Q&A: Ron Chew is a historian, journalist, activist…and now, AARP leader

Ron Chew is a lifelong Seattleite and community advocate. His memoir, “My Unforgotten Seattle,” tells the story of the city, from its leaders to the experiences of immigrant families to the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and more. Photo: AARP.

As the new president of the Washington chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons, Ron Chew, ’02, former editor of the International Examiner and former director of the Wing Luke Museum, plans to draw from his years of experience. He talked about his new role with Hannelore Sudermann.

I volunteered for the position because the AARP is a powerful organization with a long history of nonpartisan organizing, and I like that it is so tightly focused on improving the lives of others by creating support systems that value individuals regardless of age.

I’m turning 72 in May, and I’m keenly aware of a lot of issues that affect seniors, from Social Security to the cost of health care to creating opportunities for aging in place and staying in your community where you can be engaged as an elder sharing knowledge and, hopefully, wisdom.

One thing I was troubled by in the last election was that the national dialog became centered around whether an old person should still run for public office at the highest level. It became a battle of two declining white men whose intelligence and reaction time were beginning to falter. I come from a culture that values elders. While you may be slower to respond, your judgment becomes better. Your problem-solving evolves and new avenues open up that weren’t as visible when you were younger.

I can bring to the AARP the notion that in society, in this country, let’s think about aging and this period of elderhood as a gift. If we can keep our bodies relatively healthy, maintain social connection, exercise and have healthy diets, in those remaining years we can contribute back to society. We don’t see seniors as burdens but as leaders and contributors.

I had been raising money for an aging-in-place facility on Beacon Hill. It will be opening later this fall. The program and facility will provide support to help nursing home-eligible seniors remain in their homes. I’ve seen with my parents’ generation a lot of folks put away in institutional settings where they’re really not happy and comfortable. Meanwhile, our neighborhoods were stripped of seniors. That started me thinking more about senior issues.

The AARP has 870,000 members in Washington. I’ve been thinking about things they’re fighting for: Family caregiver support, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, fraud abuse and low-income housing are just some of the issues.

This volunteer role is a wonderful opportunity to connect with people of like mind who share the same perspectives. As you get older and you encounter some of these older folks, you realize you have these common issues you deal with: health concerns, ways to keep active, being able to contribute to society. You just have a common agenda.

I still run every day. There’s no reason I can’t. I just go slower. I put in 8 or 9 miles most every morning. I’m still trying to stay in my house and my neighborhood and be contributing. We need to find more ways to support people like me and help them to stay in place and stay engaged.