By James Tabafunda
Northwest Asian Weekly
 Multicultural representative of APIC Bettie Luke (left) and AJC Director Wendy Rosen (Photos by James Tabafunda/NWAW) |
To many U.S. citizens of Japanese ancestry, the use of the term “Jap” is considered a racial slur with a hate-filled history going all the way back to World War II. Read the full story
By Jocelyn Chui
Northwest Asian Weekly
Woodland Park Zoo staff members examine a female red panda to see if she is ready for breeding. (Photo by Jocelyn Chui/NWAW)
Staff members at the Woodland Park Zoo believe that a 3-year-old female red panda is ready to produce offspring in the next breeding season; the animal underwent a full physical examination in early August.
Dr. Darin Collins, director of animal health at the zoo, said the 3-year-old is part of the Species Survival Plans, a cooperative breeding program developed by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums to help ensure the genetic diversity and demographic stability of endangered species.
“As a 3-year-old animal, she has an excellent body condition, and all of her body systems are within normal range of it,” Collins said. Read the full story
By Tiffany Ran
Northwest Asian Weekly
 Members of KIMWA, an association of Korean women married to non-Koreans, came together for their 6th annual conference in Seattle. (Photo provided by Chung-Tae Kim) |
As a first generation Korean American married to a non-Korean man, Lea Armstrong had to overcome challenges uncommon in other marriages, including cultural and language barriers with her husband. Read the full story
By James Tabafunda
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Lourdes Sampera Tsukada
Cultural awareness in business goes beyond recognizing diversity. Being respectful of other cultures and building cross-cultural communication can open the doors to new opportunities.
In 2009, Lourdes Sampera Tsukada looked at available resources for her small business, coincidentally named Opening Latino Doors. A former mortgage banker at Seattle Mortgage, she found very few local resources addressed the question: “How do you approach the different cultures in today’s market?”
Doing business locally and internationally — thanks in large part to the Internet — now requires small business owners to either know the answer to this question or not know and compete with other small business owners who do.
For that reason, she founded the first annual Multicultural Biz Wiz Conference, an all-day, resource-filled event for small business owners and those interested in starting their own business. It is scheduled for September 9 at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel. Read the full story
By Vivian Nguyen
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
 Gov. Chris Gregoire's last trip to China was in 2005. The people with her holding Washington apples, from left, are State Rep. Bruce Chandler, former Washington State Department of Agriculture Director Valoria Loveland, and State Sen. Cheryl Pflug. (Photo provided by the governor's office) |
Gov. Chris Gregoire will help local companies reach international goals during her upcoming trade mission to China and Vietnam this fall.
From Sept. 13 to Sept. 24, Gregoire will travel to Asia with representatives from 50 small and medium-sized businesses to create new export opportunities for the state.
By Lee Xie
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
The pervasive discrimination toward minorities during the 50s was what inspired Violet “Vi” Mar to get involved with mainstream organizations.
Vi Mar in 1972, when she was appointed to the board of trustees at Harborview Medical Center. Later, she would become its first woman president. (Photo provided by Vi Mar)
“When I applied for my first job, I did very well on my test, but they wouldn’t hire me,” Mar said. “My relatives knew one of the supervisors and asked if I passed my test. The supervisor said I did very well and that they were not prejudiced, but also that they never hired anyone but whites.”
By Lee Xie
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Instead of spending his vacation on a beach somewhere, Thao Tran, a Vietnamese refugee and staff assistant to Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, went to the Gulf Coast to see its present condition and volunteer. What he experienced there has affected him profoundly.
Kisara Nishimoto (Photo from www.seafair.com)
On July 31, Kisara Nishimoto was crowned the 61st Miss Seafair based on her academic achievement, community involvement, public speaking, and creative expression. Nishimoto represented the Japanese Community of Seattle. She will be a junior at the University of Washington.
Kristine Tan
The rest of the Seafair Court included first runner up Margo Femiano from West Seattle Hi-Yu, second runner up Kristine Tan from the Filipino Community of Seattle, and 3rd runner up Janie Sacco II from the Kent Community. ♦
On Saturday, July 31, thousands of Seattleites showed their pride at Seafair. With Apolo Ohno serving as grand marshal of the parade, community floats made their way down the street, showcasing what makes each respective community great.
 1: Members of the U.S. Coast Guard march down the street with the U.S. flag, garnering the most applause. 2: Thao Tran, a City of Seattle staff member, is the King on the Vietnamese community float. 3: Korean community members dress as important officials and royalty. 4: The Seafair pirate balloon is so big and tall that handlers had to be extra careful navigating around traffic lights. 5: Congressman Joseph Cao from Louisiana pay a special visit to Seattle and participates in the parade. 6: The Korean community had a huge showing this year. Young people in martial arts uniforms march down the street. 7: Musicians from the Korean community march to drum beats. 8: Famed U.S. Winter Olympian and Federal Way-native Apolo Ohno serves as grand marshal of the parade. He is shown with an unidentified fan. 9: Dad Curt Kolar with his kids, Kai Fukui Kolar (left), 5, and Akemi Fukui Kolar, 2. 10: The Panda is hugely popular with kids, weaving in and out of the aisles. Panda is played by U.S. Guard Robert Becklum. (Photos by George Liu/NWAW) |
Please click on pictures above to go to our Flickr album.
By Riya Bhattacharjee
For Northwest Asian Weekly
 The Ismaili Marching Band entertain parade attendees at City of Kirkland’s Fourth of July parade last year. (Photo by Hafiz Lalji) |
Thirty-five thousand feet above San Francisco, Rozina Babul recounted the story of her life — one not unlike those of the 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims who have overcome personal and historical circumstances to emerge as a thriving global community. Read the full story
By Assunta Ng and Stacy Nguyen
Northwest Asian Weekly
 Above: To the shock of tenants, the building at 1007 S. Weller St., which also housed a Buddhist temple, caught on fire and suffered extensive damage on the morning of July 8. Top right: Buddha statues were a fixture in the temple. Many were damage or destroyed in the fire. Bottom right: After firefighters evacuated tenants, the American Red Cross help find temporary housing for them at the ID/Chinatown Community Center. (Photos by George Liu/NWAW) |
Around 12:06 a.m. on July 8, a fire woke up and scared residents in a century-old, mixed-used building at 1007 S. Weller St. The building housed the Fa-Shin Chan Temple, a Buddhist temple, on the first floor and rooms on the second and third floors. Two people were taken to a hospital with minor injuries. In all, the building had 25 residents. Twenty-three residents and a guest were in the building when the fire started. As a result, 129 personnel from the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) were brought in to stop the fire, according to SFD’s report. The damage was extensive, as the fire took over the whole building. According to SFD’s report, the estimated content loss is $100,000, and the structure loss is $300,000. The building is currently valued at $947,000 and is 9,000 square feet. Read the full story
By Vivian Nguyen
Northwest Asian Weekly
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It’s been many years since Wendy Leung’s parents last struck her with a bamboo stick, but the memories remain with her today. Read the full story
