By Josh Ishibashi
NAP Contributor
Sharon Tomiko Santos, candidate for State Representative, 37th District. Photo credit: Yoko Tsuge.
Bryan Yambe, candidate for Pierce County Council. Photo credit: Yoko Tsuge.
Toshiko Hasegawa, candidate for King County Council. Photo credit: Yoko Tsuge.
Three Japanese American candidates for state and county offices met with supporters at Terry’s Kitchen restaurant in Bellevue. Community organizers pressed home a message: none of these races can be taken for granted.
Washington State Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos, King County Council candidate Toshiko Hasegawa, and Pierce County Council member Bryan Yambe were featured at the event, along with former Mountlake Terrace Mayor Kyoko Matsumoto Wright.
John Okamoto, former Seattle City Council member who attended the event said he was struck by the turnout. “I was excited to see the energy around elevating the voices of Japanese Americans. We need to work at retaining our Japanese American elected officials, and build a pipeline to prepare and get our younger generations elected.”
The gathering gave attendees a chance to speak directly with the candidates about their platforms and discuss what organizers described as a critical moment for Japanese American representation in Washington State government.
Santos, who has represented the 37th Legislative District since 1998, made history as the first Japanese American woman to serve in a mainland state legislature. She is seeking re-election this year. Hasegawa, who currently serves as a Port of Seattle Commissioner and was the first Asian woman elected to the Port in its more than 110-year history, is running for an open seat in King County Council District 2, while Yambe is seeking re-election to Pierce County Council District 5.
Santos, the longest serving of the three candidates, put the stakes in personal terms. “I feel a deep sense of responsibility to preserve, if not further, the basic rights that our parents and grandparents secured for us through their many sacrifices … the lessons of these lived experiences our community brings to the civic arena are not fully appreciated in the Washington State Legislature, where I am one of only four Nikkei (Japanese American) elected officials. Without future Nikkei elected leaders to succeed me and the others, who will remember the stories and the contributions of Japanese Americans in protecting our democratic ideals and institutions? This is why I think it is vital to remember that representation matters: if the Nikkei community loses our representation in federal, state, and local governments, I know I will feel a tremendous sense of haji (shame, 恥) and failure,” she said.
Josh Ishibashi, one of the event organizers, said the community cannot afford to sit this cycle out. “If we don’t step up and start supporting our elected officials with action, in a few years we’ll look around and realize that there are fewer and fewer opportunities to share the story of the Japanese American experience.”
Organizers pointed to donations as one of the most effective ways for the community to help, even those who live outside the candidates’ districts.
Hasegawa picked up that thread, framing organizing itself as the missing piece. “Representation matters at every level of decision making, especially elected office. But it requires people willing to engage in government processes. There are many ways to build electoral power for the broader Asian community. But the truth is, that level of organizing simply doesn’t exist locally right now. So, we keep farming out our perspective and our priorities to others. And when we do that, our issues and our communities become negotiable. That’s unacceptable. We need to demand better, and that starts with all of us leaning in.”
Attendees were visibly energized by the evening. Several expressed a desire to do more and asked organizers for more concrete opportunities to get involved.
If you would like to support these elected officials, donations can be made to their campaigns via:
State Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos (37th Legislative District): https://secure.anedot.com/friends-of-santos/donate
Port Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa (King County Council, District 2):
https://secure.ngpvan.com/Q0IgHfyo0kutxsEO_8QNcQ2
Pierce County Councilmember Bryan Yambe (Pierce County Council, District 5): https://secure.anedot.com/friendsofbryanyambe/donate
