This story originally appeared as an opinion piece in the Seattle Times. by Jenifer Chao, Director of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Almost every day, another headline reminds us that immigration is under attack. Across the country, fear is being weaponized. Immigrants and refugees are portrayed as problems to solve instead… [ Keep reading ]
“I’ve been doing this for so many years that I just envision it, I build it layer by layer, and it comes out the way I want it.” Growing flowers and arranging bouquets is second nature to Lue Thao, a first-generation Hmong flower farmer and owner of Thai Tao Farm…. [ Keep reading ]
East Kong Yick By Elana Lim Twin four-story brick buildings, East and West Kong Yick, were opened as the center of a new Chinatown in 1910.[i] Back then, the 1889 Washington State Constitution forbade “aliens” to own property,[ii] but over 170 Chinese pioneering men found a way to work within… [ Keep reading ]
Did you know that Seattle’s Jackson Street was once home to a thriving after-hours jazz scene? From 1937 and 1951, the street’s corridor between Fifth Avenue South and Fourteenth Avenue South was often bustling with musicians and patrons of all backgrounds ducking in and out of clubs like the Black… [ Keep reading ]
For more than 25 years, Yao Fou Hinh Chao selflessly contributed to the P-Patch community by supporting over 800 immigrant gardeners with backgrounds ranging from Lao, Iu Mien, Vietnamese, Khmu, Hmong, Russian, and Latino. He mentored gardeners in crop rotation, garden planning, fertilization, organic soil practices, soil building, composting, harvesting,… [ Keep reading ]
The City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods (DON) proudly stands as a beacon of community empowerment and positive transformation. Over the past 12 months, DON has been at the forefront of impactful initiatives, contributing significantly to the well-being of our diverse communities. Looking Back Here are some highlights of how… [ Keep reading ]
The pilot project, Restaurant 2 Garden is working to create a hyper-local system where food waste from eateries in the Chinatown International District are brought to the Danny Woo Community Garden, composted on site, and distributed to the garden members. The majority of gardeners at Danny Woo are seniors and… [ Keep reading ]
From Singapore to Seattle – an immigrant’s journey to healthcare and fashion integration By Victor Loo “千里之行，始于足下 – A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” is a common saying that originated from a Chinese proverb. The quotation is from Chapter 64 of the 道德经 (Dao De… [ Keep reading ]
by Fania Sipili A reflection. The road of a nonprofit worker doing community organizing and outreach presents its own set of unique challenges. Growing alongside the work, the more we learned the more we had to unlearn. My challenge did not present itself at first. However, as my analysis around… [ Keep reading ]
Written by staff of UTOPIA WA A Washington transplant via O’ahu, Hawai’i, Jaron Goto serves as UTOPIA Washington’s Communications Manager. Jaron brings experience in sales, management, makeup artistry and has a Bachelors in Marketing from the University of Hawai’i – Mānoa. Jaron enjoys the beauty in this world and enjoys… [ Keep reading ]
