Tag Archives: Resilience Amidst Hate

Community

Filipino Restaurant CheBogz Rallies Support for Beacon Hill Grand Opening

by Ronnie Estoque

A horizontal banner combining the logos of 'Giving Tuesday' and 'South Seattle Emerald'. On the left, the 'Giving Tuesday' logo is presented with 'GIVING' in bold white letters above 'TUESDAY', with a woven heart motif in red placed over the letter 'V'. On the right, the logo for 'South Seattle Emerald' in navy blue features the word 'EMERALD' in large block letters beneath 'SOUTH SEATTLE', with the tagline 'Amplifying the Authentic Narratives of South Seattle' in smaller font. The background is dark blue, and the overall design symbolizes community engagement and local storytelling.

This article was originally published on April 27, 2023. In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, we are republishing a series of inspiring articles and op-eds that highlight the incredible ways in which community giving, generosity, and compassion have transformed lives. These stories are not just narratives; they are testaments to the strength and compassion that flourish in our community when we support each other.

A longtime favorite for Filipino cuisine in Beacon Hill, Kusina Filipina was forced to close in 2017 due to a rent hike. The Paraiso family had run Kusina Filipina since 2010, making it a destination for authentic classics like lumpia, pancit, and adobo, all in a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Now, almost six years after leaving Beacon Hill, the Paraiso family is coming back. CheBogz, the family’s food truck, will open a brick-and-mortar restaurant right next to the Beacon Hill light rail station at the Colina Apartments. Currently, they have an active Kickstarter campaign to help secure funds to finalize their return to the local community. 

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Arts & Culture

Haiku Comics Provide a Way of Feeling ‘Less Desolate’

Poet Shin Yu Pai and illustrator Justin Rueff’s new comic book captures the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and the profound disconnection of the pandemic.

by Jas Keimig

The sight of ferries disappearing into the Puget Sound horizon. Savoring the last raspberries of summer. COVID spreading rampantly through elementary classrooms and schools. In their new comic book Less Desolate published by Blue Cactus Press, poet Shin Yu Pai and illustrator Justin Rueff capture the splendors of living in the Pacific Northwest as well as the profound isolation and social unrest during the pandemic by using an interesting, little-known artform — the haiku comic.

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Features

Love, Labor, and Legacy: An Exit Interview With Councilmember Kshama Sawant

by Dae Shik Kim

When I used to live on Capitol Hill, I would run into Kshama Sawant a couple times a month at the Central Co-op. I would always take a quick peek into her shopping cart and knew right away she was about to throw down. Seattle is a small enough city where it isn’t out of the ordinary to see one of your local electeds in public. I’ve seen Andrew Lewis in his Indochino suit panic-jogging through Pioneer Square so many times and never really thought much of it. But seeing Kshama Sawant do “human” things always felt a little different. Maybe because most of us have never seen her break “character,” especially within the walls of City Hall. Or maybe because corporate media loves to portray “radical leftists” as joyless figures, quick to cancel others, perpetuating stereotypes that overlook multifaceted lives and passions.

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Arts & Culture

‘FILIPINOTOWN Magazine’ Highlights Seattle’s Vibrant Filipino American Community

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by Jas Keimig

On Sunday night, the Filipino Community Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Way filled with Filipino community members eating food from Filipino-owned businesses, like Wild Cat Catering and Musang, listening to a reading from writer Angela Garbes, and dancing the night away to music by Drea & the Marilyns. 

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Community

Seattle Nonprofit Launches First Indigenous Guaranteed Income Program in the U.S.

Hummingbird’s “The Nest” program aims to prevent maternal mortality.

by Sarah Goh

(This article was originally published on The Stranger and has been reprinted under an agreement.)

Earlier this year, a State Department of Health panel submitted a report showing that American Indian and Alaska Natives who give birth continue to have a higher maternal mortality ratio than any other ethnic group — eight times greater than white people and twice as large as Black people. As alarmingly, the report found that 80% of these pregnancy-related deaths were preventable.

To address this wide disparity, a nonprofit organization called Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services plans to pilot the first guaranteed income program in the United States to exclusively serve Indigenous communities.

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Arts & Culture

‘She Marches in Chinatown’ Tells the Story of a Seattle Drill Team Unlike Any Other in the World

by Jas Keimig

In the hustle and bustle of a room in the Chinatown-International District, a group of girls get ready. One does her makeup in a mirror adorned with pictures of former City Councilmember Cheryl Chow. Another sorts through a bin of white sneakers while yet another patiently gets a belt fitted around her waist.

These young women are preparing to march in the 2022 Seattle Chinatown Seafair Parade as the Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team. Donning elaborate red and gold costumes, the marchers move with military-like precision, weaving in and out of formations and calling out moves in the middle of the street, glimmering for the crowds.

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Arts & Culture

Resistance, Resilience, & Reclamation: New Guma’ Gela’ Exhibit Tells the Story of CHamoru People

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by Sarah Goh

A new exhibit is on display at the Wing Luke Museum — Guma’ Gela’: Part Land, Part Sea, All Ancestry. Guma’ Gela’, or “House of Gays” as it translates to in the native CHamoru language, is a queer art collective for people from the Mariana Islands and its diaspora.

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Community

Palengke Summer Party Celebrates Filipino Community

by Ronnie Estoque

On June 10, community members gathered at The Stonehouse Café on Rainier Avenue for the Palengke Summer Party, a festive celebration of local Filipino food, businesses, and artists. FCS Negosyante’s sponsorship contributed to making the event a reality, alongside a partnership with Max Heigh of Heigh Connects Food Group and LeeAnn Subelbia of The Stonehouse Café to host the event on their property. DJ K-Boogie performed a lively set for the event, which included vendors such as Ma Arté Co., Neighborhood Bubble Tea & Coffee, Ube Books, Your Kuyas, and many more.

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News

CID Announced as One of 11 Endangered National Historic Places

by Alexa Strabuk 譚文曠

(This article was originally published on the International Examiner and has been reprinted under an agreement.)

Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID) has been named to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2023 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, a coalition of organizations and community stakeholders announced May 9 during a press conference at Hing Hay Park. It is the first time a Washington State site has made the list since it was started in 1988. 

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Arts & Culture

Shin Yu Pai’s Podcast ‘Ten Thousand Things’ Reflects Diversity of Asian American Voices

by Amanda Ong

On May 1, KUOW premiered its second season of Seattle Civic Poet Shin Yu Pai’s podcast, Ten Thousand Things. The podcast first aired in 2021 and was previously named The Blue Suit after the blue suit Rep. Andy Kim wore during the Capitol riots. A photo of Kim in the suit, cleaning up after the riots, went viral as a symbol of his quiet service. Each Blue Suit episode follows the story around a different object, invites guests to elaborate on their stories, and speaks to Asian American experiences. This season, the title has changed to reflect not just one object and one particular moment in history, but a more expansive collection of objects and stories. 

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