September 2021 Newsletter
PAAWBAC News | September 8, 2021
Greetings PAAWBAC Community,
We hope that you and yours are healthy and thriving during these complex times. Our thoughts go out to all those who are facing difficult situations, especially during this global pandemic. Under these circumstances, we recognize that government and leadership are critical in implementing systematic change.
The election of Kamala Harris as the first Asian and Black woman Vice President is monumental for AAPI women. To further expand on the subject, this newsletter will focus on AAPI women in government, highlighting those who have been honored and recognized by PAAWBAC as a Monarch or Woman Warrior. Also, we were fortunate to be able to chat with Hawaii's Senator Mazie Hirono, the first Asian-American immigrant woman in the Senate, and are excited to share the interview with you in this edition. The Senator has been a long-time supporter of PAAWBAC. We are excited to share our interview with Senator Hirono in this edition.
Additionally, there is much happening legislatively within the federal and state government.
On May 20, 2021, President Biden signed into law the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act introduced by Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., and Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii. It makes the reporting of hate crimes more accessible at the local and state levels by boosting public outreach and ensuring reporting resources are available online in multiple languages and authorizes grants to state and local governments to conduct crime-reduction programs, programs for tracking hate crimes as well as the creation of state hate crime hotlines.
On July 13, 2021, California Governor Newsom signed the historic Asian and Pacific Islanders (API) Equity Budget that was included in a fiscal bill approved by the State Legislature in May. The $156.5 Million sponsored by the API Legislative Caucus is among the most significant to address the surge in anti-AAPI hate and violence over the last year and addresses racial inequities that have harmed AAPI communities since the 1800s.
Sincerely,
PAAWBAC Board of Directors
Remembering Janice Mirikitani, PAAWBAC Woman Warrior
We are saddened by the passing of Janice Mirikitani, co-founder of the Glide Foundation, former San Francisco Poet Laureate, artist, and member of PAAWBAC’s inaugural class of Woman Warriors. Janice passed on July 29, 2021, at the age of 80.
Janice is well-known for her work at the Glide Memorial Church and the Glide Foundation, where she worked side-by-side with the Reverend Cecil Williams to provide vital service to the most marginalized residents.
In 1983, PAAWBAC honored Janice and others with its first Woman Warrior award, for her contributions to the Arts, which she utilized to express her activism and support on behalf of women and children to overcome the challenges in their lives. She wrote the “Woman Warrior” poem for our 2000 event at Nordstrom San Francisco Center and an excerpt of the “Woman Warrior” collection was etched on an indoor glass display (see excerpt in closing.) Janice was a featured speaker at our 2018 networking event, inspiring us as always with her words.
Sandy Ouye Mori, also a 1983 Woman Warrior, had this to say about her good friend: “I will miss my dear friend of 57 years; we are both Sansei and had lived in concentration camps during WWII. Janice will forever be remembered for her eloquent poetry, her civil rights activism, her creativity, and the development of over 40 programs at Glide, especially for women and children.”
A Glide Memorial Fund for Janice to support programs benefiting women and children has been established. Donations can be made in Janice Mirikitani’s memory at www.glide.org/honorjanice or by email to development@glide.org.
PAAWBAC Women in Government
PAAWBAC has been privileged to have the support of Senator Mazie Hirono for many years. As a member of U.S. House of Representatives, she was the keynote speaker at our 2008 Monarch Awards celebration, and during her first year in the U.S. Senate, she was a featured speaker at our Network 2013 event.
Here in the Bay Area, Asian Pacific American women have long been making their mark in government, and PAAWBAC has recognized several of them for their accomplished public service. We honored Susan S. Muranishi with a Woman Warrior award in 2005, for serving as the County Administrator for Alameda County. She holds that chief executive position to this day, overseeing a jurisdiction with 9,700 employees and an annual budget of $3.4 billion.
PAAWBAC honored Carmen Chu as a 2012 Monarch, when she was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. In February 2013, she moved from the legislative to the executive branch of government when appointed as the City’s Assessor-Recorder to fill a vacancy. She won the election to that position the following November. Carmen rose to the city’s top executive role in February of this year, when she was sworn in as San Francisco City Administrator.
When Ms. Chu was appointed Assessor-Recorder, her legislative aide, Katy Tang, was appointed to replace her on the Board of Supervisors, where Katy served for six years. PAAWBAC recognized her with a Monarch Award in 2016. Katy has continued her career in public service and is currently the Director of Public & Governmental Affairs for the San Francisco Dept. of Public Health.
Finally, PAAWBAC honored Aimee Eng as a Monarch in 2014. She was recognized for her work for the Thomas J. Long Foundation, overseeing grantmaking to uplift children and families in the East Bay. Later in 2014, Aimee was elected to the Oakland Unified School District Board of Directors, and is now serving her second term.
Upcoming Events
Through September 21, 2021
Walk Run Ride to the Moon
Organizer: Self Help for the Elderly
Choose your own time and place for this unique fitness challenge! Your participation connects friends and family with a great reason to exercise and maintain wellness, as well as supports Self-Help's variety of programs to care for seniors' health and safety.
Thursday, September 23, 2021, 5:45pm-7pm
Beyond: 33 Years of Asian Women's Shelter
Organizer: Asian Women's Shelter
Location: Virtual
Celebrate survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, COVID-19 pandemic and anti-Asian violence! Enjoy a virtual performance by powerhouse folk-songstress Raye Zaragoza and hear from survivors who have forged hard-earned new lives.
Thursday, October 14, 5pm to 8pm
14th Annual B A Hero Celebration & Fundraiser
Organizer: SF Hep B Free - Bay Area
Location: Commonwealth Club rooftop, San Francisco
Help honor our heroes and reimagine a Hep B Free Bay Area. SF Hep B Free provides free and low-cost hepatitis B testing, educates the community and physicians on hepatitis B and promotes routine testing and vaccination for Asian and Pacific Islander adults at risk.
Friday, October 22, 8:30am - 10am
Home Sweet Home
Organizer: Welcome Home Project
Location: Harborview Restaurant - 4 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco
The Welcome Home Project, associated with the San Francisco Association of Realtors, provides essential household goods to homeless families and individuals moving into permanent housing.
Spotlight
INTERVIEW WITH SENATOR MAZIE HIRONO
Interviewed by Board Members Kathy, Yuri, Yenyy and Elsie
(Edited for length and clarity)
We welcomed this opportunity to chat over Zoom with Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono, a strong supporter of PAAWBAC and AAPI women. In today’s issue with women in government as our theme, we asked Mazie to share her thoughts on some key personal as well as political issues.
PAAWBAC: Based on your personal stories in your recent book, “Heart of Fire”, your mom was a strong influence in your life. What are some of the significant “lessons” from your mom that shaped who you are today? Any advice to give our future women leaders?
Mazie: I wrote the “Heart of Fire” as a tribute to my mother who suffered multiple strokes and couldn't speak for herself. She changed my life by bringing me to this country, teaching me these three key life lessons: First, How we can define greatness as “how we can make lives better for others”. This is my life’s work now. Secondly, “Showing up”, which takes perseverance and tremendous focus; and thirdly and most importantly, “Take risks”. My mother came to America from Japan, leaving her country and her husband, to create better lives for her family. She applied to be a proofreader for a major newspaper and was hired due to her tenacity.
I am hoping the book will show how we, as Asian women, are all interconnected, fighting stereotypes of being demure and not speaking up. I am hoping that we start speaking up...finding our voice. My journey is to use my head, my heart, and my voice. Japanese culture doesn’t reward being assertive; Hawaii’s local culture is not confrontational. Yet in the current environment, we must speak up against bullies and racism.
P: How do you describe your leadership style and what do you draw on for inspiration and motivation?
M: I know who I fight for and why; I fight for people who do not have a voice, e.g., immigrants, children, people of color. I want to give voice to those who are most marginalized. My style has a lot to do with my immigrant background, growing up with very little -- very straightforward, speaking plainly, swearing at times, telling it like it is. I focus on what I want to accomplish and convince others to go with me. I keep plugging away.
Politics & Government:
P: Since joining the U.S. Senate in 2013, as the first Asian American woman, what has changed, both in the context within which you work, as well as how you approach your work?
M: The Senate needs a lot more diversity. Diversity is a strength not to be feared. Many fear diversity and prevent sharing the historical perspective on diversity. As the first Asian female immigrant to the U.S. Senate, it has been challenging. Since then other Asian American women have joined the Senate, Kamala Harris and Tammy Duckworth, but we need more diverse voices. We have a very divided country, with racial tension and growing discrimination. We have to be vigilant. Battles that we think we won don’t stay won; we need to continue to fight. Challenges continue...increased Voter suppression, conservative Supreme Court, laws against women’s rights, e.g., the Mississippi 15 week abortion ban will undo Roe vs. Wade. Keep fighting!
P: Can you share with us your experience of the January 6th riots?
M: We live in scary dangerous times. We live in a country where a lot of people do not want the truth to come out. This was an attack on our democracy. I was there on January 6th and experienced white supremacy. Though teachers are available, we are not teaching the history of Blacks, Alaska natives, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians. Efforts are in legislation to prevent learning of history or to find the truth on what happened. I am glad that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pushing for a committee to do the investigation despite the controversy.
P: After your recovery from kidney cancer, you spoke emotionally on the floor of the Senate about the Affordable Care Act. Was that one of your most rewarding moments in the Senate?
M: This was a very unusual circumstance. Without notes, I shared my personal impacts of being without health care, when my sister passed away from pneumonia without health care. My speech got millions of views on the internet; I received positive feedback and sharing of personal stories from others. Congress needs those with diverse backgrounds to represent America.
P: What is your current focus and passion, now under the Biden-Harris Administration?
M: To create jobs with the passing of the infrastructure bill. Supporting the American Family Plan that enables women to be in the workforce with affordable child care. For Americans to get paid family leave, universal pre-K, and the first 2 years of community college free. To have education as a lifelong benefit with the $3.5 trillion bills. I ask families in Hawaii: What does $300/month per child mean to your family? My mom had to go into my piggy bank to get dimes to support our family. Immigration Reform is needed. The current immigration system is in shambles. We need filibuster reform. The Senate is not supporting family leave...only the Democrats. Republicans are trying to kill these bills at every turn.
We have a values issue; the constitution is “aspirational”. We need to continue to fight for our rights.
API Women’s Leadership:
P: What message do you have for API women, especially in light of the wave of Anti-Asian violence across our communities?
M: This is a journey for me to use my voice, especially in the political arena. If women don’t use their voices, the stereotypes will take over. We can’t afford to be silent. Advice: We all have voices, so use your voice. Women in leadership need to be vocal. “There is no turning back, once you use your voice.”
Even with all these struggles and uphill battles, it’s important to have joy in life. I am not cancer-free. I keep an “even keel” and balance it with my love of art. In honor of my mother, I continue with pressed flower cards and making my own paper. I collect leaves and make collages. I try to get back to Hawaii once a month. I talk with hubby Leighton every day. There’s a lot to do in Washington D.C. to pass the infrastructure and family plan bills.
P: What role do you see for PAAWBAC going forward?
M: PAAWBAC provides support for women in leadership. You can work with like-minded organizations. Do what you are doing and do more of it. You don’t need to live the experience to empathize. Put yourself in others’ shoes and want to give others a helping hand.
Mazie Personal Comments:
Thanks to PAAWBAC, for all that you do for the past decades. Women are the problem solvers. Use our voices.
Senator Hirono told us that she is an avid reader and usually reads several books at a time. She recommended these titles to us:
“The Sympathizer” by Viet Thanh Nguyen
“Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee
“The Premonition” by Michael Lewis
“I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump’s Catastrophic Final Year” by Carol Leonnig, Philip Rucker
Woman Warrior by Janice Mirikitani
An excerpt from “Woman Warrior,” a collection of poems by Janice Mirikitani
WOMAN WARRIOR
I pay tribute to you,
woman warrior,
leader, groundbreaker, maker of history:
woman of resilience
wind at your back, sun to your face,
you break cycles of domination,
domestic violence, sweatshop low wages,
Women of power
You with faces of yellow roses, and white gardenias,
you earth red, you brown electric,
you shining ebony skinned,
living on the cheeks of craters and urban street
you who know the heat of creation,
I see my possibilities in your beautiful faces.
You, women warriors
with courage to laugh, to love,
your voices unleash the ropes of silence at last,
whispers of light gather
suddenly, we are blazing
Women warriors, with tongue afire.