The North American Post Vol. 75, Issue 20, October 23, 2020

October 23, 2020 Vol. 75, Issue 20 Published Every 2nd and 4th Friday

FEATURE

Your Link to Seattle’s Japanese Community Since 1902

Michelle Kumata, A Japanese-American Artist with Brazilian Ancestral Roots Interview by Elaine Ikoma Ko, Special to The North American Post Artwork and photos by Michelle Kumata

Seattle native Michelle Kumata’s artistic journey has taken her across the country to New York and across the hemisphere to Brazil, not only to discover her identity and legacy but to express it through her work. By exploring her family’s Japanese-Brazilian (JB) roots, she shares her story of how, through oral histories and visual art, she has established a legacy for future generations of her family.

A shy, only child growing up, Michelle has become an accomplished artist whose work has been showcased in The Seattle Times, and in cultural centers, museums, and galleries locally and across the nation. Indeed, she shows that you can express your identity and convey strong messages to impact others through all types of creative endeavors. The North American Post interviewed Kumata by email, as excerpted below.

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NEWS 'Landscapes of Injustice' Project

How and when did you discover your interest and talents in art?

I grew up an only child and I was quiet and introverted but had a vivid imagination. Art was a way to entertain myself, where I could create my own world. I wasn’t a prodigy, but I had a passion for art from an early age.

My father is a talented artist, and introduced me to art. He would draw with me when I was little. I have fond memories of the line drawings he’d create on my paper lunch bags and I was so proud to bring them to school. When continued on page 6 ◀Falling (2020, acrylic on paper, 32” x 12”). This multi-generational family references the Japanese migration to Brazil: falling, blindly jumping into the unknown.

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“Broken Promises,” a traveling exhibit on Japanese Canadians, opens at the Nikkei National Museum, Burnaby (p. 2).

NEWS ‘Landscapes of Injustice' Project

by David Yamaguchi, The North American Post

“Broken Promises – Promesses Brisees,” a new traveling museum exhibit about Japanese Canadians (JC), was launched at the Nikkei National Museum in Burnaby, British Columbia, on September 26. The exhibit was produced by the “Landscapes of Injustice” Project, which is a sevenyear program based at the University of Victoria. Its first newsletter dates from spring/summer 2015.

“Landscapes” devoted its first four years to researching JC settlement, internment, and “dispossession.” The latter is a term not in the JapaneseAmerican (JA) internment vocabulary.

Now entering year 5, Landscapes is entering its product dissemination phase. The first major product is a book of the same title, released in July. The “Broken” museum exhibit is the second major product. It will be on display in Burnaby until April 24, 2021, after which it will move to Toronto, Victoria, and Halifax. A smaller version—for limited-space venues—and an online version are also planned. Later, Landscapes will roll out associated websites, teaching materials for schools, and the like.

All of this matters to readers because while many of us know much about JA internment, we know next to nothing about the experiences of JC’s “next door” in British Columbia.

We k n o w — g e n e r a l l y — t h a t J C ’ s

2

Teaching materials on Japanese-Canadian internment: internee letter rewritten by a present-day student. (Image, and that on page 1, is a screen-capture from the “Broken Promises” exhibit opening online, September 26).

went through similar World War II internment camp experiences as JAs. More specifically, history tells us that before WWII, there were 29,000 JC’s living around Vancouver, 80% of whom were Canadian citizens. But did you know that after the JC’s left their homes, the Canadian government confiscated and sold their properties— including farms, houses, fishing boats, cars, bank accounts, and personal belongings (furniture, clothing)? The sales broke promises to protect them.

The idea was to deprive JC’s of reasons to return to Vancouver.

“No Japs from the Rockies to the Seas,” went the 1944 slogan by Ian Alistair Mackenzie, British Columbia’s senior cabinet minister, and a chief driver of JC internment. Moreover, post-war, restrictions on JC’s were not continued on page 5

New 'Hayashi Street' by N.A.P. Twenty-eighth Ave NE in Lake City between NE 125th and NE 127th has been renamed “Hayashi Street” in honor of the family that had a farm there—“Lake City Farms”—before World War II, but did not return post-war. Shizuo and Yaeko Hayashi are remembered for donating trees and plants to nearby schools. The honorary name-change reflects present understanding of the financial losses caused by JapaneseAmerican internment. City of Seattle Resolution 31967, which made the change official on September 21, was sponsored by Debora Juarez of the Seattle City Council.

Hayashi Street runs north-south two blocks west of Lake City Way. The long block on the eastern side of Hayashi Street there is occupied

by Bill Pierre Ford and the Bank of America. On the west block, there is the Lake City Community Center, the Lake City Farmer’s Market, the Lake City branch of the Seattle Public

The Hayashi family home, in Lake City.

Hayashi Family Collection (Densho).

Library, and Albert Davis Park.

EnjoyLakeCity.org (Oct. 9) describes Lake City Farms as “across from the library.” This would place it on the block of the Ford dealership and the Bank of America.

Densho lists the family home at 12501 30th Ave NE. This is the location of the Bank of America.

The LakeCity.org website also credits resident Hayden Bixby as spearheading the name-change. It describes three members of the Hayashi family attending the October 9 ceremony, continued on page 5

$100M for Seattle Minority Equity by N.A.P. Mayor Jenny Durkan has named an invited task force of 29 to guide the City of Seattle in spending $100 million to make it more equitable in the wake of its ongoing civic unrest. Four themes are on the table: Building Opportunity and an Inclusive

Economy; Community Wealth Building and Preserving Cultural Spaces; Community Wellness; and Climate Justice and Green New Deal. The listed individuals include representatives from many organizations including El continued on page 8

Vol. 75, issue 20 October 23, 2020

NAPOST.COM

VOICES JCCCW's Omoide Story

It’s Matsutake Time

By Joe Abo

In early fall in October, at home in Oyster Bay after the rains began, we would drive to a patch of woods north of Shelton. My mother called the area “sunayama” or sand hill.

We would put on hip boots, if the brush was wet. We would head out into the forest with a plastic bag in one hand and a short stick in the other. After much poking under the salal bushes, around the bases of tall fir trees or under emerald green moss, if we were lucky, we would have a bag full of white “mattake” —as my father called them— or matsutake mushrooms in a few hours.

I remember the distinctive, earthy smell that infused the car after loading them for the trip home. Mom would collect dry, brown bracken ferns and carefully put them into another bag, placing it in the car trunk alongside the mushrooms.

We w o u l d d r i v e h o m e w i t h o u r treasures.

Mom would spread the matsutake on a newspaper on the basement floor near the wood stove along with the ferns she

had picked. She picked out the bestlooking ones, especially those that had not spread out their gills yet and had not turned brown. These were the best tasting and most prized.

Some of the remaining matsutake were taken to the kitchen for us to eat for dinner. Sometimes, especially at the beginning of the season, we would eat them right away. Mom would wrap them in tinfoil with a little butter and bake them in the oven. As soon as they were done, the foil packages would be set out on the table and the mushrooms sliced.

We w o u l d g a t h e r a r o u n d t h e table with hashi in hand and eat the mushrooms right out of their foil packages. We dipped the slices in shoyu before popping them into our mouths.

Dad would declare, “Oishii naa.”

After a couple of days, Mom would inspect the remaining mushrooms that were fairly dry to touch from the warmth of the stove. Gathering some cardboard boxes she had been saving, she put the dried ferns in each box.

MONEY TALK Vote for a Solid Investment Strategy

By Chiaki Hirate Election Day is little more than a week away. As a citizen, you may feel the results will affect many aspects of life in this country. But as an investor, your situation probably won’t change after the votes are counted.

No matter who wins, the financial markets may well show some politically driven volatility, but that often happens around elections, and it typically doesn’t last long. But what about the longer term? How might changes in policy and new legislation affect your investment outlook?

To begin, keep in mind that many campaign promises remain just that – promises.

And even when some of them are enacted, any ultimate legislation may be quite different from what was

SINCE 1902

proposed on the campaign trail.

Still, sometime in the future, we could see election-related changes that could affect your investment strategy. For example, over the years, we’ve seen many adjustments in the tax rates of capital gains and stock dividends, and it’s likely these rates will change again one day. When that happens, you may need to look at the equities portion of your portfolio to see if you want to make some adjustments.

Many other changes, though, are hard to predict. It’s possible that future legislation could affect specific industries, either positively or negatively. Such moves could also influence the way you look at certain investments, but if you have a diversified portfolio that contains a broad mix of stocks, bonds and other securities, any actions affecting one

Then she carefully laid a few of the choice mushrooms in each box.

The boxes were closed with tape, and then some holes were punched in each box. Mom would write addresses on the boxes to places such as Seattle, Sacramento, Fresno, and Los Angeles.

I think she really enjoyed doing this, as it was for her, a means of keeping touch in touch with old friends as well as relatives. In return, we would later receive a box of persimmons or some dried figs shipped from California.

As a kid, this was my introduction to persimmons and dried figs that I had never seen before.

In retrospect, this was a lesson of generosity and reciprocity from my parents—through their actions— and how the recipients repaid that generosity.

I think in the Japanese culture, this would be “On” and “Giri,” concepts of generosity and obligation.

Joe Abo, of Bremerton, is a retired federal engineer. He grew up on an oyster farm near Olympia and is a graduate of the University of Washington. He and his wife, Mary, are longtime members of the Omoide writing group.

particular industry probably won’t cause you to significantly adjust holdings invested in other sectors.

In any case, while it may be a good idea to keep an eye open for things like tax rate changes or how new policies may affect different market segments, your main emphasis, in terms of your investment decisions, should remain on your goals and what you need to do to achieve them.

At least once each year, review your portfolio carefully to make sure your investments are aligned with your goals, whether they are short-term (a new car, a long vacation and so on) or long-term (such as college for your children or a comfortable retirement). continued on page 8

Chiaki Hirate AAMS®, CRPC® (425) 883-8698 chiaki.hirate@edwardjones.com Chiaki is financial advisor at Edward Jones.

Born and raised in Aichi Prefecture, she lives with her husband, 13-year-old son, and 11-year-old daughter in Bellevue.

The North American Post

Vol. 75, Issue 20, October 23, 2020 Publisher: Editor-in-Chief: Editor Editorial Staff:

Tomio Moriguchi Misa Murohashi David Yamaguchi Noriko Huntsinger Ryoko Kato Accounting: Keiko Tsukamoto Editorial Interns: Haruna Tanizaki Yuria Kamiya Contributors: Joe Abo Chiaki Hirate Elaine Ikoma Ko Benjamin Narkmon Shihou Sasaki Cartoonist: Arisa Nakamura Proofreader: Geraldine Shu

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Experienced online Japanese teacher! $35/ hr オ ン ラ イ ン 日 本 語。yukiyoahlman@ gmail.com Naturopathic Reflexology opens at Bellevue. The promotion will be $10 off in Oct and Nov. For details, please visit www. naturalismtao.com 自然療法のリフレクソロジーが Bellevue に オープン。10・11 月はキャンペーン実施で $10 オフです。詳細はウェブサイト www. naturalismtao.com をご覧下さい。

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com ／ KikokuGo.com）is looking for professional, motivated, and energetic candidates! ◎帰国 Go.com：キャリアコー ディネーター給与 DOE、勤務地：ベルビュー ◎ 仕 事 探 し .com: ☆ Cost & Financial Accountant ／ Auditor ／ Controller、 給 与 DOE 60-100K、勤務地：イーストサイド ま た は シ ア ト ル 南 部 Sales Engineer 、 給 与 DOE-100K、 勤 務 地： ポ ー ト ラ ン ド 近 郊 ワシントン州に唯一本社のある、日系人 材紹介会社です。ワシントン州、オレゴン 州 で Admin、Logistics、Sales、Accounting、 Engineering 関連のお仕事をメインに、様々 な ポ ジ シ ョ ン が 多 数 ご ざ い ま す。 詳 細 は www.shigotosagashi.com で。会員登録無料 ※ ☎ 1-888-990-1519

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曹洞宗永祥禅寺では週末の坐禅会と写経会 を定期的に開催しています。問い合わせ： shika@eishoji.org、☎ 425-243-4649 一 世 パ イ オ ニ ア 資 料 館 ☎ 360-638-1938.

36001 Hood Canal Dr., Hansville, WA 98340. www.isseipioneermuseum.com

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11 NOVEMBER

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/panda-cam (and YouTube)

Election Day!

November 5- December 19

Real ( リアル ):*-+

Tuesday, November 3

Ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3, or Center on Contemporary Art returned to a drop box by 8 pm that day. DO (CoCA): Not Your Monolith NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE owing to Michelle Kumata exhibit (see article, p. 6). possible post office delays and filled boxes. https://cocaseattle.org/not-your-monolith)

Saturday, November 14

Pacific Bonsai Museum: World War Seattle Art Museum, Virtual Saturday Bonsai: Remembrance & Resilience University: Bingata Textiles of Time: Tuesday-Sunday, 10 am-4 Okinawa Time: 10:00 am-11:30 am Virtually on Zoom.; registration free.

Textiles created in Ryukyu are prized for their varied colors and lively designs. A center of trade between East and Southeast Asia, producers sourced pigments from many places, combining them with their own aesthetics and techniques.

The tradition will be illustrated with historical garments and contemporary versions. http://seattleartmuseum.org/visit/calendar/ events?EventId=69805

Sunday, November 22 Seattle Public Library & Densho: “Setsuko’s Secret: Heart Mountain and the Legacy of the JA Incarceration”

Time: 4:00 pm-5:15 pm Virtual; registration free.

Author Shirley Higuchi reads from her new book. https://www.spl.org/

個 人 ピ ア ノ レ ッ ス ン。 多 ジ ャ ン ル・ 多 レ ベ ル・ 日 本 語、 英 語 の 両 方 対 応。 詳 細 は JazzyEmiStudios.com にて。

ONGOING

数秘術鑑定・カラーセッション：詳しくはウェ ブ で。www.foretelldestiny.com ☎ 425-4995931

Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington: Bunka No Hi, Japanese Culture Festival

Virtual:

on our Nikkei Community Events Calendar

New YouTube videos every Sunday at noon across the month (see ad, p. 1). https://www.youtube.com/user/JCCCWA

Contact: community@napost.com

Offset dark news by watching a cute baby grow.

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EVENTS

Smithsonian Zoo Panda Cam:

pm, August 2020-October 2021.

Place: 2515 South 336th St., Federal Way. The outdoor museum is ADA accessible.

Admission: by donation.

The special exhibit traces the cultural practice of bonsai in Japan and in the United States through from before WWII. With potted trees, artifacts, documents, and photographs, the exhibition shares the little-known stories of the people who ingeniously and courageously cared for the trees, shared their art, and spurred a flourishing, global practice despite overwhelming hardships. https://pacificbonsaimuseum.org

Museum of Flight: Untold Stories, World War II at 75 Time: 10 am-5 pm, Thursdays-Mondays only..

Admission: Youth, adult, & senior rates, $17-25 by timed tickets.

A new exhibit commemorates the war’s end by highlighting the stories of lesser-known people who played a part in its aviation.

Nisei Ben Kuroki is featured prominently. https://www.museumofflight.org

Seattle Japanese Garden

The garden is open! https://www.seattlejapanesegarden.org/

Seattle Art Museum: Tea Ceremony

Third Thursdays, 5:30 pm; third Sundays, 2:30 pm, downtown. (None in Dec. and Jan.) http://seattleartmuseum.org

Seattle Nichiren Buddhist Church

(425)861-5574

4

Vol. 75, issue 20 October 23, 2020

NAPOST.COM

VOICES 'Japan Week' Brought Japan to Bellevue College

Landscapes, from page 2

By Benjamin Narkmon, For The North American Post “To bring Japan to our students and community.” For the previous three years, this has been the Bellevue College Japanese Culture Exchange Club’s (JCEC) mission as we worked to plan and carry out Japan Week. Japan Week is Bellevue College’s largest event planned by students. Students write project proposals, and are involved in every aspect, from t-shirt, poster, and website design to video editing and fundraising efforts. It takes over half a year to plan.

This year, more than any other recently, it has been difficult to visit Japan. With this and everyone’s safety in mind, we aimed to give the community a familiar, yet new experience. Japan Week went virtual. We gave our beloved Daruma mascot a mask to promote safety and got to work.

Unlike previous years, where club members would hold meetings and exchange ideas in-person, the JCEC had to work through Zoom and e-mail.

Many club members were in different locations and time zones. A major challenge this year was encouraging

Japan Week t-shirts

audience participation, as it was much more difficult online than at an on-campus festival. We considered livestreams, and ultimately, there were two live, online events. Unfortunately, having the entire event streamed live, synchronously, was not logistically feasible. However, like the phrase associated with the Daruma, “Seven times down, eight times up,” we realized that making the event asynchronous would allow visitors to access the event’s many Japan-related topics at their convenience. Not only that, but Japan Week would be accessible from anywhere. And it worked. We received over 3,300 visitors from 46 countries, and contest submissions from other states and around the world, including France, Australia, and Indonesia. At first, we believed that we would only receive submissions from the local community, but we hurriedly prepared non-local prizes in case the contest winners were from overseas.

Given the nature of this year’s Japan Week, we had to sacrifice some things, such as the popular Dango Workshop (which was adapted into a video), and the Japan Market and Flea Market, in which community-donated items and Japan Week t-shirts are sold. It goes without saying, the biggest sacrifice was the on-campus festival.

Benjamin Narkmon

However, thanks to the community’s support, the JCEC was able to adapt.

The Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle, who supports Japan Week every year, offered a plethora of Japan-related videos we could choose from, making the asynchronous event much more realizable. Though we had to cancel the Karaoke Contest, due to risk of copyright issues, we replaced it with a Kendama Contest with the help of Nick and Zack Gallagher—the BC alumni and well known Kendama champions who hosted and judged the Kendama Tournament at Japan Week last year.

Like Japan Week’s Daruma mascot, in the face of adversity, the JCEC got back up, thanks to the community’s support.

We hope that next year the pandemic comes to an end, and our Daruma will be able to take its mask off and welcome you to Japan Week 2021.

Info: https://studentweb. bellevuecollege.edu/japan-week/ Benjamin Narkmon was the co-president of the Japanese Culture Exchange Club at Bellevue College, which he attended as a high school student. He is now a UW freshman, planning on studying either linguistics or Japanese literature.

lifted until April 1949. By then, 10,000 had been deported to starving, warravaged Japan.

Questions reviewed by the Landscapes project include: Who began the dispossession experience?

Who benefited? To what degree were JC’s later compensated?

It is to Canada’s credit that they are funding the extended project to document and own this dark chapter of their country’s recent past.

The hope is “building a more just Canadian future.” The JC experience makes clear how the US’s past and present record of racism, social injustice, lying, and cheating is not unique. It shows how a single racist politician, or small group of them, can do extensive long-term damage to a nation when abetted by passivity on the part of the majority.

Website: www.landscapesofinjustice.com Nikkei national museum, Burnaby: https://centre.nikkeiplace.org

Hayashi Street, from page 2

along with Danielle Higa—from Densho, which traced the family— the Consul-General of Japan (Hisao Inagaki), and students from Nathan Hale High School.

The City of Seattle resolution declaring the name change is at: http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/search/ resolutions/

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FEATURE

Michelle Kumata, A Japanese-American Artist with Brazilian Ancestral Roots Interview by Elaine Ikoma Ko

From page 1

I visited my grandmother’s house, I noticed several professional looking paintings on her walls. I asked who made them, and she told me my father painted them as a teen when he was at Franklin High School.

My maternal Issei (first-generation) grandparents would watch me in the Keene Apartments, which they managed, across the street from the Wonder Bread factory in the Central Area—I can still smell the baking bread. My grandmother also fueled my artistic interests by letting me paint with leftover beet juice.

They were poor but resourceful, and epitomized the “mottainai” spirit, to not waste anything.

Even today, there is still something magical about art and the act of creating, especially when you start drawing and you lose sense of time and space, and get lost in your work.

What shaped your parents' Japanese American identities?

My mother is Nisei (second generation) and her parents immigrated from Kajika, Mie-ken, Japan. My father is Sansei (third generation) as his parents were born in the U.S. and his grandparents were from Hiroshima. Both my parents were born in the Minidoka incarceration camp during World War II, so they don’t have any vivid memories of the camp experience.

My mom said that her parents never discussed the incarceration camps—it was rare for Issei and Nisei to talk about camp, especially in the 1970s and early ‘80s. For many, there was a sense of shame, anger and resentment, and also a desire to put it behind them.

My mother’s family returned to Seattle after their incarceration. Her parents managed “flophouse” (cheap hotel/boarding house) hotels in the downtown/Pioneer Square area.

There was a lot of propaganda encouraging Japanese Americans (JAs) to move away from the Pacific coast after the war. My father’s family relocated to Cleveland, Ohio, and they later returned to the Seattle area in the 1960s.

My mother grew up in a mainly Japanese-speaking household, but she only spoke a few words and phrases to me. My father grew up being cared for by his Issei grandmother, so Japanese was his first language but as he grew older, English was the main language spoken in his household. It seems that in order to fit in and assimilate, to become more American, the language was lost through their generations. I took Japanese language classes in junior high school but it wasn’t a priority for me at the time, so I do regret that I didn’t take that opportunity to learn the language.

Coming from Seattle, how did you end up in New York, as a young person, and what was it like?

6

Michelle Kumata is a local, Sansei artist best known for her prior work illustrating for the Seattle Times and helping the Wing Luke Museum with its displays. Here, we profile Michelle's more-recent “Japanese-Brazilian Diaspora Project,” which explores her family’s immigration history. To learn more, visit https://www.michellekumata.com/ japanese-brazilian-diaspora-project. To see Michelle’s art firsthand, she will next have work on display in an exhibition, "Not Your Monolith,"honoring Bellevue JapaneseAmerican farmers. The exhibition adds to the voices of Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), who have been underrepresented in the arts.

Not Your Monolith, Nov. 5 – Dec. 19, 2020 (https://cocaseattle.org/not-your-monolith) Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA), 114 3rd Ave. S., Seattle

I was fortunate to have a mentor, Miyo Endo, a JapaneseAmerican (JA) artist and family friend, who suggested I look into the illustration program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City (NYC). I applied without telling my parents, and to my surprise, I was accepted.

NYC was an education in itself! The intense pace, diverse cultures, museums and galleries, and more. The first day I walked out of the dorm, pedestrians were walking by so fast, it made my head spin. But there was so much to discover and learn there—I was fascinated by the city. Every day was an adventure—you never knew what you would witness or experience!

When I was younger, I could tolerate smaller living quarters and make do with the bare minimum. The truth is that artists are survivors—they are creative, resourceful, resilient, and adaptable, and can make something amazing from nothing. As an artist, I feel that I’m carrying on the spirit of my immigrant ancestors.

How did you find your way to the local Asian Pacific American (APA) and JA community?

Michelle's great grandmother, Saki Takatsu (left), and grandmother, Kinue Takatsu Kawaguchi (right), Kajika, Japan, circa 1918. Kawaguchi Family Collection

After attending Seattle Public Schools for ten years, I attended a small private school. I experienced culture shock, and I was trying to find ways to connect to the APA community. My mom, a Seattle Public School teacher, told me to visit her school to see a local Nikkei (Japanese descendants) drumming group, “Seattle Taiko.”

I saw them perform and that was it for me!

Taiko is loud and unapologetic and breaks Nikkei stereotypes. You feel taiko in your heart—it’s physical and emotional. And it became so empowering for me to play, especially as a young, unsure woman.

Getting involved in taiko helped me connect with the Nikkei community and build my identity and pride.

Jeff Hanada and Ken Mochizuki, fellow taiko players, suggested I contact Ron Chew, then editor of the “International Examiner” (IE), about doing illustrations for the newspaper. I spent a month of my senior high school year working at the IE, where I learned about APA history and issues.

Some time after returning to Seattle from New York, Ron Chew recruited me to help with the local Wing Luke Museum’s (“The Wing”) Executive Order 9066 exhibit, which focused on the JA incarceration. This was a pivotal moment for me, as I had not heard firsthand stories about the incarceration experience.

Diáspora (2019, acrylic, watercolor, pencil and paper on canvas, 24.5” x 35.25”). In 1927, Saki Takatsu, and several of her children and grandchildren, made the journey from their home in Kajika, Japan, to Brazil on the ship, Santos Maru.

local Nikkei during the 1930s, a pre-WWII time when Seattle’s Nihonmachi (Japantown) was active and vibrant. I also had the opportunity to make a large mural inspired by Bellevue Nikkei farmers and the effects of the incarceration on later generations.

Two years ago, I left my full-time job to focus on art. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I wanted to continue to explore my identity and find my voice.

More recently, what drew you to explore your maternal Japanese-Brazilian roots?

In recent years, I have reconnected with my heritage I had visited my ancestral family in Brazil a couple through my art. I started painting traditional Japanese times before, but never really explored our family’s fairytales, then created portraits based on photos of history. In 2018, I attended a local workshop for

Vol. 75, issue 20 October 23, 2020

NAPOST.COM

Michelle's great grandparents and their children.

(Courtesy of Ricardo Haragutchi)

One of many gatherings of the Takatsu family in Sao Paulo, October 2019.

artists interested in working abroad. At the end of the workshop, the facilitator asked attendees to mark a world map with places they would like to visit to do an art project, then asked them to explain why. I chose Brazil because I had a lot of family members there, more than in Japan, and I was curious how they ended up in South America.

encouraged emigration, mainly to the U.S. Then in 1924, the U.S. Immigration Exclusion Act halted Japanese and other Asian immigration. From 1908 to 1941, 185,473 Japanese immigrated to Brazil. Today, the country has the highest population of Japanese outside of Japan with 1.5 million in 2018.

Where did you start with the JB project?

Kinue’s mother, Saki Takatsu, and six other siblings originally planned to emigrate to the U.S., but were not able to because of the 1924 Exclusion Act. They ended up going to Brazil in the late 1920s, and they started working as farm laborers. In contrast with the U.S., which recruited single men, Brazil recruited whole families, as they wanted them to settle in the country.

I applied for and received a local 4Culture Art Project grant to travel to Brazil, collect stories, and create art. I mainly set out to find out more about our JB family— how my great grandmother and six of her children ended up in Brazil while my grandmother ended up in Seattle.

I had a lot of experience with oral history collection and project management at The Wing, so I felt confident I could take on this project. I reached out to Ricardo Haragutchi, a JB relative living in Florida and family historian who keeps track of our family tree. Ricardo has been gathering family information for decades, so he was very helpful in getting me started and coordinating interviews and homestays for my visit.

A couple months before my trip, I started listening to a Portuguese language CD in my car. With a digital recorder, laptop, Portuguese phrase book, omiyage gifts (smoked salmon, tea, and prints of my artwork), I went off to my new adventure in Brazil.

What did you learn about your JB family?

I was very warmly received by my Brazilian family during my visit, and felt at home from the beginning of my trip. The first night I slept in a bunk bed that my grandmother, Kinue, had slept in when she visited 50 years earlier.

Before I traveled to Sao Paulo, I learned that a historical series of labor shortages in Brazil and a down economy in Japan had led to the Japanese immigration to Brazil. From the early 16th century to 1866, Brazil received an estimated 4.9 million African slaves, more than any other country in the world. Slavery was abolished in Brazil in the late 19th century. Brazil then recruited European laborers, who later left because of poor working conditions. Then Brazil looked to Asia to fill the labor gap.

In the early 20th century, Japan’s rural areas were impoverished and the Japanese government

SINCE 1902

Our family left their poor fishing village in Japan to go to the U.S. and Brazil. My maternal grandmother, Kinue Takatsu, married my grandfather, Kametaro Kawaguchi, and emigrated from Kajika, Japan, to Seattle in 1918, when she was 18 years old. She was the only one of the Takatsu family that came to the U.S.

I marvel at my great-grandmother Saki’s courage. She was in her mid-50s and a widow, leaving her home to go to a new country, not knowing the language or culture, and not knowing that they would never return home.

Grandma Kinue later traveled to Brazil several times, bringing all of her children including my mother, so they would know her extended family.

Because of this project, I discovered a fuller and richer picture of my grandmother and great grandmother. I have pride in the risks they took to immigrate to new countries. They cultivated and maintained international family connections. That was their gift and legacy of tying us together.

What are the main discoveries for you as you embarked on this groundbreaking project studying your JB family? JBs are different from JAs in many ways, such as with language, culture, and food. Were there similarities you found that surprised you?

Japanese have a large presence and have a long history in Brazil. They have assimilated into Brazilian culture over the past century. Most JBs are multilingual—young people speak Portuguese, often English, sometimes Japanese and other languages. This is more prominent with JBs than JAs, as it is common to have multiple generations living together in Brazil.

There were a few other differences I noticed

Be quiet / Fique quieto (2020, acrylic and pencil on paper, 14” x 11”). During WWII, Japanese Brazilians faced curfews, restrictions, and could not speak the Japanese language in public. These parents are silenced and suppressed, and to protect their own children, they cover their mouths, contributing to the cycle of racism, oppression, and shame.

between JBs and JAs, but I didn’t know that there would be such strong parallels between the JB and JA WWII experiences.

JBs were not incarcerated like JAs during WWII. However, they were forcibly removed from the Brazilian coast in Santos, a city near the metropolis of Sao Paulo, and they faced discrimination and racism during the war. They had curfews, were not allowed to gather in groups, nor speak Japanese. Many JBs were arrested and jailed for no reason.

My painting, “Be Quiet” honors the JBs who lived through the 1940s and addresses the racism and oppression they faced. The parents’ mouths are covered and muted. The parents cover the mouths of their children, to protect them, in turn, continuing the cycle of racism, oppression, and shame. A similar phenomenon also happened in the U.S. as JAs who survived the incarceration wanted their children to distance themselves from Japanese culture and continued on page 9

7

$100M for Equity, from page 2

Investment Strategy, from page 3

Centro de la Raza, the Northwest African American Museum, NW Harvest (Cristina Wong), Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIpda; Maiko WinklerChin), and Seattle Indian Health Board.

Initial committee recommendations to the city are scheduled for December.

Further details are in The Seattle Times (Oct. 14).

Periodically, depending on what’s happening in your life and the progress of your investment portfolio, you may need to evaluate your goals to ensure they’re prioritized appropriately to help keep you on track toward achieving what’s most important to you.

Over time, your goals may change, too. Perhaps you’ve decided that instead of retiring early and traveling

8

around the world, you now want to turn your hobby into a business. Changing this goal may require a different investment strategy. Or you might change your mind about where you want to live – instead of staying in your home, as originally planned, you might downsize and move to a different area.

Your goals may change in many ways, all of which may warrant updating your

investment strategies.

Here’s the key point: You’re the one electing to make these changes. No matter what happens in this or any other election, be sure to “vote” for the strategies that have the potential for a winning outcome. *This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

Edward Jones, Member SIPC.

Vol. 75, issue 20 October 23, 2020

NAPOST.COM

Michelle Kumata, from page 7

assimilate into American life.

Many of the younger JB descendants weren’t aware of our family history.

When I began sharing these stories and artwork with them, it piqued their interest and gave them pride in their ancestry.

Today, we have a large, extended family in Brazil. During my visit, I met

SINCE 1902

with nearly 50 relatives, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. My great-grandmother Saki had eight children, who had 39 children, and so on. Intermarriage among Nikkei is common in Brazil, as it is in the U.S., especially among younger generations (fourth-generation Yonsei and fifth-generation Gosei).

Do you have any messages to share with people wanting to make social impacts through their artistic work?

I learned the value and power of personal stories through my work at The Wing. After spending 12 memorable years helping communities tell their stories, I wanted to explore my own family’s stories.

These are not only Nikkei stories and experiences. Racism, cultural erasure, and oppression continue to affect Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) around the world. Though my artwork

centers on Nikkei stories, there are universal themes that can connect with a broader audience. If we are not able to address these issues, we will continue to repeat history.

My advice? Follow your heart and your passion. Do what you love to do, what has meaning for you. Meet people, ask questions, listen, be humble, and be open to continue to learn.

9

令和 2 年 10 月 23 日 毎月第 2・第 4 金曜日発行 第 75 巻 20 号

日本外務省が国外に３ カ月以上在留し日本国籍

着実に数を伸ばすオー ストラリアは５・３％増で

を減らしていた６位英国

が９・２％増。８位韓国は

・９％と大幅 在留届を基礎資料とする

在 の も の と な る。 統 計 は

ばしていたシアトルは

都 市 圏 ご と に 見 る と、 これまで順調に人数を伸

増だった。

前年から

にアートを寄稿してい 高速道路の街路をもっ 人の生命の活力を願う

が、日系企業、日本人会、

１万１３５５人で前年か

アメリカ人アーティス せている。

定 め ら れ て お り、 公 園、

めに確保されることが

年から約１％増だっ

万８８８３人で、前

の 大 幅 減 だ っ た。 都

位か

位 に な っ た。 ロ

市別順位では

ら

サンゼルスが１位

で ６ 万 ８ ５ ９ ５ 人、

ニューヨークが４位

で ４ 万 ４ ９ ６ 人。 近

隣ではカナダのバン

クーバーは８位で

位で

２万７９６２人、ポー

トランドが

５７４３人だった。

米国都市圏ではサンフ

ランシスコ、サンノゼ、ダ

ラスが人口を伸ばしてい

る。 一 方 で シ ア ト ル に 加

え、ロサンゼルス、ニュー

ヨーク、シカゴ、サンディ

エゴ、ヒューストン、アト

ランタ、ポートランドは人

数を減らした。

新型コロナウイルスの 影響を元にした数字は

２０２１年度の統計に出

て く る と 思 わ れ る。 ま た

人数を大きく落としたシ

アトルの推移も興味深い。

（佐々木 志峰）

1

Japanese

リクトン・スプリング・グリーンウェイのパブリックアート 森澤直子さん、エリン・シガキさんなどの作品が展示 シアトル市のパブリ

作 品 が、 今 年 月 か ら が 主 体 と な り、 市 が 管 」 は、 オ ー ロ ラ・ れ て い る。 絵 馬 を 結 work 月までの期間で 理する公共設備に地元 ハイウェイに置かれる ぶ 赤 い ロ ー プ は、 第

を持つ人口推計をまとめ

近く中国を上回る可能性

来年

ェ ク ト の 一 環 と し て、 設 置 さ れ て い る。 パ ブ アーティストの作品を 交通ボックスを飾るカ ４４２連隊戦闘団で戦

も あ る。 ３ 年 連 続 で 人 数

ッ ク・ ア ー ト・ プ ロ ジ リ ッ ク・ ア ー ト は、 シ 飾 る も の で、 ア ー ト を ラフルなアートとして う日系兵士のために強

た「 海 外 在 留 邦 人 数 調 査

万 人 を 突 破 し て お り、

北シアトルにあるリク

統 計 」 を 発 表 し て い る。 で、 ２ ０ ２ ０ 年 度 の 統 計

月１日現在の推計

ア ト ル 市 芸 術 文 化 局 通じて近隣コミュニテ 採 用 さ れ て い る。 森 澤 制収容所に残された女

名のアーティス アートを見た人が元気 り、 パ ン デ ミ ッ ク や 人

ル市交通局（ＳＤＯＴ） 的 と し て い る。 選 出 さ ウ ェ ブ サ イ ト に「 こ の モ チ ー フ に も し て お れた

る日本人アーティスト と明るく楽しくしたか ものだという。

大 学、 研 究 機 関、 各 種 学

月１日現

シ ア ト ル 市 は、 全

校などにも調査協力を得

は２０１９年

米の他都市に先駆けて

たとある。

名 は、 本 紙 に な る こ と、 オ ー ロ ラ 種差別の最中で全ての

１９７３年に、市の予算

図 書 館、 公 民 館、 道 路、

た。

賀広告の申し込み

14

17

エ リ ン・ シ ガ キ さ ん

橋などの公共の場にア

地 域 別 で は 北 米 が 約 ％ に あ た

受付を開始しまし

万 ８ ７ ５ ５ 人。

21

トも採用された。

ー ト を 設 置 す る こ と で、

る

た。 詳 し く は、 英 語 欄 ５ ペー ジ を ご 覧 く だ

海外邦人数

の 森 澤 直 子 さ ん。 日 系 った」とコメントを寄

の一定割合を芸術に充

推 計 人 口 は １ ４ １ 万 ３ ５ ６ 人。

市民の日常生活を豊か

１９８５年から最多を維 べ る と 約 ０・３ ％ 減 だ っ

・９％ てる条例を採用してお

前年から約２万人増

One Time, Oneト の プ ロ グ ラ ム も

森 澤 直 子 さ ん の 作 品 の で、 一 期 一 会 の 意 Target - handmade味 の「

多 と な っ た。 永 住 権

年賀広告受付開始

に し、 地 元 ア ー テ ィ ス

持 し て い る が、 前 年 と 比

を 持 つ「 永 住 者 」 は

令和 年（２０２１

年）新年特別号年

トの活動を市としてサ

さ い。 お 問 い 合 わ せ ：

ポートしている。

た。 ア ジ ア は １ 万 あ ま り ％にあ 万４３８０人と

増 え、 全 体 の 約 たる

なった。

％ を 占 め る。 そ れ で

万４０６３人で全体の

国 別 と な る と、 米 国 が 約

も、 毎 年 少 し ず つ 人 数 を 増やしていた近年と異な り、 前 年 比 は ０・６ ％ 減 だった。２位の中国は３％ 万人を切った。

減。 近 年 の 減 少 傾 向 は 変 わらず、

ら約２千人、

ン・ シ ガ キ さ ん の ア ー の 作 品 は、 神 社 の 絵 馬

トとして活躍するエリ

がモチーフになったも

り、 パ ブ リ ッ ク・ ア ー

「

％をアート設置のた

and uneven 2D mosaic Meeting: Communityの 長 い 歴 史 を 持 つ。 市 」の文字が刻ま の 公 共 イ ン フ ラ 投 資 の Shrine

１９６８年以降で最

え、統計が開始された

トのうち

10

年

10

29

newyears@

（谷川晴菜）

37

12

36

1

名のアーティストの

ト ン・ ス プ リ ン グ・ グ

8

各年

8

交通ボックスを飾る森澤さんのアート （写真＝森澤健）

15

10

51

41

Ｅメール

、 ☎ （２０６） napost.com ５１９ ５ - ４６９。

絵馬をモチーフにしたエリン・シガキさんのアート作品 （"One Time One Meeting: A Community Shine"

by Erin Shigaki. Photo: ARTS）

3

51

44

31

1

7

40

NAOKO MORISAWA naokomorisawa.com Wave III- Forest Waterfall, 30x24 inch, Wood Mosaic 2015 Brukenthal National Museum Exhibition, Sibu, Romania

7

リーンウェイに沿って （ Ａ Ｒ Ｔ Ｓ ） と シ ア ト ィーをつなぐことを目 さ ん は、 シ ア ト ル 市 の 性らが縫った千人針を

YOUR LINK TO SEATTLE’S JAPANESE COMMUNITY SINCE 1902

日米関係 日本国外務省プレスリリースより

日米外相会談と菅総理大臣表敬

「瀬取り」など違法海上活動に対する

カナダによる警戒監視活動

の諸懸案の解決に向け

国連安保理決議によ 視のためのカナダによ

茂木敏充外務大臣は て、 今 後 も 日 米 間 で 一 り 禁 止 さ れ て い る 北 朝 る 航 空 機 及 び 艦 船 の 派 ことで一致した。

を含む違法な海上活動 表明があったことを受

層 緊 密 に 連 携 し て い く 鮮 籍 船 舶 の「 瀬 取 り 」 遣 を ２ 年 延 長 す る と の

月 ６ 日、 訪 日 中 の マ

イ ク・ ポ ン ペ オ 米 国 国 務長官と外相会談を行

日 本 側 も、 北 朝 鮮 の

サ イ バ ー・ セ キ ュ リ に 対 し て、 カ ナ ダ 海 軍 けて行われるもの。 テ ィ に 関 し て、 ポ ン ペ フ リ ゲ ー ト「 ウ ィ ニ ペ

い、 菅 新 政 権 の 下 で も、 地域や国際社会の平和 オ長官は米国の取組に グ」が つ い て 説 明。 茂 木 大 臣 ナ 海 を 含 む 日 本 周 辺 海 か つ、 不 可 逆 的 な 方 法

月 上 旬、 東 シ 完 全 な、 検 証 可 能 な、

と安定の礎である日米 同盟を一層強化してい は、 日 本 は 同 分 野 で の 域 に お い て、 カ ナ ダ 海 で の 全 て の 大 量 破 壊 兵 い き た い と 考 え て お り、 年 以 降 ４ 度 目 の 警 戒 監

弾道ミサイルの廃棄の 実 現 に 向 け、 国 際 社 会 が 一 致 団 結 し て、 国 連 安保理決議の実効性確 保に取り組んでいく観 点 か ら、 こ う し た 取 組 日本の海上保安庁・海

を歓迎している。 上自衛隊としても、国連 安保理決議違反が疑われ る船舶の情報収集をして おり、関係国と緊密に協 力を行っていく。

シアトル・ストーム優勝

米国との協力を深めて 軍艦艇として２０１８ 器及びあらゆる射程の

豪印外相会合での議論 外 交 施 設 間 の 通 信 の 安 視 活 動 を 開 始 し た。 カ

新型コロナのワクチ

月上旬から

も 踏 ま え つ つ、「 自 由 で 開 か れ た イ ン ド 太 平 洋 」 全 に 関 す る ５ Ｇ ク リ ー ナ ダ は、

ン開発と公平なアクセ

ンパスの趣旨にも賛同

有志国で連携していく ス に 関 し て は、 同 志 国

していると述べた。

ことが重要である旨で と 連 携 し な が ら、 協 力

の 実 現 に 向 け て、 引 き

確 認。 東 シ ナ 海、 南 シ

続き日米を始めとする

ナ海及び北朝鮮情勢に

ま た ポ ン ペ オ 長 官 は、 警 戒 監 視 活 動 は、 昨 年

で破り優勝した。

も膝のけがにより前年 度は同様に欠場となっ

勝を果たした

合で

て い た が、 今 年 度 の 試 ム が 優 勝 し た の は

人目の

度のＷＮＢＡ優 ２ ０ ０ ４ 年、 ２ ０ １ ０

シ ア ト ル・ ス ト ー

対

ベ ガ ス・ エ ー ス ズ を

月 上 旬 の 間、 国 連 軍 アメリカの女子プロ 度目となる。 地 位 協 定 に 基 づ き、 在 バスケットボールリー ブレアナ・スチュアー 日米軍嘉手納飛行場を グ Ｗ Ｎ Ｂ Ａ（ Womenト 選 手 は 昨 年 に 右 足 ア 使 用 し て、 ２ ０ １ ８ 年 N a t i o n a l B a s k e t b a l lキ レ ス 腱 を 断 裂 し 欠 場。 以降５度目となる航空 ） の シ ア ト ま た、 今 月 で 歳 を 迎 Association 機による警戒監視活動 ル・ ス ト ー ム が、 ラ ス え た ス ー・ バ ー ド 選 手

つ い て も 意 見 を 交 換 し、 を 強 化 し て い く こ と で を行う予定だ。

同日に菅総理大臣を表 ４月の日加首脳会談に

今回のカナダによる

て、 茂 木 大 臣 が 拉 致 問

一致した。

題は政権の最重要課題

敬 訪 問 し、 総 理 大 臣 就 お い て、 ト ル ド ー 首 相

選手となった。

月

月

日から

日より同会館の

ク の 数 々 が、 オ ン ラ イ ン で 出 品 さ れ る。 出 品 ア イ テ ム は、

ウ ェ ブ サ イ ト で 公 開 さ れ て い る（ www.

時 ま で。

時から

日（ 日 ） 日

時か

時まで。 日（ 木 ） 午 後

日（日）午後

ロ ッ ト が、 月

日（ 木 ） の 午 後

）。 jcccw.org/online-auction オークションの日時は、 ロットが

月

の午後

時から

日（日）午後 時まで。問い合わせは、

ロ ッ ト が、 月

（木）午後

12

1

特に北朝鮮情勢に関し

で あ る と 述 べ、 北 朝 鮮

年、 ２ ０ １ ８ 年 に 続 き

ン ラ イ ン・ オ ー ク シ ョ ン を

5

開催する。日本でも入手困難なアンティー

11

Ｗ ） が、 運 営 資 金 の 援 助 を 募 る た め の オ

ワ シ ン ト ン 州 日 本 文 化 会 館（ Ｊ Ｃ Ｃ Ｃ

ワシントン州日本文化会館オンライン・オークション開催

4

16

3

11

か ら、「 瀬 取 り 」 警 戒 監

4

10 19 22 2

15

6 11

3

6

3

5

はＥメール：

電話（２０６）５６８ ７１１４、もしく 。 admin@jcccw.org

ら

3

29

同日開催された日米

くことで一致した。

10

11

2

Japanese

SINCE 1902

40

10

59

12

任への祝意を示した。

レニア吟社 写 真俳 句

の 拉 致、 核、 ミ サ イ ル

俳 句：根 岸 幸 子 写 真：茂 木 ひさを

92

11

6

10

日系アメリカ人の歴史に学ぶ

アメリカの人種問題と市民運動

レベルの活動をする非

た り と ア ド ボ カ シ ー 活 少 な い で す が、 草 の 根 動を行う。

く こ と は、 現 在 の 世 界 り、ひとつの岸に集まっ

市 の 職 員 が 共 同 で 運 営 オ ア・ ト リ ー ト を 実 施

キ ン グ 郡 と シ ア ト ル を作るなど、トリック・

キング郡がコロナ禍で ハロウィンに注意喚起

情 勢 か ら も 大 事 な こ と て、 同 じ 方 向 の 波 を 作

する公衆衛生に関する す る た め の 工 夫 を 紹 介

多 様 化 し て い く ア ジ リ テ ィ ー（ 連 帯 ） を 表

ブ リ ッ ク・ ヘ ル ス・ イ ム を 着 る 場 合、 プ ラ ス

ウ ェ ブ サ イ ト「 ザ・ パ し て い る。 コ ス チ ュ ー

ミュニティーと連帯し、

公式サイトでは社会 ンのイベント会場は人

着 用 が 必 要。 ハ ロ ウ ィ

の課題を訴え続けるこ ＊シリーズ最終回次回

的距離を保つ対策とし が 密 に な り や す い こ と

そ れ ぞ れ の 歴 史、 現 在

と で、 行 政 を よ り 公 正 は、 ア ジ ア ン・ カ ウ ン

て、 お 菓 子 は 事 前 に 個 か ら 感 染 リ ス ク が 高 く、

は、 「いろいろなルー

Ｅメール短歌会

http://madoitanka.blogspot.co 連絡先：

渡 す た め の 簡 易 滑 り 台 れる。

～ 社会詠～

chiyoko@wavecable.com

ヒューストン

＊コロナ禍で眠れぬ夜々を独り生き

北海道 ＊北里かおる

シアトル 白樺ようこ

ポート・オーチャード 宇津木千代

のフォームにサイン終へそっとペンを置く End of Life Care ＊韓国の夫のプライドと吾の正論しのぎ合ひてのち残滓は悲哀

命とふ字に哀しみの縁取りの顕はれにけり 晩夏のある日

＊新しき慣ひとなりしソーシャルディスタンスに過密の街にまばらな人影

スーパーに居並ぶ麦酒の冷たさに自宅待機の真夏を癒さむ

キラキラと輝よふ太陽呑み込みし東京湾を飛機より眺む

＊生徒らと離れて立ちて虹を見る校舎の屋上マスク外して

＊コロナ禍に政治ますますピンとこず物申す日々老犬相手に

自分への小さき褒美はブームなる高級食パン並んで買いぬ

＊深沢 しの

受け取りしテキストの文字に双子持つ母親の悲鳴聴く 助“けて と ” の時計 凝視し続ける iPhone

暇つぶしテキスト送れば画面には只今ズームで会議中と

詳細：

月の題詠

と、トシコさんは語る。 フ ァ ー ラ ル・ サ ー ビ ス 包装して玄関先に置き、 感 染 予 防 対 策 を 徹 底 し Ｃ Ａ Ｐ Ａ Ａ の ロ ゴ について取り上げます。 接 触 を 避 け て お 菓 子 を な が ら の 実 施 が 求 め ら

に し て い く こ と が 大 切 」 セ リ ン グ・ ア ン ド・ リ

意を呼びかけている。

テ ィ ー を 代 表 し、 今 後 越 え て、 新 た な 社 会 を ン サ イ ダ ー」 で は、 今 チ ッ ク に 空 気 穴 が あ る も 地 域 行 政 へ 声 を 届 け 切 り 開 い て い く 力 強 さ 年のハロウィンに向け、 マ ス ク だ と 飛 沫 の 飛 散 ていくＣＡＰＡＡ。 「コ を感じさせる。 新型コロナウイルス感 を 防 ぐ こ と が で き な い （神谷友里杏） 染 拡 大 を 防 ぐ た め の 注 た め、 適 切 な マ ス ク の

ア 太 平 洋 系 コ ミ ュ ニ し て い る。 歴 史 を 乗 り

です」

る」イメージがソリダ

で寛容に受け入れてい ツを持つ移民が海を渡

マイノリティー移民の問題は社会全体の問題

け入れによる経済効果 に 触 れ る。 一 方 で、 人 道 的 な 側 面 か ら も、 難 民の受け入れは必要だ と訴える。 「自国に身を 置くことができない難

読者の皆様からのイ

投稿募集

民を保護して社会全体

ベント 案 内、会 合の 報 告、新規ビジネス・サー ビス の お 知 ら せ な ど 日 系 コ ミュニ テ ィ ーへの 告 知 を お 待 ち し てい ま す。寄 稿 文 も 受 け 付 け ていま す。記 事 や 写 真 を Ｅ メ ー ル にて 送 付 く だ さ い（ community@ ） 。 napost.com イベント開 催 情 報に つい て は、 本 紙 ウェブ サ イ ト（ http://napost.

10

（＊印のついた作者は、新かなで歌を詠んでいます）

今月の歌として北里かおるさんの歌を選びました。コロナ禍、コロナ禍とうんざりするような社 会現象が生まれていますが、そんな中で人々は鬱積する気持ちを吐き出す手段も見い出せず、鬱々 と過ごす日々が多いと思います。教師として働いている北里さんは、きっと生徒が「先生虹だ、 虹だよ」と窓に集まり騒いでいる生徒を制し、「それじゃ屋上に上がって観ようか」と、生徒を誘 い出して、共に屋上に上がっていったのでしょうか。解放感を味わうためにマスクをとっても、 密は避けて、夢の広がる虹を眺めて晴れ晴れとしている生徒と先生の姿がよく描かれています。

「アジア系のコミュニ 営 利 団 体 と 州 政 府 と の 現 在 も、 多 く の マ イ ティー団体はさまざま 橋渡し役を担っていま ノリティー移民や難民 「ブラック・ライブズ・マター（ＢＬＭ）」のムーブメントが全米で広がる中、 あ り ま す が、 Ｃ Ａ Ｐ Ａ す 」。 ア ジ ア 系 を 代 表 す を受け入れているワシ アメリカ社会にある制度的人種差別の撤廃を求める声が高まっている。日本 Ａ の 強 み は、 州 営 の 組 る Ｃ Ａ Ｐ Ａ Ａ の ほ か に ン ト ン 州。 ト シ コ さ ん 人にとってはなじみの薄い人種差別の問題を長年にわたって経験し、そして 織 と い う 点 で す 」 と、 も、知事アドバイザリー は移民問題についてど 乗り越えてきたのが日系アメリカ人コミュニティーだ。アメリカ社会ならで ト シ コ さ ん。 知 事 や 郡 委 員 会 に は 黒 人、 ヒ ス のような考えを持って はの人種や移民の問題について、日系アメリカ人の歴史と現在に続く活動か 議 会 の 政 策 決 定 に 直 接 パニック、ネイティブ・ いるのだろうか。 ら考える。 に働きかけることがで アメリカンなど他マイ 「ダイバーシティー き る の は、 Ｃ Ａ Ｐ Ａ Ａ ノ リ テ ィ ー・ グ ル ー プ 第 回 ワシントン州アジア太平洋問題委員会 （多様化）が進むことで、

な ら で は か も し れ な い。 向 け の も の が あ り、 協 驚くほどたくさんの成 行政へコミュニティーの声を届けるアドボカシー組織 「 コ ミ ュ ニ テ ィ ー を 直 力して活動することも 長と革新の機会につな ワシントン州が運営するアジア太平洋問題委員会（ＣＡＰＡＡ）は、アジ 接 サ ポ ー ト す る こ と は あると言う。 が り、 州 経 済 に 多 大 な ア太平洋系州民の地位向上を目的とする州知事アドバイザリー組織。インズ 影 響 を 及 ぼ し ま す。 企 リー知事の任命で２０１８年から事務局長を務めるトシコ・グレース・ハセ 多様なアジア太平洋系民族グループ 業の商品やサービスは ガワさんに、同委員会の役割や歴史背景などを聞いた。 １９７０年代前半のシ テ ィ ー の 人 た ち の 中 に も ち ろ ん、 科 学 や 医 薬 キ・ マ ツ ダ イ ラ 氏 が 務 ア ト ル で は 戦 前 か ら の はスモール・ビジネス・ 品開発の分野などでも、 公民権運動から誕生した州営組織 め た。 １ ９ ９ ５ 年 か ら 移 民 だ っ た 日 系、 中 華 オ ー ナ ー も 多 い の で す 多 様 な 地 域 か ら 移 住 し 現 在 の 名 称 と な り、 ワ 系、 フ ィ リ ピ ン 系 が ア が、 言 語 的 な 壁 も あ っ て き た 人 々 が 貢 献 し て い ま す 」 と、 移 民 の 受

平 洋 系 の 民 族 グ ル ー プ で は、 そ う し た 情 報 を が あ り、 そ の 居 住 地 域 マ イ ノ リ テ ィ ー 経 営 者

州の別組織であるマ

は州内全 郡にまたが へ多言語で届けるよう ります」と、 トシコさん。 にしています」 地理的にも民族的にも

広 が る 多 様 な 課 題 へ の イノリティー・アンド・ 対応は、州からの限られ ウィメンズ・ビジネス・ た 資 金 と 少 な い ス タ ッ エ ン タ ー プ ラ イ ズ（ Ｏ フで解決する難しさが ＭＷＢＥ）とも協力し

て、 ア ジ ア 太 平 洋 系 の あるとも話す。 ＣＡＰＡＡでは就職・ 経 営 者 を サ ポ ー ト す る 起業支援も積極的に行 イベントを定期的に開 う。「 ア メ リ カ と い う 国 催。 昨 年 に 州 商 務 局 な で 生 き 延 び る に は、 働 ど と も 協 力 し て 開 催 し いて稼いでいくことが たイベントには 名ほ 70

必 要 不 可 欠 な の で、 経 ど の 経 営 者 が 集 ま り、 済的成功を後押しする 情報の共有や経営者同

）からオン com/event ラ インで 投 稿 い た だ く

こともできます。

今月の短歌 ( 担当 宇津木千代 ) 元歌：＊生徒らと離れて立ちて虹を見る校舎の屋上マスク外して 最終歌：＊生徒らと離れて立ちて虹を見る校舎の屋上マスク外して

Ｃ Ａ Ｐ Ａ Ａ の 前 身 が 始まりだ。

誕生したのは、１９７０ １ ９ ７ ２ 年 か ら 正 式 シ ン ト ン 州 の ア ジ ア 太 ジ ア 系 を 代 表 し て い た て、 起 業 の プ ロ セ ス、 年。 ア ジ ア 系 ア メ リ カ な 州 知 事 付 の ア ド バ イ 平 洋 系 コ ミ ュ ニ テ ィ ー が、 現 在 で は ベ ト ナ ム 社 会 イ ン フ ラ の 活 用 や 人 の 公 民 権 運 動 が 盛 り ザ リ ー 委 員 会 と な り、 の 声 を 州 政 府 へ 届 け た や そ の 他 の 東 南 ア ジ ア 行 政 支 援 の 受 け 方、 ま 上 が る 中 で、 活 動 家 ら 初 代 事 務 局 長 は 日 系 ア り、 重 要 な 州 の 政 策 を 出 身 者、 ま た 太 平 洋 諸 た 公 共 事 業 の 受 託 業 者

Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs Contact: capaa@capaa.wa.gov Info: https://capaa.wa.gov

が 当 時 の 州 知 事 に 面 会 メ リ カ 人 市 民 同 盟（ Ｊ コ ミ ュ ニ テ ィ ー へ 告 知 島出身者も多く、アジア と し て の 登 録 方 法 な ど を 申 し 出 て、 独 自 の 委 Ａ Ｃ Ｌ ） メ ン バ ー で も したり、コミュニティー 太 平 洋 系 (Asian Pacificの 情 報 に ア ク セ ス し に と 総 称 さ れ る。 く い と い う 課 題 を 抱 え 員 会 を 結 成 し た こ と が あ っ た ミ ッ チ・ ミ ツ ユ 住 民 に 政 治 参 加 を 促 し Islander) 「 州 内 に は の ア ジ ア 太 て い ま す。 Ｃ Ａ Ｐ Ａ Ａ トシコ・グレース・ハセガワ■ シアトルのビーコンヒルで生まれ育つ。横浜からシア トルに移住してきた曽祖父を持つ日系 4 世。シアトル大学大学院で刑事裁判学を学 んだ後、キング郡の裁判決定監視局に勤務。2016 年から CAPAA スタッフとなり、 2018 年から現職。 写真は、2020 年大統領選挙の民主党代表候補だったエリザベス ・ ウォーレン上院議員のシアトル演説会場で同氏と登壇したトシコさん（右）。

NAPOST.COM

Vol. 75, issue 20 October 23, 2020

Japanese

3

42

37

こ と は と て も 大 切 」 と、 士 の ネ ッ ト ワ ー キ ン グ ト シ コ さ ん。「 マ イ ノ リ の場になった。

文芸欄

3