Koji Steven Sakai
@ksakaiKoji Steven Sakai ha escrito cuatro largometrajes que han sido producidos, Haunted Highway (2006), The People I’ve Slept With (2009), Monster & Me (2012) y #1 Serial Killer (2012). También fue productor de The People I’ve Slept With y de #1 Serial Killer. Su guión de largometraje, Romeo, Juliet & Rosaline, fue adquirido por los Estudios Amazon. La novela debut de Koji, Romeo & Juliet Vs. Zombies, fue publicada por Luthando Coeur, la editorial de fantasía de Zharmae Publishing Press en febrero de 2015.
Última actualización en marzo de 2015
Historias de Este Autor
Frank Abe of Conscience and the Constitution
24 de febrero de 2012 • Koji Steven Sakai
The generally accepted Japanese American narrative goes something like this: We came to this country. There was discrimination. Then Pearl Harbor happened. We went peacefully to the concentration camps and then while there we remained docile and peaceful. Some fought bravely in Europe and helped win the respect of the country which 50 years later resulted in reparations and an official apology. While a lot of that is true, there was also a group of people in the 1940s that …
Mari Watanabe, Executive Director, Oregon Nikkei Endowment
17 de febrero de 2012 • Koji Steven Sakai
Mari Watanabe is the Executive Director of the Oregon Nikkei Endowment (ONE), a non-profit that preserves the history and culture of the Japanese Americans in Oregon. Prior to joining ONE, Ms. Watanabe worked for 25 years in the apparel field with major brand labels where her work took her primarily to Asia, Europe and Central America. Since transitioning to work in the non-profit field and ONE in July 2008, she has she has expanded the educational focus to a more …
The Top Non-Asian Civil Rights Heroes For Japanese Americans
9 de febrero de 2012 • Koji Steven Sakai
After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, there was only one national organization that was willing to stand up for the rights of Japanese Americans (JAs). They were the Quakers. Not only did they speak out against the unconstitutional incarceration of JAs they helped many of the Nisei (second generation) kids go to college. Even though the Quakers were the only national group, there were some brave individuals who spoke out for the rights of Japanese Americans. These individuals were willing to …
Filmmaker Derek Shimoda, June Bride: Redemption of a Yakuza
2 de febrero de 2012 • Koji Steven Sakai
One of my favorite Asian American documentaries is The Killing of the Chinese Fortune Cookie, so when I heard the filmmaker, Derek Shimoda, was making another doc, I wanted to find out more. I had an opportunity to sit down with Derek and ask him 8Questions. Derek Shimoda is a Los Angeles native. He produced the feature film In My Life as well as the acclaimed documentary Secret Asian Man, an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival. He wrote, …
Claire Mix, Producer/Writer/Director of Gila River and Mama: The Ruth Mix Story
26 de enero de 2012 • Koji Steven Sakai
The first national organization to speak out against the illegal incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II was the Quakers. The Quakers have a long standing commitment to progressive causes. Many don’t know this but they were one of the first groups to fight to abolish slavery and have advocated for women’s rights and later civil rights as well. (To see some of the causes they are currently fighting for, click here.) Although the Quakers were the only national …
70th Anniversary of the Signing of Executive Order 9066
17 de enero de 2012 • Koji Steven Sakai
2012 marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066. For those of you who don’t know, 9066 was the order that eventually led to the unconstitutional incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. It was signed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. Here’s a quote from the order: “…from which any or all persons may be excluded, and with respect to which, the right of any person to enter, remain in, or leave …
Top 5 Favorite Things About Japanese New Years
2 de enero de 2012 • Koji Steven Sakai
Besides Groundhog Day, my favorite holiday is New Years. I look forward to it every year. I always forget though that most people (in America) just think it’s a day to watch football and the Rose Parade. For those who don’t know, New Years or oshogatsu in Japan (and for Japanese Americans) is the most important and elaborate holiday of the year. Japanese Americans (JAs) have lost much of the Japanese part of their culture. I believe it’s due to …
A Response To New York Times’ “The How of an Internment, but Not All the Whys”
21 de diciembre de 2011 • Koji Steven Sakai
Author’s note: Although I am employed by the Japanese American National Museum, this article should not be construed as coming from the National Museum. Instead, this article is my personal opinion and should be taken as such.On December 9, 2011 the New York Times published an article titled, “The How of an Internment, but Not All the Whys,” by Edward Rothstein. This article is not only offensive but worse, it is ignorant. It is appalling that such a prestigious newspaper …
Why Are Asians Yellow?
9 de diciembre de 2011 • Koji Steven Sakai
African Americans are black. Caucasians are white. Latinos are brown. But why are Asians yellow? When I look at my skin, it doesn’t look yellow to me. If anything, it looks olive and if I’ve been in the sun at all, it’s brown. So if I’m not yellow-skinned, where does that idea come from? Because I’m constantly interested in racial stereotypes, I decided to do some Internet research on the origins of skin color, specifically the idea that Asians have …
Sonia Sakamoto-Jog, Executive Director, Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival
21 de octubre de 2011 • Koji Steven Sakai
Sonia Sakamoto-Jog (pictured on the left) joined Reel Asian as Executive Director in May of 2009 after graduating from the MBA program at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.Prior to being hired at Reel Asian, she worked at Maximum Films International (now a division of Entertainment One) where she was involved in all aspects of acquisitions, marketing, and sales. Her previous experience includes two years working as a strategy consultant for a branding agency in Tokyo, …
