Books

My Unforgotten Seattle

Interview with Carey Gelentner, hosted by Folio Seattle and University of Washington Press

Reflections of Seattle’s Chinese Americans:

The First 100 Years (1990s)

Published 1994
Through 71 intimate stories and portraits, elders in Seattle's Chinese American community share, for the first time, their personal memories, both sweet and bitter. In their own voices, they describe their early life in Chinese villages, their passage to America and Seattle's Chinatown. They share their experiences working in laundries, restaurants and canneries. They tell of the climate of racial discrimination, the era of World War II and the community that emerged after the war." "These stories are supplemented by an original historical essay on Seattle's Chinese American community by Doug Chin. The essay provides a window for understanding the struggles and achievements of Chinese Americans during the period from 1860 to the 1960s, the landmark first 100 years.

Remembering Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes

Published 2012
Remembering Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes examines the lives of two slain cannery union reformers during the tumultuous Civil Rights Era of the 1970s. Ron was a close friend of Gene and Silme, and his poignant prologue sets the stage for the story of their political awakening, the events that led to their tragic deaths, and the movement they nurtured. Through memories of family and friends, we learn about the men as second-generation Filipino Americans, as leaders, and as part of a generation striving to make America live up to its democratic ideals.
The book includes a history of Asian labor in the Alaska salmon-canneries written by Gene Viernes. This work was published to illuminate the contributions of cannery workers and the noble fight to create a union.
Remembering Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes provides rich insight into the roots of Asian American labor organizing and offers inspiration and wisdom for a new wave of activists.