Identity
Four Hirabayashi Cousins: A Question of Identity - Part 1By James A. Hirabayashi In preparation of the Enduring Communities National Conference (July 3-6, 2008 in Denver, CO), we are posting an essay by James Hirabayashi that was originally published in the book, Nikkei in the Pacific Northwest: Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians in the Twentieth Century. James Hirabayashi will be a featured speaker at the National Conference in a panel titled, "Words Matter: Language and the World War II Japanese American Experience." -ed. The sudden onset of World War II on December 7, 1941, thrust the issue of identity to the forefront for all Japanese Americans. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 authorizing the War Department to prescribe military areas from which any or all persons might be excluded.
Their Pride - Filmmaker documents the story of Black Japanese in GeorgiaBy Bobby Okinaka Yohei Suzuki is a 30-year old documentary filmmaker based in New York, NY. In 2006, he produced and directed Our Pride: The Spirits of Black Japanese in Georgia, a documentary about families where the father is Black and the mother is Japanese and their children are both. The story touches upon bi-racial identity in a culture that is almost exclusively Black; a perspective that has rarely been touched before.
Analyze My Face: Hapas, exoticism and the entertainment industryBy Leah Nanako Winkler I have hazel eyes. My skin is pale, my nose is tall and my hips are hopelessly wide. At first glance there is nothing about me, or so I am constantly told, that looks remotely Japanese. This is why he wanted to take me out of the shot. I heard him utter the recurring phrase of my life, the one that was born in the mouths of the children at Hiroba Koen and echoed to lips of an up and coming film director in New York City on the set of a big budget feature.
Embracing HistoryBy Joey Furutani Joey Furutani is featured in a public program by Discover Nikkei titled, "From One Generation to the Next—Families Intersecting with History" on May 17, 2008 at the Japanese American National Museum. This essay was originally written for an Asian American studies class answering the question, "How does your life intersect with history?" -ed. From the day I set foot on the campus of UCLA for the first time, I have been mistaken for every ethnicity besides Japanese. As I walk up Bruinwalk on my way to class, I mistakenly get fliers for Samahang Pilipino and Southeast Asian Studies majors. A dark complexion and large eyes must be the misleading features that I possess. Having been involved in an Asian-American fraternity for the past two years, I have had numerous encounters where the mystery of my actual ethnicity is the topic of discussion. When I tell them that I am a fifth-generation Japanese-American, most people are left in disbelief.
日系人研究再考 ―上智大学ワークショップについて―フォンセカ酒井・アルベルト清 あるコミュニティについて語られるとき、通常二つの営みが同時に行われる。一つはそのコミュニティを定義する営みであり、もう一つはそのコミュニティの成員を特定することである。このような「定義」と「メンバーシップ」の営みによって、各々のコミュニティが措定され、内部からでも外部からでも認知可能な社会的カテゴリーが形成される。 いうまでもないが、社会的カテゴリーとは固定化されたものではなく、歴史的な背景や文化的・社会的文脈によって意味と意義が変容するものである。つまり、社会的カテゴリーは常にダイナミックに流動するものであり、日常の場面で人びとによって交渉されるものである。
Quarter Life Identity CrisisBy Leah Nanako Winkler My quarter life identity crisis began out of nowhere on the late night G train back to Bedford Stuyvesent. Four stops away from my apartment I am suddenly plagued by an overwhelming sense of bittersweet loneliness and deep-rooted frustration. All I can do is dig out my journal from my backpack and write the following four sentences down on paper:
Growing Up Japanese in the SouthBy Danielle Arikawa “Tazuko, don’t marry him! He’s an American!” My grandma’s father was very against her marrying my grandpa, an American GI. It had only been 20 years since World War II had ended, and he still did not trust Americans. To him, all Americans were bad, especially American soldiers. During WWII, they had broken into his house and stolen everything of value, including family heirlooms that had been in the family for generations. But my grandma, being a rebellious 25 year-old, ignored him and married my grandpa in Tokyo.
Aman Nagamiyura: Uchinanchu Diaspora BluesBy Wesley Ueunten I was honored to be part of the panel discussion on “Okinawans and their Global Networks” at the Japanese American National Museum on March 1, 2008. The information provided by Professors Hiroyuki Kinjo, Naomi Noiri, and Kentarō Kuwatsuka from the University of the Ryukyus gave me a wider understanding of Okinawans around the world. The heartfelt presentation by my colleague and friend Yuko Yamauchi of the Okinawa Association of America about her experiences in Okinawa also inspired me. Participation on that panel got me thinking more deeply about the Uchinanchu diaspora. “Uchinaanchu” is the Okinawa word for “person of Okinawa,” while diaspora refers to “the scattering of seeds.” “Uchinaanchu diapora,” therefore, refers to the people who have spread out from Okinawa to the rest the world.
kip fulbeck: part asian, 100% hapa – an artist’s thoughtsby Kip Fulbeck kip fulbeck: part asian, 100% hapa is an exhibition of portraits by artist and filmmaker Kip Fulbeck. The exhibition is showing at the 7th Floor Gallery at A/P/A Institute in New York City through May 30, 2008. For more information visit the exhibition Web site. Discover Nikkei asked Kip to share his views on the exhibition and its impact, and he responded with a list of frequently asked questions along with his answers. -.ed
kip fulbeck: part asian, 100% hapa – an artist’s thoughtsby Kip Fulbeck kip fulbeck: part asian, 100% hapa is an exhibition of portraits by artist and filmmaker Kip Fulbeck. The exhibition is showing at the 7th Floor Gallery at A/P/A Institute in New York City through May 30, 2008. For more information visit the exhibition Web site. Discover Nikkei asked Kip to share his views on the exhibition and its impact, and he responded with a list of frequently asked questions along with his answers. -.ed 
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