic band that played a lot of jobs for the University of Washington Black Student Union and became the house band for The Trolley Club. The owner of the latter had not yet integrated his establishment and believed that it was time.

He also connected Cinnamon Soul to a man who helped the band tour the Northwest “teen scene”, which previously had no minority bands or bands of color in the circuit. Kuniyuki toured with Cinnamon Soul for several years and then went on to play locally with other bands and musicians, including Deems Tsutakawa.

While Kuniyuki was one of the first Asian Americans to play professionally within the 1960s African American soul scene, several Asian American bands formed in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s and took their place in the R&B landscape.

The NW Imports was once such a band, started by Keith Funai. While they were one of the first Asian American bands to play R&B in the area, covering hits for crowds of dancers throughout the Seattle area, saxophonist Bruce Abe says that ethnicity was something that rarely came to his mind.

“We never thought about race,” said Abe. “We just all grew up together.”

Ken Kubota, who played sax and keyboards for Nine Lives, a horn-heavy band that formed in the early ‘70s, echoes a similar sentiment.

“We didn’t think about it because it was just the way we grew up. A lot of the guys in our band were coming out of a Buddhist church; it was kind of a core group of friends,” he said.

Kubota says they weren’t even really aware of their unusual status as an Asian American R&B/soul band until someone approached them at practice and said, “Don’t you guys get it? You guys are unique! You are all Asian!”

Michael Nakano, who played drums for The NW Imports, said that occasionally he would feel some hesitance from the crowd, especially when playing for African American audiences.

“We were playing black music and they were probably thinking, ‘What are they doing?’” he said with a laugh. “In the end everyone would start dancing, giving us that extra energy.”

Looking back, Abe, Kubota and Nakano all deeply relish the fact that they were able to positively influence the youth of their peers. Nine Lives had a reunion show several years ago and people came in droves to relive the memories and music of their youth, said Kubota.

Kuniyuki looks back on his history within the Seattle music scene and sees that his experiences as a musician during the ‘60s and ‘70s opened his eyes to what was going on in terms of civil rights and society as a whole.

Despite all the social shifts and tensions of his time as a young musician, Kuniyuki says: “When you are playing good music with good musicians, it transcends everything: race, culture, socioeconomic status … all of the different categories.”

The question of whether marijuana should be legalized, especially for people who benefit from it medically, has been answered in Seattle and Washington.

Voters believe marijuana should be decriminalized and easily available to those who need it. But there is still a stigma attached to marijuana, especially in the Asian community where generational issues affect awareness of the potential benefits of medical marijuana.

Even though voters have deprioritized enforcement (Referendum 75 in Seattle)

and supported access for patients who need medical marijuana (Initiative 692 in

Washington state) the state and federal government have maintained policies that, in effect, are business as usual, locally.

Nevertheless, two Asian-owned and operated businesses are braving an uncertain environment, working on how to meet the need both from the clinic and dispensary side. One of the managers of Northwest Green Medical Group says that they see themselves as “pioneers” of a new health business. He says that businesses like his are trying to meet patient needs.

The Vietnamese American manager, who requested to remain unnamed, pointed out that many patients hover in the gray area of legality.

“We have professionals who worry they might lose their licensure if they get caught with marijuana,” he says. His clinic is trying to destigmatize getting medical marijuana, making it more like a regular trip to the doctor’s office.

Another advocate thinks that marijuana should be legalized, regulated, and taxed just like alcohol. David Tran says his dispensary, Conscious Care Cooperative, is not about recreational use but providing “qualified patients with high quality medicine in a safe environment.” The co-operative is organized as a non-profit organization but Tran still looks at it like a business.

He believes that “until there is education to let the Asian community know about the medicinal values of this natural herb,” demand for medical marijuana in the Asian community will lag. Age also matters suggests Tran. “Our generation today is more saavy than ever, because they can keep up with the news, and they can see clearly that the State of Washington overwhelmingly supports medical marijuana, but their parents often times don’t share the same opinion. “

Tran’s suggestions are borne from studies of the use of medical marijuana in California, a vanguard in medical marijuana legislation. While a 2007 study of medical marijuana users in California indicates that medical marijuana is a largely white phenomenon, the study also reveals that younger Asians are more likely to pursue the medical marijuana option than older people. White’s made up more than two-thirds (68.8 percent) of applicants for medical marijuana cards, while African Americans constituted only 16.2 percent. Even smaller, at 5.1 percent, were applicants of Asian ancestry, less than the 8.1 percent from the Hispanic population.

It’s hard to say what accounts for the differences, although the study “reveals more Asians and Hispanics among the younger applicants, reflecting the two groups that have been immigrating to California in the greatest numbers in recent years.” And although many older immigrants are comfortable with alternative forms of herbal medicine, marijuana still carries the stigma of an illegal drug, even when cities or states loosen their regulations.

Dominic Holden who writes on the issue of marijuana pointed out last fall that “If you thought pot legalization in Seattle had already arrived—think again. Despite voters making pot possession the lowest law-enforcement priority in 2003, Seattle police are arresting more people on low-level marijuana charges this year than any year in the last decade.”

Asians in Seattle will have to weigh the hassle and humiliation of arrest against

the pain they might be experiencing from the symptoms of their disease when considering medical marijuana. Add that to challenges the community already faces accessing affordable health care and Governor Gregoire’s recent veto.

Holden explains, the “arrest protection for patients (who can currently be arrested and only raise a defense in court), cultivation licenses, and dispensaries were all scratched by the governor.” Those state protections created more than a decade ago say that “Qualifying patients with terminal or debilitating illnesses who, in the judgment of their health care professionals, may benefit from the medical use of marijuana, shall not be found guilty of a crime under state law for their possession and limited use of marijuana.”

This creates the uncertainty that suppresses demand for medical marijuana while not doing anything about the underlying health needs of the Asian community. The fact is that people are using marijuana with benefit to their conditions already. The question remains whether government will make that easier or make it a more difficult, or criminal.

If, as Holden suggests, “marijuana will probably be decriminalized in Washington State within the next decade,” who is going to meet the demand for medical marijuana? That will be up to people like David Tran.

“There are always risks involved in any business,” says Tran and “this no different.”

What makes the venture risky is “obscure legislation that leaves room for [differing] interpretation and leave it open to prosecution. “

Asian business owners, providers, and users of medical marijuana share uncertainty about the law. Governor Gregoire’s veto takes the issue a step backward at a time when government, business, law enforcement, and sick people are beginning to shift the social norms around marijuana.

Mayor McGinn’s statement on the Governor’s veto perhaps says it best. The

governor’s actions “leave us with the same problems that we currently face: too many patients have to take unnecessary risks to obtain their medicine, confusion for law enforcement, a proliferation of dispensaries across Seattle, and an inability to regulate dispensaries properly.”

But Tran thinks Asians understand herbal medicine. “There are shops all over the International District selling combinations of herbs to heal ailments,” he says. “The potential to overcome the stigma is there.”

This article was written in partnership with Crosscut.com.

The nation’s Indian American population has exploded over the past decade, far outpacing the growth of other Asian groups, according to newly released 2010 Census data.

Indians have surpassed Filipinos as the nation’s second-largest Asian population after Chinese, the data show. In 19 of the first 26 states (including Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico) for which figures have been released, Indians have emerged as the largest Asian subgroup, with especially large majorities in the Midwest and South.

New York and Florida, once the biggest magnets for Indian immigrants, have been replaced by California, especially the area around Silicon Valley. According to the detailed Census demographic analysis released Thursday, California’s Indian population climbed 68 percent from 2000 to 2010, to 528,000 people, making it by far the largest Asian Indian community in the U.S.

New York state’s Asian Indian population, meanwhile, grew by a healthy 24.6 percent over the 10-year period, to 313,000.

Six of the top 10 cities that have at least 10,000 Asian Indian residents are in California: Cupertino, Fremont, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara, all in Silicon Valley; and Livingston and Yuba City, rural communities with large concentrations of Sikh farmers. In each city, at least one in seven residents are Asian Indian. “The growth in population is because of job opportunities and better education,” says Raj Bhanot, a tax auditor for the state.

California’s Indian American population has now surpassed the Japanese and Korean communities in size, notes Hans Johnson, a demographer at the Public Policy Institute of California. “We know from other data that it’s the best-educated population—more likely, for example, to be college-educated than whites.”

Chinese continue to be California’s biggest Asian group, with 1.25 million people.

In the South, meanwhile, the Indian American population increased by more than 80 percent in four states—Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky—and more than doubled in a fifth state, Georgia.

The population of Indian Americans in Florida rose from 70,740 in 2000 to 128,735 in 2010, an increase of 82 percent. Indians are the largest Asian group in Florida, far ahead of Filipinos, at 90,223.

In Georgia, the number of Asian Indians surged to 96,116, versus 46,132 in 2000. The next largest Asian populations were Koreans (52, 431), and Chinese and Vietnamese (virtually tied at around 45,000).

In South Carolina, where Nikki Haley, the daughter of Sikh immigrants, is governor, the Asian Indian population grew from 8,856 to 15,941. Filipinos are the second-largest Asian group, at 10,053, and Chinese third at 9,686.

Tennessee’s population of 23,000 Asian Indians represented an 86 percent increase from the 2000 count. The second-biggest Asian group in the state—18,867 people—was the category “Other Asians.” Chinese were third among Asian groups with 15,415 and Vietnamese fourth at 10,033.

The Asian groups listed separately in newly released census data are: Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese. All other Asians were grouped together in the “Other Asian” category, unless listed in mixed race cohorts.

In Kentucky, the Asian Indian population shot up 84.6 percent from 2000 to 2010, going from 6,771 to 12,501. Chinese were second with 9,051 residents and “Other Asians” totaled 8,103.

Massachusetts went from 43,801 to 77,177 Asian Indians, a rise of 76.2 percent. Indian Americans, who constitute 1.2 percent of the total population, are the second largest Asian group in the state after Chinese (122,957).

Indian Americans in Michigan grew from 54,656 to 77,132 in the decade, making them the largest Asian group in the state, with Chinese a distant second at 44,496.

In New Mexico, Chinese are the most numerous Asian group with 5,729 residents, followed by Filipinos (4,963), Vietnamese (4,723) and Asian Indians (4,550). There were just 3,104 Asian Indians counted in the state in 2010.

Vietnamese are the largest Asian group in Mississippi with 7,025 enumerated in 2010, followed by Indians at 5,494, up from 3,827 counted in 2000.

Hello! My name is Jasmin Eng and I’m a University of Washington student and intern of the OCA “Youth Legacy” program. The picture you see before you may look like a random photo of a girl jumping midair. My answer is, yes it is. But it is also a metaphor to my journey in becoming a part of the API community of Seattle. The purpose of this internship is to connect the interns with the community through volunteer work and video production to create API leaders. This photo represents the jump, that leap of a chance I took with myself to take upon such a project. When I began this internship, I wasn’t sure if I could be a strong, independent leader like the ones I interviewed such as Kim Nguyen, Ron Chew, Diem Ly and Kathy Hsieh. What I did walk away with is the curiosity to learn and a growing passion to make change. By giving me a gentle push into helping the community, this internship has proved to me that I can also be a leader and I’ve even started to develop ideas of my own on how to make positive change. I hope you all enjoy the first video I’ve created charting my leap into the API community. Thank you!

- Jasmin Eng

Jasmin Eng is currently an OCA intern studying at the University of Washington. She is part of OCA’s Legacy to Leadership Documentary Internship Program. For more information on OCA-Greater Seattle, please visit www.ocaseattle.org. OCA- Embracing the hopes and aspirations of Asian Pacific Americans.

The group initially formed out of a circle of close friends before merging with Richard Magow Austria, vocalist, and David Beukema, drums. Regarding their beginnings, Frankie Yaptinchay, vocalist, says, “A lot of us grew up together. Some of us went to the same high school. We shared a lot of musical interests. Magow had his own band, and I had my own band, and we met David and finished the group. It took three years for Lion’s Ambition to form.”

Part of what makes Lion’s Ambition’s sound so unique is the diverse blend of appealing lyrics and live instrumentation. In their song “Sorry to Say”, a catchy guitar loop energizes the vocals to create a rich, pounding melody that is instantly recognizable. Yaptinchay describes their music as “high energy, soulful music. Our message is about defying obstacles and overcoming struggles.”

Indeed, the group has had to rise above its own share of obstacles to get where they are. Besides trying to gain a fan-base and establishing themselves musically, the everyday tasks of managing a group also weighed heavily on the band. “It was tough to schedule with six people. It’s also expensive. Finding the right group specifically, the right six, was also hard.”

The band was able to overcome these obstacles with some determination and a commitment to making it work. Marlon Turner, emcee, jokes, “It took a lot of alcohol. A lot of trial and error.”

It also took some tinkering in a real studio to establish the band’s sound. Ken Jose, guitarist, says: “The best part of us forming our proper sound was going into a real studio and working with true producers. Our producer Joe Larosee at Jupiter studios provided an unbiased opinion and settled the discussion we had amongst ourselves.”

All that tinkering seems to have paid off. In addition to opening for Ludacris for Spring Fest at Beasley Coliseum, the band just released its album “The Application”, which features a fresh set of songs to listen to.

Ultimately, it’s the fans that push the band forward. “Though we’re not from a place with major acts or big hip hop artists, we have great fans.” Having overcome formidable obstacles along the way, a loyal fan base is more than enough to keep them going. Let’s hope this band grows into a phenomenon that can be embraced not only in Seattle but also the world.

Check out IE’s exclusive video interview with Lion’s Ambition below:

You can find out more about the band here: www.lionsambition.net.

Freddy Ji
If you’ve ever been to Pike Place Market or Pacific Place, you may have heard the tunes of Freddy Ji, 54, the Chinese American erhu player who performs music in downtown Seattle. But have you ever stopped to think about his story, how he got here, and how much he makes in a day, anyway? The IE had an opportunity to interview Ji and delve into his background and way of life as a local street musician.

Upon arriving in the United States in 1994 from the Shanxi Province, China, Ji first found employment in a Chinese restaurant doing odd jobs. But after hurting his back in an accident, Ji found solace in playing his erhu in a park near where he lived.

“One day,” Ji recalls, “while I was practicing, I noticed people were listening to me – so I decided to play for my own enjoyment and for others.”

When Ji found that he could make a decent living playing the erhu for people, he decided to make it a full-time job.

Ji remembers his fascination with the erhu from an early age.

“I learned how to play erhu by myself. I didn’t go to a teacher. I’ve always liked the sound of erhu ever since I was young. I’ve been playing for ten years now.”

Ji gravitates more towards playing traditional Chinese songs rather than popular tunes. Most listeners will find Ji’s music to be plaintive and wistful, evoking a time when music was meant to be contemplated rather than merely heard.

Ji explains his penchant for ancient Chinese tunes, “I like to play songs that professional erhu players perform, not general erhu songs. So you have to know about the music in order to fully appreciate it. I like songs with a longer history such as traditional erhu songs since ancient times.”

But Ji wasn’t always an erhu player. Like most Chinese immigrants’ lives, Ji’s life was marked by the reforms that swept through China during the Mao era.

Ji reflects, “I stopped playing for about ten years because of the political movement during the time of Mao Tse Tung in the 1970s.”

Luckily, for the listeners frequenting Pike Place and Pacific Place, Ji picked up the instrument again after he immigrated to America. He welcomes people to stop by and say ‘hello’, as he’s eager to share stories with anyone who takes the time to ask.

Check out IE’s exclusive video interview with Freddy Ji below:

Gowe
At a time when the hip hop scene is widening its musical scope beyond the confines of gangsta rap, Korean American rapper Gowe (Gifted on West East), from Beacon Hill, stands out as a luminary whose inspiring lyricism challenges listeners to make a positive impact in the world.

Gowe attributes his positive message to God’s influence in his life. Gowe dedicated himself to Christianity and learned as much as he could about the faith. Since then, Gowe has tried to incorporate God into his music without alienating non-Christian listeners.

“My faith is the only reason I do this. I never wanted to classify myself as a Christian rapper because I had heard a lot of Christian rap and realized it wasn’t the best,” said Gowe. “I didn’t want to be associated with that. Also, I didn’t want to turn people off with a direct declaration of being Christian.”

A close listen to Gowe’s music, however, will reveal that Gowe is indeed an artist who cares deeply about reflecting the Christian influence in his music. “I don’t curse. I don’t have sexual innuendos. If you study the music, you can tell I’m Christian.”

Gowe’s music is also deeply personal. Having grown up to Chinese parents, Gowe lived most of his life thinking he was Chinese American. At age eighteen, however, his parents revealed to him that he was, in fact, adopted — and Korean. In the song “I Wonder”, Gowe not only raps about his biological mother but also the identity crisis that occurred soon after Gowe discovered he was Korean.

“Ever since I found out that I was Korean, I’ve always wanted to write a song that would capture all of my thoughts, emotions and feelings toward my situation,” said Gowe. “But more importantly, I’ve always wanted to write a song dedicated to my biological mother expressing my love for her.”

Regarding his musical influences, Gowe says he leans more toward East Coast hip hop. Indeed, his precise vocal delivery, laid over a minimalist, repetitive beat, is reminiscent of such skilled lyricists as Nas and Notorious B.I.G. (minus the profanity). Gowe also cites influences such as Thelonius Monk and the Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Reznick as his musical inspirations.

For aspiring musicians, Gowe offers the following words of advice: “Encourage anyone to follow your passions, even if it seems you’re the odd man out. Pursue your dreams and make an impact while you are here.”

Check out IE’s exclusive video interview with Gowe below:

To learn more about Gowe, visit him at: www.gowe.bandcamp.com.

Rapper Jin Au-Yeung.

Does anyone remember Jin the Emcee? You know, the young rapper with a quick tongue and sharp wit who was supposed to be the Asian American breakthrough in the music industry ten years ago?

Alas, the great yellow hype turned out to be just that and never amounted to anything more substantial. Despite having great initial success on Black Entertainment Television (BET), receiving ample media coverage, and signing with major hip-hop label Ruff Ryders, Jin’s (Jin Au-Yeung) music career tumbled before it ever took a serious step.

After several delays, his album finally dropped at #54 on the Billboard charts, and kept on dropping off the charts. Jin disappeared from the American rap game but surfaced several years later to make a big name for himself in Hong Kong, his motherland, rapping in Cantonese and focusing his message on Christianity.

Jin had talent and was a great performer on stage so why did his career falter? He attributes it to being Chinese American and that people focused more on his race rather than his abilities. All the articles written about him mentioned his ethnicity as a major point and even his label tried to market him as the “Asian rapper”. America was just not ready for it, even more so after reality star William Hung ridiculed himself in front of the nation and the world – Hung’s album sold more copies than Jin’s. It was a slap in the face to Jin and created a huge dam for Asian American talents into the mainstream.

Fast forward to October 2010 and in one particular week, the No. 1 and 2 songs on the Billboard charts were by Asian American performers. “Like a G6” by Far East Movement (FEM), a hip-hop group consisting of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Filipino members, and “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars, of Filipino and Puerto Rican descent, were wildly popular and getting serious airtime on radios and television. What is the difference between these performers and Jin?

Far East Movement.

One thing is certain, the issue of race has been shuffled far from the front page.

It seems the new strategy for marketing Asian American performers is to not put a spotlight on their race at all.

Most people are not aware that FEM and Bruno Mars have Asian ties – I was not aware of it myself – and was quite surprised when I found out.

Some say this is because FEM actively tries to hide their Asian origin, pointing out that group members often wear sunglasses, usually large ones, for music videos and photo shoots, something they did not do before they hit the mainstream. Perhaps it is just a fashion statement but it does raise the question of what it is they are trying to hide. In one music video featuring Ryan Tedder, all the FEM members wear sunglasses except for Tedder, who is white.

Granted their marketing strategies may be questionable to some observers, it is harder to ignore the fact that they are paving the way for the next generation of artists who might otherwise give up. The same video mentioned above also shows Asians in prominent roles – as opposed to some random dancer in a club – and includes scenes where people from all different backgrounds intermingle. For the first time in history, you can turn on MTV and see four Asian rappers performing with legendary rapper Snoop Dogg.

Andrew Le.

Still, despite FEM and Bruno Mars having broken the sound barriers, the track to success for Asian American artists is still difficult to travel.

Recently on American Idol, a Korean American, Paul Kim, was unanimously praised by the judges for his singing qualities but was one of the first contestants voted off.

Locally we have performers like Nam, a Vietnamese American of refugee parents living in the Rainier Valley, who writes lyrics about what he knows best: being an Asian growing up in the “206”. For Nam, whose real name is Andrew Le, rapping has no boundaries.

“I don’t see myself as an ‘Asian rapper’, I just see myself as a rapper who happens to be Asian,” Le says. He performs with artists like Blue Scholars at various underground concerts around Seattle.

Le feels that his music is versatile enough to be marketed and successful but is adamant he would not compromise his belief, his lyrics, and his style in order to make it. He is out “to show that [Asians] are talented too and breaking the stereotype that we can only do Kung Fu movies and cover songs on Youtube.”

However, he acknowledges the struggle in this endeavour.

“I personally don’t think you need to sell out,” he states. “It’s just really difficult because…the mainstream is controlled so much by corporations, and unfortunately artists that are Asian aren’t considered ‘marketable’.”

But that will not stop Le from pushing on with his music. He is working on a new album while working the evening shift at Boeing to make ends meet.

“To me, anything is marketable.”

BY GARY IWAMOTO

Toshikazu Okamoto and wife, Toshiko. Photo credit: Melissa Ponder, www.melponder.com.

Toshikazu Okamoto is a Nisei (second generation Japanese American) veteran and proud of it.

He has served our country and our community with distinction. Like most Japanese Americans, “Tosh” was sent to an internment camp during World War II. But ironically, the same government who questioned the loyalty of Okamoto and other Japanese Americans by sending them to internment camps decided that Tosh was loyal enough to be drafted into military service. At the age of 17, he joined the all Nisei 442nd Regimental Unit and was stationed in Italy toward the end of the war.

When the war ended, Tosh went to Edison Technical School to learn the skills to be an auto mechanic. But Tosh couldn’t find a job because the auto shops would only hire union mechanics. The union wouldn’t accept him, telling him that the waiting list to join the union was too long to get a job immediately. He knew this was a lie because the white students in his program found jobs easily. He eventually found a job with the Seattle Fire Department where he worked for 32 years, ultimately ending up as a supervisor in charge of vehicle maintenance.

In 1971, Tosh was serving as the Commander of the Nisei Vets Committee. As part of his duties, Tosh visited Isseis (first generation Japanese Americans) living in a nursing home, who had lost sons in the course of military service, called “Gold Star Parents”. Tosh happened to visit an elderly Issei man who was living in a nursing home on Seattle’s First Hill. The son of that Issei resident came up to Tosh and asked him for change. Tosh was told that the staff would only respond to a patient pushing the call button if they had change in their hand; otherwise they would be ignored.

Tosh was upset at the treatment of that “Gold Star” father, the father of a Nisei veteran who died in the war. At about the same time, a Japanese boarding house was closing. Tosh saw that the safety net for the Issei elderly was disappearing. Aging Issei had nowhere to go to receive culturally sensitive nursing care. Tosh shared these observations with Tomio Moriguchi and both men decided that it was imperative to create a nursing home environment which could meet the needs of Isseis.

Tosh and Tomio, along with Glen Akai, Harry Kadoshima, Sally Kazama, Fred Takeyasu, and Henry Miyatake, — the “Magnificent Seven” — formed Issei Concerns (later Nikkei Concerns) in 1975. Their initial goal was to develop a nursing home to meet the cultural, social, language and dietary needs of elderly Nikkei. Of course, no one had the expertise to create a nursing home. But coincidentally, Tosh’s eldest daughter, Joyce, had just starting working at the Keiro Nursing Home in Los Angeles. Through Joyce’s connections, Edwin Hiroto, the Director of Keiro, came to Seattle who advised the seven to mobilize the Japanese American community.

The group started a community-wide funding campaign. A site and facility were found at the old Mt. Baker convalescent center. In 1976, Seattle Keiro Nursing home opened its doors and it wasn’t long before the nursing home outgrew its limited space. In 1985, when Tosh served as President of the Board, Nikkei Concerns embarked on its second major fundraising effort for a new $6.6 million, 150-bed facility. On May 6, 1986, the new Seattle Keiro broke ground at 16th Avenue and Yesler Way and opened one year later. Today, Nikkei Concerns serves our community through its four programs: Seattle Keiro, Nikkei Manor, Kokoro Kai and Nikkei Horizons. And Tosh is still involved after thirty five years with Nikkei Concerns, serving on its advisory board.

While his work with the Keiro Nursing Home is Tosh’s proudest achievement, his contributions to the community don’t stop there. He has served on the board of the Kawabe Memorial House, including terms as President and Vice President, since 1987. He helped found the Meiji Kai Senior Lunch Program which served Issei at Nisei Veteran’s Hall for years. He served as a community advisor for the Kame Project (dementia research of Japanese Americans) and Japanese American Community Diabetes Study. He helped establish the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism in Washington DC and was the funding co-chair for the Pacific Northwest which raised more than $1.6 million for the Memorial. He has been a long-time member, past Commander, and current Executive Board member for the Nisei Veterans Committee. And at the age of 84, Tosh shows no signs of stopping.

Tosh has been married for more than sixty years to Toshiko. He is the proud father of four children, Joyce, Susan, John, and Sheila, and grandfather to nine grandchildren. Long-time friend and collaborator Tomio Moriguchi said, “Tosh as a World War II veteran, is a great, caring, outstanding provider of quality of value and life for his whole immediate and extended family. A person that has been able to extend these values to his community.”

Outstanding Individual: Albert Shen
Advocating the business of philanthropy and empowerment.

BY CHRISTINE CHEN VELAZQUEZ

Albert Shen. Photo credit: Melissa Ponder, www.melponder.com.

Ten years ago, Albert Shen, equipped with degrees in Chemistry and Environmental Science from the University of Washington and several years experience as an environmental chemist, felt he needed to strike out on his own.

“As a minority male in a very corporate, established culture, my desire to excel had been inhibited,” said Shen. He formed Shen Consulting with one employee – himself – and went to work. “Through small business ownership, I knew I could develop my own career without the limiting, single-track glass ceiling structure of many corporate environments.”

From Family Businesses to Business of the Year

Shen knew the engineering and construction fields were dominated by large and established companies. However, he had his eyes on the prize. By 2010, Shen Consulting had tripled its sales, multiplied its number of employees and became a $1 million dollar company, earning the Seattle Mayor’s Award for Small Business of the Year.

“My parents were immigrants who had no formal business training,” said Shen. “However, while working in their restaurant and small businesses growing up, I learned that hard work, relationships and perseverance were the keys to running your own business.”

Shen Consulting helped drive projects such as the Third Runway and Airport Stormwater Management Program. He’s currently working on the Consolidated Rental Car Facility at the airport and just launched the new e-parking signage system for the City of Seattle.

Community Connections

Because of Shen’s experience in transportation infrastructure, development, and economic growth, he makes it a priority to volunteer time for several key non-profits.

“I believe in non-profit board leadership,” said Shen. “Not only are you giving back, directly, but you are also interfacing with others who have the same values. Together, you are able to affect change, with passion.”

Currently, Shen serves on the Board of Trustees for Seattle Community Colleges, guiding an educational system for a multi-cultural student base. He just wrapped up serving as a commissioner for Governor Gregoire’s Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission, providing her guidance at the State level around issues for the API community, such as economic and community development.

Shen was the Board Chair for the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda), engrossed in the continuous efforts to protect the cultural history of the neighborhood, make improvements, raise its profile community-wide and provide economic revitalization for the various small businesses run by immigrant families.

To honor his mother, a breast cancer survivor, Shen serves as a board member for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. In the past, Shen has also served on the boards of the Asian Counseling Referral Service, Northwest Asian American Theatre, National Association of Asian American Professionals and the Seattle Opera Bravo Club. In addition, Shen supports his friends’ causes, giving thousands of dollars a year to various causes close to their hearts.

Political Gusto

Shen believes community and business contributions need to be bolstered by having a strong voice in politics to make a long lasting impact.

In the summer of 2010, Shen was selected to join the “Stimulating Change Roundtable” in Washington, D.C. He worked face-to-face with top representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration and other Federal Agencies, the Minority Business Development Association and the White House Initiatives on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to address the most critical issues facing small, minority-owned businesses.

To unite the API voices in Washington State, Shen created, founded and served as Board Chair for the Northwest Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans Political Action Committee.

“Our mission is to bring together separate Asian communities and form a coherent force,” said Shen. “Only then, unified, can we affect change within local, regional and national politics.”

“It all works together – business, community and politics. And you can’t give up.”

Individual Arts: George “Geo” Quibuyen
A hip hop dynamo with a social consciousness.

BY IAN DAPIAOEN

“Silence is defeat, my solution is to speak” – Geologic, Opening Salvo

George “Geologic” Quibuyen. Photo credit: Melissa Ponder, www.melponder.com.

George Quibuyen, also known as Geologic/Prometheus Brown of the hip hop duo Blue Scholars, is a poet, teacher, cultural worker, activist and loving husband/father. Sharpening his skills at the Theater Off Jackson (when it was called the Northwest Asian American Theater) for isangmahal arts kollective open microphone events more than a decade ago, he now finds himself in the center of a hip hop movement in Seattle.

“For me, it’s everything,” says Quibuyen about arts and culture and its importance in Seattle’s Asian Pacific Islander movements. “The theater was a space where I found myself surrounded by people who looked like me and had shared experiences and goals, something I’ll never take for granted having performed in many spaces where this isn’t the case.”

Drawing inspiration from his life living in Bremerton, Beacon Hill and even on the islands of Hawaii, Quibuyen considers the International District as the catalyst that kickstarted his musical career. “Beacon Hill and the University District were formative relationship-wise, but it was in the International District that a community was most present. Blue Scholars played its very first Seattle show at the Nippon Kan Theater. Our first music video was filmed in/around Hing Hay Park. Many lyrics were written in and about the International District.”

A former exhibit coordinator at the Wing Luke Asian Museum, Quibuyen preserves cultural histories through his lyrics and storytelling, heightening awareness around issues such as political killings in the Philippines to the war in Iraq.

“As much as a thriving culture benefits those who participate in it in the present, I also see it as a social document for future generations,” says Quibuyen. “Most of what we know about previous generations is things we cull from their cultural productions and so for Asian Pacific Islanders in Seattle, it’s also self-preservation.”

With much experience under his belt and tens of thousands of miles traveled to perform his music, Quibuyen feels as if he’s just getting started.

“Engaging with Seattle’s rich Asian Pacific Islander history in my time working at the Wing Luke Museum…interviewing people in their 80s and 90s and doing research and meeting folks like Uncle Bob Santos, I realize that I got a long way to go and a lot of footsteps to follow!”

Quibuyen, also a movie buff and avid photographer, posts photos and movie reviews at www.prometheusbrown.com.

Blue Scholars will release their third album, Cinemetropolis, on June 14. This “Blue Scholars Signs With the People” release is funded entirely by their fans through an online campaign, raising $62,000 in less than two months. Visit www.bluescholars.com for more information.

Tatsuo Nakata Youth Award: Mary Nguyen
A lion for justice and equality.

BY LIEZL REBUGIO

Mary Nguyen. Photos courtesy Mary Nguyen.

I first met Mary Le Nguyen in 2007 when she applied for an internship with the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. During that interview, she exuded passion, curiosity, humility, and a dedication to social justice. From that moment, I knew that she would be doing something amazing for the community.

Mary will be awarded with the Tatsuo Nakata Youth Award at the International Examiner’s annual Community Voice Awards on May 18. Mary is a perfect fit for this award, named after a young man who demonstrated leadership in the API community before his untimely death in 2006.

Mary’s family came to the United States as Vietnamese refugees. She was the first person in her family born in the country and would often tell her siblings, “I’m the only one that can be president.”

The Nguyens were the last Vietnamese refugees to arrive in Washington in 1976. In fact, the Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Longview, WA petitioned U.S. Senators Henry Martin Jackson and Warren G. Magnuson and Governor Daniel J. Evans to allow one more refugee family to come to Washington. Thankfully, the lawmakers granted their entrance into the country. It was as if destiny knew that Mary would do amazing things for the community if the Nguyens were permitted to come to Washington.

Mary’s upbringing in the small logger town of Longview, Wash. created her foundation for justice and equality for communities of color. She was one of the few people of color in her cohort, but that did not prevent her from becoming engaged in school activities. Mary was on the volleyball and basketball teams, in student government, honor society, and voted “Best All Around” her senior year. Amidst all of this, she still longed to be part of a community that understood her and her desire for justice.

As an undergraduate student at the University of Washington-Bothell, Mary saw that there was not a lot of support for LGBTQ students. Instead of just complaining or wishing things were different, Mary stepped into action. She co-founded the university’s first Gay Straight Alliance.

Stepping into action is something that Mary does well. In 2010, the Board of Pharmacy threatened to limit patients’ access to medication by modifying a rule that requires pharmacies to give medications to people without discrimination or delay. Mary recognized the API community had to be heard, so she represented the NAPAWF-Seattle Chapter in a coalition of reproductive rights advocates and testified before the Board. The result? Mary’s action made a difference and patients’ access to medicine is protected.

At 30 years old, Mary has a number of milestones to be proud of. Completing her Masters of Policy Studies at the University of Washington-Bothell, fiercely leading the NAPAWF-Seattle Chapter, and working with Wal-Mart workers as a community organizer at the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21 in their efforts to advocate for their rights are to name a few.

However, campaign successes cannot fill Mary’s heart like her family does. In the past year, Mary brought together her family in a very special way. Last fall, she purchased a home in Renton, where her parents, brother, and partner have created a home together. Her sisters are minutes away and the Le and Nguyen home is often filled with the laughter of children and conversations about peace and justice.

There is something about Mary that inspires all those who meet her. And it’s really easy to pinpoint. It could be her wit, her smile, her intelligence, or her commitment to her family and community. It is a combination of all her special qualities that make her an incredible daughter, sister, partner, friend, and leader.

Cheers to Mary for her many successes and for many accomplishments to come.

Outstanding Organization: ArtXchange
A conscientious gallery bridges cultures and communities.

BY JESSICA DAVIS

ArtXchange team: Mugoux Varra, Cora Edmonds, Lauren Davis, and Islanda Khau. Photo credit: Melissa Ponder, www.melponder.com.

“Ever since ArtXchange started in 1995, our mission has been to bring cultural exchange to our community through art, film, and photography,” noted Edmonds. “We have crossed paths and collaborated with so many individuals and community groups in the last decade and a half, we love and are proud of doing what we do!”

When Diem Ly, editor of the International Examiner, visited ArtXchange Gallery to personally tell ArtXchange the news about receiving a Community Voice Award, it was a complete surprise and honor, noted Edmonds.

“ArtXchange Gallery being recognized as a community asset is amazing,” said Edmonds. “Bringing a unique and diverse perspective to the Seattle/Northwest community is always how we think of ourselves and it’s wonderful to have that be confirmed by the community.”

The 3,000 square-foot gallery, nestled in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood, showcases contemporary artwork from all over the world and locally. In addition to exhibitions, the gallery has hosted numerous community events over the years, including artist workshops and lectures, book readings, film screenings, fashion shows, tea tastings, and more.

“Art is a reflection of culture and I believe as a city, the arts in Seattle are still catching up to reflect our cultural diversity,” noted Edmonds. “Traditional fine art is primarily Euro-Western defined and critiqued and I would love to see a broader, more anthropologically based view of art. I believe that Seattle’s diverse, multicultural population provides a great setting for an internationally-based art gallery such as ArtXchange.”

Edmonds has had a fascination with culture throughout her life. Born in the concrete jungle of Hong Kong, Edmonds and her family moved to Seattle in 1978, when she was 12 years-old. She was raised bilingual and biculturally.

“This laid a foundation of lifelong interest in worldwide cultures, people, and places,” said Edmonds.

She later went on to study international business and began her career in commercial film production for international clients. Also, as a marketing manager, Edmonds launched the first television campaign for Microsoft. Presently, as an international photographer, her research of indigenous cultures and love of photography have kept her traveling extensively, to more than 30 countries throughout the world. Japan, Burma, Cambodia, and Laos are just a few of the countries she has photographed.

Perhaps, one of the most poignant trips she made was when she traveled to the remote Humla region of western Nepal in 2000, capturing the image of a young boy with his palms together in the traditional Namaste gesture of greeting and respect. The photograph was a success in Seattle, incidentally catching the eye of Phil Crean, a man who felt compelled to meet Edmonds. They married several years later.

“Phil is an amazing human being who has a clear vision, efficient strategies, boundless patience and support for me, a most generous heart that inspires me everyday to do my best,” she said.

Throughout the years, Edmonds has been supported by many talented individuals who were drawn together and inspired by the gallery mission. Five years ago, she was joined by gallery manager Lauren Davis, whose specialty in accessible, community-oriented art exhibits and programs was a perfect fit for the educational mission of ArtXchange. Graphic designer and independent curator Islanda Khau joined the gallery in 2008. Gallery staff Mugoux Varra and Gail Reed round out the team and provide crucial community outreach, and administrative support.

In 2008, Edmonds and her husband, Phil Crean, founded the Namaste Children’s Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting community-based education for women and children in the remote regions in the hidden Himalayas of Nepal, where she had visited almost a decade earlier.

The immersion of culture and diversity continues at home with her multi-racial family of seven, including her husband who was born in a small town in New Zealand with a population of 150 people, and the recent addition of three adopted Vietnamese-Ukrainian children.

“We certainly have our cultural differences, but we focus on what is most important to us, what connects us to each other,” said Edmonds, adding that this is not so different than what ArtXchange aims to do with artwork.

ArtXchange Gallery is constantly looking for links and bridges between cultures, she noted. “Our gallery is interested in artists whose work articulates contemporary global culture with original and unique aesthetics. The artwork must tell a story, add a bridge of connection and provoke viewers to ask questions.”

The issue of access to driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants is fundamentally an issue of public safety. People are going to need to drive to work and take their kids to school and the question is whether they are going to do that as unlicensed drivers without insurance or as insured drivers who know the rules of the road. This issue — at its core — is about whether we let the politics of fear or data and common sense drive our policy debates. We need to be asking the question “How does restricting access to licenses and insurance make our roads and state a safer place?” This is all within the context of a much larger discussion around racial profiling and the criminalization of immigrants. We need to make sure that Washington continues to reject the merging of local law enforcement and immigration—because that merger almost always results in racial profiling and targeting of particular communities.
– Pramila Jayapal

If we cannot afford to hire more officers, then let’s invest in helping the police do their job better by modernizing their equipment. Also, there are cost-effective ways to support community-based organized efforts aimed at maintaining public safety. Helping keep neighborhoods and business districts clean goes a long way toward warding off crime.
– Julie Pham

Small Business

Asian immigrants are some of the most entrepreneurial individuals in our state, and in our country. We need to help these small businesses grow their companies because they create jobs and hire other immigrants. They pay taxes into the system to support important services in our community.
– Alaric Bien

There are many resources like training and low-interest lines of credit available to help small, minority and women-owned businesses. But many of those who need the help do not know about these services. We need to require the agencies that administer these programs to do a better job at outreach.
– Julie Pham

Health

Washington State has been a national leader, particularly in the area of providing health care for all kids through the Apple Health for Kids program. Unfortunately, current budget proposals in the legislature take a step back from this commitment to covering all kids by restricting access for some immigrant children. We cannot view the health of our children as a luxury but as a fundamental right, regardless of where these children were born. This fight is about real people — real kids who need health care. We need to find our hearts in the middle of a charged political debate and remember that we are all better off if we are all better off.
– Pramila Jayapal

Emergency care is more expensive than preventative care. We need to continue to invest in government-subsidized preventative health care so people who cannot afford healthcare on their own will not be forced to turn to the emergency health care when they do become ill. Saving money now will end up costing more later.
– Julie Pham

Healthcare is a right, not a luxury. More than 50 million Americans, including more than 7 million children, are uninsured. More than 8 out of 10 are in working families. That the World Health Organization would rank US healthcare lower than that in Costa Rica and Morocco is beyond appalling.
– Alaric Bien

Job Development

Immigrant integration services including English language classes to help people get and stay in higher paying jobs not only helps the economy, it makes our community as a whole a better place to live.
– Alaric Bien

Small businesses employ the highest percentage of people. Job development starts with policies that help small businesses generate income so that they can hire more people. I see city governments moving toward providing more support to locally and independently owned businesses.
– Julie Pham

Immigration

We need comprehensive immigration reform, and we need it now! Over 8 percent of undocumented individuals in the US are either Asian or Pacific Islander. This issue affects our community.
– Alaric Bien

If we’re going to retain our skilled foreign workers, we need to make it possible for them to bring their families to the US otherwise they will go back to their home countries and create firms there that will compete with American companies. Immigration reform will help stimulate our domestic economy.
– Julie Pham

We need elected leaders to turn the page from the polarizing and emotional debate on immigration and ensure that our discussions and decisions are driven by data and the best interest of all Washington State residents. Too often, effective public policy is derailed by fear; instead, we should be crafting sound policies that recognize and maximize the contribution of immigrant communities. We appreciate the support of many legislators in rejecting efforts to restrict access to driver’s licenses and in passing the bill that changes standard sentencing for misdemeanors from 365 days to 364 days. But we have much more to do to really change the tone and make it clear that Washington’s immigrants pay taxes and contribute essential services to our economy every day. We need lawmakers to embrace this position and help set the tone for the debate.
– Pramila Jayapal

Community Development/Preservation

Community development organizations need to be held more accountable. We should continue the trend of funding community-initiated programs, so that we have buy-in from local stakeholders.
– Julie Pham

Education

In the current budget crisis, if we’re truly trying to protect children and lay the foundation for a stronger future economy, than why are we slashing education funds? Nearly a quarter of schoolchildren in the U.S. are immigrants or the children of immigrants and U.S. Census data shows that immigrants are a fast growing population here in Washington State.

Let’s try to find ways that we can equip teachers to deal with new challenges in the classrooms, including providing time and resources for teachers who work with English Language Learning kids to get certified in ESL. Here’s a new framework on teacher quality: teachers actually WANT to have the skills and resources to deal with the many challenges in the classroom, they just need training and help in developing their skills and tool kits. We need lawmakers to start to think about education reform from the perspective of the consumer—the kids who are actually in the system. How do we engage and mobilize them and their parents? And what are the particular needs of ALL kids, who make up a significant portion of our kids? It’s time to think beyond broad statements and hone in on what we mean by teacher quality when we are talking about particular populations of kids — and how we help teachers to get there in partnership.
– Pramila Jayapal

Contributing Panelists

Alaric Bien
is the Executive Director for the Chinese Information Service Center (CISC).
www.cisc-seattle.org

Pramila Jayapal
is the Executive Director for OneAmerica.
www.weareoneamerica.org

Julie Pham, Ph.D.,
is the Managing Editor for the Northwest Vietnamese News.
www.nvnorthwest.com