Nikkei Heritage

Our fall “Allies” issue went to press a few weeks before the events of September 11, so we had no idea that the material would prove to be so timely. Nikkei readers immediately saw parallels between the indignities experienced by Japanese-Americans in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor and the treatment of anyone perceived as Middle Eastern following the Pentagon and World Trade Center attacks.

That issue of Nikkei Heritage examined alliances between Japanese-Americans and other ethnic groups in politics, labor, business and education. It was inspired by the concurrent exhibition at NJAHS, “The Enemy Alien Files: Hidden Stories of World War II,” which documented the imprisonment of Italian-American, German-American and Japanese-Peruvian citizens. By emphasizing our shared experience, both the Nikkei Heritage editorial committee and exhibit organizers hoped to illustrate an ongoing need for communication and collaboration between all who work for freedom and justice.

That need has become even more evident, noted one organizer, Grace Shimizu, at a press conference: “One of the best ways of promoting peace is to know our history . . .The abuses of the past cannot occur again.” Coverage in The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Nichi Bei Times and Hokubei Mainichi underscored that sentiment. For a personal view of the Japanese-Peruvian experience, see the interview with Art Shibayama on p. 18.

Our present issue again echoes the theme of a NJAHS exhibit based on another ally relationship. Originally planned as a review of two historically divided communities, co-curators Betty Kano and Clara Kim transformed an exhibition of art by Nikkei and Korean-American women artists into a celebration of commonality. Their essay on p. 10 introduces you to the thought behind “Bridges: Works by Contemporary Korean American and Japanese American Women Artists.”

And to illustrate the breadth of creativity in our community, we offer a “gallery” of artist profiles throughout the issue. Of course, there are hundreds of worthy stories we have not been able to include, but we’ll do so in future issues. We’d like this journal to grow as a national forum for the Nikkei voice, and we can accomplish that best with your help. Please send us your comments, suggestions and submissions.

- Chiori Santiago, Nikkei Heritage, Editor