Re-Launch, Sort Of

Hey, Hip Hapa Homeez!

It's hard to believe that I started this blog back in 2006. On that March day, I proclaimed I would henceforth write about issues that affect all AfroAsians as well as keep folks updated about our feature film, Watermelon Sushi. But then, I stopped. And, I didn't start again until 2008! When I did, I began writing about all mixed-race topics--period.

In the beginning, I blogged every single day. It seems I had a lot on my mind back then. Of course, I couldn't keep up with myself much less give you, the reader, fresh news on a daily basis. So, I switched to just blogging on Wednesdays and found that to be a much more manageable goal. Of course, I also evolved from writing only about the AfroAsian experience to including mixies of every blend.

Now, I'm ready to move Watermelon Sushi World up a notch, and that means involving you. Starting with this posting, I'm going to feature various multiracial personalities each week. So many of you out there lead such interesting lives, so let me hear from you! To be interviewed, please email me at: hiphapa@comcast.net

For now, here are two Hip Hapa Homeez who attended the fabulous Mixed Roots Film and Literary Festival (at the Japanese American National Museum on June 12 and 13) and their thoughts and opinions about it.

Kathy Sachiko Jackson, in the photo above, has a Japanese mother and an African American father.

Q: How did you participate in this year's Mixed Roots Film and Literary Festival?

A: I answered questions on the Mixed-Race Relationships panel.

Q: What was the most exciting aspect of the festival?

A: The whole theme of mixed roots was exciting. The film I got to see--I'm not Black Damnit, I'm Biracial by Carolyn Battle-Cochrane--was amazing! It was funny and sad at the same time.

Q: What did you learn from your experiences there?

A: I have a community of people who want me to explore and find my Japanese background; that I have a group that supports and "gets" me.

Q: How do you think this festival helps mixed-race people? Non mixed-race people?

A: It gives us a voice. It puts all of our thoughts and struggles out there. Non mixed-race people can learn that sometimes they say things that can be hurtful to mixed-race people such as, "What are you?" I am a human being, damn it!

Q: Will you return next year? If so, in what capacity?

A: I will definitely return to the festival again next year. I would love to be on a panel again or attend as a spectator.

Amina S. Kangiwa, in the photo above, has a Filipina mother and a Nigerian father:

Q: How did you participate in this year's Mixed Roots Film and Literary Festival?

A: I was an attendee who also covered the event for MixedChild.com, an online website for people of mixed heritage.

Q: What was the most exciting aspect of the festival?

A: I really enjoyed the film screenings and the panel discussion "Mixed in Hollywood" although the highlight for me was "Mixed Unplugged: Live Performance of the Mixed Experience"--specifically Maija Digiorgio's comedy skit. She was hilarious!

Q: What did you learn from your experiences there?

A: I learned how crucial it is for people of mixed heritage to be part of a community of people who can somewhat relate to their experiences growing up multiracial. It was so great to talk to people who intuitively understood my stories and experiences as a mixed person as evidenced by the glint in their eyes when I shared my stories--a great contrast to the beam of confusion and a raised eyebrow that I often get from many of my mono-racial friends.

Q: How do you think this festival helps mixed-race people? Non mixed-race people?

A: To see others talking so openly about their mixed experience and be able to channel it into an artistic form can be very healing and encouraging to mixed-race people (which wouldn't have been possible if the festival didn't exist.) The festival encourages mixed people to find their voice--a voice that for centuries has been silenced due to a widespread discomfort when talking about the mixed experience and race in general. Hopefully, there were people in attendance who, as a result of the festival, were encouraged to start talking about their experiences, to mold all their past pain and confusion, joy and lessons learned, into some sort of art form.

For non mixed-race people, the festival can raise awareness and sensitivity to issues and slights commonly experienced by people of mixed heritage, often caused by others unaware of how damaging certain comments can be. Also, on a much lighter note, the festival was filled with so many talented people whose work can be enjoyed by everyone--mixed or non-mixed--and art, no matter who created it, can always benefit us all.

Q: Will you return next year? If so, in what capacity?

A: Definitely! I'd like to contribute and participate in any way I can, though, of course, the decision is ultimately up to Heidi and Fanshen. *Wink* *Wink* -:-)

Thanks to both Sachiko and Amina for their participation. Next week, I'll feature more stories from more participants.

On another note, I know I've written about this many times before, but one aspect of our mixed-race world that still irritates me is the improper use of the words "biracial" and "hapa". I've noticed that any time the word biracial is used by mainstream media, they mean it to include only those who are half black and half white. Huh? And, the word hapa seems to have been hijacked by certain interest groups, too. Since hapa is the Hawai'ian mispronunciation of the English word half (as in Native Hawai'ian people lacked the phonetics to say half), hapa does not mean half Asian as some believe. In fact, the first biracial people in Hawai'i were half Native Hawai'ian and half European. East Asians didn't migrate to Hawai'i until after Europeans arrived. The offspring of Hawai'ians and Europeans were actually called hapa haole. Even though the world haole is used derogatorily to describe whites today, translated it simply means "no ha". To Native Hawai'ians, ha is the sacred breath one would expel when bowing to their king. Of course, Europeans wouldn't know that so they didn't practice the custom. Hawai'ians then tagged them "he without ha" or "no sacred breath". Ole is Hawai'ian for nothing.

btw, we still have lots of t-shirts available for you so check them out here: http://www.cafepress.com/hapateez

Also, if you haven't already, please sign up to join our Facebook group Hip Hapa Homeez where members post the most interesting articles, links and videos.

Until next week I remain,

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Mixed Roots At JANM And Watermelon Sushi Auditions

Aloha Hip Hapa Homeez!

If you weren't there, you missed an incredible event. The second annual Mixed Roots Film and Literary Festival in J-town (Little Tokyo) was all that and more. I promise to post photos on the next few blogs once I get the okay from folks who are in them. I'll also be interviewing some of the attendees, so stay tuned.

Arriving at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) on Friday, June 12 (Loving Day), I was greeted by Fanshen Cox and Heidi Durrow (The Mixed Chicks) who were heading to the Democracy Forum to hear the opening remarks by Curtiss Rooks. Afterwards, I hung out in the lobby and met Facebook friends like journalist Amina Kangiwa of MixedChild.com, writer/performer Kaypri Actswrite, Arana Fossett founder of The Topaz Club, Mulatto Diaries filmmaker Tiffany Jones, musician Jason Luckett, Hip Hapa Homeez officer Martine McDonald, Blended Nation authors Pamela Singh and Mike Tauber, and so many more. In spite of having a bad hair day, I agreed to be photographed by way too many of them and now I'm suffering on their Facebook pages.

First up, I went to Kaypri's presentation of the piece her mother planned to do before she fell and hurt herself. What an awesomely revealing hour! The discussion was about Kaypri's white southern mother who met and married her African American father while both were active in the Civil Rights movement.

Next, I got caught in a swirl (props to Jen Chau!) as I gathered panel participants and help in setting up my camera for the discussion I was moderating called Mixed-Race Relationships. Between listening to Kim Noonan's Short Filmmaking Crash Course, greeting friends who came to offer support, and checking mics and water bottles, I totally forgot to introduce myself to the audience when it was my turn to go on. But the important thing is that we had an interesting and lively discussion about who multiracial people have relationships with. Panelists Sam Cacas (author of BlAsian Exchanges, a novel about Asian men and black women), Sachiko Jackson (a Nurse Case Manager), and Ann Carli (an independent film producer and former music executive) all freely shared their personal stories. Since I haven't viewed the taped session yet, I won't trust my memory to write more at this point, but I will soon. Some of what was revealed was so deep that I had to come up for air. Gulp!

Hey, what a coincidence that my good buddy Trace happens to work at JANM! During her break, she and I refreshed ourselves in the museum's elegant tea shop. Here's a pix of me sitting with tomodachi. And, yes, those are the raccoon dog's genitalia. Don't ask me.

That night, we partied in honor of Loving Day. See the cake, below. Anyone reading this blog probably already knows that June 12, 1967 was the day the Supreme Court overturned earlier decisions that made Richard and Mildred Loving's marriage illegal in the state of Virginia (and 15 others). He was white, she was black, and they had been arrested in their bedroom for the act of miscegenation (race-mixing).

Returning to the Mixed Roots Festival on Saturday, I sat in on the Mixed In Hollywood session completely intrigued. Karyn Parsons (Hillary of Fresh Prince of Bel Air) was very vocal about what she, as an actress of mixed ancestry, had to endure in the biz. Karyn's father is Jewish and her mother African American. Also on the panel were writer Angela Nissel (Scrubs), film director/producer Joseph Anaya, actress Jenny Rich, and moderator Elliott Lewis.

In the lobby, I briefly spoke with Kim Wayans and her husband Kevin Knotts who have a children's book called Amy Hodgepodge. Yes, she's a Wayans sister and, yes, her spouse is Caucasian and, yes, they wrote the book for their child.

Following lunch at a Japanese restaurant where I had the "House Special" aka the only veggie dish on the menu, I returned to JANM. btw, when are Japanese eateries in America going to become as accommodating as their Thai and Vietnamese brothers and sisters? Look, if you want my money and you've got tofu in the kitchen, whip up something that doesn't contain fish broth for vegans like me! Back at JANM, I sat in on the film screenings and, at Fanshen's request, moderated the Q&A on behalf of filmmaker Tiffany Jones.

Finally, on Sunday, we held auditions for Watermelon Sushi and were totally unprepared for this surprise talent. Check out Killa Chan's YouTube vid here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRjDwwWYWIw

Too soon, the wonderful weekend was over. Mad love to the Mixed Chicks for organizing such an amazing event and to all you players who contributed to it. Mahalo nui loa also to all who helped with Watermelon Sushi auditions, and for joining me for dinner in Santa Monica.

My personal rear crawl includes (in alpha order):

Glenn Boggs

Rene Brown, her son Alex and her friend J.C.

Sam Cacas and his wife Dora

Ann Carli

Aklia Chinn*

Robert Clements

Daphne Delores

Gina Hiraizumi

Val hm

Sachiko Jackson

Rae Jones

Pearl, Jr.

Jeff Lee

Miwa Lyric

Yoon-Suk Kim Navarre

Kiyoshi Parker

Gigi Pique

Dmitri, Atsuko and Elena Ragano, and their friends

Ed Rampell

Marlon Ransome

Luis Reyes

Chez Shoji

*Special thanks to Aklia for so generously providing us audition space. Check out her store, Aklia's, at 1515 N Cahuenga in Hollywood (323-461-1810).

Until next week, I'm still...

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

P.S. Don't forget we've still got t-shirts!

Anzu, FGM v. MGM, And Upcoming Watermelon Sushi Events

Hey Hip Hapa Homeez,

I'm so hapa to hear from so many of you! As promised, each week I'll be posting stories and photos about you and your mixed-race experiences.

This week, allow me to introduce Anzu (aka Anzu Kristina Lawson). A very talented Los Angeles-based musician, actress and comedienne, Anzu is half Japanese and half Caucasian. Check out her story and accompanying pix, below:

"This is my parents', John and Keiko Lawson's, wedding photo taken in Japan. I was born seven months after it was taken. My dad was a G.I. stationed in Japan after the Korean war. My parents are divorced now. There was definitely a language barrier between them, but they managed to make two pretty cool daughters. My father fought prejudice because my mother was Japanese and Pearl Harbor was still fresh in people's minds, especially in Oregon. I remember my mother really craving Japanese food and having boxes of seaweed, noodles, pickled radish and condiments shipped from Japan by her relatives. Back in those days, they didn't have very many ethnic food stores like they do today. The ONE thing my parents had in common was that they both loved music. That passion was something they gave me, from both of them, besides their wonderful genes. I have a single out on itunes that is available under ANZU called TWO WRONGS. It's a rock duet featuring Sonny, the lead singer from the band P.O.D. (Columbia Records)."

Now, back to that FGM (First Generation Multi-racials, or Mulattos) v. MGM (Multi Generation Multi-racials) debate. Here's a response from Chancellor Files:

"I read the Watermelon Sushi World blog, and what Yayoi wrote about the FGM and MGM world that you (Kahlil Crawford) introduced her to. There are serious tensions between the two camps. I feel from what I’m seeing and hearing is that some FGM's are frustrated because there are light-skinned MGM's who look just as mulatto, and sometimes even lighter in complexion, than many biracials. They feel this helps FGM's remain seen as black because people are so used to seeing light-skinned MGM's.

Some FGM's are sad because light-skinned MGM's are lighter than some of them and, therefore, seen as mixed when the darker biracials are just seen as black first and mixed second. This is something that needs to be talked about among mixed-race people who are FGM's and MGM's.

This is why there is a forum so people can discuss these issues. This topic will come up eventually again, and it should."

And, still on that subject, I received the following from AllPeople Gifts:

"Hi Yayoi,

After having read your great article found at your website via the following link

http://watermelonsushiworld.blogspot.com/2009/05/susans-story-fgm-v-mgm-rain-brown-girl.html

in which you discussed the matter of MGM-Mixed and FGM-Mixed lineages, I thought you might be interested in learning about and becoming familiar with, as well as possibly joining, any or all of three (3) Mixed-Lineage discussion groups listed below.

Thus, we would like you to view this memo as a very cordial invitation to take a look at and to perhaps also consider joining and becoming a member (via either ‘active posting’ and/or ‘quiet perusal’) of any or all of the three (3) groups --- as we would be very honored to have you join in with us and our online communities."

The groups are as follows:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Generation-Mixed

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MGM-Mixed

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FGM-Mixed

Hey, Hip Hapa Homeez, we're getting close to the Mixed Roots Film and Literary Festival taking place in Los Angeles in June. Don't forget to stop by to check out our Mixed-Race Relationships panel including Sam Cacas, Sachiko Jackson and Ann Carli. If you'd like a program schedule, drop me an email at hiphapa@comcast.net

That same weekend, Watermelon Sushi producers will be auditioning talent for our film. If you haven't already sent us your reels, headshots and resumes, it's too late. But if you'd like to be considered for a role without auditioning, go to the Hip Hapa Homeez group on Facebook for breakdowns. Remember, rapper Miwa Lyric will be in the house!

Oh, and my good friend Amina asked that I post the following:

"Share your experience as a person of mixed heritage with MixedChild.com, an online community celebrating the achievements of multiracial people. All are welcome - from childhood experiences to dating, beauty, family and inspiration for your art/career– tell us your story!

Contact:

info@mixedchild.com

Please include your name, contact details (email or phone number) and best time to reach you . We can either arrange a phone interview or you can send us an essay written in first-person."

Until next time, I am and will always be...

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

New News And Old

That matriarchal maven Madonna is back in the news again. Once again, the controversy revolves around her attempts to adopt a Malawian child. The adoption of her now three year-old son, David Banda, whom she acquired in 2006 caused a ruckus because it was felt that Madonna used her big name and big bucks to bypass Malawi rules and regulations about adoption. It seems she was allowed to have David without being a resident of the country for at least one year, and circumventing the required 18-24 month waiting period which applied to everyone else.

Further, it was downright weird since David's father was still alive. Instead of giving David's father money so he could raise his own child, Madonna seem to be playing the role of a rich white woman purchasing a poor black boy. Now, that may not be the case at all, but anyone who is sensitive to the enslavement of black Africans by white Europeans would be alarmed at the implication. Even with David's father waiving his rights and insisting that he wanted Madonna to raise his son, one has to wonder why. Why would any father of any child prefer to have his own son reared by a stranger?

This time around, Madonna has her sights set on a young girl whose mother is also dead. But like David, the girl has a living father. Just when is it okay to adopt a child, anyway?

I have a friend of Indian descent who was adopted by a Caucasian couple who also adopted other children of color. Although my friend had birth parents who were living, she was a sickly child and her family couldn't afford her costly medical expenses. Now in her 20's, my friend recently met her birth family. Since this wasn't my experience, I can't say what is right or wrong. But I know if I had been raised by other people and later, in my adulthood, discovered that I had a living parent or parents, I'd be mighty mad. I'd wonder whether or not my folks did all they could to keep me. I'd probably even wonder if they really loved me. But like I said, I don't know the complete circumstances. Maybe you have a similar story you'd like to share. If you're a transracial adoptee, please drop me a line at hiphapa@comcast.net and unload.

Also in the news is a resolution proposed by Senator John McCain, of all people, requesting a presidential pardon for the now dead boxer, Jack Johnson. Johnson, an unbeatable black champ, was arrested in 1913 for violating the Mann Act--"taking women across state lines for immoral purposes". Although the Act was meant to prevent pimps from pimping prostitutes, it was used against Johnson because he dared to date and marry white women. Besides knocking out so many white boxers, he had the nerve to collect the spoils, aka white women. Johnson spent a year at Leavenworth prison and his record was tainted. And now, McCain, who personally voted against honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. with a federal holiday, has introduced this potential pardon to Obama. Life. It's so cyclic, ain't it?

Finally, I want to thank all of you, my supporters, for hanging in with me and continuing to read this blog, buying Hapa*Teez t-shirts, and keeping in the mix with our Watermelon Sushi film. And, a very special thanks to Amina Kangiwa of MixedChild.com for such an incredible interview session this evening. Although her site won't be up until this summer, I'm confident it's going to be all we mixies want. Amina, who is Filipina and Nigerian, is a journalist who knows how to get to the heart of race matters. We spent hours on the phone tonight talking about our similar AfroAsian ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Until next week, stay hip, stay hapa, stay homeez! And, don't forget to send me a Friend Request on Facebook--and join our Hip Hapa Homeez group, too. The last time I checked, Bern Nadette Stanis--Thelma--from Good Times was a member!

Above is a pix of our matriarch, my sister and me in the German woods.

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi