South End Life: Annual Vigil Supports Survivors of Gender-Based Violence

A March 2 vigil will mark a tragic event 31 years ago that still reverberates within the Filipino community. On March 2, 1995, three Filipinas were killed at the King County Courthouse: Susana Remerata Blackwell, who was eight months pregnant; Phoebe Dizon, mother of three; and Veronica Laureta Johnson, mother of two. They were at the courthouse because Remerata Blackwell was going through a divorce hearing, and Dizon and Laureta Johnson were there to support her and testify on her behalf. Then, as the three women sat on a bench in the hallway outside the courtroom, Remerata Blackwell's husband, Timothy Blackwell, shot the women at close range. The murder happened just before closing arguments.

Emma Catague distinctly remembers that day. Her work friend told her the news. "I was just shaking and started crying. My friend said, 'What's wrong?'" Catague realized her reaction wasn't just about the death of the three women. She had a personal experience with gender-based violence that she had never shared before. "What happened to Susana … It could've been me," said Catague. She said her first husband had told her, "If you leave me, I will kill you." She divorced him anyway.

Catague is one of the founding mothers of API Chaya, an organization led by survivors of domestic violence. It provides culturally sensitive support for Asian, Pacific Islander, and South Asian people who have been impacted by gender-based violence and human trafficking. In 2024, API Chaya served more than 500 clients in 22 languages. In Washington State, 45 of the 2024 homicides were linked to domestic violence. Eight were in King County, and Pierce County reported 10. A 2020 report by the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence found that 16% to 55% of Asian and Pacific Islander women have experienced intimate partner violence, a range based on multiple studies' findings.

Catague says that for her, the tragic death in 1993 of Filipina community leader Maremma "Tessie" Guzman, who was murdered by her husband, combined with the triple murder at the courthouse sparked a call to organize. Catague and two others started the Asian Pacific Islander Women and Family Safety Center (APIWFSC), which for its first few years was volunteer-run until it received more funding. In 2011, the organization merged with Chaya, a similar group that served the South Asian community. API Chaya was born. Catague retired from the group in 2014.

Catague, from Southeast Seattle, devoted her life to API Chaya's mission "because when I was in that low point by myself, there were people who stepped up and helped me. Because of them, I'm still here. If I can do the same thing, for someone else, [then] I did my job."

On Thursday, March 5, API Chaya will hold its 31st annual vigil for Remerata Blackwell, Dizon, and Laureta Johnson at the King County Courthouse.

Lori Penor has been a family care coordinator and survivor advocate at API Chaya since 2019. This means she accompanies people to court, health and immigration appointments, and more. Penor is part of the team organizing this year's vigil. 

"Courts are so hard, so bureaucratic. [The vigil] is a reclaiming of the space," Penor said, adding that the event is a gathering to grieve for the three women and will allow others who have been impacted by gender-based violence to gather together. "It's an opportunity to let grief be free and open to share."

The March 5 vigil will include guest speakers and feature altars where participants can give an offering, community art spaces with prompts, and opportunities for attendees to share experiences. Refreshments will be served, and a kids corner will also be available so families can attend together.

Claudia Alexandra Paras, from Auburn, has attended past API Chaya vigils. She's a survivor of sexual assault in the workplace. 

"When it happened, I felt very isolated, and I didn't tell anyone or begin to process it until four years later," Paras said. She pointed out that API Chaya trains survivors to help other survivors in the Asian Pacific Islander and South Asian community. 

"Connection is at the heart of where change starts. Being able to offer reflective support services and a community is pivotal to survivors. Our healing can begin anytime, and the healing continues."

Paras says she attends because of the community that's dedicated to ending gender-based violence. "The event holds all the complexities, like tragedy, grief, anger, and what comes from that is the connection and the commitment. This is a reminder that the community said, 'No. We're not going to accept [gender-based violence]. We're going to find a solution.'" Paras added, "Something horrific happened, and then what grew out of that is our power."

The 31st annual API Chaya Community Vigil will be held Thursday, March 5, at the King County Courthouse, 9th floor, 4–6 p.m.

Editors' Note: This article was updated to correct the date of the vigil.