ACRS receives $100,000
Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) Executive Director Diane Narasaki is one of 17 national winners of the Ford Foundation’s “Leadership for a Changing America” award.
For winning the award, Narasaki will receive $100,000 for ACRS, a nonprofit organization that she has led since 1995.
Narasaki is the fifth Seattle winner in the program’s five years and was chosen amongst nearly 1,000 nominations.
About winning the award, Narasaki stated in the Seattle P-I, “This award to me is more a reflection of the work done by many, many, others. Nothing happens without people coming together.”
Redmond girl chosen as Miss Jr. Teen America 2005
The Teen America Scholarship Program recently chose a 13-year-old student at Forest Ridge School of Bellevue as the Miss Jr. Teen America.
Natasha Mahapatro, was awarded the distinction in the pageant held in Connecticut in early October. Mahapatro was chosen Miss Jr. Teen Washington earlier this year.
NAPALC Changes Name
WASHINGTON D.C. – In early October, the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium (NAPALC) changed its name to the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC).
“Our new name reflects our vision and how our work has evolved since we were founded 14 years ago,” said Karen K. Narasaki, president and executive director of AAJC. “It captures how we are working to address the challenges facing the growing Asian American community.”
Narasaki added that while the word Pacific has been dropped from its name, the organization remains strongly committed to supporting the needs of Pacific Islander Americans.
AAJC is considered one of the nation’s leading experts on issues affecting the Asian American community and one that offers a Pan-Asian perspective on issues such as hate crimes, race relations, affirmative action, immigration and immigrant rights, language access, census and voting rights.
Conrad Lee raises money for Katrina victims
Bellevue City Councilmember Conrad Lee raised over $9,000 on Oct. 9 on behalf of the American Red Cross for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
According to a press release, although originally Lee scheduled the fundraiser at the House of Hong Restaurant for his own campaign, after watching the devastation caused by the hurricane, he knew had a unique opportunity to raise money for the victims as well.
“I believe in times of tragedy, ‘we the people’ are in the best position to help our fellow Americans. I greatly appreciate and thank the many supporters of my campaign who generously contributed to the Red Cross,” Councilmember Lee said.
MAVIN Gala
Matt Kelley, founder of MAVIN Magazine, welcomes guests to the Third Annual MAVIN Foundation Gala on Oct. 8. About 200 people attended the event, which was held at McCaw Hall at Seattle Center. The theme was “Imagine,” where the organization hoped that people would “imagine” a world where being multiracial or adopted doesn’t put you at a disadvantage.
The Freedom Parade
The Confederation of Veterans of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam, State of Washington, organized “The Freedom Parade” on Oct. 8. Pictured: Pham, Sanh, Sr.
Vietnam War Veterans who fought alongside the United States and Vietnam community leaders marched through Rainier Valley and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way to Co Lam Pagoda Vietnam Buddhist Church on Graham Street. Local cemetery Evergreen-Washelli provided the exact replica of the Liberty Bell for the event. A veteran rang the bell every 30 seconds throughout the parade to show respect for the soldiers killed in the war and lost their lives for freedom.
Phyllis Wise
The community welcomes Phyllis Wise, new University of Washington Provost, at a reception hosted by UW. The event was held on Oct. 11 at the Port of Seattle. Wise is one of the first Asian American women to be appointed as provost at a major university in the United States.
Chinatown-ID Candidates Forum
Seattle City Councilmember Jan Drago debates with her opponent Casey Corr at the Chinatown-International District Candidates Forum. About 75 people attended the forum held on Oct. 12 at ChongWa Association. Translators were on hand for the limited-English speakers. Candidates for the Seattle City Council, Seattle Mayor, King County Executive, Seattle School Board, Port of Seattle, King County Sheriff and others were at the forum.
Vietnamese American Writers
Authors Aimee Phan reads from her book “We Should Never Meet” next to Kien Nguyen, author of “The Unwanted.” The two were invited to participate in the International Examiner’s all day writing workshop and public reading held on Oct. 15 at the downtown branch of the Seattle Public Library.
“Sensation Odissi 2005”
Dancers from Orissa, India performs for the audience at “Sensation Odissi 2005.” The University of Washington Women’s Center in collaboration with PlanetGuru hosted the event, which presented the Indian Classical Dance tradition. The event was held at UW Kane Hall on Oct. 16. .
