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DESCRIPTION:For Immediate Release					For more information\, contact\nMay 1
 5\, 2008				                Michele Welsing\, (323) 759-6063\n\nOkinawan A
 merican Activist Dick Jiro Kobashigawa to be \nHonored by Southern Califor
 nia Library on May 31\n\nOkinawan American Dick Jiro Kobashigawa\, age 93\
 , will be honored by the Southern California Library for his more than sev
 en decades of activism for peace and justice.\n\nA ceremony highlighting K
 obashigawa’s life of activism will be held Saturday\, May 31\, from 2 p.
 m.\, at the library\, 6120 S. Vermont Ave.\, in south Los Angeles. At the 
 ceremony\, a plaque will be mounted on the library’s Wall of Honor that 
 recognizes other long-time activists in the region.\n\nA former long-time 
 resident of the Japanese American Sawtelle community of west Los Angeles\,
  Kobashigawa was born in 1914 in Phoenix\, Arizona. He currently lives in 
 San Francisco with his son’s family.\n\nThrough Okinawan immigrant organ
 izations from the 1930s to the 1970s\, he joined with others to promote pe
 ace and justice in the U.S. and Japan\, worker rights for immigrants\, and
  political awareness through cultural activities.\n\nIn the 1970s\, Kobash
 igawa along with other Okinawa American leaders helped younger activists i
 n the Asian American Movement form new community groups\, such as the Japa
 nese Welfare Rights Organization in Little Tokyo.\n\nKobashigawa and other
  leaders of the Okinawa Club of America were instrumental in having the UC
 LA Asian American Studies Center publish in 1989 an English language versi
 on of the book History of the Okinawans in North America. The English lang
 uage translation was provided by his son\, Professor Ben Kobashigawa\, who
  now teaches Asian American Studies at the San Francisco State University.
 \n\nAccording to UCLA Professor Russell C. Leong\, this volume is one of t
 he few collections of translated primary documents of community organizing
  activities in an early Asian immigrant community and focuses on the key r
 ole of the Okinawan immigrant left in influencing political development of
  Asian Americans.\n\nKobashigawa has also written several short books\, in
 cluding Hitome-bore (“Love at First Sight”) - published in both Japane
 se and English\, Scotland no tabi (“Journey” – published in Japanese
 )\, and Serenity in Gardens\, which incorporates some stories about the Is
 sei Left.\n\n“Ever since I’ve known him\, Mr. Kobashigawa has served a
 s a bridge-builder between generations of older and younger activists\,”
  said high school teacher and community activist Tony Osumi.\n\nYuko Yamau
 chi\, office manager for the Gardena-based Okinawa Association of America 
 (formerly the Okinawa Club of America)\, highlighted the ways Kobashigawa 
 has helped younger Okinawan Americans to learn about their heritage. “Mr
 . Kobashigawa generously shared his library of books\, photos\, and films\
 , and was equally generous with his time to meet and talk-story about sign
 ificant historical events that affected the L.A. Okinawan American communi
 ty. These events are either unknown or glossed over in most books.”\n\nT
 he Southern California Library was originally founded by Los Angeles activ
 ists in 1963 as an archive to document the history of grassroots movements
  and in recent years has expanded its mission to serve as a social justice
  resource center for movements for peace and justice today.\n\nThe library
 ’s Wall of Honor currently honors 271 activists. According to Michele We
 lsing\, the library’s Communications Director\, past honorees have inclu
 ded several Japanese American activists\, such as Arthur Takei\, James Omu
 ra\, Flora Murai\, and Sue Embrey.\n
DTSTAMP:20240419T142530Z
SUMMARY:Okinawan American Activist Dick Jiro Kobashigawa to be honored by S
 outhern California Library
URL:/en/events/2008/05/31/okinawan-american-activist-dick-jiro-kobashigawa-
 t/
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