Part 1: Michael Sasaki I’m sitting in the frigid cold of an air that has been conditioned to make the arms on your hair stand on end. While awaiting the arrival of my two interviewees, I am in familiar territory. The Peet’s Coffee & Tea location in which I find myself, employed me not but […]
Senbei Says...
"Senbei Says..." is a Hip-Hop-centric blog dedicated to social justice, music, sports, identity politics, critical education, ethnic studies, sustainable loving/living and the art of gaman.
‘Bridging the Gap’: In Conversation with Sansei Musician/Producer/Songwriter Michael Sasaki & Nisei Educator/Writer/Performer George Yoshida
July 8, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Re: Connection — dNaga danceNAGANUMA’s 10th anniversary
June 23, 2011 by 1 Comment
I’m sitting with my wife in Laney College’s theater in Oakland, Calif. as the curtains draw for Artistic Director and Choreographer Claudine Naganuma’s 10th anniversary of dNaga danceNAGANUMA, admittedly not sure what to expect. I’ve been graciously comped two tickets by a very thoughtful person who had read my previous post on Yuri Kochiyama and […]
“Ga(wo)man”: On Yuri Kochiyama & Sexism/Patriarchy in Japanese American Culture
March 8, 2011 by 4 Comments
Note: For readers who are not of Nikkei heritage, Gaman means “to persevere through extremely difficult times with patience, grace and dignity.” With March being Women’s Herstory Month, we may assume by inference – if we are to look deep enough together – that January, February, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November […]
‘Mourning Breath’: On Historical Amnesia, D.O.R., Love & Revolution
February 7, 2011 by 1 Comment
Just a little over two weeks ago, I celebrated the 25th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday becoming a national holiday. I did so by accompanying a group of high school youth to Youth Speaks’ “Bringin’ the Noise for Dr. King,” event in San Francisco, California. The clarity with which the young poets (ranging […]
Unmasking the Yonsei: 4th Generation Japanese Americans & Our Relationship/s to Racism & White Supremacy, Part 2
January 14, 2011 by 1 Comment
Part 2: Removing the Mask Relatively small though we are, as a Nikkei community, our growing acceptance into dominant white, middle-class culture is something I do not take lightly (particularly as a Japanese American with European ancestry). I have come to notice that false binaries (i.e. “Republicans vs. Democrats”) have and continue to play a […]
Unmasking the Yonsei: 4th Generation Japanese Americans and Our Relationship/s to Racism & White Supremacy, Part 1
January 6, 2011 by 8 Comments
Part 1: Identifying the Mask James Baldwin once wrote, “Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.” When it comes to issues of love and sustainability, from the 442nd and Patsy Mink, to Yuri Kochiyama and Richard Aoki, Americans of Nikkei heritage have shown undeniable brilliance […]
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