Walk For Reconciliation Builds New ‘Tacoma Method’

Sunny skies and a spirit of true togetherness greeted people of all ages, cultures and colors on Saturday morning, Oct. 29, for the much-anticipated Walk for Reconciliation Against Racism. A certain air of goodwill filled Tollefson Plaza as friends and strangers alike greeted and smiled at each other knowing why they were there and what it meant to foster healing in this era of heightened political division and racial tension. 

The event was primarily a day of remembrance for the 137^th anniversary of when every Chinese resident was forcibly expelled from Tacoma on Nov. 3, 1885. The particularly inhumane and violent way that city leaders at the time pushed Chinese men, women, children and elders out of town came to be known as "The Tacoma Method” and it was applied to other Chinese communities from Seattle to Olympia and down the west coast. The walk was also a day to reclaim that chilling term and build a new meaning based on peace, unity, inclusion, and respect.

Theresa Pan Hosley, president of the grassroots non-profit Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation, was lead organizer of the walk. She was shown a lot of love that day for her work and the gifts she has brought and continues to bring to the city. Without her leadership and vision, there would be no place dedicated to holding dear our Chinese, Asian and Pacific Islander citizens like there is at Chinese Reconciliation Park on Tacoma’s waterfront.

"The purpose is to bring community together so we can interact with each other to find the connection within us and share our empathy with each other,” Hosley told the Tacoma Weekly as the walk began. "Through this connection, we can create a better future for our city and our generations to come.”

Former Tacoma city manager Ray Corpuz also spoke with the Weekly. He recalled when Hosley approached city government in 1993 about doing something to recognize what happened to the Chinese here and how the city’s mayor, council members and prominent citizens led a mob armed with guns, torches and clubs to attack their Chinese neighbors.

"She came up with the idea of doing something that would acknowledge that, to reconcile it in some way,” Corpuz said. "I, along with the city council, supported that concept and we funded the first $100,000 to start the project.”

That project now stands in beauty and grace as Chinese Reconciliation Park.

Tollefson Plaza’s new Black Lives Matter mural served as the perfect backdrop for everyone to gather and hear from speakers before the walk kicked off for its end destination at the park. The route was in reverse of that taken by the Chinese those 137 years ago, proving that all people today are welcome into Tacoma.

A Washington state legislator in the 1970s and the second Asian American appellate court judge in state history, Art Wong is heralded as a trailblazer for Asian Americans, and he made it known the importance of elected officials’ presence that day including members of congress; current and former state legislators and other local elected officials; city, port and county officials; school board members; judges and justices; and political candidates, among others. 

Given that Tacoma’s Mayor Jacob Weisbach was a key player in expelling the Chinese, Mayor Victoria Woodards’ presence at the walk was enthusiastically welcomed by the cheering crowd with city council members Joe Bushnell and Kristina Walker standing beside her.

"We made a commitment as a city council that we would not stop working until Tacoma really lived out its creed of being a city of destiny, where everyone who calls Tacoma home has an opportunity to fulfill their own destiny in the way that is meaningful for them. That’s worth celebrating,” Woodards said.

Congressman Derek Kilmer led the crowd in chanting, "We stand together!”

"We stand together in recognizing that this is not just the City of Destiny; it’s a city that has been a destination for people of all nationalities. That is a strength for our community,” he said.

With energetic members of the Mak Fai Kung Fu Dragon & Lion Dance Association leading the way, the walk commenced to Chinese Reconciliation Park. As the walkers replenished themselves with free coffee and snacks, they heard from a host of speakers and enjoyed cultural musical interludes. 

Justice Mary Yu, the first Asian American on the Washington State Supreme Court, reminded the crowd that the rule of law alone is not enough to protect against racism and hatred.

"Rather, it is the rule of law combined with human intervention that will advance the cause of true justice. The rule of law means nothing without individuals like you who will stand up publicly whenever there is an injustice,” she said.

Washington’s first woman State House Speaker Laurie Jinkins and Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland both addressed the crowd.

"When I wore a hanbok, a traditional Korean dress, on the floor of the House when I got sworn in, I did that to send a message,” said Strickland, who is of both Korean American and African American descent. "The House of Representatives is the people’s house – it belongs to all people including Asian Americans. This is our country as much as anyone else’s.” 

Jinkins said, "When we think of reconciling and rebuilding, I want to urge us to found another Tacoma Method – a different Tacoma Method. A Tacoma Method that is not grounded in violence and exclusion, but a Tacoma Method which is what Tacoma has grown into and is growing into – a method that is built on peace and love and belonging.”

Former Washington State Governor Gary Locke, now president of Bellevue College, said that it is the diversity of people from all different parts of the world coming here in search of freedom, opportunity and hope that is the defining part of America.

"Except for the Native Americans, we’re all immigrants whether first generation or 10^th generation, whether our ancestors came on the Mayflower, a slave vessel from Africa or a steamer from China and Asia. We’re all foreigners. It is that constant infusion, that wave after wave of newcomers, that has brought the energy, innovation, drive, and the dynamism that make America great.”

Later in the program, winners of the walk’s high school essay contest were brought to the stage to read their essays and receive awards. Then Symphony Tacoma Conductor Sarah Ioannides, librettist Zhang Er, and Pacific Lutheran University composer and music instructor Greg Youtz, who also serves on the Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation board, talked about a new opera that Youtz and Er have written entitled "The Tacoma Method.” In her research, Er came across Mr. Lum May’s written court affidavit on what happened on that Nov. 3 of 137 years ago,making this opera based on the true story. 

A most disturbing part of Mr. May’s testimony concerns his wife, who refused to leave her house. An armed mob of men dragged her out, terrifying her to the point that she was rendered "hopelessly insane,” as May wrote. "My wife was perfectly sane before the riot.” 

Tacoma Opera will perform "The Tacoma Method” at the Rialto Theater this spring and in advance of this premiere, Symphony Tacoma will play concert excerpts from the opera on Feb. 25 at the Pantages Theater. 

The walk event concluded with words from Hosley and a captivating ceremonial dance by members of Cambodian Classical and Folk Dance Northwest.

"The work of the Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation is to ensure that this tragic event would not happen to anyone in any community in our city,” Hosley said. "We want to set a good example for how we can turn a tragic event into a bright future.”

Click here to learn more about the Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation and Chinese Reconciliation Park.