Extra, Extra! Coming Soon! War Brides Of Japan!

Aloha, Hip Hapa Homeez!

While the big news for mixies globally is the upcoming wedding of biracial American actress Meghan Markel and Britain’s Prince Harry, there are other brides in the news, too. 

Read all about it!

One year after we completed Principal Photography on our War Brides of Japan documentary, we found ourselves in California once again.

In early November, documentary participant Elaine invited us to the elegant birthday party of special blasian lady, JoAnna, in Long Beach. Surrounded by her lovely female friends, we took dozens of photos and later marveled at how many of us had Japanese war bride mothers and African American military fathers.

See for yourself, here:

blasian beauties: top row, left to right: Emma, Michi, Naomi, JoAnna, Yayoi, Joan. seated: Elaine, Floria.

Later on in our travels, Elaine, who's been one of our staunchest supporters, hosted a fundraiser for our documentary. Yes, we’re still in need of funding, and will likely launch a campaign soon so we can pay our amazing composer, LA CAt, what she deserves to have. Meanwhile, you can donate here:  

Network for Good

But back to the fundraiser, a good time was had by all who participated at a Torrance karaoke bar where Elaine handed out Coach bags as prizes in several raffle drawings. 

Here are some pix from that event:

Elaine calls out winners of the raffle drawings...

...and, a lucky winner is Emma!

but Floria wins, too!

and, so does Patty!

karaoke was kraaazy!

Floria and Patty were clearly moved by Emma's performance

Joan and Emma singing, 'STOP in the Name of Love!'

Sadly, while we were in California, we also lost one of our favorite friends in entertainment. Rhoda Robinson Hicks was an energetic writer and performer, and her son David promises to carry on her legacy.

David as a child actor with Frankie Muniz, Hollywood

an all grown-up David meets with Your Hip Hapa at the American Film Market, Santa Monica

While we’re still busy editing War Brides of Japan for an early 2018 release, we invite you to visit the links, down below, that provide more info about the film.

We thank you for your continuing support and encourage you to donate to our cause if you haven’t already. Every penny is 100% tax deductible. We do appreciate each and every one of you and send a big ARRIGATOU!

If you’ve already made a donation and would like us to post your photo on Facebook and/or the name of the person you made the donation in honor of, please let us know.

We’ll see you next year in March 2018 just in time for sakura and War Brides Of Japan.

Here are links to the film:

War Brides of Japan videos:
youtube 88.1 FM interview
youtube behind the scenes production trailer 
vimeo behind the scenes production trailer
youtube pre-production trailer 
vimeo pre-production trailer 
youtube v.2 
youtube v.1

War Brides of Japan websites:

warbridesofjapan.com

weebly

jimdo

War Brides of Japan in the news:

DIFT 

NBC 

international examiner

international examiner 2

discover nikkei

War Brides of Japan on Facebook:

fan page

War Brides of Japan on LinkedIn:

how they learned to forgive and love the enemy

making love, not war

those bad ass brides!

War Brides of Japan on Twitter:

watermelonsushi

War Brides of Japan on G+:

google plus

War Brides of Japan blogs:

on the road

tumblR

A War Bride's artwork:

iAmArtistYuriko

heARTworkByYuri

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Not As Easy As Black And White

Aloha Hip Hapa Homeez.

It’s still officially summer, and we’ve been out playing way past our bedtimes. Because of our activity-filled lives, our blog hasn’t been as robust lately. Not to worry. We’ll be bringing you more stories of mixed-race people, interracial relationships, transracial adoptees and culture crossers soon. And, if you’ve got a book, film or other product that targets the multicultural community, please drop us a line.

This month’s featured Hip Hapa Homee is Mike Reed, a life-long Northwest resident who grew up in foster care. A computer geek and comic book enthusiast, Mike also supervises a group of laborers, all with developmental disabilities including disorders like Tourette Syndrome and ADD.

half-Asian Bobby offers black doll to half-black Mike, left

Q: Mike, tell us about your parents.

A: My mother, Judy Reed, is white. My father, Clearance Reed, is black. I have no idea how they met.

Q: Where did you grow up?

A: Mostly in Washington State, mostly in white communities. I lived in Chicago for one year. As a foster child, I lived with various people. I never had a stable home and once, while living in one, I was removed by the State. Many good people tried to help, but the State of Washington worked against them.

Q: How did you identify as a mixed-race black/white child, and how do you identify now?

A: I do not identify with any group or race.

Q: What have been some instances where you experienced racism due to your mixed-race heritage?

A: The one that stands out is when I was in Chicago and called the police after being beaten by unknown black gang bangers. When the cop finally arrived, he told me that one does not call 911 for this reason. He said if he had to come back, he would beat me himself.

I have also been called names and accused of being races that I am not. I have had items thrown at me--from a moving vehicle once, and in a crowd once. I never did see who they were, but I heard one of them call me a “camel jockey”.

I have also experienced racism from girlfriends’ parents. Most of them were white except for one Asian parent who did not want me dating her Asian/white daughter. She said I would become a drug user by age 30 and did not want that for her daughter.

Mike with Your Hip Hapa

(Notes from Your Hip Hapa: I was once in the car with Mike when he drove to visit a white “friend” in Seattle. The “friend” happened to be in his front yard and as our car slowed, he peeked inside. “Man," he said laughing, "I thought you were a terrorist."

In 2004, several years after 9/11, Mike visited me in Santa Monica. As we toured the LaBrea Tar Pits, a famous tourist landmark, a white man approached us and pointed to Mike aiming his camera. “I don’t think you should be taking photos over here,” he said as if doing him a favor. “They might arrest you,” he warned.)

Q: As a mixed-race black/white man, how did you feel about Barrack Obama being elected president of the U.S.?

A: I was relieved that the opposition did not win. I knew racists would have problems with it, but my decision was not based on his race. People do not see mixed-race individuals, they see whatever color they want to see.

Bobby finds a white and an Asian doll at IKEA
to rep his Caucasian and Thai roots

Q: How does having a mixed-race identity help you relate to people with developmental disabilities?

A: I recognize discrimination when I see it. Disabled people are one of the most discriminated groups around. Very few people take the time to listen to them.  

Q: Any thoughts about the future for mixed-race people like you?

A: I have no expectations for the future for anyone as long as religion is around. We will all be eliminated someday judging by the earth’s age verses the length man has been on it.

Mahalo nui loa, Mike.

Here’s a video clip of Mike and some of the men he supervises hanging out at the Puyallup Fair.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8mznyuqYcU

Remember, join us at our Hip Hapa Homeez group page on Facebook where we often have these types of discussions.

And, check out these links:

Watermelon Sushi, the movie

Watermelon Sushi fan page on Facebook

Hapa*Teez on YouTube

Hapa*Teez on Café Press

Hapa*Teez fan page on Facebook

War Brides of Japan version 2

War Brides of Japan

War Brides of Japan fan page on Facebook

Mike's friend, Rob Lee, in a Hapa*Teez

Until fall, when we’ll meet again, I remain

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Racial Responsibility

Aloha all,

A Facebook friend recently posted an article asking whether people of color are held to a higher standard than whites whenever something bad goes down. Like when Chris Brown beat up Rihanna and news sources cited O.J. Simpson and Ike Turner, other black men known for violence against women.

"What about Jean Claude Van Damm?" someone asked. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't advocate any man hitting any woman (or anyone else for that matter), but it did seem odd that media lingered on violent colored folks, and not so much on others who have also done damage.

The FB article posed the question of whether people of color are more responsible for representing their communities as opposed to whites. That posting was so timely because just this weekend I had a conversation with a white friend that blew me away. I was telling him about a documentary I watched called Crips and Bloods: Made In America, and how I thought the filmmakers left out an important chunk of history. Although this film features incredible archival footage, the storytelling seems a little hurried. We go from blacks leaving the southern plantations to joining the industrial revolution in Los Angeles' aerospace companies encouraged by World War II. After flourishing in segregated neighborhoods, blacks start experiencing job layoffs, absentee fathers, drug-addicted mothers, and voila! gangbangers. Well, after a riot or two, that is. Okay, I thought. What's missing here?

Years ago, I heard the late playwright August Wilson speaking at a Seattle theater. A white woman in the audience asked him what he thought was the worst thing that had happened to the black community. An audible gasp was heard as Wilson replied, "Integration." The biracial Wilson (his father was a white German) then explained that during segregation, blacks were forced to rely on each other--buying from each other's stores, hiring each other for various services, and keeping it all in the 'hood, so to speak. But with integration opening up doors that were previously closed, blacks who were more educated and affluent began exploring the idea of moving into previously all-white neighborhoods. In time, the black communities they left behind became neglected ghettos. Middle-class homes morphed into government projects. Black businesses folded for the lack of demand. Drug dealers became the new entrepreneurs. Other races moved in with liquor stores and pawn shops. Black people in black communities grew impoverished--leading to alcoholism, drug addiction and that elusive missing male parent.

Watching Crips and Bloods, I remembered Wilson's harsh words and thought that's probably what happened in the Los Angeles' black neighborhoods where those gangs were born. I said as much to my white friend, and his response surprised me.

"They should've never left," he replied.

"What?" I answered. "Are you saying middle-income blacks should have never left their black neighborhoods? Would you say that to a white person? Would you say, white person, you are responsible for your entire race?"

My white friend admitted that he wouldn't, and realized his error at suggesting it. But his words echoed through my mind for several days afterward. Why did he automatically think people of color should be more responsible for their own kind? My friend is a loving and generous person with no outward sign of racism. Yet his words had slipped so easily from his lips. Was he an unwilling victim of institutionalized racism?

As usual, I have many questions and no answers. Of course, the greatest irony is that without integration, neither I nor August Wilson might have been born biracial.

I do encourage you to watch Crips and Bloods if you get the chance. Some of the interviews with ex-gang members will chill your blood, but hearing their stories will also give you a greater understanding of the domino effect of racism that allows poverty to turn into a lack of respect for life--anyone's.

Speaking of films, Your Hip Hapa is in the research phase of launching a distribution company for films by and about mixed-race people. Hollah at hiphapa@comcast.net for more info.

I leave you with a pix of beautiful Santa Monica, above. Located only miles from some of the most gang-infested neighborhoods of Los Angeles, it's a city that some residents of those very 'hoods have never visited in their entire lives.

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi