Joemy Ito-Gates was 3,000 miles from home in Northampton, Mass. the first time she learned about the mass incarceration of persons of Japanese descent in U.S. concentration camps. Her arrival at Smith College in the late ‘90s was the first time she had any in-depth exposure to Asian American history. “I felt catharsis, and a […]
Archives for September 2022
Berkeley ethnic studies teacher Joemy Ito-Gates works to make the school system more equitable
September 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Cancer survivor Paul Goodman’s ‘No No Girl’ premieres
September 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Paul Goodman finished his film “No No Girl” in a matter of months despite battling leukemia. Goodman was first diagnosed with cancer in 2016. After receiving chemotherapy, the young filmmaker went into remission for four years. Unfortunately, he relapsed in 2021. “It was severe. The relapse showed that the chemotherapy did not work and in […]
Cultivating Multitudes: Santa Cruz farmer Kellee Matsushita-Tseng stewards seeds and self
September 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Tiny beige flecks showered down from the desiccated stalk of celtuce in Kellee Matsushita-Tseng’s gloved hands. As the determined farmer tapped it rhythmically against the edge of a black plastic tub, the stalk’s withered sprigs rustled softly, making a sound like the fluttering paper streamers on a Shinto priest’s purification wand. The bottom of the […]
‘HERbeat’: Asian women lead ‘a new era of taiko’
September 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment
“We hope to inspire people not to have the courage to win at all cost, but to persevere through all adversity.” – Tiffany Tamaribuchi, “Finding Her Beat” Not even Tiffany Tamaribuchi could have anticipated the extreme adversity she and 17 taiko women faced when Tamaribuchi and concert partner Jennifer Weir brought together an “all-star” cast […]
Former L.A. Times editor Henry Fuhrmann dies
September 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Henry Fuhrmann, a former assistant managing editor for the Los Angeles Times, passed away on Sept. 14, at the age of 65. The journalist and self-described “word nerd” saw the hyphen, especially in regards to race and ethnicity, as “an unnecessary and derogative diminution of American identities and understood that no battle was too small […]
Looking through a lotus root
September 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment
My kids, 12 and 9, are Chinese and Japanese American, their elementary school in Oakland, Calif. primarily Asian American, and the two branches of their families both began immigrating to California over a century ago. Thanks to their family and community, they are surrounded by various reminders of their cultural heritage. Of these, food might […]
Helping my mixed-race kids rethink their ideas about race and privilege
September 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment
A few months ago, while I was getting my 6-year-old ready for an evening bath, he pointed to his deeply tanned arm and blurted out that he was white because his skin is white. I quickly replied, “Your skin is not white, darling, and being white is not really about the actual color of your […]
Suzuki to retire after A’s series
September 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment
ARLINGTON, Texas — Veteran catcher Kurt Suzuki of the Angels said winning the World Series with Washington in 2019 was a big factor in the 38-year-old’s decision to retire after the season, the Associated Press reported Sept. 21. The 2014 All-Star, 38, said spending more time with his children was equally important. A native of […]
Hiroshima bombing recalled in Oregon ‘peace trees’ campaign
September 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment
SALEM, Ore. — Hideko Tamura Snider was a 10-year-old girl in Hiroshima, Japan, when the United States detonated an atomic bomb over the city on Aug. 6, 1945, during World War II. On Sept. 21, she described the horrors of that day as the guest of honor in a ceremony marking the culmination of a […]
State funeral for ex-PM Abe draws protesters as well as mourners
September 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment
TOKYO — Thousands gathered in the streets of Tokyo on Sept. 27 to voice opposition to a state funeral for slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, while mourners formed long lines to lay flowers for the late Japanese leader and praised his diplomatic and economic accomplishments. Many people brought flowers to special stands set up […]
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