A Walking Tour with Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation & Development Authority
Jamie Lee, Co-Executive Director of SCIDpda, guides Alford Group through a memorable walking tour of Seattle’s Chinatown-International District to kick off the consultancy’s 2024 Staff Retreat.
Jamie Lee, Co-executive Director of SCIDpda, gathers Alford Group visitors in Hing Hay Park, a central landmark to the historic neighborhood. In addition to currently owning and managing affordable housing for more than 700+ low-income residents and 200,000 square feet of commercial space for dozens of businesses and local service providers, SCIDpda has developed new projects and rehabilitated historic buildings around the park and neighborhood to meet the community’s needs and encourage future growth in the area.
Exploring Seattle Chinatown Int’l District on Foot
During our 2024 company retreat, Alford Group was lucky enough to be guided through a memorable tour of Seattle’s Chinatown-International District by Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation & Development Authority (SCIDpda)’s Co-Executive Director, Jamie Lee. The experience revealed the rich history of this vibrant neighborhood and highlighted SCIDpda’s impactful work in revitalizing the area that has been facing a population exodus due to economic instability.
About the partnership
SCIDpda partnered with Alford Group in 2023 on an Executive Leadership Coaching engagement, to provide support as the organization embarked on its journey. Through this engagement, Chief Culture Officer Anh Vo has worked with the co-executive directors to bring their leadership presence and dedication to their partnership in service of the organization’s uniquely collective shared leadership model. SCIDpda’s co-Executive Directors Jared Jonson and Jamie Lee continue to pioneer this equity-centered practice of co-leadership for their organization and the nonprofit community.
Standing next to the Jackson Building at a central crossroads in the neighborhood, Jamie shares the poignant history of this National Historic Landmark. Around the corner is the historic Panama Hotel. Built in 1910 by the first Japanese American architect, the Hotel housed Japanese men seeking work in America. Today, the hotel is a symbol of the preservation of Japanese American heritage in the Pacific Northwest, offering guests a glimpse into its original charm in Seattle before WWII. [Source: panamahotelseattle.net]
Jamie takes questions about the Chiyo’s Garden Fence, a powerful art installation and fence made of vertical slats. The height of each slat’s opening corresponds to the population of the Japanese American community in Seattle at that time, symbolizing its resilience from the start of Japanese American migration to the present day.
Alford Group team members take in the shadows of the public installation at Chiyo’s Garden Fence, contemplating the legacy of Japanese American incarceration.
The group traverses Canton Alley, a cherished neighborhood landmark from the early 1900’s that was renovated in 2017. The project is one of many historic preservation projects that SCIDpda has led across the neighborhood in partnership with the Chinatown Historic Alley Partnership.
Alford Group team members soak in the mural “Never Again is Now” by artist Erin Shigaki memorializing Japanese Americans were unlawfully imprisoned in concentration camps across the country during World War II. By the 1930s the ethnic Japanese population living in Seattle had reached 8,448, out of a total city population of 368,583. Many families did not return to their homes after the war, making this mural-–among many other initiatives—an important marker of remembrance.[Source: Claiming the Oriental Gateway: Prewar Seattle and Japanese America]
The Asia Condos Mural by mural artist Lauren YS was coordinated by the CID Small Business Relief team, which consists of three community-based organizations including SCIDpda. The piece captures ties between past, present, and future within the community, representing a family coming together across generational divides.
Our Takeaways
Among many things, the walking tour experience offered Alford Group staff a profound connection to the history, challenges, and resilience of this vibrant neighborhood. It also underscored SCIDpda’s transformative work in affordable housing and economic revitalization, showcasing their commitment to inclusive community development.
In an increasing virtual world, the Alford Group team was inspired and energized to see the passionate work of current partner SCIDpda. The collaboration highlights the power of equity-centered leadership and shared values, reinforcing how collaboration can drive meaningful change in neighborhoods and organizations alike.
Alford Group is continuously grateful for the opportunity to learn firsthand about the projects and dedication that sustain the communities of nonprofits like SCIDpda and other client organizations across the country.
To learn more about the inspiring revitalization initiatives that SCIDpda is making in their community, visit: https://scidpda.org/
Thandi Cai
Former Senior Marketing Associate, Alford Group
Thandi Cai is a former Senior Marketing Associate at Alford Group with a decade of experience in community organizing, visual communication design and strategic storytelling. Outside of nonprofit storytelling, their work explores historical archiving in the Asian diaspora.
Nyla Gilstrap
Former Business Development & Marketing Intern, Alford Group
Nyla Gilstrap is a former Business Development & Marketing Intern at Alford Group. Nyla is passionate about activism and social justice, having been involved with MetroSquash and Northwestern’s Undergraduate Prison Education Program.