Over 700 Commemorate 2017 Chicago Day of Remembrance and 75 Years Since E.O. 9066
BY RYAN MASAAKI YOKOTA “This actually happened. This happened to somebody I love,” stated poet and author Dwight Okita, in talking about why he writes poetry about the Japanese American … Continue reading
Facing Forward: Mixed-Race Japanese Americans in Chicago
BY RYAN MASAAKI YOKOTA “So, one of the questions that mixed people get asked a lot is ‘What are you?’” stated Laura Kina, a Professor at DePaul University, speaking at … Continue reading
Michitaro Ongawa: The First Japanese American Chicagoan
BY TAKAKO DAY On July 8, 1867, the Chicago Tribune reported a love story between a Chicago girl and a Japanese acrobat. Traveling acrobats were most likely the first Japanese … Continue reading
2016 Day of Remembrance in Chicago
BY RYAN MASAAKI YOKOTA On February 21, 2016, some 300 members of the Japanese American and broader Chicago community came to the Chicago History Museum in order to attend the … Continue reading
The Japanese Peruvian Community of Chicago
By RYAN MASAAKI YOKOTA On a warm spring day last year, members of the Japanese Peruvian community filled the pews of the Church of Christ Presbyterian in Chicago not for … Continue reading
Op-ed: The Future Started Yesterday
An op-ed commentary describing the challenges for Japanese American non-profit organizations in Chicago, and the need to develop succession planning strategies for the future. Op-ed by BOB KUMAKI When I … Continue reading