Ronald Takaki at Northeastern University, 16 October 2007. Photograph by Eddric Le. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Japanese American, History Ronald Takaki (1939-2009) Dr. Ronald Takaki was a leading scholar on U.S. race relations and American multicultural studies. A historian and an ethnographer, he established the nation’s first …
Left: Lane Ryo Hirabayashi. Photo from the Los Angeles Times, by Jake Fabricius Photography. Right: James Hirabayashi. Photo from Nichi Bei Weekly Report Japanese American, Ethnic Studies, Activism, Museum Work James Hirabayashi, Lane Ryo Hirabayashi (1926-2012), (1952-2020) Father and son, James Hirabayashi and Lane Hirabayashi were anthropologists who often collaborated, but also pursued distinct areas …
Yuri Kochiyama speaks at an anti-war demonstration in New York City’s Central Park around 1968. Courtesy of the Kochiyama family/UCLA Asian American Studies Center. Human Rights Activist, Community Convener, Social Justice Mentor Yuri Kochiyama (1921-2014) Yuri Kochiyama, née Mary Yuriko Nakahara, was an iconic activist. Revered as an ancestor by many communities, her endeavors are …
Photo from 2007 NEA National Heritage Fellow announcement, photograph by Michael G. Stewart Japanese American, Literature, Activism, Ethnography Violet Kazue de Cristoforo (1917-2007) Violet Kazue de Cristoforo was a 2007 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow, recognized as a writer, translator, and editor of poetry, specifically the Japanese forms of haiku and tanka. …
Buddhist Church Reverend Yoshio Iwanaga (Poston block 219-2-D). Photo from postonupdates.blogspot.com page on marriages at Poston II Buddhist Church. Cultural activists, choreographer, musician Reverend Yoshio Iwanaga and Helen Chizuko Okamoto Iwanaga (1900-1950) and (1914-2007) The Iwanagas established the Japanese American tradition of bon-odori, or the ritual participatory dances that are now widely practiced in Buddhist …
Reverend Yoshio Iwanaga and Helen Chizuko Okamoto Iwanaga Read More »