The Asian Pacific Islander community held a welcome reception on Nov. 4 for Mami Hara, newly confirmed director of Seattle Public Utilities. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, who pushed for the event, gave some brief remarks. Diane Sugimura and John Okamoto organized the reception at the Nagomi Tea House.
EDITORIAL: Good news, good cheer — A “happy” list from 2015
There is no discounting that the International District/Chinatown had to deal with tragedy this year with the loss of neighborhood superman Donnie Chin. And the world’s and nation’s recent terrorist attacks. And questions about how we should be addressing immigration law and those who wish to be a part of our country. There is a […]
Seattle officially expresses regret
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray signed the Chinese Resolution on Aug. 14, which expresses regret for anti-Chinese legislation passed by the Washington Territory and previous Seattle City Councils in the 1800s. The resolution also recognizes the past and continuing contributions of the Chinese to Seattle and reaffirms the City’s commitment to the civil rights of all […]
BLOG: Think twice before smoking that pipe — The hookah bar controversy continues
By Assunta Ng The first time I heard about hookah bars two years ago, I was completely repelled. “Hooker” was what I heard. You can imagine why I didn’t want to continue the conversation with anyone mentioning the word. Go ahead, you can laugh at me. My editor certainly did. I didn’t know anything about […]
“We shouldn’t bury our history” — Seattle officially announces regrets
The Seattle City Council unanimously approved a resolution August 3 that expresses regret for anti-Chinese legislation passed by the Washington Territory and previous Seattle City Councils in the 1800s. “We shouldn’t bury our history,” said Councilmember Nick Licata, the legislation’s sponsor. “Discriminatory policies ripple from the past and still affect Chinese communities today.” As a […]
ACLF dinner
The Asian Community Leadership Foundation’s (ACLF) dinner was held on May 16. There were approximately 130 people in attendance, including Mayor Ed Murray. This was the 15th ACLF Community Leaders Program graduation class. The class project this year was in partnership with Southeast Asian American Access in Education Coalition. Nate Caminos and Mark Okazaki were […]
Will Okamoto run again?
By Peggy Chapman Northwest Asian Weekly Councilmember John Okamoto invited the ethnic media for a question-and-answer session May 15. Okamoto was recently appointed as councilmember as a replacement for Sally Clark’s seat. The appointment is unusual because Okamoto will not be able to re-apply for re-election after his seven-month term. Q: What do you hope […]
Bamboo awards for Tosh Okamoto and Seattle World School
Tosh Okamoto, a co-founder of Nikkei Concerns, and Seattle World School, a public school that helps immigrant children fully participate in American society, have been recognized with the Bamboo Award for Health, which honors one individual and one organization whose works have improved the lives of the International Community Health Service’s (ICHS) target populations of […]
BLOG: RESPECT? — What we should learn from Sawant’s actions
By Assunta Ng Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant’s inappropriate and unfair questioning of John Okamoto (now voted in as a councilmember) during the public interview to fill in Sally Clark’s seat, gave me a revelation—the importance of respect. We make wishes during celebration. My wish for May’s Asian Pacific American API Heritage Month is that […]
Okamoto wins interim City Council seat
By Staff Northwest Asian Weekly The City Council has found a replacement for Sally Clark’s recently vacated position on City Council. John Okamoto was voted in April 27. He was supported by Sally Bagshaw, Tom Rasmussen, Bruce Harrell, Jean Godden, and Tim Burgess. The other API candidates vying for the position included Sharon Maeda and […]