by Matt Chan

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Former President Barack Obama once said, “Elections have consequences.”

Boy do they — just ask the people of South Seattle, especially the people who work and live in the Chinatown-International District. If you think it’s bad now, you just voted for four more years of the same.

After last November’s election, more than ever I feel that the right to vote is just another tool of oppression. A way to make disadvantaged people feel they have a voice, but in reality, like all things People of Color accomplish, this is only achieved with great effort and perseverance. Why is it always individuals who are well-connected, monied, or incumbents who seem to prevail? When was the last time someone of little means was able to compete successfully in the white world’s version of democracy?

The CID is a microcosm of South Seattle/District 2, treated more like a third-world country than part of one of the most vibrant important cities in the world, viewed like a place that cannot exist without the largess of the dominant culture, a place that experiences more acutely income disparities than any other areas of Seattle, a place that is always seen with its hand out asking for financial assistance to fund a tangled web of nonprofits competing for dollars meant to serve communities. A place where money never seems to solve the problems or reach the community in meaningful ways. Like I said, a third-world country.

Which leads me back to the election. Let’s view the process and results through a different lens: Voting isn’t easy for People of Color, especially for people whose first language is not English. Running for office and voting is the only legitimate way to secure a place at the table where the decisions happen that affect our lives. But what if the new redlining is not having a seat at the table? Never to have direct access to people in positions of power, never to have your concerns heard or addressed. You can see this process taking place throughout South Seattle for the past decade and most acutely in the Chinatown-International District. Engagement is done through nonprofits and mutual aid groups who all fund their agendas. It means neighborhoods are treated like third-world countries, unable to fend for themselves without their white saviors, and never having a direct say in what they need.

A good example of this is when wealthier communities in North Seattle who have issues with homeless encampments — because of their representation — get to “talk to the manager.” In the CID we have to hold rallies and march to City Hall to protest that our entire neighborhood has become an unsanctioned encampment and one of the most unsafe places in the city. The response of our representative, who rarely makes an appearance even in City Hall, was to turn their Zoom camera off. Unless there’s an election or a photo-op during Lunar New Year, we never get to speak with the manager.

Elections have consequences.

Tanya Woo ran against an incumbent and nearly beat Tammy Morales. The race was razor-close, and clearly Tanya’s message resonated with voters, but there weren’t enough votes — the new redlining at work. People of Color turn out in lower numbers generally, and in a District that traditionally has the lowest turnout, this disparity is magnified. So the fate and fortunes of Seattle’s most diverse district are again left to be decided by the modern “colonizers” of traditional neighborhoods of color, who have the luxury of voting ideologically while never experiencing the realities of living in South Seattle, an area that has traditionally been marginalized and underserved.

The Chinatown-International District is a petri dish for all the neglect and bad public policies that plague South Seattle. Occupying only 23 acres, about two football fields in size, it has the highest concentration of homeless services, nonprofits, residents living below poverty levels, and the highest rates of crime and vandalism in Seattle. It has 3,200 residents and no voice. Be it institutional racism and/or municipal indifference, we don’t matter, and that is why we need advocacy and agency where decisions and policies are made. With very few eligible voters, the CID is essentially locked out of the democratic process; we don’t have enough votes to make a difference. We need to change this.

That’s why I believe Tanya Woo should be appointed to Teresa Mosqueda’s vacated City Council seat. To represent the CID, South Seattle, and Asian Americans, who make up 18% of Seattle’s population and growing. 135,300 Asian Americans need to be heard. Tanya is a true daughter of Seattle whose family has lived in Seattle since the late 1800s, growing up on Beacon Hill, running businesses in the CID and Wallingford, and she now lives in Rainier Beach, blocks from the Safeway where the shooting of July 2023 occurred.

Anyone who followed Tanya’s campaign knows who she is and her selfless devotion to serving underserved communities. During the entire campaign, I only heard one person ask people, “How are you? What do you need? How can I help?” That person was Tanya Woo.

Having Tanya Woo fill the seat being vacated due to Teresa Mosqueda’s successful campaign to be a King County Councilmember is not only important to Asian American representation, but to all underserved communities who need a voice. She listens to communities and works for their betterment; she doesn’t act out of ideology. She provides empathy and a willingness to bring people together for a common cause.

As Asian Americans, we need to come together for a common cause for once, to demand a seat at the table, to end the neglect of our community and governmental malfeasance that has slowly degraded the CID. So we won’t have to endlessly fight for our existence, to demand the respect other areas of the city automatically garner. Maybe in one of the recently designated “America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places,” resilience won’t be defined by fighting against disaster gentrification; concentration of homelessness services; rampant drug use; and major infrastructure projects, like I-5 bisecting our community, Kingdomes that use our community for a parking lot, and transportation projects that destroy small businesses in the name of the greater good. It is time we have our own united voice. We are not a third-world country; we are a unique part of Seattle. Seattle needs to hear our voice, and our choice to represent us is Tanya Woo.

Elections have consequences.

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The South Seattle Emerald is committed to holding space for a variety of viewpoints within our community, with the understanding that differing perspectives do not negate mutual respect amongst community members.

The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the contributors on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the Emerald or official policies of the Emerald.

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Matt Chan is a community activist with over 45 years of award-winning success in the television industry. His work created hits like A&E’s Hoarders and landed him a spot as one of the very few People of Color on the Hollywood Reporter’s Top 50 Reality Power Producers list. He continues his experience, serving as a community advocate for Seattle’s Chinatown-International District, telling its story, and providing political media consultation help to candidates of color. Chan spends his time still refining the science and art of storytelling in his personal projects. His passion is to give back to the community, training and educating new generations of journalists and storytellers for the new world of media.

📸 Featured Image: (Photo courtesy of Tanya Woo’s 2023 Seattle City Council campaign.)

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