Mr. Chew has received a number of awards, including the Governor's Heritage Award from the Washington State Arts Commission and the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Asian American Studies. Chew studied editorial journalism at the University of Washington School of Communications. The Wing Luke Asian Museum was named in honor of Seattle City Councilman Wing Luke, who took public office in 1962, and was the first Asian Pacific American elected official in the Pacific Northwest. After his tragic death in a plane crash, community members sought to fulfill Luke's dream of a museum of Asian Pacific American history and culture. The museum was founded in 1967 and took up residence in a small storefront in the International District.
Space is limited.
What a great opportunity to pair our interest in highlighting the struggles and contributions of thousands of Asian American laborers and the larger issue of the survival of our Northwest salmon, an equally important issue that has captured newspaper headlines in recent years, Ron Chew, Wing Luke Asian Museum executive director said. For more than 100 years, Asian American laborers have been the backbone of the lucrative salmon canning industry. From the 1870s to the 1910s, Chinese comprised the majority of cannery workers on the Pacific Northwest coast. By the mid-1890s, salmon runs, formerly concentrated along the Columbia River, shifted to Alaska, coinciding with the arrival of Japanese in the labor force. By the 1920s, Filipino crews also formed a significant part of the workforce.