by Assunta Ng
Northwest Asia Weekly
Frank Irigon accepts the UW Charles Odegaard Award in May
Everything about the University of Washington’s (UW) top 2022 community service award is ironic.
The recipient of the UW Charles E. Odegaard Award was last month’s Frank Irigon. Along with his friends, Irigon fought not only one bitter battle with the University of Washington, but three times against its policies, institutions and assumptions.
“I was stunned and amazed!” Irigon said after learning of the award. “I, was arrested and jailed for occupying Schmitz Hall. I spent more time at the HUB than the library. I planned our protests and demonstrations at the Ethnic Cultural Center with other members of the Asian Student Union .”
Known as a troublemaker, activist and protester at the forefront of numerous social justice movements in the 1970s and 1980s, Irigon was jailed twice, once for protesting apartheid in South Africa. Most recently, he has been involved in fighting anti-Asian hate crimes starting in 2021.
The protests changed UW’s past policy of injustice toward Asian American students in the 1970s and 1980s. UW’s assumption is that Asian American students are a model minority and don’t need help like other poor students. This misunderstanding crowds out those who are not good at academics or science and math, including Irigon. Many Asian students are excluded, Irigon said.
In order for UW to make a change, Irigon said its personnel, admissions and financial aid departments need to hire Asian-Americans. However, these departments hire Black and Latino recruiters and financial aid officials to help their own communities.
The lack of Asian American representation in these offices translates to the message that hiring Asian Americans is not important, they will not be considered, and job opportunities are not open to AAPI while at UW. But the impact on the finance office was more unfavorable. Those who cannot afford higher education are unaware of the financial help and resources available to them. However, then and now, Asian American students are the largest minority on campus.
Ironically, the third protest by Irigon and other students is related to the Equal Opportunity Program (EOP), part of the current Office of Minority and Diversity Affairs (OMDF), organizers of the Odegaard Awards.
To join EOP, students need three letters of recommendation from teachers and counselors, as well as a good SAT score and GPA. Irigon argued that the EOP at the time was more interested in retaining existing students than recruiting new ones.
“I couldn’t meet those requirements (EOP),” Irigon said. “My teacher would never write me a (recommendation letter).” He added that meeting these requirements was a burden on students.
Since these protests, the University of Washington has gotten rid of all those outdated rules. Not only that, but the head of OMDF, Rickey Martin, called Irigon himself to tell him he was the winner.
Earlier in the day, Irigan, who was running for Newcastle City Council in 2021, received news that he lost by 10 votes. This is his second run for the seat. In a bittersweet moment, he said, “this is the best consolation prize.” Better “to be recognized by the University of Washington than by Newcastle voters”.
What isn’t said is that this award is a complete moment for Irigon. He may have fought the university in the past, but he’s also an alumnus, former one-time employee, and an ardent supporter of many UW programs for students of color for decades. Additionally, he is the first Filipino-American to receive the award since the award was established in 1973.
This is the beauty of America, built on the foundations of democracy, embedded in its education system. Students have the right to object to injustice, sue the university, and still receive a degree from the institution. This is part of leadership development. Never try to do this in Russia or other authoritarian countries, it will be a whole different story.
It’s also a sweet moment for UW. It was the first in-person event since the pandemic and raised more than $410,000 for scholarships.
A total of 413 people attended the night, with 245 in-person and 168 virtual attendees.
Irigon, father
Frank Irigon with his family and friends (photo by Assunta Ng)
For those who stand across from Iligon, seeing only his tough-guy image, they won’t know that he is also a gentle man. While Irigon complained to Asia Weekly that he “spends too much time in the community” and that “he’s not a good father,” his three grown children don’t think so. They appreciated his sense of humor and love for friends and family, and were proud of his social justice stance.
Theressa Irigon-Rachetto describes his dad as “passionate and resilient. He was so loving to everyone, even after a meeting he might yell at you and fight for the right things.
“He is very smart, always reading and learning. He keeps giving back. Volunteering – everything from helping at food banks to using his skills to write grant articles for nonprofits.”
Irigon’s two sons, Jean-Mario and Paixi, also echoed their sister’s sentiments that their father was “passionate about his career”.
“Family meals and celebrations are always delightful events,” says Jean-Mario. However, if “political or any form of inequality, racial and economic disparity becomes his trigger”, “he will change significantly”.
Jean-Mario said his father influenced him to “consider and care about the big picture of the community, the pride of the Filipino nation, and being a voice for those who don’t. And, don’t take BS.”
Jean-Mario also inherited his father’s “loud laugh and sense of humor…his boundless love for family and friends is the benchmark”.
“The event that resonated with me the most was when he was arrested for protesting apartheid in South Africa at the local embassy,” Jean-Mario said. “I’ve been exposed to politics and injustice from birth, I’ve heard dinner table conversations, I’ve read Time magazine articles, I’ve seen 60-minute news clips. South Africa is such a remote land, but our fathers were there The fact that I was involved in influencing the change was awesome.
“I also remember our mother, Felicita, who wasn’t thrilled, but was also understandably proud and supportive of him. They had the same passion when it came to inequality and disparities.”
“Commitment” is Percy’s view of his father.
The dinner menu includes hummus and lettuce, roasted beet salad with pomegranate molasses and sunflower seeds, spiced braised brisket with chili garlic oil, chirashi bowls, steamed pork red packets, fresh vegetable wraps, corn salad with lime, chili, and cotija cheese , miser wat injera rolls and desserts including baklava, cream puffs and fresh berries (photo by Assunta Ng)
“If he had to describe his dad in one sentence, it would be, ‘No matter what he does, he’s going to give it his all. His family, the causes he supports, even eating all the food on his plate.
“I loved and admired my dad for always remembering people’s names and he emphasized introducing us. He also had a gift for bringing people together and building strong relationships. I also loved and hated my dad’s humor.”
What does this Father’s Day mean for the children of Irigon?
“I love that my children have strong relationships with them (elders) and learn to be proud of being Asian and Filipino-American,” Irigon-Rachetto said. “I want my children to continue (the fathers) for justice. work for equality.”
Thinking of his father’s heart transplant more than a decade ago, Pasey said, “When your father has a heart transplant, every Father’s Day is special.”
Assunta can reach assunta@nwasianweekly.com.
