The topic of traditions to honor our ancestors brings me back to my “small kid days” as a Sansei Okinawan growing up on the island of Kaua‘i in Hawai‘i. On Sundays I was taught at the Christian church that sinners would go to hell. Sin included both murder and worshipping “graven images.” After church, my […]
Planning a memorial in North Dakota
June 10, 2010 by Leave a Comment
We gathered over the Memorial Day weekend as special guests of United Tribes Technical College, located on the grounds of Fort Lincoln, Bismarck, N.D. This was one of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) internment sites that operated between 1941 to 1946, holding approximately 1,800 Japanese and 1,500 Germans. Overall, about 6,000 Germans and Japanese from […]
Fifth annual Florin Manzanar Pilgrimage A vital journey into understanding
May 27, 2010 by Leave a Comment
A Pakistani American high school student from the city of Elk Grove, an adult education teacher from Berkeley, a World War II Military Intelligence Service veteran from Merced, a Nisei draft resister from Galt, and two peace activists from Davis. What could bring such a hodgepodge of people together? The Florin Manzanar Pilgrimage — a vital […]
Multiracial: At home in the world
May 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Growing up multiethnic (a mixture of Japanese, Filipino and Spanish blood) on three continents (Asia, Europe and the U.S.) means that I feel at home in many environments; or rather, that different parts of me feel at home in different environments. It means that I am not 100 percent the child of any one country […]
Take Two Multiracial artist and new father turns camera on kids in “Hapa” book follow up
May 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
In 2009, Justice Keith Bardwell of Louisiana refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple. When a local newspaper asked the justice why he refused to marry the couple, he replied, “My main concern is for the children.” When asked the same question, “What would happen to the children,” Kip Fulbeck — filmmaker, […]
Multiracial: Not so black and white
May 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
On March 29, U.S. President Barack Obama sat down and filled out the U.S. federal census form for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. He included his wife Michelle, daughters Sasha and Malia, and his mother-in-law Marian Robinson as members of his household. When he came to Question 9, which asks the person’s race, he filled in the […]
Multiracial & Multiethnic Special Issue: Introduction
May 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
In 2007, Hapa Issues Forum formally closed down. Founded in 1992 to provide a voice for multiracial Nikkei, the organization eventually expanded to serve a wider Asian American constituency, but languished into inactivity during its final years. In 2008, the Nichi Bei Times published its first special edition dedicated to multiracial and multiethnic topics. Although […]
Children and Youth Dept. turns its back on Japantown
May 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Lori Kunihara says that she owes a lot to the Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC) and her involvement in the Japantown Youth Leaders (JYL) program. “JYL taught me the value of serving the community and really gave me a sense of belonging. I learned so much from the staff of JYL and being in the […]
Multiracial: Border Crosser: Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu navigates nations, cultures and academia
May 20, 2010 by 2 Comments
Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu is looking again toward Japan. A psychotherapist, writer and academic, Murphy-Shigematsu has lived in Palo Alto, Calif. the past eight years, teaching at Stanford University and running an independent multicultural consulting practice. Life in the Bay Area, he says, is easy for someone like him, the son of an Irish American man and […]
Reflecting upon ancestors in the Konko religious tradition
In the Konko faith, we call ancestors “mitama” in Japanese, which means “divine spirit.” The Konko founder said, “Because humans are born through the blessings of Kami/God, they must also die with the blessings of Kami. Therefore, if a child’s birth is a happy event, then death is a much happier event since one becomes […]