Meet Eddie

A Story of Resilience, Community, and Fighting for Justice

Eddie is the son of a Taiwanese immigrant who came to the U.S. for a brighter future and who met Eddie’s mom, a single parent at the time. His parents faced prejudice as an inter-racial couple married only a few years after Loving v. Virginia legalized it. As a young child, his parents spent long hours at work and often lived apart as they struggled to bridge their cultural differences, so his older brother mostly raised him. Both Eddie and his brother worked in high school and college to help make ends meet. Eddie worked as a house painter, a janitor at a local church, and a bike messenger. Still, financial aid and scholarships were needed to pay for his education. 

Growing up in the south, Eddie stood out. There was not a larger Asian American community near him, and at times he felt ashamed of his different ethnic background because of the discrimination he faced. Eddie wanted to raise his kids where they could be proud of their heritage. Eddie and his wife Jennifer, a public school teacher, found that place on Beacon Hill, a diverse and thriving community that welcomed them and made them feel safe.

Like too many families, depression and alcoholism have taken a toll on Eddie’s family and friends. He lost his older brother to alcoholism and a close friend to depression. In college, Eddie struggled with depression himself, dropping out of school for a short time.  Eddie has seen that mental health challenges and substance abuse affect all of us, regardless of race or class, but those with the fewest resources are most likely to fall through the cracks and end up on our streets.

Union Household and Union Values

Early in his career, Eddie got a job as a secretary at a law firm focused on representing labor unions. Their work supporting labor negotiations, holding big businesses accountable for violating worker protections, and ensuring the fundamental right to organize, inspired Eddie to go to law school at Seattle University. As a law student summer intern at the Washington Education Association, he was able to continue that dream supporting teachers and staff working tirelessly for our kids. He is beyond proud to be married to a life-long educator and union leader. Together they raise their kids to instill union values, bringing them to rallies, and to Olympia to lobby for school funding. Eddie is proud to be part of a union household and believes that unions are critical to uplifting the working class, defending democracy, and creating a more equitable City.