By Assunta Ng
Northwest Asia Weekly
Ruth Wu
If Ruth Woo were still alive, what would she say to a small group of Asian immigrants who recently broke the record of raising funds for political candidates?
Woo was once the most powerful and recognized political guru in the Asian community. As the mentor of our former governor Gary Locke, she helped and mentored many young politicians who had just got off the ship. She lobbied for Asians to appoint and manage election campaigns for many Asian elected officials, including the late Kip Tokuda, State Representative Sharon T. Santos, former King County Administrator Ron Sims, and former Seattle City Councillors Dolores Sibonga and Martha Choe .
Leaders like Wu played an important role in promoting the election of Asian American officials, and the Asian community was considered strong at the time.
“Our strength comes from the values instilled in us by our parents and family…this is our root,” Sibonga said. “Our strength comes from decades of working together as Asians and Pacific Islanders to benefit our communities. People from California will be surprised to say,’How did you actually get Asian candidates elected?'”
Today’s Asian communities pay less attention to glass ceilings. One reason is that our community has achieved extraordinary results in politics, but not very successful in corporate leadership. We elected Gary Locke, the first Asian governor of the continental United States, Cyrus Habib, the former deputy governor, several Asian state councillors (of Indian, Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese descent), and city councillors across the state. Both the former and current mayors of Seattle appointed Asians as department heads and deputy mayors, such as Michael Fong.
Another reason is the changes within our community. Like our country, communities are more complex and divided due to issues such as homelessness, racial injustice, housing costs, Amazon’s growth, police, and public safety.
Some members of the Asian community changed their priorities. What are the benefits for the city? What is good for the community? Although these two questions are related, they can have different interpretations depending on who you are talking to. The community is divided between entrepreneurs and young activists; moderates and extremists; seniors and young people in Chinatown; immigrants and American-born people; and people living in suburbs and Seattle.
Wu has a magical feeling. Her ability to work with all kinds of people surprised me. If she is alive, she can fill the leadership gap in our community. The late Bob Santos, Al Susan, Moriguchi Tomio, former Governor Dan Evans, and former Secretary of State Ralph Monroe all respected her very much.
Hu’s views on candidates
From left: Ben Zhang, Bruce Harrell and wife Joanne Harrell (Photo: Assunta Ng)
Woo’s support for Asian candidates is unwavering, as long as the person is decent-he or she does not need to be outstanding. Woo will join without hesitation, unless the opponent is an old friend who first asked her for support. Woo would be happy to support Asian American candidates, such as Seattle mayor candidate Bruce Harrell and Port Commission candidate Toshiko Hasegawa, without any problems.
Toshiko Hasegawa (middle) and her supporters (Photo: Tony Au)
But recent fundraising events organized by small business owners, professionals, and community leaders do not want to support candidates just because they are Asian or people of color. They look for candidates who manage the city in a more balanced way. Most importantly, these candidates believe that listening is essential, not just having political ideologies, representing special interests, and one-sided views.
One of the organizers of Harrell’s June 30 event, Ming Fung of Vigor City, said: “I read a lot of articles about Bruce’s political platform. He has been chairman of the city council for three years and knows the rules and boundaries of the city council. He knows When to use vote counting on the council, not when dealing with issues. If he is elected, he will know how to manage the city better than any other candidate.”
Fung also helped organize a 90-person event for Sara Nelson, the city council candidate, and raised $8,000.
Seattle City Council candidate Sara Nelson at the fundraising dinner at the Port of China (Photo: Assunta Ng)
“She is not only a business owner, but the only candidate who understands companies and workers. She understands the need to support low-income workers,” Feng said. Feng said and Nelson said that if their working hours were cut, service staff would not be able to survive and provide them with attentive service.
Another organizer called Harrell the “most normal” of all mayoral candidates, while others were considered “lunatics.” The organization raised $13,000 from approximately 200 people. Harrell said this is his biggest campaign. Other candidates they support include Brien Mayor Jimmy Mata, Port Commission candidate Hasegawa Toshiko, and King County Chief Executive Dow Constantine.
Dao Constantine at Tu Vien Phat Tam (Photo by Tony Au)
When other candidates, such as mayoral candidate Casey Sixkiller, contacted the group, they were invited to the Chinatown International District (CID) so they could meet and exchange opinions.
Like Woo, some organizers did not want to speak publicly, but played a key role in pushing the city to clean up the CID two months ago. This is similar to Woo’s low-key approach.
Wu Yusen, who is soft-spoken, charming, and relaxed, avoids all kinds of publicity. If you give her an award, she won’t show up. There is always a smile and twinkling light on her face. She is always cheerful and never talks about herself. But she likes gossip.
“What’s the latest gossip?” She would ask mischievously. She has the most amazing stories I have ever heard about Asian and non-Asian officials. For a book, this will be juicy material.
“Don’t quote me,” she would say. This is the most disappointing thing to say to reporters. This is as scary as “no comment”. No matter how I begged her, she would say, “No, no, no.”
Even if Wu was furious, she would not say it publicly. When current Governor Christine Gregoire chose a non-Asian candidate instead of Mary Yu in the Washington State Supreme Court, she would never forgive or forget. Prepared a “Letter to the Editor” for Northwest Asia Weekly, complaining about Gregoire. Yu was later appointed by Governor Jay Insley. Of course, Woo does not allow her name to be printed in the newspaper. Instead, she asked Bob Santos to sign the letter, and he readily agreed.
Woo is inclusive. From Seattle to Olympia to Bellevue, I never heard her say to any Asian American: “You are not part of the community.” Once her team emailed her circle of friends to support her candidate, They will come with a checkbook.
Woo strives for the unity, acceptance and cooperation of the Asian community and bridges the gap between Asian and non-Asian. I am always looking for anyone in the Asian community who can fill Woo’s position. Sadly, Ruth and irreplaceability!
Another difference between Woo and the organizers who currently hold most of the fundraising dinners at China Harbor Restaurant-Woo’s favorite is Sihai Restaurant. At the time, its owner, Al Quan, always did an excellent job at Woo’s fundraising reception at a reasonable price, with a lot of food including chicken wings and plenty of fruit. Quan often lets her use a large space, almost the entire restaurant, although most of them are about 50 people. I suspect she used her own money in many such receptions. Her generosity is well known. Most Asian non-profit organizations will ask her to buy a table at their annual fundraising dinner, and she will donate many seats to elected officials and young people.
Four Seas is currently under construction as the future Bob’s Place affordable apartment. It was demolished earlier this year, burying the political history of many Asian Americans. It is commendable that Woo has brought many non-Asian and Asian Americans to CID for decades.
Raising funds for politicians is essential to spread the influence of Asian communities. But Sibonga said that “building alliances with other communities of color” is also the key to building our strength.
Northwest Asia Weekly is following Sibonga’s advice. On September 23, a group of Asian and black community leaders will deliver a speech on “Voice Unity: Where Are We Going From Here?”Will be held at CID’s Joyale restaurant from 5pm to 7pm
More information about the group will be released later.
Assunta can be reached assunta@nwasianweekly.com.
