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IE EDITORIAL

IE BOARD OF DIRECTORSAndy Yip, Interim Pres.

Gary Iwamoto, V.P.Arlene Oki

Cindy DomingoRay Ishii

Joyce ZhouMaureen Francisco

ADVISORRon Chew

EDITOR IN CHIEFDiem Ly

[email protected]

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVEAngelo Ongpin

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ARTS EDITORAlan Chong Lau

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BUSINESS MANAGEREllen Suzuki

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CREATIVE DIRECTORRyan Catabay

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PRODUCTION DESIGNERAbe Wong

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WEBMASTER/IT SUPPORTJimmy Tang

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INTERNS/PARTNERSTerrence Lin

Pei Chou

CONTRIBUTORSHuy X. LePeter Tran

Nan Nan Liu Atia Musazay

Susan Kunimatsu Gary Iwamoto

Jessica Davis Stephen Uy

Yayoi Lena Winfrey

International Examiner 622 S. Washington St.

Seattle, WA 98104

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Website: www.iexaminer.org

DIEM LYEditor in Chief

Dreams with No Boundaries

(I’m often asked to share a person-al story in my editorials. Here’s one I remember fondly.) I had to make one hundred basketball shots a day the summer after I turned 13. It was my mom’s idea. She’d sit on the

weathered porch of our Mukilteo home, peeling an orange or seated on an exer-cise bike, pedaling away inside the house, perched near a window, while she avidly watched me. Earlier, my dad and brothers set up a brand new basketball hoop in our driveway. My mom thought it a perfect opportunity to improve her daughter. And, to clarify, that wasn’t to shoot a hundred baskets; it was to make a hundred baskets – in a row – otherwise, I had to start over. I saw many suns set behind the backboard and often shot through the night to make the quota. Sometimes, the court lit up only by the dim shine from a porch light. My mom had the notion that if I played basket-ball, I’d get taller. “You stretch! Shoot ball, stretch body!” she’d exclaim. I don’t think I got any taller, but I learned to stretch my dreams and shoot high.

A man shooting for the stars is Conrad Lee, the first Asian American mayor of Bellevue. In an interview with the IE, Lee shares his dreams for the booming city he inherits and what role the diverse community of Bellevue will have in the Northwest’s future. This is a landmark season for the Japanese American community, which commemorates the 70th anniversary of President Franklin Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066 – the racist order propelled from the attack on Pearl Harbor that forced thousands of Japanese Americans to evacuate immediately from their homes into internment camps. This year also marks the 25th anniver-sary of a pivotal civil rights case where Seattle native Gordon Hirabayashi chal-lenged the U.S. military orders for JA

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internment, believing the forced remov-al was unconstitutional. Gary Iwamoto served on the legal team to represent Hirabayashi. In this issue, Iwamoto reflects back on the unprecedented case. Unprecedented today are the poten-tial cuts to people’s healthcare access. In a partnership with local community leaders concerned about the Governor’s proposed budget, the IE is publishing part II of an analysis investigating the impact to real people if the cuts come to pass – and why it’s important to make a stand today. Enjoy another special issue of the IE. And don’t forget – as I learned in my lesson of making a hundred basketball shots -- it’s ok not to excel at an entire sport, as long as you spend your life shooting for something.

BY HUY X. LEIE Columnist

The main purpose of TV, I would say, is to help us escape from our daily lives. I come home exhausted after hours of tell-ing people what to do and taking credit for their work, so an outlet for escapism is much needed. So I started watching Law and Order and other shows that are known as “crime procedurals.” These shows tend to start with a dead body being discovered, or someone getting killed. Then, for an hour, a team of investi-gators and scientists work together to find the killer, usually succeeding by the end of the episode. These shows are extremely addic-tive, which is why there are dozens of them, some with several variations: CSI, NCIS, Law and Order, Numb3rs, Bones,

Jagged Noodles: Criminal Minds, etc. They are well-writ-ten and well-acted, with interesting sto-ries and good pacing. Besides those fac-tors, though, there are two elements of these shows that make them compelling. First is the fact that we are all wired to be problem-solvers. We like puzzles. Each show is a jig-saw puzzle, and we get to go along on the ride as the professionals find the pieces and put everything together. Secondly, we are attracted to the sense

of justice that the shows impart. At the end of each episode, usually the killer is caught, his motives are explained, and there is some sort of justice delivered. I spent a lot of 2011 watching these shows. On New Year’s Eve, I caught a glimpse of an episode of Criminal Minds where children’s bodies were discovered, and at the end, they realized the killer was a kid who just enjoyed going around killing other kids. It made me sick. It made me even sicker to realize that I had not gotten sick earlier. This is horrible stuff and yet it was just another hour of

entertainment and everyone could just get back to having dinner or whatever. It is alarming there are so many of these shows out there. If TV is a neces-sary form of escapism, then what exactly are we escaping into? We escape the real world, where horrible things happen and we read about them, to TV world, where similarly awful things happen and we get to see the gory details. In “Bones,” for example, the bodies are displayed in

all their mutilated, decomposing glory. They spend a lot of time on these fake cadavers. The results are so gruesome that in the past, I had to look away. Now, they barely bother me. That’s the thing, these shows desen-sitize us to violence and murders, even as they make us feel reassured that there is justice at the end. I’m not saying they cause people to be more violent. I haven’t been inclined to go around killing people in creative ways that the shows depict. Apologists for crime procedurals might even say they have a role in providing an

outlet, a vicarious sort of catharsis. But I’m sure watching this much violence and depravity day after day doesn’t really help things. At the least, it doesn’t help me. So for 2012, I’m going to try not to watch any more of these shows. Escapism, healthy escapism, should nourish the mind and soul, or at the very least, be neutral. It should not force us to see, in brutal details, the ugliness of the world that we’re trying to escape from. Of course, this is not to say that I am against the depiction of violence and murders. These last few months, I’ve discovered some great and very violent shows. “The Walking Dead” portrays a post-apocalyptic world where a disease has wiped out most of mankind. Survivors have to make tough choices as they face zombies, including killing each other to stay alive. “The Game of Thrones” depicts a medieval-like fantasy land where war-ring clans do not hesitate to behead one another. And “Battlestar Galactica,” a sci-fi also set in a post-apocalyptic world where intelligent robots look and behave like humans even as they try to destroy us. Lots of violence everywhere. But at the least, the characters change and grow, and there are moments of humanity and lessons that we can learn in these charac-ters’ choices and actions. Not that we actually learn anything from shows in general. However, I think good shows deeply explore the worst and the best in humans and in humanity, not just the worst.

Read more Jagged Noodles at: jagged-noodles.com.

“Healthy escapism should nourish the mind and soul, or at the very least, be neutral. It should not force us to see, in brutal details, the ugliness of

the world that we’re trying to escape from.”

Why I’m No Longer Watching Law and Order, Criminal Minds, Bones, CSI, NCIS, Cold Case, or Other Crime Procedurals

January 18, 2012 - January 31, 2012 —— 3INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

Bellevue’s newly elected Mayor, Conrad Lee can be described as a die-hard optimist mixed with a healthy amount of genetic old-school Chinese realism. With all the popular talk about recession and depression, Mayor Lee is someone you would want around to lighten the mood. He warmly accepted our invitation to a Q&A session to figure our what made him successful, what makes him smile and what we can learn from his 20-year journey to the Mayor’s seat.

QYou were an immigrant from China and educated as an engi-

neer. Even American-born Asians edu-cated in political science stray away from politics. What brought you in and kept you going?

A I guess maybe it’s in my bones or in my blood. About 20 years ago, I felt I

wanted to make a difference. And I asked myself, “Where can I make the biggest difference?” You can make the biggest dif-ference in politics because in politics you can actually change the rules of the game. You make policy. So, I began volunteering and getting involved in the community to try and to see. Win or lose I enjoy the process; I enjoy the people, the interaction and building relationships. If you don’t like it or enjoy it, you’re not going to stay. Every morning I wake up and look forward to my work and I’m still doing it – making a difference.

QWhat is your most memorable expe-rience in your political career?

AWell, my best moment is now! Tomorrow [at the inauguration] will

be, I would consider, the happiest day of

my life because the best is yet to come. The best is yet to come. That is my attitude. That’s memorable. It’s historic. I’m the first minority mayor of the City of Bellevue with all its stature, of its size, of its importance. In politics, you can ask people, “Did you vote for me?” and they will tell you, “Yes! I voted for you.” Realistically, there’s no way you’ll know. The only reality is when the decision is made when you are elected. That’s politics, that’s reality. And my election is hard evidence of the city’s value for multiculturalism.

Q There was recent data that high-lighted Bellevue’s minority popula-

tion that is now reached almost half the city’s population. You particularly have a large number of Asian families. What are some of the projects you have to respond to this new dynamic?

A I’m getting Bellevue to sponsor an American Immigration Forum – an

Asian Perspective sometime in February. It will be a community discussion to inform, learn and listen from an Asian perspective. Immigration reform has been a big issue for the last few years. Perspectives and reforms are very narrow, personal and political. The policy we have currently is out of date, irrelevant. We need to bring out other perspectives in order to make an informed decision – regardless whether we decide to make reforms, revisions or keep it the same. I’m doing this to start the dialogue between immigrants, politicians and policymakers. I want them to learn and be informed so that they can make ratio-nal decisions.

QYour election as an Asian immi-grant will always remain as a

monumental moment in Bellevue history. If you could leave one or two things as a piece of your legacy for the Asian community, what would that be?

AThe problem is that people think that the American dream is dead, dashed!

We should have hope. I would say as a spiritual value, we have to have faith. On the other side we also have to see reality. That’s the dry part that makes us keep working hard. An immigrant student with no back-ground in politics was able to get elected by the mainstream. Less than 10% of Bellevue’s population was minority at the time. Basically I pushed that history that can give young people or minority the hope or evidence that anything is possible. Specifically, we can actually succeed and make a difference in politics. We can actu-ally get into leadership. It’s not just a fluke, it’s not one term, it is 20 years of proof, gaining trust among people of all races and differences. I think that is a real legacy. For this country is an open country.

NEWS PULSE > > > > > > > > > > > >

COMMUNITY NEWS

This latest in racist presidential cam-paign ads is from someone claiming to be a Ron Paul supporter, attacking Republican presidential candidate Jon

Huntsman for his “un-American” values. The video claims among Huntsman’s un-American values are: his ability to speak Mandarin and having adopted children from China and India. China is once again linked to evil doers. An ‘Oriental’ track is made to sound sinister. As a former U.S. Ambassador to China, his multi-cultural skills and appreciation may be explained. The Ron Paul campaign disavowed and condemned the video.

Ron Paul Supporter’s Video Attacks Jon Huntsman’s “Un-American” Values The officers in command of the bat-

talion of Pvt. Danny Chen, who the Army says committed suicide in Afghanistan in October after being hazed by fellow sol-diers, were aware of the harsh treatment he had repeatedly received, his family

told the New York Times. At a news conference, family members and their supporters said Pvt. Chen had been mistreated virtual-ly every day of his six-week stint in Afghanistan. They said he had been called a “gook,” a “chink” and “dragon lady.” He was also forced to

wear a green helmet and shout orders in Chinese, to a battalion that had no other Chinese-American soldiers, they said. Previously, the family “had no idea of the extent or how long this mistreatment had been going on,” said Elizabeth R. OuYang, president of the New York chapter of OCA, a civil rights group. The family learned of the new details — which they said were in

the fullest account yet of what happened to their son — in a three-hour briefing with Army officials, including Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick and Col. Thomas P. Weikert, at Ft. Hamilton in Brooklyn. In an indication of the prominence of Pvt. Chen’s case, several officials, includ-ing City Comptroller John C. Liu and City Councilwoman Margaret S. Chin, attended the news conference. The case has gener-ated considerable interest in New York’s Asian neighborhoods because Pvt. Chen was a Chinatown native and because of some Asian-Americans’ ambivalence toward the United States military. Pvt. Chen, 19, was found dead in a guard tower, of what a military statement called “an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound” to the head. The Army has charged eight members of Pvt. Chen’s battalion, includ-ing one officer, in connection with the death. The most serious charges are man-slaughter and negligent homicide. In a statement, George B. Wright, an Army spokesman, said, “The Army is a values-based organization. We inculcate our soldiers with the need to treat all with dignity and respect. We enforce standards, and when our soldiers fail to meet those standards, we take appropriate action.”

Private Chen’s Family Learns More About Hazing by Fellow G.I.’s

Q&A with Conrad Lee:

Leading with Optimism and Courage as First Ethnic Minority Mayor of BellevueBY PETER TRANIE Contributor

Pvt. Danny Chen’s mother mourns learning the details of her son’s last days.

Republican US presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney took heat recently over his fierce criticisms of China from a Chinese-American woman who bluntly told him,

“it just doesn’t make me feel good.” The woman, sitting near the stage at a politi-cal rally held by the former Massachusetts g o v e r n o r and veteran R e p u b l i c a n Senator John

McCain, repeatedly said she loved the United States and asked Mr. Romney not to put Asians down. “I heard all this degrading thing about China this and China that, it just doesn’t make me feel good,” she scolded the candidate. “I hope I haven’t put any Asians down,” said Romney, who in his campaign speech routinely accuses Beijing of cheating on global trade rules and vows to ‘clamp down’ on China, said somewhat stiffly.

US Presidential GOP Hopeful Romney Takes Heat on China Criticisms

Left: Bellevue Mayor Conrad Lee. Photo courtesy: Conrad Lee.

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Photo credit: Reuters. Image from the Jon Huntsman “Un-American” video.

4 —— January 18, 2012 - January 31, 2012 INTERNATIONAL EXAMINER

Read part I of this special series on-line at www.iexaminer.org.

In 2001, a sudden car crash shattered the wonderful life Wing Tse shared with his wife and two daughters. After months in a coma, years of painful surgeries and ther-apy, losing his career, and enduring deep depression, Tse finally feels happy again – all thanks to state-funded Adult Day Services program offered by the Legacy House. Adult Day Services program, how-ever, is now in jeopardy of elimination. It is one of the programs proposed for complete elimination by Gov. Christine Gregoire in December of 2011, as a part of the state-wide budget cuts. Legislators are scheduled to vote on all proposed cuts in January of 2012, and a decision will be made at the end of the month. Adult Day Services is an impor-tant health-related program that direct-ly impacts the low-income population of Seattle’s Asian Pacific American community. Other health programs that impact the same demographic, and are also proposed for cuts and eliminations are, Medical Interpretation, Chemical Dependency, and Basic Health. Medical Interpretation and Basic Health are also proposed for complete elimina-tion, while Chemical Dependency is up for a 26.3 million dollar reduction. These programs are essential for low-income APA’s, and absolutely necessary for seniors and the disabled – among them, 62-year-old Tse, who has no other means to pay for the type of reha-bilitation offered by Adult Day Services. “[I was] born in Hong Kong. [I] came to [the United States] to work,” recalled Tse, who worked at International District’s House of Hong as a dim sum chef, “[I was] on my way to work [during the accident]. [I] stopped at red light and someone hit me. I was in a coma for two months. No one told me what happened. I’m still not sure. I don’t remember [anything about the accident].” After surviving the accident, Tse had a difficult time getting his life back. Even today, he cannot walk properly, and needs help getting around. Needless to say, Tse was also unable to return to his job, and needed government assistance to pay for medical debt. “[I] went to therapy. I hit my head. I broke my leg. My brain can’t work with [my] leg. I was also deaf. I can’t control

Making Cents of It All, Part IIWhy Budget Cuts are Bad For Your HealthBY NAN NAN LIU IE Contributor

IE NEWS

the pain,” said Tse, “It was very difficult. I was depressed. There was no hope at all after accident.” To Tse’s advantage, Asian Counseling and Referral Services (ACRS) came to his aid, and referred him to Adult Day Services at Legacy House. In this 18-year-old pro-gram, Tse was able to join other handi-capped individuals and seniors to access social and health care, including medical management, nutritious Asian meals, and occupational therapy. Program runs daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and provides free transportation for all participants.

“It took me a year to get used to,” said Tse of the Adult Day Services program, “[but] now I feel so happy, because of the staff [and] their motivation.” “I feel excited to come here every day,” said Tse. “Before, life had no meaning. Now I am happy. If the program was cut,

I’d stay home and wait to die.” “The adult day health program at Legacy House serves over 140 Asian Pacific American Participants. [It is] a culturally competent and much needed program,” said Gary Tang, program direc-tor of Aging Services at ACRS, “Adult Day

Health really improves the function of cli-ents. A lot of them have stroke…they need help.” One of the stroke patients is 81-year-old Mariano Soriano. After retiring in the Philippines, he came to the United States to join his children, but was already too old to get a job. Then, he was struck by two heart attacks, and now wears a pace maker and needs medical assistance. “[I have been in Adult Day Services for] more than eight years,” said Soriano, “Legacy House helped me a lot… this program continued my rehabilitation. Hospital wants to give me home care, but this establishment helps. [It has] free transportation.” “[If I didn’t have the Adult Day Services], I would have to go to nursing home,” added Soriano, “no [other] pro-gram can help me.”

To save the program, Soriano, along with director of Legacy House Paula Tomlinson, have voiced their concerns to state government. “I talked to representatives in Olympia,” said Soriano, “we are asking [them] to help continue rehabilitation.” “They have to stop balanc-ing budget on the back of the poor,” said Tomlinson, “[the state pro-posed to] cut all Adult Day Services [to] almost 200 of our clients [and] decrease the amount of people we can serve in Medicaid.” “I was appalled that Adult Day Services was even mentioned,” Added Tomlinson, “I testified against the [proposed budget cuts], wrote to the senator, governor and

president. I was infuriated. It’s dispropor-tionally hitting my residents and clients.” Also disproportionally hitting the poor is cutting Basic Health, which currently assists around 35,000 low-income indi-viduals around the state, and around 3,000 Asian Pacific Americans. Many recipients are patients at International Community Health Services (ICHS). The clinic has two locations in Seattle, and services mostly

low-income, uninsured APA’s, but wel-comes anyone who needs healthcare. ICHS provides medical, dental and pharmacy services by a staff that speaks a variety of languages. The establishment also provides Medical Interpretation, which is also up for elimination. “Communication is key to good health-care,” said Teresita Batayola, director of ICHS, “70 percent of our patients need interpretation. When it comes to under-standing the medical concepts or medical terms, you are under the risk of getting the wrong care. They might get sicker.” “We have been cut every single year

since 2008,” added Batayola, “it’s like amputating limbs now. [It means] aban-doning people…letting people die all because they’ve become unemployed or are poor.”

“[Having basic health] helped [us] a lot,” said Ling Hao, a politi-cal refugee from Tibet who came to the United States to seek a better life for his family, “two years ago, my wife had a sud-den stomach ache. We went to [the] emergency room, and the bill was $8,000.”

An $8,000 bill is a lot for anyone, but for a low-income family like the Hao’s, it’s more than they could bear. “We were scared, [but] then we real-ized we have basic health, and we only

had to pay $150,” continued Hao, “[with-out basic health], we don’t have any-thing…a lot of people would go back to China if there’s no basic health. Health care is the basic security we have.” For some people, like the clients of ACRS’s Chemical Dependency Program, even basic security is far from reach. Michelle Huynh, a 20-year-old Vietnamese immigrant, has had an unsta-

ble life since she was a child. Growing up in a household addicted to drugs, alcohol and gambling, Huynh never had any posi-tive influence. When she started Chemical Dependency program at ACRS last year, she was going down a dark path. “I started [drinking] when I was 12 or 13. I smoked weed when I was 11. I was using ecstasy at 14,” recalled Huynh, “I dropped out of school [at] 15, so I can help my mom [raise my brothers].”

Ai-Khue Nguyen, an ICHS doctor and assistant medical director, helps a patient during an appointment. Photo credit: ICHS.

An ICHS patient receives dental care. In addition to medical and counseling services, ICHS provides dental care to patients from Seattle and the region. Photo credit: ICHS.

BUDGET CUTS, PART IIContinued on Page 8

“I feel excited to come here every day. Before, life had no

meaning. Now I am happy. If the program was cut, I’d stay home and wait to die.”

“We have been cut every single year since 2008 ... it’s like

amputating limbs now. [It means] abandoning people…letting people

die all because they’ve become unemployed or are poor.”

“Communication is key to good healthcare ... 70 percent of our patients need interpretation. When it comes to understanding the medical concepts or medical terms, you are under the risk

of getting the wrong care. They might get sicker.”


Sixty-four years ago, the New York Knicks made Wat Misaka, 88, not only their franchise’s first draft pick, but the first Asian American in the NBA. He’ll share his team decades later with new Knicks recruit, Jeremy Lin. Lin, who played Harvard bas-ketball, was recruited by his hometown Golden State Warriors, then brought on to the Houston Rockets. On Christmas, the Rockets let Lin go, who then joined the Knicks. “I wish him luck,” Misaka told ESPN from his home in Salt Lake City, Utah. Misaka continues to work as an electrical engineer. “I don’t know exactly what kind of player he is, except for what I’ve read about him. I sure hope that he can stick. New York could be a great place for him, although Oakland would’ve been great too with all of the Chinese people that are in California. I think it was one of the reasons why they drafted him. He should

have a big follow-ing [in New York] if he gets a chance to play.” According to ESPN, in a surprise move, the Knicks went with a young, untested player whose career aver-age is 2.6 points in 29 games. Misaka said he had a hunch the Knicks also signed him in part, because of his

ethnic background, a strong tie-in with New York City’s large Asian population. “It makes a difference,” he said. “That’s cer-tainly one of the reasons why people draft players. It’s not strictly about their talents, but their ability to draw fans.”

First Asian NBA Player Passes on Advice to Lin

NEWS PULSE > > > > > > > > > > > >

IE NEWS

Papa John’s Worker Nicknames Customer “Lady Chinky Eyes”

Minhee Cho, a recent customer at a New York City Papa John’s Pizza, was given this receipt for her transaction. The employee took the liberty of renaming the customer “lady chinky eyes.” Cho posted the photo to her Twitter page, where it was quickly retweeted by hundreds of people. By the next day, the photo had been viewed at least 25,000 times. The Papa John’s store owner initially blamed the teenage employee’s behavior on “modern culture,” and said he planned to have “sensitivity train-

Hey, Eyes Up Here!Raising Breast Cancer Awareness to Vietnamese WomenBY ATIA MUSAZAYIE Contributor

The International Community Health Services is encouraging all Vietnamese American women over the age of 40 to get breast cancer screening and educate themselves on breast cancer health. This comes as a response to alarming data pro-duced by the Susan G. Komen Foundation showing that Vietnamese women are far less likely to receive mammograms than other non-white minority women. According to the study commissioned by Komen, the primary reason why Vietnamese American females aren’t get-ting screened is because they do not know the importance of receiving mammograms. The report identified Vietnamese physi-cians who operate small private clinics; these clinics have no screening capacity and doctors fail to inform their patients where to receive mammograms. ICHS is hoping that the culturally specif-ic education provided by their community advocates will change this trend. The community advocate for ICHS, Minh Nguyen Wichman’s, main job is to pro-

vide prevention information in Vietnamese language about health issues facing the International District community, including breast cancer. The information she provides takes into consideration Vietnamese cultur-al norms, so that the information is under-standable and accessible to everyone. “I serve everybody. It doesn’t matter if they are a patient [at the clinic] or not, we help everybody,” she said. Nguyen-Wichman delivers classes and presentations at community organizations, churches, temples, and community centers in Vietnamese to get the word out to those facing language barriers when visiting the hospital. Her programs are free and open

to the public. She also runs a support group for breast cancer patients and survivors. But being able to access the entire population requires more than just infor-mation. The Komen study reports that in addition to the 53.2 percent of the 33,000 Vietnamese people living in King County who speak English less than “very-well”, 11.4 percent are at poverty level. ICHS also takes income into consideration. “Low-income women who are 40 years or older can get a free screening at the clinic if they meet qualifications,” said Nguyen-Wichman. Another barrier that the report identi-fied for Vietnamese women was embar-rassment because they did not have healthcare insurance. Nguyen-Wichman said that the clinic accommodates for women in this situation. “If peole don’t have insurance, we have discount programs based on their income,” she said. “We access everybody, and based on their income, we see how we can help them.” For modesty reasons, Vietnamese women often prefer female providers, of which there are few in King County. The report also found that many women feel shame discussing openly the topic of breast cancer because of cultural stigma. Some women also reported seeing medi-cal interpreters as intruding on “doctor-patient privacy.” Abbie Zahler, health advocacy man-ager at ICHS, said that Nguyen-Wichman and other staff members at ICHS work to make women feel supported so that they can get their health questions answered in

a comfortable setting. “We have a mobile coach who comes to provide mammograms so that women can access services at clinics where they already feel comfortable coming,” said Zahler. “And if women need further treatment, then that will be in Swedish Hospital but we will remain available to answer questions and support them if they need help.” The ICHS has been receiving fund-ing from Komen since the mid-90s, said Zahler. In the last five years, the focus has shifted from trying to provide facilities to providing accessible breast health educa-tion to the Vietnamese community.“Now there is more data coming out to support that this work is very important and needs to be a focus,” said Zahler about the recent Komen report. She encourages everyone in the commu-nity with health concerns to contact ICHS. “We are called community advocates because we serve our community,” said Nguyen-Wichman. “We educate on what-ever we can so the community can be aware of the things they can prevent.”

International Community Health Services is the largest Asian and Pacific Islander nonprofit community health center in Washington State, offering services in over 15 different languages. To contact, call 206.788.3700 or visit www.ichs.com.

The clinic’s two locations are located on 720 8th Avenue S. Seattle, WA 98104 and at 3815 S. Othello Street Seattle, WA 98118.

Minh Nguyen-Wichman, community advocate for ICHS, is a trusted source for health information in the Vietnamese community. Photo courtesy: Nguyen-Wichman.

The first Asian American NBA player, Wat Misaka. Photo credit: Kevin P. Coughlin/Icon SMI.

ings” to avoid situations like this in the future. Ultimately, the employee was terminated and Papa John’s apologized

for the racial slur. The apology, posted on Papa John’s company Facebook page read: “We were extremely concerned to learn of the receipt issue in New York. This act goes against our company values, and we’ve confirmed with the franchisee that this matter was addressed immediately and that the employee is being terminated. We are truly sorry for this cus-tomer’s experience.”


IE NEWS

February 19 marks the 70th anniver-sary of Executive Order 9066. In signing it, President Franklin Roosevelt, riding a wave of post-Pearl Harbor war hysteria and political expediency, ignored the U.S. con-stitution to arrest and imprison 110,000 U.S. citizens and legal aliens of Japanese descent without evidence or trial. Their three-year confinement in ten desolate rural camps has come to be known euphe-mistically as the Internment. President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, repudiating and apologizing for EO 9066. In 1992, President George H. W. Bush authorized restitution of $20,000 per person to be paid to each living internee. Now EO 9066 is passing into history along with the “Issei” and “Nisei”, the immigrants and their children who experienced it first hand. Yet the issues of immigrant rights and racial profiling are as alive as ever in the U.S. Has the Japanese American community healed from the wounds of EO 9066? And what does it mean to U.S. citizens today? For two decades after the war, there

was little public discussion of the Internment, even within the Japanese American community. In the late 1960’s the Sansei or third generation, inspired by the civil rights movement, sought answers and justice. Few Sansei are old enough to remember the Internment. Language and cultural barriers kept the Issei from telling their stories. Most first-person accounts are the voices of the Nisei, young adults at the time, who stepped into the leader-ship void left by their disenfranchised parents and assumed the tasks of rees-tablishing and reinventing the post-war Japanese American community. “Some have been able to reconcile, for some it’s still difficult,” observes Jeffrey Hattori. As CEO of Nikkei Concerns, he knows many Internment survivors among his organization’s clients and residents. “Whatever challenges we think we have, they pale in comparison to what our parents and grandparents went through,” he says. Hattori draws on the wisdom, humility and “ganbaru” (persistence) of his senior residents and looks for ways to

The Story of 9066: 70 Years LaterExecutive Order 9066 Interns Thousands

of Japanese American CitizensBY SUSAN KUNIMATSU

IE Contributor

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Commemorative Events

Far left: WWII-era poster reflects the anti-Japanese sentiment that led to paranoia and discrimination against Japanese Americans. Center: Japanese Americans departing from Seattle for Puyallup. Photo credits: “Seattle International District: The Making of a Pan-Asian American Community” by Doug Chin. Above: Evacuation of Japanese Americans from the West Coast. Photo credit: Library of Congress.

Japanese Community and Cultural Center / NW Nikkei Museum1414 South Weller Street, Seattle (206) 568-7114 | www.jcccw.org

Exhibit of Arts and Crafts Made in Incarceration CampsAs part of a city-wide effort to preserve the memory of EO 9066, the NW Nikkei Museum will mount an exhibi-tion of arts and crafts made in incar-ceration camps. Opening in February at the NW Nikkei Museum. Unsettled - Resettled: Seattle’s Hunt HotelThe Japanese Community and Cultural Center (JCCC) is seeking information about the more than 100 people who lived in the Japanese Language School buildings following their incarceration

during World War II. They plan to create an accurate list of the residents and a dis-play acknowledging them at the Cultural Center. E-mail information to Bif Brigman at: [email protected] or call (206) 568-7114. Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience719 South King Street (206) 623-5124 | www.wingluke.org Film Screenings: Saturday, February 18, 2012. Free. Tateuchi Story Theatre at The WingIn commemoration of the 70th anniver-sary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19th, 1942 that led to the imprisonment of 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry during World War II, we bring you a day of film highlighting

a few personal experiences. “Conscience and the Constitution” at 1 p.m. (DVD release event); “With Honors Denied” at 4 p.m.; and “Transcending: The Wat Misaka Story” at 4:20 p.m. Exhibitions: “Vintage Japantown: Through the Lens of the Takano Studio” Set in an intimate living room scene, view vintage photographs from the 1930s and early 1940s that capture the everyday life of Japantown and its community.

Exhibitions: “Meet Me at Higo: An Enduring Story of a Japanese American Family”Higo 10 Cents Store, owned by the Murakami family and a social hub in Seattle’s Japantown, has a long and fas-cinating community and family history. Meet Me at Higo welcomes younger generations to connect with and explore what it means to be Japanese American. The book by Ken Mochizuki, also entitled, “Meet Me at Higo: An Enduring Story of a Japanese American Family,” accompanies

the exhibition. On view through May 27, 2012.

“Fresh Start? The Ambiguous Journeys of Japanese Picture Brides” The latest exhibition by the Wing’s award-winning teen program, YouthCAN features paintings based on the lives of early 20th century picture brides (and grooms) from Japan, along with mini-steamer trunk sculptures that illus-trate the dualities of the immigration experience created by YouthCAN par-ticipants (age 14-18), with artists Junko Yamamoto and Jonathan Fischer. On view through February 26, 2012.

The Official Bitter and Sweet Tour of Seattle’s historic Japantown and Chinatown neighborhood is based on The NY Times bestseller, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. This is an engaging way to learn about the incar-ceration experience and the Japanese American community. By reservation only. (206) 623-5124 x133.

connect them with younger generations before it is too late. The Wing Luke Museum marked the 50th anniversary with an exhibition: “EO 9066: 50 Years Before and 50 Years After.” A cathartic event for Seattle’s Japanese American community, it was the first of the Wing’s community-based exhibi-tion projects, launching the museum’s rise to national prominence and creat-ing a model for community involve-ment that has been widely adopted by other museums. Looking at their audi-ence today, Deputy Executive Director Cassie Chinn observes, “The incarcera-tion experience continues to have last-ing significance. Many visitors continue to come to the museum both to gain historical knowledge … as well as to be inspired to fight against social injustice.” Even 20 years after that landmark exhibi-tion, Chinn hears, “So many families still mention that ‘we just didn’t talk about the incarceration,’ and exhibitions, art workshops, and public programs at the Museum hopefully are providing those

opportunities to spark conversations, pro-vide a safe place to share struggles and find healing.” Artist Roger Shimomura was a child of three when he entered the Minidoka Relocation Center. “Personally I was too young to have any political sense of what was happening at the time,” he says. Shimomura has drawn on his memories, those of other family members, and his grandmother’s diary, to reexamine the Internment through his art. “I feel blessed to have had an outlet for expressing this shameful moment in our history,” he reflects, “However, I feel most sorry for the Nisei … What they experienced in unnecessary shame and guilt stigmatized that entire generation in ways we will never be able to measure.” Shimomura feels that recent history reinforces the need for vigilance in guarding against the abuse of power in time of war. “Let us hope that the comparisons between Pearl Harbor and 9/11 do not extend, once again, to the injustices committed towards citizens of our own country.”


The Hirabayashi “coram nobis” case is a landmark civil rights case which exposed the racial prejudice of government officials in promulgating military orders which led to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. After Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, a wave of anti-Japanese hysteria swept over the western United States. On February 19, 1942, seventy years ago, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. The order authorized the Secretary of War and military commanders to declare areas of the United States as mili-tary areas, “from which any or all persons may be excluded.” Pursuant to the author-ity granted him under Executive Order 9066, General John DeWitt, Commanding General of the Western Command issued several orders and proclamations directed toward all German and Italian aliens and all persons of Japanese ancestry, citizen or not, which included a curfew order and a requirement to report to a civilian control station as a prerequisite to being excluded from the region. At that time, Gordon Hirabayashi was a 24-year-old senior at the University of Washington. Born in Seattle, Hirabayashi had never been to Japan. He believed that as an American citizen, he had rights protected under the US Constitution. He felt that the military orders were based on racial prejudice and decided to challenge the constitutionality of the military orders by refusing to follow the curfew orders and refusing to report to a civilian control station to be excluded into internment camps. Similar challenges were made by Min Yasui in Portland, Oregon and by Fred Korematsu in San Francisco, California. Hirabayashi was arrested, indicted, tried, and convicted by a jury in the fed-eral district court. Yasui and Korematsu were also tried and convicted in fed-eral district courts in Portland and San Francisco. All three men appealed their convictions to the United States Supreme Court. Hirabayashi’s attorneys argued that the military orders were unconstitutional because the government had failed to prove an emergency situation to justify a racially based classification. The orders had focused on the ancestry of Japanese,

25 Years Later:Reflecting on the Landmark Hirabayashi/Korematsu Case

BY GARY IWAMOTOIE Contributor

IE EDITORIAL

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regardless of whether they were citizens or not. While the military orders had also applied to German and Italian aliens, they were not applied to German American and Italian American citizens. The government argued that the military orders were constitutional because they were based on a reasonable judgment of “military necessity.” It took the position that given the urgency of the situation, it made individual hearings to determine loy-alty impossible to hold, that with 100,000 Japanese living on the West Coast, the gov-ernment had to act quickly to remove the threat of an unknown number of disloyal Japanese, that there wasn’t time to separate the loyal from the disloyal. The US Supreme Court accepted the government’s argument and ruled that the curfew orders were justified by “military necessity.” Hirabayashi v. United States, 320 US 81 (1943). Yasui vs. United States, 320 US 115 (1943). The following year, the Court applied the same military emergency rationale to uphold explicitly the exclusion of all citizens of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast. Korematsu v. United States, 323 US 214 (1944). The highest court in the land had spoken. The convictions for all three men were affirmed. The Hirabayashi, Yasui, and Korematsu decisions were widely criticized by legal and history scholars through the years. Starting in the early seventies, the Japanese American community led the movement for wartime reparations. In 1980, Congress created the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians to study the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. It was in the course of doing historical archival research for the Commission that Aiko Yoshinaga-Herzig, in 1982, found a copy of General John DeWitt’s original report which explained his reasons for issuing the military orders. General DeWitt’s original report differed dramatically from the official version of the report. This report did not purport to place the basis for the military orders on the urgency of the situation but instead was based on traits peculiar to citizens of Japanese ancestry; that it would be impos-sible to separate the loyal from the dis-loyal, and that all would have to be evacu-

ated for the duration of the wars. In other words, General DeWitt’s justification for his military orders was based on racial ste-reotyping against Japanese American. This report was suppressed from the defense attorneys representing Hirabayashi, Yasui, and Korematsu. Coincidentally, at around the same time in 1982, legal historian Peter Irons decid-ed to write a book about the Japanese American wartime cases. He conducted interviews with Gordon Hirabayashi, Min Yasui, and Fred Korematsu. During these interviews, Irons suggested to the men that they should go back to court to get their convictions reversed. He explained they could file a writ of coram nobis. A writ of coram nobis is a relatively seldom used legal procedure to correct a previous error “of the most fundamental character” to “achieve justice” where “no other remedy” is available. Korematsu, intrigued by the possibility, asked Irons to represent him. Irons enlisted the aid of Dale Minami, one of the most prominent Asian American civil rights attorneys in the country, for Korematsu’s legal represen-tation. Hirabayashi and Yasui had also agreed to sign on. Minami assembled a legal team in San Francisco. The original plan was to have one writ of coram nobis to cover all three men. However, based on the law, the writ of coram nobis had to be submitted to the trial court which had previously convicted them. Hirabayashi had to file his petition in Seattle, Yasui had to file his petition in Portland. Legal teams had to be assembled in Seattle and Portland. Lorraine Bannai was an attorney in Minami’s law firm. She had a sister, Kathryn Bannai, who was practicing law in Seattle. Kathryn’s then sister in law, Peggy Nagae, was a prominent civil rights attor-ney in Portland. Kathryn assembled a legal team in Seattle. Peggy assembled a legal team in Portland. Over 50 attorneys volun-teered hundreds of hours and expertise to

serve on the three legal teams. In 1983, forty years after their c o n v i c t i o n s , H i r a b a y a s h i , Yasui, and Korematsu each filed petitions for write of error coram nobis in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco. Each petition argued that the c o n v i c t i o n s should be over-turned because the government

had engaged in serious misconduct by suppressing and withholding evidence that would have supported their defense in their original trials and requested a full eviden-tiary hearing. In 1983, Korematsu’s petition was granted and his conviction was over-turned without an evidentiary hearing. In 1986, Yasui’s petition was granted and his conviction was overturned without an evi-dentiary hearing. The Hirabayashi petition was the only one of the three petitions that went to hearing held in 1986 in the federal district court in Seattle. The district court held a full evidentiary proceeding on Hirabayashi’s claims. The judge agreed with Hirabayashi’s factual contentions, overturned his conviction for violating the exclusion order, but did not overturn his conviction for violating the curfew order. Both the government and Hirabayashi appealed this decision to the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1987, the Ninth Circuit, in an opin-ion authored by Judge Mary Schroeder, vacated both Mr. Hirabayashi’s curfew and exclusion convictions on proof of the alle-gations of governmental misconduct. The effect of this decision was unprecedented because it had the effect of overturning the original Supreme Court decision made over forty years earlier.

The Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality at the Seattle University School of Law will host a major confer-ence Feb. 11, 2012, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Ninth Circuit opinion in the Hirabayashi v. United States “coram nobis” case. The confer-ence will celebrate Gordon Hirabayashi’s principled stand in challenging the mili-tary orders that led to his 1943 Supreme Court case that upheld his convictions. Members of his coram nobis legal team will provide reflections on their roles in his case nearly 40 years later. There will be panel discussions regarding the significance of this case. Judge Mary Schroeder who wrote the landmark Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision will be a featured speaker. Admission is free but pre-registration is required. Please go to: www.regonline.com.

Gary Iwamoto was a member of the Hirabayashi coram nobis legal team. Other members of the legal team are: Kathryn Bannai and Rod Kawakami – co-lead counsels,

Arthur G. Barnett, Jeffrey A. Beaver, Camden M. Hall, Daniel J. Ichinaga, Craig T. Kobayashi, Michael Leong, Nina L. Mar, Karen Narasaki, Sharon A. Sakamoto,

Roger H. Shimizu, Benson D. Wong, Richard Ralston, Nettie Alvarez, and Diane Narasaki. Left: Fred Korematsu. Above: Gordon Hirabayashi.

Happy Birthday RinaThis birthday isn't gonna celebrate itself! - Love Anj


CALENDAR Of 2012 LUNAR NEW YEAR

EVENTS Chinatown/International District Lunar New Year FestivalSaturday, Jan. 28, 2012Chinatown/International District neighborhood – Hing Hay Park, Maynard Ave S. & S. King St, Seattle. 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon with lion and dragon dances, Japanese Taiko drum-ming, martial arts demonstrations, kid’s activity booths, lively musical and dance performances, and much more! A pavilion tent at Hing Hay Park will showcase a number of family-friendly activities for all to share. Free. For more information, visit www.cidbia.org, e-mail [email protected] or call (206) 382-1197.

Tet (Vietnamese New Year) FestivalSaturday, Jan. 21 & Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012Seattle Center, Fisher Pavilion and Center House,301 Harrison Street, Seattle. Saturday: 11 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.; Sunday: 11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Join the festival again this year at Seattle Center where Vietnam’s rich and color-ful heritage is showcased in the special theme, “Le Hoi Viet Nam.” Enjoy music performances, a childrens’ workshop, arts & crafts, multiple vendor booths, and food! Free. For more information, visit www.tetinseattle.org.

Lunar New Year Tet celebrationSunday, Jan. 22, 2012Chua Co Lam Buddhist Temple, 3503 South Graham St., Seattle.

Game booths, great vegetarian food, and lion dances. A fireworks show will call in the new year at midnight. Free. For more information, call (206) 723 – 4741.

The Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce Lunar New Year BanquetThursday, Jan. 26, 2012China Harbor Restaurant, 2040 Westlake Ave N., Seattle. 6 p.m.

Join the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce for their Lunar New Year Banquet. Celebrate with over 300 members and guests in this festive New Year tradi-tion. A portion of the proceeds will support the Chamber Ambassador Youth Leadership Program. Individual: $40 or $500 for a corporate table. For more information, visit www.seattlechinesechamber.org.

The Hong Kong Association of Washington Foundation’s 2012 Chinese New Year GalaSaturday, Jan. 21, 2012Sheraton Seattle Hotel, Grand Ballroom, Second Floor, 1400 Sixth Ave., Seattle. 5:15 – 10:30 p.m.

This gala is one of the biggest Lunar New Year celebrations in the state of Washington, hosting over 700 attendees at this black tie event. This celebration will feature a lion dance, auction items, and a Luly Yang fashion show. Proceeds to benefit WiSe, supporting individuals with developmental disabilities. $150 to reserve tickets or a table for ten for $1500. For questions or to RSVP, please call (206) 588 – 5452, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.hkaw.org.

Muckleshoot Casino Lunar New Year Celebration and Dragon DanceMonday, Jan. 23, 2012Muckleshoot Indian Casino, 2402 Auburn Way South, Auburn. 7 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

Enjoy music performances starting at 8 p.m. by special Asian entertainers in Club Galaxy, featuring Tu Quyen, Nhu Loan, Bich Thao & Duong Buu Trung, Tau Hai and Hoai Tam - Viet Huong. Free with Players Club card. For more information, call (253) 804 – 444 ext. 2433 or visit www.muckleshootcasino.com.

Westminster Chapel 8th Annual Lunar New Year CelebrationSaturday, Jan. 21, 2012Westminster Chapel, 13646 NE 24th St., Bellevue. 3:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Celebrate Asian culture with Westminster Chapel. Enjoy children’s crafts, demon-strations, music, dance, food, and more. It’s fun for the whole family. $6/adult ($8/door), $4/child ($6/door). For more infor-mation or to purchase tickets, visit www.westminster.org or call (425) 460 - 3714.

Lunar New Year events at The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American ExperienceSaturday, Jan. 21, 2012The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, 719 S. King St., Seattle. Starts at 11 a.m.

Lion Dance: The Lieu Quan Lion Dance Team blesses The Wing with their vibrant and energetic team spirit. Come watch and cheer on the dancers as they rid The Wing of any bad luck and start the lucky year of the dragon. Afterwards, check out the opening of the newest KidPLACE exhibit “New Years All Year Round,” fea-turing Korean, Chinese, and Cambodian New Year celebrations. At 4:30 p.m., The Wing presents “Oshogatsu.” Welcome the New Year with a special Japanese tea ceremony hosted by the Chado Urasenke Tankokai Seattle Association. Green tea and sweets will be served. $5 admission, $3 children and members, includes tea and sweets. For more information, visit winguke.org.

The Asia Pacific Cultural Center (APCC) 14th annual New Year CelebrationSaturday, Feb. 11, 2012Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall, 2727 East D St., Tacoma. 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

“Bula!”: Featuring the Beautiful Island of Fiji. Over 5,000 people join in on the fun in Tacoma, with food booths, cultural activities for children, hot hula sessions throughout the day, and cultural entertain-ment from different Asian Pacific countries including the Philippines, Korea, Hawaii, Samoa, China, Japan, India, Vietnam, and more! Free. For more information, call (253) 383 - 3900 or visit www.asiapacific-culturalcenter.org.

seattle: 206.624.6248 | bellevue: 425.747.9012 | renton: 425.277.1635 | beaverton: 503.643.451

CHINESE NEWYEAR SALE GUNG HAY

FAT CHOY(Wishing You Prosperity)

SUN NEENFAI LOK

(Happy New Year)

JANUARY 11-24 2012

This Year, ChineseNew Year is Monday,January 23, 2012

In 1928, Uwajimaya was founded in the Year of the Dragon!

A Tradition of Good Taste Since 1928

YEAR of the DRAGONThe mightiest of all Asian Zodiac signs, those born

under the Dragon are ambitious, fearless, and driven.They are passionate and enthusiastic in all they do.

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Renton Store HoursMon.-Sat. 8 am -9 pm • Sun. 9 am - 9 pm

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1916 • 1928 • 1940 • 1952 • 1964 • 1976 • 1988 • 2000 • 2012

Featuring LION DANCE at All Uwajimaya Stores (see store for details)

At 15, Huynh also started drinking heavily and getting in trouble. “It was crazy,” said Huynh, “it was not normal.” Last year, Huynh was arrested and charged with a DUI, and needed to enroll in a public program to avoid jail time. She chose Chemical Dependency program at ACRS, but had a rough time getting started. “I was mad at myself. I got my car towed and impounded. I had no job. I didn’t like [the program] at all,” admitted Huynh. Overtime, and with the support of ACRS staff and fellow classmates, Huynh, “started getting positive.” “[Michelle] has made a lot of prog-ress,” said Leslie Christen, Chemical Dependency counselor at ACRS, “she is also supportive to the other ladies in the group. All the women come from different past. They all support each other.”“[Now,] I am totally a different person,” said Huynh. Currently, Huynh is a proud graduate of beauty school and thriving in a career as a hair stylist. For the first time in her life, she has a stable job and home life. But not

only did she turn her own life around, she also influenced family members. “[Michelle] is the main anchor of the family,” said Victor Loo, director of Chemical Dependency program at ACRS, “because of her own positive change, one of her younger brothers [who is 16 and] has dropped out of school…decided to re-enroll. She is the positive change agent to her entire family.” To further advance positively, Huynh needs to remain in the program – a program that is in danger of severe budget cuts. “[If I don’t have the program anymore,] I know I’m going to go to jail,” said Huynh, “I really can’t afford [anything else] right now…If I do go to jail, I’m sure a lot of people will go to jail [too].” “It will become a bigger state deficit [if people go to jail or become homeless],” added Loo. Without the Chemical Dependency program, Huynh has no hope. Just like her, neither does Tse, Soriano, Hao and many other members of the APA popu-lation if important health programs are eliminated. As the so-called Model Minority, APA’s in Seattle have worked hard to build a solid community. Now, it is time they help each other, especially those in need, to truly exemplify strength.

BUDGET CUTS, PART IIContinued from Page 4


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The King County Library System recognizes strength and value within our communities, and we encourage all interested and quali�ed service providers to review our public bid construction opportunities.

Contact Kelly Iverson Facilities Assistant

[email protected] or 425.369.3308

IE NEWS

IE ARTS

“North South East West” is the latest collection of pieces put together by June Sekiguchi. Drawing from the experiences of various artists, this show strives to jux-tapose the various stories of migration, identity and the cross-cultural experience of local Artists. “I see it was more of a curatorial statement that brings people in from all over and seeing their stories,” said Sekiguchi—and it does. The show itself is quite unique and the venue might strike you as out of the ordinary. Housed in a retirement community—University House—this col-lection is an amalgam of sculpture, pot-tery, photography, drawings and paint-ings. Scoff not at idea of an art show in a retirement community. Gone are the days of the bleak fluorescent filled hallways, smells of disinfectant and your ubiquitous Monet remakes. No, University house is different—think first-class cruise ship retirement living.

“North South East West”Intimate Showcase of Immigrant Artists BY STEPHEN UYIE Contributor

The artwork is scattered throughout the common areas of the retirement home. This gives it the feel of a private collec-tion amassed by your hip grandmother throughout the years—a little Chihuly here and that garage sale sketch there. What it lacks is flow and continuity but it is made up through the impressive colli-sion of works. Over 40 local artists with roots from all around the world have the honor to be a part of this show. Each one has a story behind their work that is often one of jour-ney and discovery that hinges on identity.

Some of art exhibited include works from: Sabah Al-Dhaher a local Iraqi refugee whose sculp-tures and paintings draw upon classical work in human forms; John Wakda and his rendition and modern take on traditional Japanese woodblock prints—Okiyo-e; and Deborah Kapoor whose intricate pattern work draws from her multicultural family and the mix of spirituality and culture. I admire the effort that Ms. Sekiguchi has put forth into curating the pieces for this exhi-bition. Her work falls in line with that of the Era Living’s commitment to art and provid-ing their residents with a rich experience. It is an opportunity for her to connect to the com-munity of older adults and listen to the stories that they have to tell and share about their life

experiences and how the artwork speaks to them. “North South East West” provides University House a much-needed dose of cultural diversity in a community with an otherwise predominately upper crust Caucasian clientele. What it also achieves is an opportunity for stories to be told and venue for such artists to showcase their creations next to renowned local artists like Chihuly and Cummings. The show runs until February 2012. Stop by University House on 4400 Stone Way to request a tour.

Tai Chi Alleviates Tiring Work For Engineer Huy ChungBY JESSICA DAVISIE Contributor

Dr. Mei-hui Lu leading students of International Wudang Martial Arts Academy demonstrating Wudang Qigong Taiji at Seattle Chinese Garden. Photo credit: Arturo Ortiz.

Sitting at a computer all day can be hazardous to one’s health. Not only can the lack of movement cause stress, back pain, eye strain, and sleep problems, but it decreases one’s overall metabolism as their body adapts to stillness and their circulation slows down. Tai chi, a slow-paced, non-competitive Chinese discipline, can be a very effec-tive way to counteract these effects, while also improving balance, bone and muscle strength, lower blood pressure and boost the immune system (physical benefits normally attributed exclusively to more vigorous workouts). Because the work-out is so gentle, just about anyone can participate, including seniors who often have difficulty participating in vigorous activities. Low-impact workouts like tai chi exercises can enable individuals to gain the same physical benefits as more

intensive workouts like running or biking, without the heavy demands on the body. Boeing engineer Huy Chung often found himself sitting in front of a computer screen for hours on end, but when he start-ed learning tai chi, this started to change. “I find I am taking breaks during work to practice [tai chi]. Whereas, before I would be sitting in front of the computer for eight hours,” said Chung. “I feel like I’m mentally stronger.” He added that he now finds himself more relaxed, and is more patient, forgiv-ing of himself and more understanding of others. This is due to the strenuous mind-ful nature of tai chi, he noted. Chung has noticed that his body has learned to adapt to stressful energy as a result. “It is a very difficult style to master and it has been a humbling experience,” he said. “I have become more patient

because I realize how long it will take to get good. I am also more forgiving of my shortcomings because I recognize the mistakes I am making will require more practice to overcome.” No stranger to martial arts, Chung started practicing Tae Kwon Do (a Korean martial art focused with an emphasis on kicking) as a kid and did that for about 13 years. As an adult, he has also taught Tae Kwon Do and Wing Chun (a Chinese martial art utilizing both striking and grappling, while specializing in close-range combat). Tai chi uses an internal energy where the muscles are more relaxed, Chung noted. He goes to a formal class once a week at International Wudang Internal Martial Arts Academy and practices a few times a week on his own. He practices a traditional technique called “standing qi gong” or “zhan zhuang,” which requires a lot of mental discipline. “In the past, I would go to the gym and lift weights,” he said. “I did get stronger, but I don’t think there was a spirtitual component to it. Running on the treadmill really calmed me down emotionally, but I don’t think it stimulated me mentally.” Chung noted that tai chi has made him more in tune with his body. “I like the soft flowing movements of [tai chi]. I enjoy the challenge of sycnhro-nizing proper breathing, movement, and mental intent,” he said. Now, instead of sitting at a computer all day, Chung finds time to practice breathing and relaxing his body through tai chi during his work breaks. “You can pretty much practice it any-where,” he said. “It builds up your energy.”

For additional information about International Wudang Internal Martial Arts Academy, visit www.wudangdanpai.com.

Top: Jonathan Wakuda Fisher, “inter FACE” spray paint on hexagonal canvas.


COMMUNITY RESOURCE DIRECTORY

Community Care Network of Kin On815 S Weller St, Suite 212, Seattle, WA 98104ph: 206-652-2330 fx: [email protected] www.kinon.orgProvides home care, home health, Alzheimer’s and caregiver support, community education and chronic care management. Coordinates medical supply delivery. Installs Personal emergency Response systems. Serves the Chinese/Asian community in King County.

Kin On Health Care Center 4416 S Brandon St, Seattle, WA 98118ph: 206-721-3630 fx: [email protected] www.kinon.orgA 100-bed, Medicare and Medicaid certified, not-for-profit skilled nursing facility focused on meeting the long term care needs of the Chinese/Asian community members.

Seattle Chinatown/International District Preservation and Development Authorityph: 206-624-8929 fx: 206-467-6376 [email protected]

National Asian Pacific Center on Aging Senior Community Service Employment Programph: 206-322-5272 fx: 206-322-5387www.napca.orgPart-time training program for low income Asian Pacific Islanders age 55+ in Seattle/King & Pierce Counties.

Center For Career Alternatives901 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144 ph: 206-322-9080 fx: 206-322-9084www.ccawa.orgNeed a Job! Free Training, GED, and job place-ment service. Information meetings Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Chinese Information and Service Center611 S Lane St, Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-624-5633 www.cisc-seattle.org

Chinese Information and Service Center bridging cultures, communities, and generations.

International District Housing Alliance606 Maynard Ave S #104/105Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-623-5132 fx: 206-623-3479

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

[email protected] www.deniselouie.orgMulticultural preschool ages 3-5 years old. Now enrolling Private Pay full-day ($900/mo) and part-day classes ($500/mo) with locations at ID, Beacon Hill, and Rainier Beach.

VNSF enables underprivileged students in Viet Nam to achieve success and happiness through education. We are looking for volunteers and board members to join the team and make a difference in the lives of kids in Vietnam.

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

P.O. Box 16016 Seattle, WA [email protected] www.vnsf.org

719 S King St, Seattle, WA 98104ph: 206-623-5124 fx: [email protected] www.wingluke.orgA Smithsonian Institution affiliate, the

Wing Luke Asian Museum engages the public in exploring issues related to the culture, art and history of Asian Pacific Americans. Award-winning exhibitions and public programs are offered, as well as docent-led tours for schools and groups.

Asian Counseling & Referral Service3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S, Seattle, WA 98144 ph: 206-695-7600 fx: [email protected] www.acrs.orgACRS offers multilingual, behavioral health and social services to Asian Pacific Americans and other low-income people in King County.

Refugee Women’s Alliance4008 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S, Seattle, WA 98108ph: 206-721-0243 fx: 206-721-0282 www.rewa.org

A multi-ethnic, multilingual, community-based org. that provides the fol-lowing programs to refugee and immigrant women & families in Puget Sound. Domestic violence, childcare, after school, vocational, ESL, employment & citizenship, senior meals, developmental disabilities.

Asian & Pacific Islander Women & Family Safety CenterP.O. Box 14047, Seattle, WA 98114ph: 206-467-9976 www.apiwfsc.orgProvides community organizing, educa-

tion, outreach & client advocacy services on domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.

PO Box 14461Seattle, WA 98104ph: 206-625-3850 [email protected] www.aclfnorthwest.org

Community leadership development, networking and mentoring

Our programs help people meet their immediate needs and gain the skills and resources needed to reach solid ground and achieve their dreams.

1501 N 45th St, Seattle, WA 98103ph: 206-694-6700 fx: [email protected] www.solid-ground.org

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

1601 E Yesler Way, Seattle, WA 98122ph: 206-323-7100 fx: 206-325-1502 www.nikkeiconcerns.orgRehabilitation & care center; assisted living community; senior activity program; continuing education.


1300 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101Ph: 206-654-3209 Fx: 206-654-3135The Seattle Art Museum (SAM) supports community-based and social service groups. To learn more: [email protected].

606 Maynard Ave S, Suite 102, Seattle, WA 98104ph: 206-223-9578 fx: 206-623-3479 website www.apicat.orgAddress tobacco control and other health justice issues in the Asian American/Pacific Islander communities.

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

Description of organization/services offered: Assisted Living, Adult Day Services, meal programs for low-income seniors. Medicaid accepted.

Arts & Culture

Business

Education

Housing & Neighborhood Planning

Chinatown/International District Business Improvement Area409 Maynard Ave S, Suite P1, Seattle, WA 98104ph: 206-382-1197 www.cidbia.orgMerchant association enhancing the economic vi-

tality of the Community Businesses. Programming focuses on public safety, transportation, graffiti and debris removal and organization of community wide promotional events.

Join our Community Resource Directory. Email: [email protected]

HomeSight creates homeownership opportunities through real estate development, home buyer education and counseling, and lending.

Inter*Im Community Development Association310 Maynard Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-624-1802 fx: [email protected] www.interimicda.org

Affordable housing, economic development, neighborhood planning and advocacy for the APA community.

Multilingual low-income housing outreach, rental information, homeownership community education.

Housing, property management and community development.

Professional Association

Senior Services

Business Directory

Social & Health Services


Leadership Development

Merchants Parking provides convenient & affordable community parking. Transia provides community transportation: para-transit van services, shuttle services and field trips in & out of Chinatown/International District & South King County.

WE MAKE LEADERSQueen Anne Station, P.O. Box 19888, Seattle, WA [email protected], www.naaapseattle.orgFostering future leaders through education, networking and community services for Asian American professionals and entrepreneurs.Facebook: NAAAP-Seattle Twitter: twitter.com/naaapseattle

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ChayaPO Box 22291, Seattle, WA 98122ph: 206-568-7576 fx:[email protected] www.chayaseattle.orgChaya serves South Asian survivors of domestic violence. Free, confidential, multilingual services, outreach & education. Helpline: 206-325-0325 / 1-877-92CHAYA.




221 18th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144 ph: 206-322-4550 fx: [email protected] housing with culturally appropriate services for people 62 years of age and older.


801 S Lane St, Seattle, WA 98104 ph: [email protected] www.deniselouie.orgMulticultural preschool and Head Start services for children ages 3-5 with locations in the ID, Beacon Hill and Rainier Beach.



www.ichs.comInternational District Medical & Dental Clinic720 8th Ave S, Suite 100, Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-788-3700

Holly Park Medical & Dental Clinic3815 S Othello St, 2nd Floor, Seattle, WA 98118ph: 206-788-3500

We are a nonprofit health care center offering affordable medical, dental, pharmacy, acupuncture and health education services primarily to Seattle and King County’s Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

Asian Counseling & Referral Service720 8th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-695-7600 fx: [email protected] www.acrs.orgACRS offers multilingual, behavioral health and social services to Asian Pacific Americans and other low-income people in King County.

Commission of Asian Pacific American Affairs210 11th Ave SW, Rm 301, General Administration Building, Olympia, WA 98504-0925ph: 360-725-5666 or 360-725-5667 fx: 360-586-9501 [email protected] www.capaa.wa.govStatewide liasion between government and APA communities. Monitors and informs public about legislative issues.

OCA - Greater Seattle606 Maynard Ave. South - Suite 104P.O. Box 3013, Seattle, WA 98114ph: (206) 682-0665 www.ocaseattle.orgOCA is dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of APIAs, and aims to embrace the hopes and aspirations of APIAs, locally in the Great Seattle area.





6230 Beacon Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108ph: 206-725-7535 fx: 206-723-4465 [email protected] A multiracial, multicultural, intergenerational, open and affirming church on the corner of Beacon and Graham in Beacon Hill. Rev. Angela L. Ying, Pastor.



Korean’s Women Association123 E 96th St, Tacoma, WA 98445ph: 253-535-4202 fx:253-535-4827

[email protected] www.kwaoutreach.orgProvides quality multicultural, multilingual, social and human services to but not limited to: the elderly; disabled, abused, children & families, homeless, hungry, limited and non-English speaking.








Legacy House803 South Lane Street Seattle, WA 98104ph: 206-292-5184 fx: [email protected] www.scidpda.org/programs/legacyhouse.aspxDescription of organization/services offered: Assisted Living, Adult Day Services, Ethnic-specific meal programs for low-income seniors.

Asia Pacific Cultural Center934 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402Ph: 253-383-3900www.asiapacificculturalcenter.orgCelebrating and increasing awareness of Asia Pacific cultures.

Arts & Culture

Business

Church

Education










Political & Civil Rights


Senior Services Business Directory




WE MAKE LEADERSQueen Anne Station, P.O. Box 19888, Seattle, WA [email protected], www.naaapseattle.orgFostering future leaders through education, networking and community services for Asian American professionals and entrepreneurs

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY RESOURCE DIRECTORY.







w w w . r y t e k g r a f x . c o m

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11625 Rainier Ave. S., Ste. 102Seattle, WA 98178

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IMMIGRATION SERVICESFREE Consultations

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International District Medical & Dental Clinic720 8th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-788-3700

Holly Park Medical & Dental Clinic3815 S Othello St, Seattle, WA 98118ph: 206-788-3500www.ichs.com We are a nonprofit health care center offering affordable medical, dental, pharmacy, acupuncture and health education services primarily to Seattle and King County’s Asian and Pacific Islander communities.







Gilda’s Club Seattle1400 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122 ph: 206-709-1440 fx: [email protected] www.gildasclubseattle.org

A free program of social, emotional and educational support, offered in a community setting, for anyone touched by cancer. Join us for support groups, classes/lectures/workshops, educational activities & social events.



CISC’s bilingual and bicultural staff helps Asian immigrants throughout King County achieve success in their new community by providing information, referral, advocacy, social and support services.

International District Housing Alliance606 Maynard Ave S #104/105, Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-623-5132 fx: 206-623-3479

PO Box 14344, Seattle, WA [email protected] www.naaapseattle.orgFostering future leaders through education, networking and community services for Asian American professionals and entrepreneurs.





Wing Luke Asian Museum engages the public in exploring is-sues related to the culture, art and history of Asian Pacific Americans. Award-winning exhibitions and public programs are offered, as well as docent-led tours for schools and groups.

A non-profit 501-C-3 organization serving the Community since 1983 with: *Award winning programs and services for

seniors including health fairs *Leadership program and summer camp for youth *Partnership with South Asian Oral History project of the UW Libraries *Cultural programs representing the rich diversity within the community. For more info please visit www.iaww.org to sponsor our events.

Asian Counseling & Referral Service3639 Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. Seattle, WA 98144 ph: 206-695-7600 fx: [email protected] www.acrs.orgACRS offers multilingual, behavioral health and social services to Asian Pacific Americans and other low-income people in King County.



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Asian & Pacific Islander Women & Family Safety CenterP.O. Box 14047, Seattle, WA 98114ph: 206-467-9976 www.apiwfsc.org

Provides community organizing, education, outreach & client advocacy services on domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.


Asian Pacific Islander CommunityLeadership Foundation (ACLF)PO Box 14461, Seattle, WA 98104ph: 206-625-3850 [email protected] www.aclfnorthwest.orgCommunity leadership development, networking and mentoring.



1501 N 45th St, Seattle, WA 98103ph: 206-694-6700 fx: [email protected]




1300 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101ph: 206-654-3209 Fx: 206-654-3135The Seattle Art Museum (SAM) supports community-based and social service groups. To learn more: [email protected].

Randolph Carter Family & Learning Center 206-323-6336East King County Family Center 425-213-1963South King County Family Center 253-854-0077

Housing, Emergency Services, Volunteer Chore, Anger Classes, Adoption,Childcare, Pregnancy Support, Addiction Treatment, Youth Tutoring.



Asia Pacific Cultural Center934 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402ph: 253-383-3900www.asiapacificculturalcenter.orgCelebrating and increasing awareness of Asia Pacific cultures.

Arts & Culture

Business

Church

Education


Chinatown/International District Business Improvement Area608 Maynard Ave S. Seattle, WA 98104ph: 206-382-1197 www.cidbia.org

Merchant association enhancing the economic vitality of the Community Businesses. Programming focuses on public safety, transportation, graffiti and debris removal and organization of com-munity wide promotional events.




Affordable housing, economic development, neighborhood planning and advocacy for the API community.





Senior Services



OCA - Greater Seattle606 Maynard Ave. South - Suite 104P.O. Box 3013, Seattle, WA 98114ph: (206) 682-0665 www.ocaseattle.orgOCA is dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of APIAs, and aims to embrace the hopes and aspirations of APIAs, locally in the Greater Seattle area.

www.solid-ground.orgOur programs help people meet their immediate needs and gain the skills and resources needed to reach solid ground and achieve their dreams.

www.ichs.com

A multi-ethnic, multilingual, community-based org. that provides the following programs to refugee and immigrant women & families in Puget Sound Domestic violence, childcare, after school youth tutoring program, parenting education, vocational, ESL, employment & citizenship, senior meals, developmental disablilities, & mental health counseling.


























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www.ichs.comInternational District Medical & Dental Clinic720 8th Ave S, Suite 100, Seattle, WA 98104 ph: 206-788-3700 Holly Park Medical & Dental Clinic3815 S Othello St, 2nd Floor, Seattle, WA 98118ph: 206-788-3500We are a nonprofit health care center offering affordable medical, dental, pharmacy, acupuncture and health education services primarily to Seattle and King County’s Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

phone 360-725-5667fax 360-586-9501

[email protected]

210 11th Ave. S.W. Room 301, General

Statewide liaison between

Monitors and informs public about


In 1920’s Seattle, two young sign paint-ers shared a passion for art. As Japanese immigrants, they were denied U.S. citizenship and segregated from white society, but overcame those barriers to become respected members of Seattle’s fledgling arts community and achieve national recognition as artists. “Painting Seattle: Kamekichi Tokita and Kenjiro Nomura” on view through February 19 at the Seattle Asian Art Museum is the first retrospective of their work. Barbara Johns, the exhibition’s curator and author of the book, “Signs of Home: the Paintings and Wartime Diary of Kamekichi Tokita,” offers fresh insight into Tokita’s life and the world in which both artists worked. Nomura and Tokita were sons of the Meiji Era, a time of radical social change in Japan. They were innovators who broke cultural boundaries and participated in the cutting-edge art movements of their time. The rebellious second son of a middle-class family, Tokita was sent to China to learn the tea business, but instead studied painting and calligraphy. Banished to America, he settled in Seattle’s Nihonmachi (Japantown) and made friends with photographers and painters, including Kenjiro Nomura. Nomura immigrated at the age of ten; when his family returned to Japan, 16-year-

old Kenjiro stayed behind. Also an aspiring artist, he apprenticed with a sign-painter while studying western-style painting and drawing with Fokko Tadama, a Dutch artist. In 1928, Nomura and Tokita became part-ners in the Noto Sign Company. Besides signs, they made backdrops and scenery for the Kabuki theater and pursued their own painting. Nomura taught Tokita oil painting; Tokita shared painting and cal-ligraphy techniques acquired in China. Through the Depression, World War II and the Internment, they painted together for a quarter century. American artists of the 1920’s and 30’s were creating an art that was dis-tinctly American. Growing cities and the Depression gave a compelling sense of place to urban landscapes rendered with

gritty realism. Tokita and Nomura, with fel-low Northwest artists Morris Graves and Mark Tobey were proponents of this genre know as the Ashcan School. They emerged as artists around the same time as many of Seattle’s arts institutions. Their paint-ings were regularly cho-sen for the prestigious Northwest Annual exhi-bitions mounted by the Seattle Art Institute, later the Seattle Art Museum. The Annuals’ award-winners received solo exhibitions; Tokita won this honor in 1930 and 1935, Nomura in 1933. The Museum’s founding director Richard Fuller and the painter and art critic Kenneth Callahan

endorsed their work. They were among a handful of Asian artists to receive national attention, exhibiting paintings in museums in California, Washington D.C., and New York. In the mid-1930’s they were members of the Group of Twelve, Pacific Northwest Japanese and Caucasian artists credited with originat-ing the Northwest Style. The layout of the SAAM exhibition evokes the artists’ relationship with Nomura’s paintings on the left wall of the gallery and Tokita’s on the right. Their depictions of Nihonmachi, Seattle’s waterfront and the nearby countryside are bold compositions of line and plane, outlined and textured by the strokes of the paintbrush. Although they share artistic influences and subject matter, each has

his own distinct style. Tokita was a pho-tographer; his paintings “Billboard” and “Drugstore” are tightly cropped like pho-tographs, creating dynamic compositions of flat rectangles. He uses line to create texture and detail. In “Yesler Market,” the sky is criss-crossed with utility poles and wires. Tokita presents not a pretty view but a very personal recollection of his neighborhood. Nomura’s landscapes “Puget Sound” and “Red Barns” are more spacious, with greater emphasis on vol-ume and modeling and a brighter range of earth tones, greens, and blues. At the far end of the gallery, side by side, are two paintings of the Yesler overpass at Fourth Avenue, one by each artist, that perfectly illustrate their similarities and differences. “Signs of Home: the Paintings and Wartime Diary of Kamekichi Tokita” is a biography, a survey of his paintings, and the diary that he kept from the bombing of Pearl Harbor through the Internment. Most exhibition catalogs include essays on the artist’s life and work by two or three different authors; this book benefits from having a single author. Barbara Johns examines Tokita’s art in the context his life and the historic events that he lived through, integrating it all into a deeply moving human story. Tokita’s diary is a rare Issei (first generation) account of the period between Pearl Harbor and his arrival at the Minidoka internment camp. The book is beautifully designed includ-ing color reproductions of all of Tokita’s paintings in the exhibition.

“Painting Seattle: Kamekichi Tokita and Kenjiro Nomura” on view through Feb. 19 at the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Capitol Hill. Signs of Home: the Paintings and Wartime Diary of Kamekichi Tokita, by Barbara Johns, published by the University of Washington Press.

IE ARTS

“Painting Seattle”BY SUSAN KUNIMATSUIE Contributor

Post colonialism, ethnic partition, racial strife and religious fundamentalism are all heavy issues examined in movies featured at the Children’s Film Festival Seattle. Perhaps it’s because kids tend to be innocent of prejudice, a learned behavior, that they seem to handle differ-ences more gracefully than adults; or, at least in they do in these films. In “Harun Arun,” a boy and his grand-father journey from Pakistan to their home-town of Lakhpat India. But in the desert border of Kutch in Gujarat, they’re forced to separate and travel in secret. The boy is given the prized medal his Muslim grand-father won in a race with an old Hindu friend and instructed to find the man. After being discovered asleep in the bushes by three children, the boy is hidden in a storage area. But once their mother finds out, she actually welcomes him as her fourth child. That is, until she uncovers his secret. Is the boy’s name the Islamic version Harun or the Hindi, Arun? Constantly barraged by adults demand-ing to know why he speaks so strangely, the boy in his innocence makes them look like the strange ones. With a passion for singing, he often bursts into song and there’s a clever near Bollywood scene towards the film’s end.

In another Indian offering, The Road Home (part of a shorts series called Yes I Can: Kids Come of Age), another boy also experiences prejudice. But his is self-inflicted as he refuses to acknowledge his Indian heritage. Running away from his international boarding school in the Himalayas, the proper-speaking Pico flags a taxi and demands to be taken to New Delhi. Knowing only English limits his conversation with the driver, allowing him to deflect the cabbie’s earnest pleas to accept his Indian roots. There’s a comical scene where Pico is offered Indian food by a foreign tourist with disastrous results. Also included in the shorts series is an intriguing documentary, Azza, about a 12-year old girl plotting the best way to ask her father about permanently remov-ing her headscarf. Required to cover her hair because of her Muslim faith, the precocious Azza is a lively subject with an infectious sense of humor. While she loves her religion, Azza yearns to jog in gym class with her hair billowing behind her. As

she lists reasons for wanting to forego her headscarf, other more traditional girls state their cases for continuing to wear theirs. The opening night film, Tales of the Night, is a 3D animated masterpiece of black silhouette figures against blazing neon backgrounds. In one of six vignettes called The Boy Who Never Lied, a Tibetan man must choose between his talking horse and a strange but beautiful woman. Tragically, he is duped by two kings wagering on his ability to tell the truth. Check out the website below for more films from Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam. If you can’t make it to the Children’s Festival, but still want to get your ‘kid’ on, the anime Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos could satisfy the child in you--although it’s quite violent with a complex plot. Based on a popular Japanese manga, this episode features brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric on a quest for the “Philosopher’s Stone” that could return their bodies to them. Although Ed has an

arm made of metal, called an “automail,” poor Al has been reduced to a soul living inside full body armor because a human transmutation went wrong while attempt-ing to reunite with their dead mother. While hunting for an escaped prisoner in Table City, Ed, who’s a professional State Alchemist, and brother Al encounter snarling chimera wolves standing on hind legs and flying human bats with weap-ons. When Ed rescues another alchemist, Julia Chricton, the brothers learn that the Milosians who raised her had their holy land stolen before being relegated to a slum in the valley perched between two enemies. Soon, the action is on with evil military commanders, shape-shifting fight-ers and blood spewing everywhere.

Children’s Film Festival Seattle runs Jan. 26 - Feb. 5, Northwest Film Forum. For more information, please visit: www.nwfilmfo-rum.org. Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, opens Jan. 20 at the Grand Illusion Cinema.

For the Kiddies and the Kid in YouBY YAYOI LENA WINfREYIE Contributor

Street, ca. 1932. Oil on canvas. Kenjiro Nomura, American (born in Japan), 1896. Gift of West Seattle Art Club, Katherine B. Baker. Memorial Purchase Award, Seattle Art Museum. Photo credit: Paul Macapia.

“Full Metal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos.”Photo credit: mangaweekend.wordpress.com

“Harun Arun.”Photo credit: bollywoodtrade.com

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