Kimiko Medlock

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Kimiko Medlock is an occasional freelance writer currently living in the Bay area. She holds an MA in modern Japanese history.

Updated January 2022

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Inspire Forward: Nikkei Heroes Under 30

Emily Teraoka: Inspiring Conversations through public service at Minidoka National Historic Site

By Kimiko Medlock
26 May 2022

Emily Teraoka grew up around both the Japanese and Mexican cultures that are part of her heritage, but they were sprinkled into a mix of quintessentially American things—country music, pickup trucks, weekend sports, and big Halloween parties around her family’s home in Fresno, California. It wasn’t until college that she began exploring her yonsei Nikkei identity. Today, she is Lead Park Ranger for Minidoka National Historic Site, where she has the opportunity to build relationships and inspire conversations about the legacy of the WWII incarceration camps. Discover …

food en ja es pt

Oshōgatsu in the Pandemic…Again

By Kimiko Medlock
3 Feb 2022

Nima-kai Traditions: Oshogatsu Foods 2022 After another long, trying year, Nikkei around the world celebrated Oshōgatsu 2022 with just as much joy as ever. They gathered when it was safe, met virtually when it was not, cooked up delicious osechi foods they normally buy or eat at parties, and toasted to a better new year. In our January e-newsletter, Discover Nikkei put out a call for photos sharing the foods Nikkei were eating to celebrate the new year around the world. We received submissions in English, Japanese, Spanish, and Portuguese. A Discover Nikkei volunteer, Alison Skilbred, has c…

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New Film Paper Chase Tells the Story of Japanese American Media

By Kimiko Medlock
12 Oct 2021

Japanese and Japanese American newspapers have been faithfully chronicling the history of the Japanese immigrant community since the late 1800s in the United States and Canada. Organizations such as The Rafu Shimpo (founded in Los Angeles, in 1903), among many others, have gathered Japanese American stories and used them to create a sense of connection and to celebrate a shared heritage. Paper Chase (2021), a new full-length documentary by the Zentoku Foundation, tells the story of how these vital, local news organizations rose and evolved since the late 1800s, and the challenges they fa…

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The Incarceration in Context: New book paints the story of JA oppression, incarceration, and resilience

By Kimiko Medlock
23 Sep 2021

“Why should we care today about events that happened nearly eighty years ago? We should care because there are those today who cite the Japanese American incarceration as ‘precedent’ for “rounding up” others on the basis of race, national origin, and religion, for no justifiable reason. We should care when our government acts in unconstitutional ways.” — When Can We Go Back to America?, p.xxii Professor Susan H. Kamei first began pulling together materials for a course called “War, Race, and the Constitution” incarceration at the …

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JANM’s Media Arts Center Spotlight

By Kimiko Medlock
17 Jul 2020

“There are so many wonderful stories waiting to be told. Just like the ‘junk’ in your parent’s garage that might really be an artifact that could be at home in JANM’s collection, families don’t always realize how valuable and interesting their own stories are. For MAC, we try to capture and preserve these stories to share with new audiences.” — Evan Kodani, MAC team member The Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) has been nominated for an LA-area Emmy Award for its recent feature documentary, M…

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Japanese migrants and their descendants

Kimiko Medlock

Inspire Forward: Nikkei Heroes Under 30

Series this author contributes to

Inspire Forward: Nikkei Heroes Under 30

Graziela Tamanaha: Young Leadership and Inspiration in the Brazilian Nikkei Community—Part 1

Jaime Ajito: Ambassador of Nikkei Cuisine

Foujita Discovers the Americas: An Artist's Tour - Part 1

Nikkei Chronicles #9—More Than a Game: Nikkei Sports

Fishing Four

My Name is Neal

Journal Entry #2 in First Class: "Fantasy Traveling..."

9th Annual Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest

Through The Opera Glasses

日系（ニッケイ）—をめぐって

第10回 舞鶴と桜と日系アメリカ兵士

In Search of Loyalty — The Munson Memos

Japanese Canadians: Race, Religion, and Confinement

書評：和泉真澄『日系カナダ人の移動と運動―知られざる日本人の越境生活史』

1992年渡米、目標は「アカデミー賞」— 俳優の井上英治さん

Kizuna 2020: Nikkei Kindness and Solidarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Tiempos pandémicos: teletrabajo y koden digital

Kizuna 2020: Nikkei Kindness and Solidarity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 e os heróis anônimos

香川県海外移民の父：今雪真一の情熱と功績

第３部：金子正則知事の南米訪問とその主な見解

Episode 9

Itadakimasu 3! Nikkei Food, Family, and Community

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Journal Entry #2 in First Class: "Fantasy Traveling..."

Through The Opera Glasses

In Search of Loyalty — The Munson Memos

Japanese Canadians: Race, Religion, and Confinement

Vancouver’s Tonari Gumi: Keeping Jun’s Magnificent Dream Alive - Part 1

Thanks a Million, Norm!

Chapter 3: Torajiro and Kiku Hamano and Julius Rosenwald in Chicago

Journal Entry #90% of Us Experience Them: "Stuck Tunes..."

Food for Thought — TikTok & Tamagoyaki

Akashi-Kama: Inspired by Japanese-Americans. Created for Everyone.

Japanese-Brazilian Food: Japanese Cuisine with a Brazilian Touch

Journal Entry #1 Gigaparsec Away: "Howdy, Stranger..."

Tsunagu: Connecting Family Stories through the Generations

Tell me

JANM Volunteer Reflects on Southern California Roots and World War II Experiences

Emily Teraoka: Inspiring Conversations through public service at Minidoka National Historic Site

Karen Maeda Allman's Life in Punk Rock - Part 2

Discover Nikkei Needs Your Help!

Journal Entry #Athens, 1896: "New Medal Sports..."

The Times of Tulelake

Chapter 5: Expectations of the Japanese Consulate

Tani Jôji: Chronicles of a Japanese Vagabond in America - Part 2

Eugenie Clark Swam with Sharks and Blazed a Path for Women in Science

J is for Junichiro

Nikkei Families in Cuzco

The Kai family: A Transnational Nisei Story - Part 2

Karen Maeda Allman's Life in Punk Rock - Part 3

I’m so disappointed to see stereotyped snack packaging in my supermarket

Journal Entry #5 Existential Queries: "WTF, Right?..."

Jan Johnson of Japantown's Panama Hotel: "Saving History Saves the Future" - Part 2

Kyoko Norma Nozaki Sensei: “A Minority of Minorities” - Part 2

Daisuke Kitagawa: Civil Rights and Anti-Racism Activist — Part 2

Moving Farewell to Beloved Heart Mountain Farmer

Tani Jôji: Chronicles of a Japanese Vagabond in America - Part 1

Eighty Years Ago The World Changed For Japanese Canadians

William Denman: A Voice of Dissent on the Courts - Part 2

Chapter 1: Introduction

The Kai family: A Transnational Nisei Story - Part 1

Journal Entry #Perry White, 1946: "It's All Cattywampus!..."

How a Japanese-American Owned Real Estate Firm Broke up Racist Covenants in Southern California - Part 2

Saving the Voices of the Past: An Interview with Arthur Hansen

Jan Johnson of Japantown's Panama Hotel: "Saving History Saves the Future" - Part 1

Kyoko Norma Nozaki Sensei: “A Minority of Minorities” - Part 1

Daisuke Kitagawa: Civil Rights and Anti-Racism Activist — Part 1

The Nikkei community in Uberlândia: dispersed or uninterested?

Chapter 2: Popularity and Criticism of Japanese Servants

第10回舞鶴と桜と日系アメリカ兵士