Fourth Annual Story Circle of the Japanese Diaspora: The Why
July 27, 2024
The 4th annual Story Circle of the Japanese Diaspora 2024: Why Story a free international zoom event 10am -12pm PDTSaturday July 27th by storytellers, musicians, poets, & spiritual leaders and people like you.
First Voice presents the 4th annual Story Circle of the Japanese Diaspora: Why Story created and conceived by America’s first nationally recognized Asian American storyteller, Brenda Wong Aoki and Asian American jazz pioneer composer Mark Izu.
The purpose of the annual Story Circle is to bring together the lost tribe of people of Japanese descent who were forced to scatter during the incarceration, embrace our mixed-race children and the Shin-Issei community in order to heal, comfort, & strengthen through the power of personal story.
Sharing our stories helps us to understand our history, its impact on our lives and lights the way to make future together.
Story Circle is a heart-centered event. All presenters and facilitators are artists, healers or spiritual leaders.
Second Annual Story Circle of the Japanese Diaspora: Ikiru (To Live)
We are feeling torn open, held, connected to our ancestors and to new life.
We learned that a surprising number of our grandfathers owned corner stores, we learned about each other, we learned about ourselves. If you were not able to join us for the second annual Story Circle of the Japanese Diaspora, we are sharing the video recording with the hope that you feel many things as well!
We will be gathering again next year for the Third Annual Story Circle of the Japanese Diaspora, but we hope to see you before then!
2021 Story Circle of the Japanese Diaspora: Enso
May 28th & 29th, 2021
Thank you to everyone who joined this once in a lifetime intergenerational Zoom gathering of people of Japanese descent featuring Living Treasures, Culture Bearers and Wisdom Keepers.
During this time of rising hate, musicians, poets, storytellers, filmmakers, spiritual leaders & visionaries joined together to re-member the resilience of our ancestors, found strength, and left strong facing future.
In honor of our multiracial children and family members.
Part 1
Why My Father Stopped Talking to Me
Who am I and why does it matter? How does my grandparents’ life experience affect my worldview and expectations? What happens when we name the pain? Watch below for a conversation with Dr. Satsuki Ina, The Honorable Judge Thelton Henderson, and Noelani Ahia. Hear visionaries, poets and musicians Vicki Eagle, Nancy Ukai, Mark Izu, and Janice Mirikitani. Lean in. Learn from one another. Share your story.
Part 2 and 3
Japanese Joy
What does Joy have to do with resilience? After understanding our history, naming our pain and pulling out shards of embedded trauma, how do we care for ourselves? Joy can strengthen resilience but what brings us joy? In this session we shared home movies from the 1930’s and afterwards. See what joy looked like before the Incarceration and now. Artists & spiritual leaders PJ Hirabayashi, George Yamasaki, and Kenny Endo raised our spirits and Traci Kato-Kiriyama will led us in interactive exercises to find our own Joy. Japanese Joy shined a light on our ability to endure now and in the future.
Hear the Now Facing Future
Our children are the future and that future is multiracial. How do our children navigate multiple cultural identities and how can we help them? How does the experience of white-passing and non-white passing multiracial people differ? The U.S. is nearing the tipping point - whites are no longer the majority. What does that mean for our grandchildren’s children? What do they need us to do now in order for them to thrive, standing tall with their heads held high. Join the fight against cultural extinction!
Story Talk
by devorah major
Hearing story talk circles of healing
From the occupied lands of the Ohlone peoples
from the native lands of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Ute
from traditional Nonotuck land
Muwekma and Ohlone Chochenyo land
Wampanoag and Nipmuc land
from the land of the Kizh, Gabrielino
and Tonga peoples
From the lands of the
Yelamu/Ohlone Ramaytush
We are her
We are connected to and responsible for these lands today
to make sure that the dark times will not happen again
We bring our historical trauma
and the harsh reality of today
to the reconvening of our tribe
here with our culture bearers,
wisdom keepers
us
All of us
with our difficult stories
that are Important to share
When you are of color
you never escape history
All our communities are struggling
with oppression and racism
inherited shame
All of us carry generational trauma
We carry the fear of walking our streets
of our elders and our children
leaving our doorsteps
And now some don’t expect
people like us to do what we can really do
But remember we’ve always endured
Created the birthplace of another culture
U S us
All of us
Holding up the mirror
of what it means to be Japanese
Centering all the pieces of our selves
into one unified truth of
what it means to be human
Your importance and mine are the same
Whose humanity is being challenged or erased
We bring our ancestors with us
So that we can say what our ancestors
need us to say
When we lean back on our ancestors
they give us the strength to be who we are
to create a chant for change
Roots matter
Our roots connect us to the earth
And the earth connects us to each other
We can be in community and mourn
but also celebrate our being together
The profoundness of being able to tell our stories
To acknowledge the wounds, acknowledge the pain
acknowledge our ability to protest, dance, yell, sing
Exchanging small pieces of our lives
helps transform sorrow and opens the heart,
offering a way forward.
The echoing drums- taiko, tom toms, bongos, hand drums
intertwine with the bass
becoming our hearts humming with possibilities
guitar fingers, shimmering bells
resonate with our tears and laughter
Flutes bird songs bring flocks
soaring between branches
riding the winds of healing
sheng, shakuhachi, saxophone
voice our sorrow and our release
Music our salve, at times
Our salvation
Evoke your ancestors
and the ancestors of extended family
Call out the sacred names of spirit
Have gratitude for breath
friendship, community, humanity
Love will be amplified
so there is no refuge for hate
Gather the infinite energy from the universe
from the earth into the vessel that is you
Swim in a ocean of chi
an ocean of infinite power with no boundaries
Our bodies moving
Our minds opening
Our hearts opening
Even when we’re angry
There will be joy
Voices open in song
Limbs stretch in dance
Each of you is important
We’ve created a healing space
We will hold our heads high
and face the future together
The fight for humanity needs us all
Independence is a myth
Be grounded and real in our interconnections
Be a voice for the people you grew up with
for those in back of you and in front
Know your stories
Know your stories were shared
at this beautiful gathering where courage floated.
Thank you for sharing your powerful stories
reclaiming/owning your traditions and history
You were a gift to us
Old faces, new faces, faces of future community
We are more the same than we are different.
We can find ways to turn fear and pain
into resilience and action
What a wonderful celebration
in spite of the turmoil in our country and the world today.
Our stories were eye wetting and gut churning
but transformational.
So much strength and wisdom
beautiful, like a scroll of our history
Liberating
Connected
Empowered and Compassionate
Creating metamorphosis
Invisible threads of golden light
connecting our hearts and making us strong
We are ONE
Oneness not sameness
Story Circle of the
Japanese Diaspora Collage
by Andi Wong
About Brenda Wong Aoki and Mark Izu
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In Partnership With
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Speakers and Artists
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