In 2019 I went to a pan-American conference of JC communities. It was held in San Francisco, and featured a youth panel which presented discussions and topics from young delegates. We discussed virtual obon, and other ways to connect with each other over distances. An older local attendee criticized the youth representatives about the focus...Continue reading
Author: Carley Okamura
I am a yonsei living in Edmonton, Alberta, which is where I grew up. I have played Japanese drums (taiko) for 20 years, and am involved with the local EJCA.
Thoughts on Intergenerational Trauma
This is not exactly a fresh take, but I think JC communities and families carry a lot of intergenerational trauma. It is common for those who experienced internment, to not discuss it, or brush it off. I don’t blame them one bit for this, many people don’t want to relive memories of pain, of sadness,...Continue reading
A story about dispossession
I wasn’t close to my grandfather, and I didn’t ask much about his internment experience. They had to abandon a lot. They had a chicken farm in Surrey, and a car which they were very proud of. I do know a story about the farm, which I will tell: On the front lawn, there was...Continue reading
My Family History
I’m a mixed race yonsei living in Alberta. I don’t know the account of our family history extremely well. They had a chicken farm in Surrey. Like the other families, that land was stolen and sold off, and the family was moved to work on sugar beet farms in Alberta. My grandfather was the oldest,...Continue reading
Intermarriage and being mixed race
I’m a mixed race yonsei living in Alberta. My dad is Japanese, my mom is white. They were married in the mid eighties, and it was not agreeable to my dad’s parents. As an adult I became involved with the local JC community. At a pan-American conference for JC communities in 2019, the issue of...Continue reading
How loss of language affects me
My father was born in the mid 50’s and hardly learned Japanese, even though both his parents were fluent. There was no Japanese spoken at my home. My parents attempted to enrol me in the local Japanese school when I was young, and though I wasn’t rejected, the principal suggested I may not mesh with...Continue reading
My identity
I am a yonsei, and I identify as a mixed race Japanese Canadian. My great grandfather immigrated from Japan, which means the Japanese side of my family has been in Canada longer than my white side. I am in my mid thirties, I believe I am slightly older than the typical yonsei. I am half...Continue reading