Watermelon Sushi World

Delightfully Decolonized

2012-01-04T22:54:00.000-08:00

Hau’oli Makahiki Hou to all you Hip Hapa Homeez! That’s Hawai’ian for Happy New Year, and we’re so HAPA that you’re sharing 2012 with us.

Please join our discussion forum group, Hip Hapa Homeez, on Facebook where we keep it real. For sure, you will never be bored with our multiple interactive postings that focus on multiracial folks, transracial adoptees, interracial relationships, and those who cross cultures.

And, if you’d like to contribute your support to our Watermelon Sushi feature film, check out Hapa*Teez t-shirts. Every purchase earns you a rear crawl credit on the movie. Both the Watermelon Sushi film and Hapa*Teez t-shirts have their own Facebook fan pages. So, please click “like”.

Andye Andinha Niakan

Speaking of the film, Watermelon Sushi is fortunate to have the assistance of several Associate Producers located around the world. In the past, we’ve highlighted some as our featured Hip Hapa Homee on this blog, and this month we’d like to present another. Meet Andye Andinha Niakan with the International Business and Cultural Exchange and Raqs Atlanta & African Asian Exchange of Atlanta. What a busy girl!

Andye, standing 2nd from left, at dance workshop

Q: Andye, what’s a nice, multiethnic woman like you doing being involved in so many social justice issues?

A: I've always been involved with social clubs, international community groups, culture clubs…you name it. I am a social butterfly. I feel most comfortable when I'm surrounded by other international individuals who speak multiple languages. My parents are to be credited for that.

My mother is Portuguese American and my dad is Nigerian. All of my relatives and my parents' friends encouraged me to be very proud of my cultures and never be intimidated by stereotypical expectations of those cultures.

Q: Whoa! You speak five languages! What are they, and don’t you ever get confused?

A: At home I speak a mix of French, Portuguese and some Arabic thrown in. My mother has always tried to get me to speak more Spanish and now that I am with a Spanish-speaking news network, I use it everyday. I do not use English unless I have to. I do use it a lot when interacting with large groups and, yes, the confusion comes when writing. I often forget how to spell things in English so the words look a little French or Spanish at times. Fortunately, I am working and living with multi-lingual people, and it’s overlooked.

Raqs Sharqi

Q: How did you develop your passion for bellydance?

A: I developed a passion for Raqs Sharqi (bellydance) when I got closer to my cousins who danced all the time. Every party, every gathering they were doing Raqs. It’s a traditional dance from the Middle East and Africa. Colonialism has left it being called "bellydance”, but the official name for it is Raqs Sharqi or Raqs Beladi (dance of my country or dance of my land). I could go on all day about it. It’s one of the most enriching forms of dance in the world. With a complex history, the dance has had a huge impact on music and entertainment worldwide. I don't think a day goes by that I’m not involved in Raqs in some form or fashion--from helping promote big Raqs conferences to helping bellydance costume designers create outfits that fit the up and coming trends with respect to the traditions.

www.askmissbellydance.com www.missbellydance.com

Q: Tell us about your involvement with Raqs Al Sharqi International.

A: Raqs Al Sharqi International is now owned by their parent company African Asian Business and Cultural Exchange. We founded RASI back in 1998 when we saw that there was so much misrepresentation in African and Asian music and dance. We wanted to provide a cultural education and dance shows that served the international community. After 14 years, we're really far into it by traveling and meeting with musicians, major Raqs stars and getting to know rising international community men and women who wish to represent the dance. I am in full force behind every step they make, and I spend a lot of time researching and promoting the best of the industry.

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/raqsatlanta/

Q: What about the African Asian Exchange—with its goal to recreate the bond between African and Asian communities that existed pre-colonial times?

A: The African Asian Business and Cultural Exchange (often called the African Asian Exchange for short) is all about making connections. We want to connect all African and Asian businesses by attending as many events as possible and by gathering contact info and relaying it to those who need the many different services that our community, as a whole, provides. We recently began adding a few European-based groups who have shown interest or have majorly supported African and Asian businesses. We won't lose our identity as Africans and Asians, but we're also very international and open to working with a diverse number of global groups.

http://africanasianbusinessandculturalexchange.wordpress.com/2011/07/14/hello-world/

Pam and Andye (right) next to their rock star limo

Q: Who are some of the musical groups that African Asian Exchange supports—the fan-generated clubs?

A: The music and dance fan-generated groups include Tears for Fears Superfans for the most part. That has been one of the most successful activities that go on everyday. Other fan groups are more Raqs-focused and are pretty much run by the actual artist. The activities we do consist of meet-ups before concerts, making sure everyone knows of good hotel deals and top quality yet inexpensive travel options. We check in on each other and try to relay band information to those who do not have the time sit online or sleep with their mobile device for social media updates. So far, the bands have been very receptive to our activity, ideas and presence so we'll just keep going as long as we can behave.

We're also big fans of the Villains band which has Filipino-American superstar Michael Magno. http://www.thevillainsband.com/

The Villains

Q: What about some of the over 40 businesses that are involved?

A: The businesses that are involved with us are everything from retail shops to tax preparers. We cover everything. Oftentimes, members want to work with someone who speaks their language so we connect them with each other. Success stories have been restaurants, dance conferences and dance studios that want cultured faces to represent their national holidays and gala shows. We have a long database of musicians, teachers, photographers, video editors, show producers and bankers etc who can help get the event off the ground.

My goal is to keep cultures connected and to go the extra mile to make sure it happens. There should always be international exchanges on a non-colonial level. A group should be able to co-exist freely in multi-cultured societies without stripping themselves of everything that identifies them with the culture of their origin or choice.

Thank you, Andye. What a decolonized delight you are!

Hey Hip Hapa Homeez, here’s a postcard I received from my cousin in Tokyo. It depicts the dragon carrying all the other
zodiac animals on his back. Since January 23 is the Year of the Water Dragon, I bid you a Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Until next month, I am and will always be

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Ending Of A Year, Beginning Of A Dream

2011-12-07T23:36:00.000-08:00

Aloha no, Hip Hapa Homeez!

With 2011 coming to a close, Your Hip Hapa is taking this opportunity to express her gratitude to all who have supported us throughout the years.

Although I started this blog in 2006, after only one post I immediately lost interest. It wasn’t until 2008 and the Year of the Earth Rat, that I began again and, on a nightly basis, wrote about being biracial. Nightly! What was I thinking? By the next month, I was only posting twice a week, but soon regulated myself to a weekly format to keep from boring you readers with my venting about multiethnic identity issues.

By 2010 and the Year of the Metal Tiger, I was posting bimonthly and, last year, finally went monthly.

Your Hip Hapa

At some point, I had nothing left to say about my multi-culti life, so I began interviewing some of you as my featured Hip Hapa Homee. I've never regretted it. Not only have I learned through your stories that we're more similar than different, but I’ve also enjoyed knowing you on a deeper level. Thank you for your willingness to share!

Tonight, I interview myself:

Q: Your Hip Hapa, who are your parents and how did they meet?

A: My Japanese mother met my African American soldier father while he was stationed in Japan. I lived in Tokyo until I was two; then, in segregated Texas before moving on to Germany and, finally, the Northwest. As an adult, I’ve resided in San Bruno, Pacific Grove, Santa Monica, Anchorage, Honolulu and St. Thomas USVI. I credit all that moving around and exposure to various people to my need for absolute diversity.

Q: What is Watermelon Sushi?

A: Watermelon Sushi began as a film, but has now grown into a movement. I first wrote the script about two Afro Asian sisters in 1997 and attempted to shoot it as an indie project in 1998. After a horrifying experience with an unscrupulous producer, I hired an editor to cut a trailer from the footage on hand (which wasn’t much) in hopes we’d raise enough money for a re-shoot. Over the years, we’ve buried this project in the closet, but it won’t stay put. People from all over the world have contacted me, begging me to remake this movie because, ultimately, it’s a story about clashing cultures, family matters, love and desire…in other words, about all of us.

Q: What are some of the other ancillary products that go with Watermelon Sushi?

A: Besides the film, we have a novel we hope to publish soon as well as a script for a staged musical. We’ve had a chapbook since 2000, and still print copies whenever we get requests for it. There’s a Watermelon Sushi vegan cookbook in the works—we’re hoping fans will send us their favorite recipes for watermelon, sushi, or both. Because there are some vegan characters in the film, the recipes need to be, too. We also plan to launch a package of paper dolls along with fashions featured in the film. Since the story takes place in the late 1980’s, there’s a hip-hop-glam-rock flava throughout. Think: “The Fresh Prince meets Prince”. Of course, the album soundtrack will go platinum, and we have several known musical artists--both old school rappers and Japanese enka singers--lined up for it.

Your Hip Hapa with enka singer Jero-san

Q: What else you got?

A: Well, we have this monthly blog where we promote other mixed-race people, those who are in interracial relationships, those who cross cultures, and/or those who are transracially adopted. If you scroll through some old posts, you’ll find a variety of amazing stories. Oh, and our “Official Cause” is Tyler Ransom, a multi-racial child with some health issues. He could really use our help so Watermelon Sushi will donate a percentage of its profits to him. Check him out here:

http://healingtyler.blogspot.com/2011/01/gracie-mag-features-tyler-ransom.html

Tyler Ransom

Q: How can we help Watermelon Sushi get made?

A: Thank you for asking that! Wink, wink. The best way is to purchase a Hapa*Teez t-shirt at http://www.cafepress.com/hapateez We make very little profit on these shirts, individually, so the more we sell the more likely we will raise the necessary funds to reshoot the movie. Right now, we have several international producers interested in joining us, but if we come to the table with some of our own money we can definitely make this production happen. And, by the way, each purchase earns a rear crawl credit. That means your name will appear onscreen at the end of the film. If you’ve already bought a Hapa*Teez, please make sure we have your correct name. Sometimes people make purchases with someone else’s credit card and we want to be sure that the right person gets the credit. Email us at hapateez@me.com Right now, during the holidays, it’s an excellent time to give your favorite hip hapa a Hapa*Teez. Remember, hapa simply means “half” in Hawai’ian pidgin, so you can be of any mix, or not mixed at all, to enjoy our shirts.

get your Hapa*Teez at Cafe Press

We’re also currently running an Ask My Cuz @Oprah campaign. Since Oprah is my kin, I’ve been tweeting about her several times a week. There’s a “twitition” that people can sign that we’ll eventually present to Oprah when our numbers reach in the thousands. Here are those links:

http://ning.it/oEQYHS http://twitition.com/gneyv

Finally, we would be thankful if you “like” any of the following Facebook pages:

Watermelon Sushi Fan Page

http://www.facebook.com/pages/WatermelonSushi

Hapa*Teez T-shirts Fan Page

http://www.facebook.com/hapateez

Yayoi Lena Winfrey Fan Page

http://www.facebook.com/yayoilenawinfreyfanpage

Ahem, apologies for that personal fan page, but I get so many Friend requests that I’ve been at the limit of 5,000 for a couple of years. I’m now attempting to make my Fan page my Profile page and transfer all my info to it so I can personally connect with more of you. I said, “attempting” so please give me some time.

We also have a Hip Hapa Homeez Group page where we discuss issues of interest to people who are mixed, transracially adopted, interracially involved or who cross cultures. You can request membership by going to that page on Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com

Of course, we’re on twitter and if you follow us, we’ll absolutely follow you back.

http://twitter.com/watermelonsushi

And, we’re also always on the lookout for more Associate Producers. Our AP’s are scattered around the world and keep us on alert for potential executive producers.

Jaz Dorsey

One of them is Nashville playwright Jaz Dorsey who has been instrumental in getting AAPEX (African American Playwrights Exchange) to recognize Your Hip Hapa.

Here’s an award I recently received. Don’t let the applause scare you, and thank you to Dave Copeland: http://africanamericanplaywrightsexchange.blogspot.com/2011/09/yayoi-winfrey-wins-first-aapex.html

Derrick Holmes

Our man in Tokyo, Derrick Holmes, is responsible for promotion and publicity of all our products. If you’re on any social networking site, chances are Derrick’s a member so drop him a friend request.

Andye AndinhaNiakan

Thanks also to Associate Producer, Andye AndinhaNiakan of Atlanta, who recently blogged this:

http://africanasianbusinessandculturalexchange.wordpress.com/2011/08/12/yayoi-winfrey-japanese-african-american-film-maker-pioneer/

And, here’s a special shout-out to my long lost cousin Gregg Winfrey who has resurfaced to become an Associate Producer. Hey, cuz! got that direct line to the Big “O” yet?

Eva

Cassie

Also, last year, Robert Taylor and I began broadcasting Sexy Voices of Hollywood, an Internet series of interviews with show biz celebrities. This is another means of support for Watermelon Sushi although we’re currently on hiatus.

Teri LaFlesh

Julia Baker

So many of you have been wonderful supporters and since I don’t have your permission to out you, I’ll only list those who’ve sent me photos for publication—except for Carol Sugihara who rocks! with her multiple purchases of Hapa*Teez. Thank you, too, to our perpetual poster girl Cassie, Eva, Teri LaFlesh, Julia Baker…and Robert Taylor for this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKi0ie3SKpI

Amina of Mixed Child, Arana of The Topaz Club, and the rest of you, please get your pictures in so we can post you here and on the Watermelon Sushi website.

Hip Hapa Homeez, we promise that 2012 and the Year of the Water Dragon beginning January 23 will make all our dreams come true. Best wishes for a HAPA holiday season and, until next year, I am and will always be

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Novel Novelist: Outsider Or In?

2011-11-02T03:05:00.000-07:00

Word up, Hip Hapa Homeez! We at Watermelon Sushi World are so HAPA to call you our homeez. Because of your dedication, we’re moving towards getting our Watermelon Sushi film completed. One of the ways we’ve been doing that is by offering Hapa*Teez t-shirts to the mixed roots community. With every t-shirt purchase, you get us closer to our goal. And, you earn a rear crawl credit--your name will roll at the end of the movie.

Cassie as hip HAPA homee

When you do buy a t-shirt, please email us at hapateez@me.com with your correctly-spelled name. And, if you send us a digi photo of you wearing your t-shirt, we’ll showcase you on our Watermelon Sushi and Hapa*Teez fan pages on Facebook (like Cassie, here).

Hey, here’s a shout-out to Arana, The Topaz Club founder, for her recent purchase. Join The Topaz Club group page on Facebook where mixed-race women of African descent share their stories.

Speaking of stories, this week’s featured hip hapa homee is Dmitri Ragano who just completed his novel, Employee of the Year. Your Hip Hapa first met Dmitri after stumbling upon his interview with Japan enka star Jero. After corresponding for a while, we met in person--along with Dmitri’s beautiful wife and daughter. Below, Dmitri discusses his life and how he came to write a book about a multiracial character.

Q: Tell us about your parents.

A: I am a typical garden-variety white guy so I might be something of an anomaly in the Watermelon Sushi World. My mother came from an Irish German family and my father from an Italian family. They grew up blue-collar Catholic in Pittsburgh, then broke away from the church during the Vietnam War era. They gave me an exotic name that they liked from Russian literature.

Dmitri at AFI Fest

Q: How did the way you grow up affect your life?

A: I grew up in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, a town on the edge of Pittsburgh that was predominantly African American. I had exposure to different cultures at a young age. I was often the only white guy in my elementary school class so there was exposure to art and popular culture that was different than my own. I remember very vividly when the early rap songs like "The Message" came out. That style of using rhythm and poetry to deal with real-world situations was a big influence on my fiction writing. Another influence was August Wilson, who broke onto the national scene when I was a teenager with plays about the African American experience in Pittsburgh.

During college in San Francisco, I went to Japan to study the language. For a while, I lived in a remote part of the country where I was the only foreigner in the town. The process of learning to communicate in a new language in a foreign country is slow, painful and humiliating. But once you get to the other side, the rewards are amazing. It unlocks certain parts of your brain and heart you didn't know existed. Charlemagne said, "To possess a second language is to possess a second soul."

So, the combination of these experiences created an openness and curiosity about other people's cultures. On the flip side, for better or for worse, it instilled this sense that I was an outsider and that it was sort of my destiny to go out and search to find my place in the world. Again, this is a theme with many characters in my book: they don't have a map for how to live their lives so they take scraps of maps they find along the way and try to piece them together.

Q: Were you accepted in every country where you’ve lived?

A: I have traveled to around 25 countries, but Japan is the only country outside the U.S. where I've lived. I lived in Japan several times for a total stay of about five years. It was a great experience, but you need to qualify the word "acceptance" when you talk about living in Japan as a foreigner. Japan is a very homogeneous and insular culture, and it's been that way for thousands of years. There's been no significant immigration in the whole recorded history. When you live in Japan, you live as a guest and you are treated with incredible kindness and hospitality. But like a guest in a hotel, you never really feel completely at home, you never expect to be completely accepted. You always feel like at some point you will overstay your welcome and have to leave. This is not everyone's experience, but I think it is a typical experience of most foreigners who live and work in Japan. The kanji characters for the word "gaijin" literally mean "outside person".

Q: Tell us about your interracial marriage and biracial child.

A: My wife and I met in San Francisco at a party held by these Japanese monks who lived by Haight and Fillmore. They would cook all this Buddhist vegetarian food and play reggae concerts in the basement. She was trying to learn English and I was trying to learn Japanese. We were friends for many years before we became romantically involved and decided to marry.

Being from different cultures is challenging. You come at things from a different frame of reference. My wife's experiences being raised in Osaka are so dramatically different than what I knew growing up. The stories you tell yourself about who you are and how you should live are completely different. The good news is we love each other very deeply and share the same core values. But we've spent the early part of our lives learning to express the love and values in different ways. So it takes a long time to work this out.

For our daughter, I think this has pros and cons. She's exposed to a wide range of ideas and experiences and she knows we care about her more than anything. But I am sure sometimes it's got to be confusing for her compared to, say, having two parents who grew up in the same country with the same language, same culture and same socioeconomic background.

Q: What motivated you to write Employee of the Year, about a mixed roots character in a multicultural workplace?

A: I think there are more young people growing up like my daughter, who are mixed roots and exposed to many different customs, values, languages and ways of life. Yet, I believe there is still a lack of stories in our popular culture that reflect this. So I felt there was an opportunity to write about characters that grow up straddling different racial and cultural experiences and how they negotiate their own identity. There's no tribal blueprint for the type of person they should try to become. It's a riddle they have to solve on their own.

On top of that, my story is set in a big financial company in Los Angeles. In this city, on top of mixed roots experiences, you have mixed class experiences, interactions between people from different educational and economic backgrounds. These are all things we have so much trouble talking about in America. A company is a good setting for a story about this. In Los Angeles, the 1 percent and the 99 percent only set foot in the same zip code during working hours.

Dmitri channels Temo

Q: Is the main character, Cuauhtemoc McCarthy, based on your own personality and experiences?

A: In many ways, Temo is based on who I've tried to be. I've tried to be someone who retains a certain honesty and purity while being pragmatic about what it takes to survive and thrive in the modern world. Temo's job as a collections agent is to chase people down and convince them to pay their credit card debt. If he can't do this successfully, he loses the only way he knows how to support his wife and family. He feels ambivalent about this, just as most working people have mixed feelings about how they make a living.

Q: I first learned about you as a journalist from your interview with Jero. How does writing fiction differ from reporting?

A: The interview about Jero is a funny story about how lives and cultures intersect. My father worked for 30 years as a schoolteacher in inner-city neighborhoods around Pittsburgh. When my wife and I got engaged in 1998, we went back to Pittsburgh and visited my father's school. There was a woman from Peru who was teaching Japanese so we visited her class to talk about Japan. I remember there was a kid in the class who knew a little Japanese from his grandmother. For the next ten years, I had no contact with him, never thought about the visit to the school, et cetera. Then suddenly, in 2008, I was on a business trip in Peru and I saw something on the cable news about Jero, a guy from Pittsburgh who went to Japan and became a singing sensation. It turns out it was that same kid I'd visited at my father's high school! He remembered my father as one of his teachers. So, after leaving South America I had to go to Asia for business. My wife and I were in Japan and I decided to do an interview with Jero for the local Pittsburgh newspaper.

I think this is the best illustration of the difference between fiction and journalism. With fiction, you're taking the essence of the people and experiences from life and molding them into a narrative. With reporting, you end up discovering these real life connections and events that are so random and serendipitous that you couldn't make them up because no one would ever believe it. I mean, look at Obama. You couldn't write a fictional story about someone with his background becoming President of the United States. No one would find it plausible.

Your Hip Hapa with Jero in San Francisco

Thank you, Dmitri for sharing. Hip Hapa Homeez, you can buy a copy of Employee of the Year on Amazon or download it to Kindle for 99 cents.

http://www.amazon.com/Employee-of-the-Year-ebook/dp/B005UJR0RW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1319933755&sr=8-2

Here are some of Dmitri’s feature articles:

Interview with Jero:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08146/884455-109.stm

Interview with Howard Zinn:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09263/999070-109.stm

Japanese cell phone culture:

http://thefeaturearchives.com/topic/Archive/Growing_Up_in_the_Age_of_the_Keitai.html

And, books citing his journalism:

Global Cultures by Frank Salamone http://www.amazon.com/Global-Cultures-Frank-Salamone/dp/1443809942/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1319933755&sr=8-3

Smart Mobs by Howard Rheingold http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Mobs-Next-Social-Revolution/dp/0738208612/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319933960&sr=1-1

Andye deep in African Asian thoughts

Here's another shout-out; this one to Watermelon Sushi Associate Producer Andye AndinhaNiakan for this blog entry about Your Hip Hapa: http://africanasianbusinessandculturalexchange.wordpress.com/2011/08/12/yayoi-winfrey-japanese-african-american-film-maker-pioneer/

And, don’t forget, we’re still running our Ask My Cuz @Oprah campaign on twitter: http://ning.it/oEQYHS http://twitition.com/gneyv

Until we cross ISP’s again, remember to fan us, follow us, or friend us, but please connect!

http://www.watermelonsushi.com

http://www.facebook.com/watermelonsushi

http://www.facebook.com/hapateez

http://twitter.com/watermelonsushi

You can also request membership in the Hip Hapa Homeez group page on Facebook.

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Macs And Mestizos

2011-10-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

Aloha Hip Hapa Homeez,

It’s a sad news day as we remember Steve Jobs and his monumental contributions to computer technology. I know that I, for one, am grateful for my iMac and MacBook Pro. It should be noted that technically (pun intended), Mr. Jobs was hapa as his biological father was of Syrian descent and his birth mother was Caucasian American. Add to it, the fact that he was also adopted; presumably by white Americans--making him a transracial adoptee.

In any case, Your Hip Hapa salutes the spirit that was (multiethnic identity or not) Steve Jobs.

This month’s featured Hip Hapa Homeez is James Daniel Lopez, a frequent contributor to the Facebook group Hip Hapa Homeez. Besides regularly posting interesting links to information and clips about multiethnic experiences, James often takes the initiative to respond to any group members who asks questions.

Along with these photos of James, please enjoy the Q&A below:

Q: Who are your parents, and how did they meet?

A: My parents, Luis and Diana, both came from Mexican-American families in Los Angeles. Ethnically, I identify as Mexican-American, Chicano, Latino, Hispanic/Hispano, American, and Mexican—altogether, and depending on the context I’m speaking of. But probably more than anything, I’m an American, both in the U.S. sense as well as simply being a citizen of the Americas.

“Racially,” however, I identify as “mestizo” (mixed), or “mestizo-moreno” as a nod to Mexico’s African heritage (as well as my own).

Q: How did you grow up?

A: I was raised for most of my life in South Central Los Angeles, which is where I still live.

Q: How did you become so involved with multi-ethnic issues?

A: That’s complicated, but I’ll try to answer as concisely as possible. I was informed at a young age, through my family as well as through history books at school, that being of Mexican heritage generally meant having a strong mixture of Spanish and Native American roots. But this was over-simplistic, as I found, upon doing my own research, that there were actually several ethnic roots that contributed significantly to the Mexican gene pool and culture, as well as Latin American culture as a whole. Also, as I got older, my phenotype began to change significantly, leading me to be visibly perceived by many people as having roots from various backgrounds, sometimes mistakenly so.

And to top it all off, I was raised in an English-speaking household in an area of Los Angeles which had both a large Mexican-descended population and a large African-American population; because of this, I absorbed many cultural influences from the local African-Americans as well as my Mexican heritage and the cultural fabric of “Greater America.”

Q: What propels you to be so active on the Hip Hapa Homeez Facebook group page?

A: I tend to gravitate towards various groups and websites that either study and/or celebrate mixed roots (both ancestral and cultural). I’m a fan of pluralism and multiculturalism in general, and as I celebrate these things and seek to understand them as a whole, I think its just fitting that I tend to align myself with organizations and individuals who do the same.

Q: How do you see multi-ethnic communities evolving--are we all on the same page?

A: Well, I really think that depends on the context, mainly the specific society as well as the cultural climate of that particular society. Here in the U.S., I think there is a growing awareness of just how “mixed” America really is as well as an increasing appreciation for that mixture. I also think that the acceptance of mixed “racial” and multicultural self-identification is on the rise, but I still think we have a long way to go until it is fully accepted.

Q: What do you feel is the biggest obstacle between multi-ethnic people and the so-called mono-racial community?

A: In the U.S., I think the biggest problem is that these communities don’t really understand each other. The Racial Integrity Act of 1924 did A LOT of widespread damage to our social fabric, as it not only helped ensure that “mixed” marriages were illegal, but it also rendered mixed “racial”/ethnic heritages virtually invisible to many people in the United States. I think it is largely because of this that the idea of being of mixed ancestry and claiming an identity that refuses to choose or favor one of those ancestries in particular is virtually inconceivable to many individuals—sadly, this includes many people who are themselves of mixed ancestry.

Q: Do you think that humans will move beyond racial, or even cultural, identification some day?

A: I really cannot say for certain. I think historically, in virtually any and every society, people have always found ways to divide and separate themselves from one another. But I also think that awareness and acceptance of multiple lineages is becoming much more prevalent today in many societies around the world. Also, as time progresses, we seem to be becoming global citizens (as opposed to simply national citizens), so anything is possible really.

Mucho gracias, Senior Lopez, for your informative insight.

If our readers haven’t already done so, please join us at our Facebook group Hip Hapa Homeez where you can engage in meaningful dialogue about anything dealing with multi-ethnicity, transracial adoptions and crossing cultures. You can also “like” our Watermelon Sushi Fan page, which supports our Watermelon Sushi film. And, we have a Hapa*Teez t-shirt Fan page, too! The t-shirts, themselves, are available at Café Press.

And, we’re still running our Cousin Oprah Campaign via Twitter. Here’s the link to the HUB page and the "twitition".

http://watermelonsushi.hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Get-Oprah-To-Executive-Produce-My-Movie

http://twitition.com/gneyv

Mad love and props to the folks at the African American Playwrights Exchange for bestowing the Trailblazers Award on Your Hip Hapa. Please support this great organization!

http://africanamericanplaywrightsexchange.blogspot.com/2011/09/yayoi-winfrey-wins-first-aapex.html

Until next month, I am and always will be

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Hip, Hapa, Palooza!!!

2011-09-07T23:24:00.000-07:00

What’s HAPA-nin’, Hip Hapa Homeez?

If you’re a supporter of great causes, here’s one for you. We’ve just created a HUB page for our Watermelon Sushi film with links to a “twitition” via Twitter to get Your Hip Hapa’s cousin Oprah to executive produce our movie. Although we’d still like to make Watermelon Sushi an indie flick, we need production dollars. And, Oprah--with her big heart and sharp eye for charitable missions--can make that happen. So, please, take a moment to check out these links:

http://watermelonsushi.hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Get-Oprah-To-Executive-Produce-My-Movie

http://twitition.com/gneyv

Hey, can you believe that Hapa-palooza is finally here?

Check it out: http://hapapalooza.ca/

While it’s the first one, we do hope to see many more in the future. Vancouver British Columbia is hosting, and there couldn’t be a better place for spotlighting diversity. We’ve always loved that city for its international flavor and focus on the arts. If you’re attending the festival, drop us a line at yourhiphapa@me.com. We plan to stop by this weekend, so maybe we can connect with you there!

Meanwhile, enjoy these interviews with two of Canada’s hippest hapas. Anna Ling Kaye is the co-founder of Hapa-palooza while Rema Tavares blogs about being mixed in Canada.

Q: Anna, who are your parents and how did they meet?

A: My mother is Taiwanese, and my father Jewish-American. They met in Taipei, at a time when most Taiwanese associated Americans with U.S. Marines and G.I.’s. Her family was not amused by their union. Nor were they any happier to find out he was not a G.I., rather an anti-establishment quasi-hippy. Many of Mom's immediate family wouldn't speak to her for years afterwards: one of her sisters didn't talk to her for 8 years. My father's side, however, was thrilled. To this day, they can't get enough of Mom's Chinese cooking!

Q: Where did you grow up, and what was your upbringing like?

A: I was brought up bi-lingual, mostly as an American in Asia. Most of my childhood was spent in Asia (China, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong and more), where I was considered a foreigner anyway. In 1997, I had a high school "year abroad" in New Jersey. This was the year that Time Magazine came out with the cover of the "Future Face of America", an amalgamation of the average demographic of the U.S. I was so excited. I did a directed reading that resulted in a paper about mixed culture. That was pretty much the biggest project I did about being mixed until the idea for Hapa-palooza came around.

Q: How did it come around?

A: Todd Wong organized a "Gung Hapa Fat Choy" banquet as part of his Gung Haggis Fat Choy series. I met Jeff Chiba Stearns and a number of other mixed movers and shakers, and we decided to get a festival going for Vancouver's 125th anniversary. The Asian Canadian Writer's Workshop, which Todd and I sit on the board of, voted to submit a formal grant application for the festival. We feel very honoured and stoked that the City of Vancouver thought this was a good way to demonstrate it's 125th anniversary!

Q: What do you hope to accomplish with this event?

A: My biggest hope is to build community and provide role models for the next generation of mixed kids. No matter what one's roots are, I hope Hapa-palooza will provide some tools or ideas for how to honor and express one's identity. I also hope everyone who comes to the event has a great time!

Q: What will be some of the highlights of the festival?

A: Every event at Hapa-palooza is pretty exciting to me! The Sir James Douglas Mix-a-lot Cabaret is a gathering of incredibly talented and interesting artists in an intimate space, including butoh dance from Kokoro Dance and First Nations hiphop from the gals at First Ladies Crew. The reading panel featuring award-winning writer Fred Wah is looking to be very popular. Jeff Chiba Stearns is putting together an incredible film night and actors' panel. And the piece de resistance is, of course, September 10th, when we have two music stages (one of which is an 18-and-under performer stage), an interactive art exhibition, and a community fair. Full details are up at www.hapapalooza.com.

Q: Do you feel that mixed-race issues in Canada are similar to, or different from, those elsewhere in the world?

A: It is certainly significant to us that Hapa-palooza is a festival funded by a City of Vancouver 125th anniversary grant. This speaks to an atmosphere of respect and honour towards people who identify as mixed-race, which is really significant to many of us. Many of the artists we've contacted have responded with relief ("finally, a festival of one's own!") or disbelief ("about time!") or amusement ("it's the first time I've been asked to play in a festival because I'm mixed!").

Q: What will future Hapa-paloozas be like?

A: The seeds of what will happen are already sown. We are more tapped into the international network of mixed communities now, and this is something that is only going to grow. Our current goal is to have Hapa-palooza be an annual event in Vancouver, but we are also open to what the community demands of us. It might be that the festival needs to occur nationally or internationally. It's going to be exciting to see who comes to the festival this week, and it will be beautiful to see all these amazing artists and community organizers connected.

Thank you, Anna. And, now, let’s hear from Rema.

Rema Tavares

Q: What was it like being mixed in Ottawa?

A: My father is of African and Sephardi Jewish descent from Jamaica. Just for some background, the Sephardi Jews come from Spain/Portugal (hence my Portuguese last name) and have been in Jamaica since the early 1500’s. My mother, on the other hand, is mostly Irish Canadian, but also has some Italian and English roots.

Growing up mixed in Ottawa was a strange experience for me. I started out in a very small, homogenous town of roughly 1,000 people just outside of the city, and often felt disconnected from the community. While I wasn't mature enough to fully understand the various factors that played into that disconnect, I recall being very aware that I was the only one of "my kind", whatever that was. When I was older and moved into the city, I was disappointed to find that I didn't really find the haven of belonging that I thought I would. It was a painful realization for me that none of my various "parts" really saw me as a member of their community.

I now live in Toronto, one of the most multiracial cities in the world, and still find myself having trouble with what it means to be mixed at times. This is what motivated me to create Mixed in Canada, so that other mixed people across Canada could have a place to call "home". This has been a very rewarding experience for me, and I have never been more proud to be mixed.

Q: Are you attending Hapa-palooza?

A: Sure am!

Q: What do you feel you’ll gain from it?

A: As far as I am aware, this is the first mixed-race-themed event in Canada, so it is important for me that I attend and support it in any way I can. Race is an extremely delicate subject in Canada, as many Canadians are very wary of offending others and, therefore, generally avoid the subject. While I have always appreciated how sensitive Canadians can be, it also means that a lot of important conversations aren't had, and we all lose from the lack of communication. Along those lines, the Canadian mixed-race community is growing exponentially and needs to have a voice. Fortunately, Hapa-palooza is bringing the mixed-race experience front and center in a very positive way, providing an outlet for that voice. It is my hope that along with Mixed in Canada and other such platforms, this event will create a safe space for constructive dialogue about what it means to be multi-racial in Canada, as it has never been more relevant.

Here are Rema’s links:

Website: www.Mixed-Me.ca

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MixedInCanada

Twitter: @Mixed_Me_CA

Oh, you clever Canadians, you!

Remember, Hip Hapa Homeez, read our HUB post and sign our “twitition” to get Oprah onboard with Watermelon Sushi. You can also "like" our Watermelon Sushi and Hapa*Teez fan pages on Facebook and join our Hip Hapa Homeez group page where we enjoy the deepest discussions about multi-ethnic, transracially adopted, interracially coupled and cross-cultural communities. Don’t miss out; join us today.

Until we meet at Hip Hapa-palooza, I am

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Shaking It Forward—All The Way To Japan!

2011-08-03T23:43:00.000-07:00

Aloha Hip Hapa Homeez,

Mahalo nui loa for your continuing support. Over at our Facebook group page, postings about multiethnic, transracial adoptee, interracially-paired and cultural-crossing folks are coming in strong. If you haven’t already done so, join us and get with the groove. Just go to the Hip Hapa Homeez group page on Facebook, and request to be added as a member. Get in the mix, mixies!

For those of you wanting to become involved with our Watermelon Sushi film, or other multi-culti projects, HHH was created just for you. This is the intersection where we meet and present our stories of being mixed-race, adopted transracially, involved interracially, or how we enjoy crossing cultures. There, we share our experiences with like-minded homeez who are hip and hapa(anyone half or who supports the half agenda is hapa to us).

One person who’s been active on the Hip Hapa Homeez group page is Edward Sumoto who also happens to be active in Japan where he lives. In April, Your Hip Hapa met Edward in the flesh at the Hapa Japan Conference in Berkeley. This month, Edward is hosting a mixed roots get together in Osaka.

Check out the photos below:

Q: Who are your parents and how did they meet?

Edward w/Japanese-Algerian wife Takara Kenza

A: It’s a classic mixed-up story of hafu, but this one is more special than most. My Japanese mom went to Spain to get her PhD, a rare thing to do back then. She happened to be in Paris, and my Venezuelan dad happened to be there as well. Then, both were on the same plane to Venezuela. Voila!

Q: How did you grow up; was it difficult being accepted?

A: I grew up in Japan. Things led to me being raised by my mom and grandma. This meant I had some Spanish upbringing, but also good exposure to Japanese. I probably wouldn't have attained the same level of fluency without my grandma. Due to the pre-1985 laws and certain bureaucratic details, I never had a Japanese passport. My mom thought the best thing for my future would be to enroll me in an international school, no easy feat considering the tuition.

Thanks to this, I was able to attain fluency in English. I grew up in public apartment areas, so you could say the area was quite Japanese, but very unlike usual local communities. Festivals (matsuri) existed, but no local temples and shrines. Combined with the school and local environment, it sort of led me to grow up believing that I would end up in another country. In other words, there was ample detachment to ignore wider acceptance of myself in Japanese society. Besides, my language ability and looks meant that few noticed I was mixed.

public forum, Kobe Japan

Q: When did you create Mixed Roots Japan and how does it help mixed people in Japan?

A: I created it in 2006. This was a direct result of the sudden proliferation of the Japanese SNS site Mixi. After spending a few years abroad for school and work, I returned and Mixi happened. Suddenly, all sorts of mixed people were online forming communities. It was an enlightening moment for a lot of us, leading to the discovery of comrades, but also a time of self-reckoning. We were unsure of how to group ourselves or even what to call ourselves. In my group, we invented the term "Mixed Roots" to incorporate all the various mixed heritage people in Japan including hafu, quarter, zainichi, mixed indigenous, etc.

Mixed Roots concert event

The group was first meant to be a place for mixed people to connect, but it soon started to collaborate with single moms with mixed kids and families in general in the spirit of exchanging information and allowing kids to find those who they could relate to. To parents, we were great sources of finding out what their kids might be feeling. We soon added the element of art and music as a means to express our identities and to promote social dialogue. Volunteerism and charity events also became a cornerstone.

This actually roots in my school days, when I helped establish Kansai International School Service (KISS) as a volunteer organization for various schools in Kobe. It was originally founded by my predecessors in high school as a means to connect to local community and Japanese our age since we were so isolated and detached. I made it an official volunteer organization, and we began to do events together with foreigner schools, public schools, and other international schools.

The group still continues based in Kobe. It is also an extension of another group that has supported cultural exchange in English for the blind in the Kansai area for the past 15 years.

Q: What’s your radio show about?

MixedRootsRadio, FMYY

A: We broadcast on the fourth and fifth Saturday of each month from FMYY, a community radio station in Nagata, Kobe. The area completely burnt down in the 1995 earthquake. In the aftermath, the very multicultural locals got together to avoid confusion and disseminate timely information.

The area residents included Koreans, nationality-less Vietnamese refugees, and many others. Now the station broadcasts in 10 languages and also became the birthplace of many foreigner self-help groups to assist their own people in their own language, offer heritage language courses, and protect children from dropping out.

The Takatori Community Centre has become a model for like activities all over Japan and in Tohoku after March 11, 2011. You can also hear the show online via SimulRadio or our homepage. The programme features interviews of mixed activists, researchers and local government, and good music.

Q: What is Shake Forward!?

A: Shake Forward! is our flagship event. It takes place each year in Kansai (West Japan) and Tokyo/Kawasaki area and features a charity concert with mixed heritage artists, a youth expression workshop (usually musicians or researchers working together to produce something like music or theatre with local mixed youth) and a symposium or academic forum.

This weekend on the 6th and 7th, we will have our Osaka event. From this year onwards, we will be concentrating on the academic forum so as to make a more solid analytical basis for mixed roots issues in Japan to advise domestic policy on multicultural society modeling. We will partner with USC (Duncan Williams) to try to have academic conferences in both the U.S. and Japan to share cases and experiences. Professor Velina Houston will also join us this year and conduct the youth workshop with a theatre element.

Looking forward to it!

Q: What did you take away from the Hapa Japan Conference in Berkeley?

A: The experiences and cases from the U.S. are very, very different, even for mixed Japanese individuals. Nonetheless, various parallels can be found, and it was encouraging that there were both older more established researchers and younger professionals. I felt that this was an important vision of the future for Japanese social research. It has motivated me to further my efforts to establish a critical mixed roots research body in Japan. The result? We'll have our first Mixed Roots Academic Forum on the 7th of August where both Duncan and Velina will be joining us. They are just a few of the great connections we made in California. It was also great to meet people our age doing great things like Ken Tanabe of Loving Day and Athena Asklipiadis of Mixed Marrow, and so many others!

Q: What are some details of the Osaka conference?

A: August 6th will be a greater attempt by us to engage the public as a whole. We've kept the for-charge concert to a minimum and at a family friendly time from 1800 (6:00 p.m.), but before that, we will have a public radio show right in the middle of the tourist district in Osaka. We will be talking about multiculturalism, disaster response, the lessons from 1995 and 2011. The evening concert is a fun event in a gallery cafe. 3,000 yen gets you food, 2 drinks, and donation to the Great East Japan Earthquake victims!

On the 7th, we have a day-long academic forum hosted by Osaka University at their Toyonaka campus. We will feature presentations by a very diverse mix of professors and researchers from all over Japan.

Topics will include the history of "hafu" in Japan and its social implications, bilingualism and identity formation, raising mixed children, cases experiences by hafu, etc.

More information is on our site:

http://www.mixroots.jp

And, on the Osaka University website:

http://www.glocol.osaka-u.ac.jp/research/ashikoku2011.html

Also, feel free to contact me about my group and activities at
shakeforward@gmail.com

Ganbatte kudasai and good luck, Edward.

Remember, Hip Hapa Homeez, join our interactive discussions on the Hip Hapa Homeez group page on Facebook. You can also show your love by “liking” our Watermelon Sushi and Hapa*Teez Fan pages. And, you can check out our Hapa*Teez t-shirts at Café Press. You can also follow us on Twitter.

Hey, I know this is really cheesey but for whatever reason Your Hip Hapa has over 5,000 Facebook friends. So those of you trying to friend me without success, please like my Fan page for now. Eventually, I’ll move everything over from my Profile page. Meanwhile, Your Hip Hapa doesn't want to miss connecting with anyone who is trying to hook up.

Until we cross paths again, I am and will always be

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Incredibly International Ilja

2011-07-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

Aloha, Hip Hapa Homeez.

Here’s hoping you’re enjoying a shimmering summer filled with vacation vibrancy!

Perhaps like me, you’ve noticed that multiethnic communities are getting a lot of press recently. If you have articles you’d like to share, please post them at our Hip Hapa Homeez Group page on Facebook. If you’re not a member yet, please join and remember to add your friends.

Here’s a shout-out to Arana and The Topaz Club membership! Arana has made Your Hip Hapa July’s “Member of the Month” and posted my interview of growing up mixed on the Topaz Sisterhood Group page on Facebook. If you’re a woman of multiple heritages, please contact Arana to join her group.

This month, Watermelon Sushi World’s featured Hip Hapa Homee is musician Ilja Alexander. This intelligent and charming young man is making headlines with his record sales and international concerts. And, as a speaker of several languages, he’s a true world citizen. Please read all the way through this post as Ilja has a special surprise waiting for you.

Meanwhile, check out the dapper gentleman in this photo.

Incredibly International Ilja

Q: Ilja, how did your parents meet?

A: My father was born in Semarang Indonesia in 1942. His ethnic background is Chinese/Indonesian. His great-grandfather, Oei Tjie Sien, was a high-ranking military official during the Taiping Rebellion, a resurrection against the Manchu emperor (1850-1864) caused by drought and hunger. It started as a farmer’s resurrection. What’s interesting is that for the first time in the history of mankind, women were allowed to join the armed forces. Initially, the resurrection was quite successful, but then the Manchu government asked the British colonial rulers to help them, defeating the opposition near Shanghai.

Oei Tjie Sien fled to Semarang Indonesia, at that time a prosperous harbor. He then became a merchant in Semarang. One of his sons, my great-grandfather Oei Tiong Ham, then turned the business into what was to become the first holding corporation in Asia and the biggest corporation of Asia at that time, the Kian Gwan Concern. Nicknamed the Asian Sugar King, he married 7 wives and had 26 official children. One of those 26 official children was my grandfather. My grandfather was good friends with the managing director of the corporation and this director introduced him to my grandmother, who lived on the other side of Java in Sukabumi. At that time, around 1924, it was quite uncommon for people living in Indonesia to marry someone from another distant hometown.

What makes the story even more interesting is that the second daughter of Oei Tiong Ham, my great-aunt Madame Wellington Koo (born as Oei Hui Lan), married the first Chinese ambassador to the United States. She also socialized with the Chinese nationalist General Chang Kai Shek and the wife of Mussolini.

When the first president of Indonesia, president Sukarno, came to power, my uncle Oei Tjong Tjay, then the president of the Kian Gwan Concern, refused to work with the Sukarno government, because he was against communism. As a consequence, the local business divisions got nationalized and my entire family fled from Indonesia. My grandmother moved to the Netherlands in 1948. My father was 4-years old.

My mother’s ethnic background is Chinese/Indonesian/Malay/Japanese. Actually, the Japanese part has never been confirmed, but is believed to be the case by a historian. My mother’s great-grandmother was something like a countess, linked to the royal family of Malaysia. She then married a Chinese businessman (with part Japanese origins if believed by this historian) from Indonesia and was forbidden to return to Malaysia ever since. My grandparents from my mother’s side moved to the Netherlands around the 1960’s, and my father and mother met there in the 1970’s.

Q: When did you become a musician?

A: Unconsciously I was always interested in music, starting piano classes at the age of 5 and songwriting from the age of 12. However, not until a student exchange course to Osaka Japan in 2004 did I realize I could become a singer/songwriter. As someone with Asian roots, it was (and still is) very difficult launching a major artist’s career in the West. But in Japan, I seemed to attract many college students interested in my music, playing and writing my songs at the Kansai Gaidai University campus.

Q: When you went to Osaka as a student, did you speak Japanese? As a "hafu", how were you treated by Japanese—or by people in the Netherlands?

A: No, I did not speak Japanese nor did I know anything about Japan. In fact, I chose to follow an exchange course program in South Africa, but was told that there were only places available for Japan. I thought Japan would be similar to Bali. Upon arrival at Osaka Airport, I knew I was wrong, not seeing any palm trees or beaches. My entire worldview changed during my exchange course to Japan and, ever since, I feel Japan could one day become my home country.

I did not experience any discrimination in Japan. Many Japanese thought I was Japanese, too, and all around the world being a musician really facilitates me making friends. In the Netherlands, society has become more and more individualistic over the past 10 years. There is so much violence here, caused by a minor group of youngsters from Morocco. It resulted in political parties, including the party of the politician Geert Wilders, favoring to close the borders and focusing on people’s fears rather than on constructive solutions about how to prevent cultural and regional conflicts. But this is no different in other Western nations. I believe this is not a good policy and will certainly not lead to any solution, but to even more cultural and regional conflicts. As a consequence, the Dutch are much more open-minded and, I certainly feel, more and more extremist right calls are present here than 10 years before.

Q: What's it like for you speaking so many different languages? Is it confusing? Which language do you think and/or dream in the most?

A: I always get confused. I speak Dutch, English, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese and am now studying Korean. Some people think in their mother tongue language then translate to another language when they want to communicate. In my case, I start thinking in the foreign language and culture. As a consequence, for example, when I’m in Indonesia I can speak Indonesian quite fluently, thinking in Indonesian culture and thinking buying something for 1 euro (12,500 rupiah) is already expensive. Calling to the Netherlands, I would forget my Dutch vocabulary. In fact, if I’m in one country where I am able to communicate in the local language, I tend to forget all other languages, pushing those other languages to the background processes of my brain.

Q: Your music has a very gentle, spiritual quality. Do you attribute that to your cultural upbringing? Can you say that your music is more one culture than the other, or is it totally cross-cultural?

A: I think this has to do with different aspects. First of all, I can never get angry. In fact, even if I encounter problems, like some fraud cases in Indonesia, I would not feel any anger against those causing all the trouble. Second, I lived in Thailand in 2006 and 2007. I then became very much interested in Buddhism, started meditating and learning to always think positively and enjoy the day. Third, I graduated as an economist, specializing in development economics, and studying third world countries. Lastly, I had to make some concessions producing my last CD. I co-operated with some arrangers and conductors in Asian countries and, while I preferred a more edgy and rock sound, sweet and romantic is more common to the Asian music industries.

I don’t know if my music is cross-cultural. However, I do know my own personality is cross-cultural and maybe, therefore, my music becomes cross-cultural, too.

Q: Tell us about your latest release.

A: My latest album is called Hold On To Her. This is track 1. The subtitle is called Aria’s Song. Aria is my first niece, now 2-years old. When she was just born, I sat beside her and she was crying. Then I wrote her this song called Hold On To Her; that there is no reason to cry on this beautiful day and that she would always have the unconditional love of her mother. So, I sang to her Hold On To Her (your mother) for always.

The entire album is something like an autobiography. All the songs are personal experiences and the lyrics really tell exactly what I did back then. I mentioned the songwriting date above the lyrics in the booklet, so it’s like reading a diary.

Recording, engineering and releasing this CD took me 2.5 years and some songs have now been recorded in English, Japanese and Indonesian. Korean and Chinese songs are expected to be recorded later this year.

I offer the Watermelon Sushi World blog readers a discount when ordering my CD, since I hope many more people will get to know my music. Anyone can send an email to info@ilja-alexander.com and my management will send you an invoice of 10 euro, excluding shipment costs, using PayPal to process the order.

Q: What do you see in your future and for multiethnic people in general?

A: My objective is to start launching my career in the U.S., slightly adapting my sound to make it more edgy and rock, making my songs more accessible to a wider audience. I also have an ambition to be the first major international artist with Asian roots breaking through the entertainment industries of the West and, therefore, breaking through the entertainment industries on a global level.

I believe with the geo-political power shifting to some developing nations, more and more issues of sustainable environment and mass migrations in the next decade, the world as we know it today will soon come to an end. In fact, without major changes in the way we live (in the West) we will not survive. I do believe calls for change are more and more common, among other things leading to more equality in the world, less poverty and less discrimination. I also believe the word “multi-ethnicity” should become a word of the past, since mankind should discover that we are all one race.

Q: Tell us something about The Ilja Alexander Foundation.

A: I’m about to launch my own foundation to provide free education and accommodation to those children around the world without access to education and to their parents. Starting a foundation is a lengthy process, but I hope it will operate somewhere this year.

I designed a new educational system addressing current socio-cultural, economical, political and environmental issues. The educational system is based on three pillars. First of all, children will be taught traditional courses, like mathematics, history, geography, science, etc. Second, children will be taught country-specific courses related to environmental sustainability, (renewable) agriculture, poverty, water management, etc. Third, the educational system is focused on training the left side of our brains, i.e., personal development courses, like meditation and arts (martial arts, music, etc.), whereas nowadays in the West educational processes are mainly focused on developing the right side of our brains.

Both children and their parents need to work on the land, cultivating renewable agricultural products, renewable energy, etc. All products will then be traded on the international trading markets, the profits flowing back into the educational system, making this educational system self-supporting and self-sustainable.

When the children get older, they should get the opportunity to go on exchange courses to other schools around the world, learning about other cultures, religions and other country-specific courses. By doing this, the foundation will then realize its mission to prevent cultural and regional conflicts in next generations and to make the world we live in more sustainable.

To finance the foundation I’m transferring a percentage of my annual revenues to the foundation, and also working with donor companies.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me by using the contact info listed below.

Ilja Alexander Productions

E: info@ilja-alexander.com

Blackberry PIN 26AD1F89

www.ilja-alexander.com

www.1upmusic.jp

www.myspace.com/iljaalexander

www.twitter.com/iljaalexander

www.facebook.com/iljaalexander

Arigatou gozaimasu, mahalo nui loa, hsieh hsieh, merci beaucoups, muchas gracias, danke schoen and more, Ilja! Hey, Hip Hapa Homeez, don’t forget we have Hapa*Teez t-shirts for you (like the one I'm wearing here), and you can also like our newly created Hapa*Teez Fan page. If you haven’t had the chance yet, check out our updated Watermelon Sushi film website and like our Watermelon Sushi Fan page. My Sexy Voices of Hollywood co-host, Robert Taylor, and I are about to relaunch our internet show, so please stay tuned.

Until we meet again, I am…

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Loving The Loving's

2011-06-01T22:07:00.000-07:00

Perhaps no other couple in U.S. history loved each other more publicly than Richard and Mildred Loving. Because of the Loving’s, the banning of interracial marriage in 16 states was finally overturned by the Supreme Court in 1967.

photo of Loving Day celebration by Michael Kirby

It’s unthinkable now, but up until then only whites were allowed to marry other whites in states like Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and Texas. And, there was actually a law on the books called the Racial Integrity Act of 1924.

Yet in Virginia, Richard and Mildred Loving—a white man and mixed black and Native American woman—were asleep in their bedroom when local police arrested them for being interracially married. The Loving’s had actually tied the knot in Washington, D.C. where their coupling was legally recognized, but upon returning to Virginia they were criminally charged.

photo of Loving Day celebration by Michael Kirby

Although my parents were also married at the same time as the Loving’s, anti-miscegenation laws hadn’t been enacted for them. No one in America really cared that a Japanese woman (former WWII enemy) cohabited with a Negro man (African slave lineage) since both were considered undesirable minorities anyway. Instead, anti-miscegenation laws were passed to perpetuate the myth of white supremacy by keeping white bloodlines pure through forbidding the mixing of it by marriage to non-whites. Despite the Supreme Court ruling in the case of the Loving’s, South Carolina still banned mixed marriages until 1998, and Alabama…2000!

photo of Ken Tanabe on the mic at Loving Day celebration
by Mauro Clerici

This week’s featured Hip Hapa Homee, Ken Tanabe, pictured above, is the founder of Loving Day in New York City. These photos are of the Loving Day celebration he organizes.

Q: Ken, who are your parents and how did they meet?

A: My father is from Japan and my mother is from Belgium. They met while they were in college in Washington, D.C., through mutual friends and--bada boom, bada bing--here I am! I consider myself very lucky to be alive.

photo of Loving Day celebration by Mauro Clerici

Q: What inspired you to create Loving Day?

A: When I discovered the Supreme Court case, Loving v. Virginia, I felt like I had discovered a missing part of our Civil Rights education. Why wasn't this case taught in schools alongside Brown v. Board of Education, Dr. King and Rosa Parks? And with a name like "Loving", why wasn't this case as well known? Years later, the Loving case became the inspiration for my graduate thesis at Parsons the New School for Design in New York, and Loving Day was born. Today, Loving Day's mission is to fight racial prejudice through education and to build multicultural community.

Q: What are some of the events that your organization plans for that day—June 12?

A: We organize the Loving Day Flagship Celebration in New York City, which brings out 1,000 guests a year. We have free barbecue, free beer, amazing DJ's, and an incredibly diverse crowd--all under a big festival tent on the East River waterfront. Our goal is to show the world what Loving Day is about, and to inspire others to host a Loving Day Celebration of any size. Other organizations and individuals organize all of the other national/global Loving Day Celebrations. These include the Mixed Roots Film and Literary Celebration in Los Angeles, the annual MAVIN Foundation Loving Day Celebration in Seattle, and many more. Folks can find a complete list of celebrations and inspiration for their own celebrations at http://lovingday.org/celebrate

Q: Are there other things that your organization does besides the June 12 Loving Day celebration?

A: Yes! Loving Day is active all year. We are especially passionate about education, and we have been more active than ever with our collaborations with university groups. In the past six months or so, we have participated in the Harvard SWAYA Conference, a screening and discussion of the documentary One Big Hapa Family at Columbia, the Hapa Japan Conference at UC Berkeley, the Critical Mixed Race Studies Conference at DePaul in Chicago, a Biracial and Multiracial Student Association meeting at NYU, Clarvit Design Week at University of Maryland (College Park), and a Loving Day Celebration at Wesleyan. We also provide educational and community resources every day through LovingDay.org

Q: What are some of your future plans for this group?

A: We would like to see Loving Day become a new tradition that is shared among friends and passed down from generation to generation. We'd like to see a strong, sustainable multiethnic community that stays connected through Loving Day Celebrations. We encourage everyone to participate in Loving Day by celebrating and spreading the word!

Q: I met you at the recent Hapa Japan Conference in Berkeley. Do you have any thoughts you'd like to share?

A: The first Hapa Japan Conference felt like an historic moment. I had been in touch with many multiethnic community leaders with Japanese roots, but it couldn't compare to having everyone in the same space. To me, an entire conference that focuses on such a specific part of the multiethnic experience is an encouraging sign. I see it as evidence that the multiethnic community as a whole is growing and developing. My congratulations to the organizers for such an excellent conference. Also, thanks to enka superstar Jero for his performance!

Q: Do you foresee a time that there will not be a need for organizations that promote the multiethnic agenda?

A: Many people hope for (and work towards) a time when race will no longer be an issue. Even when that day comes, I believe there will still be a need for education--and people will feel the need for a sense of community with people who share a common experience. That's what Loving Day is about, and I hope that Loving Day will continue to grow and be shared for years to come.

Thank you, Ken; and, of course, thank you to the late Mr. and Mrs. Loving.

Hey, Hip Hapa Homeez--don’t forget to “like” our Watermelon Sushi and Hapa*Teez t-shirt Fan pages on Facebook. You can also request to join our Hip Hapa Homeez Group page where we’ve been discussing everything from Bruce Lee’s multi-ethnicity (did you know his mother was half white?) to mixed-race New Zealander’s Taika Waititi’s latest flick—Boy--about a Maori family. And, if you purchase one of our Hapa*Teez t-shirts at Cafe Press, you'll get a rear crawl credit on our Watermelon Sushi film. You might even look as good as Cassie, above. Oh, and you can tweet us, too: watermelonsushi

Until next time, Happy Loving Day! from...

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Hapa Japan Jams With Jero-san And Ms. Anime Eyes!

2011-05-04T23:15:00.000-07:00

Hey, Hip Hapa Homeez!

Mad props to Duncan Ryuken Williams and his helpers for organizing the Hapa Japan Conference in Berkeley last month. No doubt, it was one of the best events Your Hip Hapa has ever attended. Shout-outs to all involved.

At the Berkeley campus on Friday and Saturday, the audience listened to various panels presenting on everything from Okinawan-Black mixies and the U.S. military to Japanese-Indigenous of Australia.

Jero-san gets an award while Duncan speaks and Your Hip Hapa looks on.
Photo courtesy of Edward Y. Sumoto.

Then, on Friday night, Duncan presented the New Vision Award to Japan enka singer and superstar Jero-san! Afterwards, we all had the chance to speak to, and take pix with, Jero-san. If you’re a long-time WSW blog reader, then you know how much Your Hip Hapa has admired this young man from Pennsylvania whose mother is Japanese and Black.

Later that evening, Jero-san performed a mini concert of five songs ending with a sing-along of Kyu Sakamoto’s Ue O Muite Arukou. What a bittersweet moment for those of us who remember “Kyu-chan” and his tragic death in 1985—20 some years after his Japanese language song made it to #1 in the U.S.!

At Saturday night's party; shortly after Jero-san handed the klutz some napkins.
Thanks for the snap, Fredrick Cloyd!

Following Saturday’s panel discussion, we headed to San Francisco’s Nihonmachi (J-town) for a party where Jero-san appeared with his manager. What a perfect gentleman! When Your Hip Hapa related how she had clumsily spilled sake on her hand, Jero-san immediately grabbed napkins from the table behind him and handed them to her.

Later that night, someone yelled, “All the Blackanese in the room stand with Jero-san for a picture!” What an incredible moment for all of us AfroAsians to gather around the man who crosses cultures with his incredible music.

Blackanese in da houze with Jero-san (in red shoes) and Your Hip Hapa (on his left).
Photo courtesy of Jayson Carpenter on behalf of Marcia Lise and The Hafu Project.

And, of course, Your Hip Hapa talked to Jero-san about appearing in Watermelon Sushi. Wouldn’t you love to see him playing a role in the film? So would we!

So many special friendships were forged at the Hapa Japan Conference. In some cases, Your Hip Hapa finally met people for the first time that she’d been in touch with through cyberspace for decades—including painter and activist Lenore Chinn, after 12 years.

You’ll be reading about some of these fabulous folks here, over the next few months. This month, our guest is Athena Asklipiadis of Mixed Marrow. As she posed for a photo, I exclaimed, “You have anime eyes!” to which Athena replied, “Someone else told me that, too.” What do you think? Doesn’t she look as sweet and innocent as an anime character? Here's her link: http://www.mixedmarrow.org

Athena, sitting on right, with Mixed Marrow volunteers.

Q: Athena, how did your parents meet?

A: My father is Greek, Italian, Armenian and Egyptian born in Cairo. My mom is Japanese-American born in California. They met in Athens at a Japanese restaurant. At the time, my mom was a tourist and was curious about Japanese cuisine in Greece, and my father worked there.

Q: How did you grow up?

A: I grew up in a primarily African American and Latino community in South LA in the Crenshaw area. There, I was a very, very rare breed--the only person of my kind that I knew of in my whole neighborhood. I was called everything you could think of: "Chinese girl", "China" in Spanish, "white girl", and "flat faced" just to name a few. Being so different from people who lived near me and because the schools in my area were famous for shootings and gang activity, my parents sent me to school in a more diverse and safer neighborhood. But the "feeling different" thing didn't really end. I was still the minority because there weren't many mixed kids in the primarily white schools I attended. I suppose if I had siblings, it would have been a little easier having others like me around. But with time, race became less of an issue as my classmates grew up and got more mature; so, by high school it was not as much of a problem.

Q: What inspired you to create Mixed Marrow?

A: In 2007, my aunt Esther Matsuguma passed away with lymphoma and it really hit me hard. I was close to her and it was so difficult to see her suffering first-hand. After a year of coping with her loss, I was randomly approached at a Japanese festival in Los Angeles by a bone marrow donor recruiter. They asked if I was half Japanese and I said I was. Then, they told me about Krissy Kobata, a local girl my age who was in need of a bone marrow match. Her family was there signing up donors and it touched me that they were so diligent and hopeful that they would be able to save her. It made me think back to my aunt and her struggle. I had to sign up for her and for Krissy, so I did. After some thought, I decided I wanted to get more involved and volunteer with the recruitment organization that signed me up, Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches (A3M). I thought that if I could have done anything to save my aunt, I would have, but a transplant was not an option she was given. So for about one year, I volunteered with A3M. I did drives to recruit new donors, but in the process I realized our community--the mixed community--did not have this cause on its radar. I had been actively working with sites like Eurasian Nation, Addicted to Race and We Are Hapa, and I had never seen it mentioned on a large scale. I wanted to change that. So, with the help of A3M and the National Marrow Donor Program, Be The Match, I launched Mixed Marrow in 2009.

Q: What are some reasons that someone would need a bone marrow transplant?

A: Patients facing blood diseases like leukemia may be candidates for a transplant for either/or marrow or cord blood. Recent medical news has even shown positive results from stem cells helping with diseases like MS, heart disease, diabetes and even AIDS. These findings are happening every day and stem cell donation is still relatively new. That said, it’s not determined what the long-term effects are and if a complete cure can be achieved with the help of new stem cells.

Q: What are some misconceptions about donating marrow?

A: For one, there are two ways to donate; one similar to blood donation is done through the arm called PBSC donation and, the other is still done through the hipbone by needle. For the marrow donation through the hipbone--not spine like people think--a needle is used and you are not cut open surgically. You are also under anesthesia and do not feel the procedure. Also, marrow regenerates and you do not lose anything permanently.

When it comes to cord blood donation, people hear "stem cells" and automatically think of embryonic stem cells and abortion. Cord blood stem cells come from the umbilical cord, which is usually disposed of 95% of the time. The cord blood donation process has no effect on mother or baby.

Q: One stat on your website indicates that a mixed-race person might have only 1 in 4 chances of being a match for a sibling. Does that mean mixed-race people are so different from each other even when they're related?

A: Any patient has a 1 in 4 chance of matching a sibling regardless of race. When it comes to mixed-race patients, the odds are lower because there are simply not enough donor matches in the registry. Part of the reason is because the majority of multiethnic people are under the age of 18 and, therefore, too young to donate marrow. The other reason is that there is lack of knowledge within our community and minority communities about the dire need for donors and what role ethnicity plays in matching.

Q: What are some activities your organization is involved with to bring attention to your cause?

A: Mixed Marrow hosts drives at ethnic festivals, book and art exhibits, museums, college campuses, and at various churches and businesses. Some past events include Kip Fulbeck's Exhibit openings, Loving Day's flagship event in New York, the Mixed Roots Film and Literary Festival, the Critical Mixed Race Studies Conference at DePaul, Harvard's So What Are You Anyways? Conference and Berkeley's Hapa Japan Conference. Besides onsite drives, Mixed Marrow also works to educate the public through awareness campaigns via film, radio, internet, and print media. Most recently, Mixed Marrow has teamed up with filmmaker Jeff Chiba Stearns to produce a feature-length documentary exploring the need for more diverse donors. The film is set to release in 2013.

Thank you, Ms. Anime Eyes!

Hey, Hip Hapa Homeez, for whatever reason, Facebook can’t seem to leave well enough alone. So, our Hip Hapa Homeez Group is either going to get updated or archived. Remember, this is where you can post and read info about multiethnic news. As a new Group, we’ll have to re-add everyone to its membership. If we’re archived, I believe that won’t be possible. So, please become a member when the updated version becomes available. Also, we’ve created a Facebook Fan page for Hapa*Teez t-shirts since the Watermelon Sushi film website is being redesigned. If you’ve made a Hapa*Teez purchase, please drop us a line so we can list your name correctly for rear crawl credits and mention you on the new website! Check out Hapa*Teez on Café Press so you can look as lovely as Curly Like Me author Teri LaFlesh does in her t-shirt below. You can also “like” our Watermelon Sushi Fan page, and follow us on Twitter.

Until next time, I will always be…

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Hapa-ness!

2011-04-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

Aloha no, Hip Hapa Homeez.

As you know, since we last communicated, Japan has experienced a major catastrophe. Some of you have contacted me about making donations and requesting assistance for Japanese and other folks living in the Land of the Rising Sun. Please join the Hip Hapa Homeez Group Page on Facebook and post your requests there.

While we send our kindest deeds and thoughts overseas, let us also turn our focus to the future. This weekend, the Hapa Japan Conference takes place at UC Berkeley where Japanese-African American enka singer Jero-san will perform. Please stay tuned for a follow-up report from our dedicated stringers who will be attending this momentous event.

Since Your Hip Hapa is on a mission to learn more about multi-culti organizations, this week’s featured guest is the Cal Poly Pomona’s Hapa Student Association. Current leader, Justine Budisantoso, gives us an overview of it below. But first, let’s find out a little about Justine in her own words:

"Born and raised in the suburbs of Southern California in 1990, I’m the middle child and only daughter of five kids born to a Chinese dad who was raised in Indonesia and a mother born in Ecuador who was raised in Venezuela, but who had a Spaniard/Italian father and a Turkish/Jewish mother.

The questions surrounding my identity have always been an issue for me. I’ve never been Latina enough, nor Asian enough, growing up; and, as a result, I’ve struggled between the two identities where at times I would associate as just one or the other—or, wish that I was an entirely other race, such as Caucasian, just so I wouldn’t have to worry about who I was and where I came from.

Growing up in a multi-ethnic home, and with parents who were both first generation to this country, I was surrounded by culture. Chinese statues and paintings were littered throughout the rooms and hallways while Spanish music moved through the house. For big family dinners and holidays, we had food from all around the world as my both my parents not only cooked from their own heritages, but also from others’ they had encountered throughout their travels. It was not odd to see curry, spring rolls, paella, empanadas, dumplings, and beef with broccoli at our table.

Growing up with such strong cultural presences in my home, I never doubted that I was one or the other. Sure, some days I felt more Latina than others, and vice versa when it came to my Asian side, but I never felt the need to choose when I was at home. My parents were open to identity and still support me in embracing all my cultures. Though they both come from very different places from opposite sides of the earth, the fact that they are both strong cultures never made one seem less significant than the other. If anything, I grew up seeing the similarities: The importance of family, religion (even though they are different, prayer and being a good person is pretty universal), the need for education, cultural pride, hard work, appreciation of life, gratitude and experience of manual labor in how it builds character, and especially the importance of food in culture.

The food thing is what even started my interest in cooking and now the field of studies that I’m in today (Hotel Restaurant Management). I love learning about the various cultures that make up who I am, learning about other cultures and people who are diverse, and taking a genuine interest in how this knowledge will assist me when I begin to pursue my Masters within Student Affairs."

Q: Justine, when was the Hapa Student Association at Cal Poly Pomona founded and who were its original founders?

A: It was founded in 2008 by Seth Huang (president), Jacqueline (Jackie) Walker (vice president), Alex Valentin (treasurer), Michelle Wong (secretary), and Jeni Watanabe (advisor). Jordan Hiroto later joined the founder by fulfilling the position of the publicity chair.

After its first year, it took a hiatus the next year as many of the members graduated. It wasn’t until summer 2010 that Jackie Chen and I started talking about restarting the club.

The biggest motivation for us came from the knowledge that author of Part Asian, 100% Hapa Kip Fullbeck was coming to our campus to speak on identity. We wanted to restart the club that spoke about this issue. We wanted to reestablish the community that catered to those of us who associated with multi-identities.

That summer, Jackie and I began the re-chartering process to make it an official club on the CPP campus. We received much support from our advisor and the members at work (the Office of Student Life and Cultural Center, with extra input and advice from Dr. Dora Lee, the Senior Coordinator of the Cultural Centers). We gathered a list of names of people we thought would want to be involved, those who might take a serious interest in helping make decisions and forming the club, and a list of people we would be able to count on for support.

In the end, we came up with about 20+ students and a wonderful E-board. At first, we had little attendance at our meetings because of conflict of schedules, since most of our members are highly involved in our campus community, but it didn’t lessen the amount of interest that people have for our club.

Members of our E-board are: me--Justine Budisantoso (president), Jacklyn Chen (vice president), Harrison McHugh (treasurer), Chris Karnopp (previous treasurer), Danny Woolston (secretary and MultiCultural Council representative), Kal Kadlec (publicity), Heather Thompson (publicity) and Jeni Watanabe (advisor). Some of our photos appear below.

Q: What is the purpose of the group? Do you have a set of bylaws or rules, an agenda?

A: The motto that we jokingly tell everyone is, “If you are a Hapa, love a Hapa, or want to make Hapa babies, then join the Hapa club.”

Our purpose is to promote the knowledge and create an environment for those who are associated as having a multi-racial/ethnic identity. We believe that it is beneficial to create an environment for those who are mixed, who are interested, in love with, or are a friend of a multicultural person, and those who are in multicultural relationships to come together and bond over the various experiences this diverse group of people have gone through.

We have a set of bylaws, as required by the university; however, as a developing organization, there are still areas we wish to refine. For the most part, our structure is very relaxed. Despite our more casual take on our meeting, that does not mean we do not have a plan.

In the case that our funds become inactive for more than two years, the money will be donated to the Red Cross. However, we have recently been discussing how to reallocate the funds to be donated to Mixed Marrow, which educates and assists with finding bone marrow donors specifically for multiracial people. We take the time to make our language as inclusive as possible. As for our agenda, in starting back up, we have dedicated most of our time to figuring out:

What do we want to do with the Hapa Club? Have it grow so that our entire campus student body is aware of our purpose.

What do we want to do in the Hapa Club? Movie screenings on multiracial issues, discussions, social events. We’re even considering hosting a university open conference.

Where do we want to go as a group? Always growing; creating a logo, slogan, t-shirt, buttons. If you visit our CPP Hapa fan page, you can see some of the logos we have been working on and getting input about: Spotlighting Hapas in society, Hapas in music, Hapas in sports, Hapas in movies, etc.

Asking a Hapa question of the week, like “What have you been mistaken for?”

The people who identify as one race were the most interesting to hear a response from, “What do you identify as?”

Q: What kinds of blendies and mixies does your organization tend to attract, and why?

A: Most people are a blend of Asian and Caucasian; however, we cannot stress enough that we try to be as inclusive as possible. You don’t even have to be mixed to join. During our recent introductions of group members, our meeting was composed of people who identified themselves as the following:

Jewish/Chinese, Chinese, four Chinese/White, Chinese/Japanese, three Japanese/White, European, Indonesian/White, Chinese/Indonesian/Ecuadorian/Spaniard/Italian/Jewish/Turkish (that's me, Justine!), Mexican, Taiwanese/Czech, Hawai'ian/Czech, Filipino/German, Filipino/Irish, Filipino/Mexican.

Q: Since I've lived in Hawai'i, I learned that the term hapa was originally used by Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawai'ians) to describe the children they had with Europeans before Asians arrived. Are your members aware of the origin of the word?

A: In fact, the “dictionary” definition is the picture on our fan page. In addition, during a recent viewing of the documentary One Big Hapa Family by Jeff Chiba Stearns, we were also given the breakdown of its definition in Japanese.

Q: What are some of the group’s activities? I know you're raising money for various causes, but how does that help forward the mixed-race agenda?

A: Part of the activities we want to participate in more is attending more Hapa conferences and events focused on multiracial causes.

The treasurer, Harrison, and I just came back this weekend from a Hapa conference at Harvard called “So…What Are You Anyway?” This was something we found beneficial to our organization as well as to the growth of the Hapa community. It provided us with the location and topics to start various dialogues on how to further the Hapa agenda, and bring awareness to the diversity in America. There were deans of the university in attendance, studies shown that focused on the mixed race/identity issues, and discussion of the various topics surrounding Hapas. We would also like to attend a Loving Day event.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Loving-Day/136482819725443

In regard to what we are raising money for, Relay for Life is a university-wide event that is not only a good cause, but an opportunity for our club to be supportive of our community and show the existence of our club to the university. It serves dual purposes: philanthropy and publicity.

Along with attending Relay, we also are looking to work with the Mixed Marrow organization to have them table at our tent site to educate people on what Mixed Marrow does--to bring awareness to potential donors of multiracial backgrounds to sign up as donors to assist leukemia patients. To get more information on this, contact Athena Asklipiadis or visit:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mixed-Marrow/127890680589766?sk=info#!/mixedmatches

Q: What do your group members do to stay involved in multiracial issues?

A: Attending the Hapa Conference at Harvard University was the biggest step towards keeping involved. Mostly it’s been through personal searching online. Going through Facebook and Google, typing in “multiracial”, “hapa”, and other words that might be associated with multi-identity. Also having other people share this type of information with us during our meetings or on Facebook. In fact, it was through a recommendation posted on our fan page that we found out about Hip Hapa Homeez!

Just as a result of the conference, I was informed about:

Loving Day http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mixed-Marrow/127890680589766?sk=info#!/pages/Loving-Day/136482819725443),

National Association of Mixed Student Organizations (NAMSO) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mixed-Marrow/127890680589766?sk=info#!/mixedstudentorgs

Mixed Match http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mixed-Marrow/127890680589766?sk=info#!/mixedmatch

Now, we are looking into possibly hosting a conference such as Harvard’s ourselves, or at least attending similar events that promote the mixed peoples community.

Q: Where do you see your organization going? Will it, and others like it, be obsolete some day?

A: I see our organization growing. If anything, being mixed is the new “thing” in society. We are the rare, the intriguing, and the unknown--especially with discussion about creating a national association for mixed students organization, the scope in which we can impact people has broadened.

I hope to see us as a contributor to the organization of Hapa clubs on the West Coast; helping to connect each campus on the regional and national levels through our assistance given to NAMSO.

I’m not one hundred percent sure that we will stay strong forever, because in reality the population becomes increasingly mixed every day. However, I think that organizations like these will still be around because there tends to be a steady want for clubs and places where people of like identity to come together.

Here are some photos of us:

Right: Harrison McHugh, Treasurer, and the one who brought CPP Hapa to the Hapa conference at Harvard. Inspired to take our club far, he critically thinks about the ways we can advance and get our name out there to the public, and how we are going to fund those efforts.

Left: Jacklyn Chen, VP and the one who made reviving Hapa at Cal Poly Pomona possible. Without her, the idea of re-establishing the club would still be an idea. She found the people, she grabbed the paperwork, and she is a boss!

Right: Heather Thompson, Co-Public Relations Chair. She is going to be taking lead on our own CPP Hapa Project--showcasing the multiracial peoples, and couples of the Cal Poly Pomona community. Ever looking for someone to promote Hapa, she’s your girl!

Left: Danny Woolston, Secretary and Multicultural Council Representative. Always bringing motivating ideas to our meeting, willing to step up when asked, and dedicated to representing the Hapa voice at Multicultural Council Meetings.

Right: Kal Kadlec, Co-PR Chair. Mastermind behind our IHAPA logo, and creator of the other logos we are developing to represent CPP Hapa to our community. Motivated, inspiring, and ready to promote Hapa Club in anyway he can, he is the go-to guy for getting our name out there.

I’m nothing without my E-board. They keep me motivated and inspired. I may have helped re-charter the club, and am doing the paperwork and some behind-the-scenes work, but I couldn’t have done it without the rest of the E-board’s constant support and dedication in making our organization flourish.

Mahalo nui loa, Justine, Cal Poly Pomona Hapa Student Association, and all you Hip Hapa Homeez out there. Be sure to check out our Hapa*Teez t-shirts on Cafe Press. You can order one just like the one Cassie wears, below. Also, join our Watermelon Sushi Fan page, our Sexy Voices of Hollywood Fan page that supports the Watermelon Sushi film, and follow both of us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/watermelonsushi and http://www.twitter.com/sexyvoices

Until next time, I am...

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

One Brown Girl: One Diverse World

2011-03-02T22:23:00.000-08:00

Hey, Hip Hapa Homeez! If you’ve been reading Watermelon Sushi World for any length of time, then you must know that enka singer Jero is a hero of mine. If you’re not familiar, Jero’s mother is Japanese and African American, and her mother (Jero’s grandmother) taught her grandson to speak Japanese and sing enka--a traditional Japanese style of blues that originated as agitprop during the Meiji period in Japan. As time would have it, enka lyrics later transitioned into love songs. What Jero has done as a young, mostly black man from Philly is to turn attention back onto a form of music most Japanese youth, unfortunately, have no interest in. Very few new Japanese artists these days sing enka and it is seriously in danger of dying. Koukai!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enka

Jero on Kohaku Uta Gassen, NHK

Anyway, Jero will be performing at UC Berkeley next month at the Hapa Japan Conference, which will focus on mixed Japanese. Open to the public, the event will be held April 8 and 9 and is organized by Professor Duncan Ryuken Williams. For more information, email dunryu@gmail.com and be sure to stay tuned for my report following the conference.

Tracey Friley

With people like Jero on the planet, our world is becoming more diverse all the time. It’s always exciting to connect with those who advocate cross-cultural exchanges and Tracey Friley is one such person.

Check out her One Brown Girl website here:

www.OneBrownGirl.com then, read about her below.

Q: Tracey, you connect with people all over the planet. Where do you get your incredible sense of worldliness? Did you grow up with parents who encouraged travel or crossing cultures?

A: Wow. I like being called worldly! I don’t remember a time when I didn’t travel, really. As a child, it was with my family, but I don’t remember specifically being encouraged to cross cultures. It has always been a way of life to get to know people from anywhere and everywhere no matter what their cultural background is. In fact, the less like me people are, the more I want to know about them. It’s just a way of life.

One Brown Girl travels the globe...

Q: What's the most interesting cultural tidbit you've discovered in your travels?

A: I don’t know how interesting it is, but I’ve come to realize that people are the same wherever you go. Some are good, some are bad. It doesn’t matter what culture they’re from. The only difference is the location.

Q: One of your website’s surveys shows that 54% of your readers would marry someone from a different religion. Do you think we're becoming more tolerant, overall?

A: I would like to think so. Of course, you can hear the intolerant a lot louder than you hear the tolerant, so it’s hard to tell sometimes. I do think that most young people are more culturally tolerant and accepting than the previous generation.

Q: However, by the same token, another poll indicates that 32% versus 29% of your readers feel that racism will never end. Comments?

A: That’s a hard question to answer and very thought-provoking. Racism is so prevalent on a global scale that it’s hard to imagine that it’ll ever end sometimes.

Q: Your One Brown Girl products are incredibly relevant and popular. Do you design them yourself?

A: Thanks! Yes, the designs are all original. I'm a creative with no graphic artist abilities, so I take what’s in my brain and work with a brilliant (and patient) graphic artist who makes One Brown Girl come to life. She is a caricature modeled after me…and you…and all of the other Brown Girls out there in the world.

beautiful Brown Girls make a pyramid

Q: Tell us about some of your activities for Brown Girls.

A: Right now, I own and operate a two-year old travel and learning adventure camp program for girls 11-16 nationwide, that is very important to me:

http://obgadventurecamps.com/

In fact, the idea for my program can be found on Oprah’s Angel Network. I also operate a niche concierge service for adults that travel to Paris every November. I just love Paris! I have tons of ideas for the OBG brand, but I have more ideas than I have the (wo)manpower or time to implement right now, so I’m staying committed to activities that directly give women and girls a world view…for now.

Brown Girls chillin'...playin' it by ear...

Q: What’s next?

A: I just want the cross-cultural dialogue to continue. I want to keep blogging and celebrating culture and inspire others to learn about others. I want to empower and inspire Brown Girls to feel good about the skin they’re in by reiterating interesting cultural facts and sharing travel and culture stories. I’ve got a unique thing going on in that I’m not just celebrating one cultural or ethnic group. It takes a lot of time to get people to buy into something they don’t typically do; so, most of the time, I’m just playing it by ear anyway.

Thank you, Tracey!

Well, Hip Hapa Homeez there’s a lot of excitement on the horizon. Our internet show, Sexy Voices of Hollywood, was created to financially support the production of our Watermelon Sushi film, and S.V.O.H. just launched its 10^th show with distribution by Sony! You can support the film by supporting the show at www.youtube.com/sexyvoiceshollywood or by joining the S.V.O.H. event and/or fan pages. Meanwhile, there are some funky things going on at Facebook. The Hip Hapa Homeez group can’t seem to invite new members, so if you’re on Facebook, please go to the page and sign up. This is where we post news about multiracial communities, transracial adoptees and those who cross cultures. Of course, if you join the Watermelon Sushi Fan page (can that still even be done, Mr. Z.?), we will love you to death. And, by making a Hapa*Teez t-shirt purchase you'll get your name in the rear crawl credits of the film. Btw, if you’ve bought a t-shirt in the past, please get in touch with us so we can have the correct spelling of your name. Just drop us an email: hapateez@me.com Apologies for our scarce and anemic tweets, but we do promise to follow you if you follow us: http://twitter.com/watermelonsushi or http://twitter.com/sexyvoices

cutie Cassie in her Hapa*Teez t-shirt

Until we meet again, I am now and forever…

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Blended Billy: Fashionably On Time

2011-02-02T23:54:00.000-08:00

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Welcome back to Watermelon Sushi World.

If you haven’t yet read the New York Times article about the phenomenon of young Americans claiming their mixed-roots heritages, you can do so at the Hip Hapa Homeez Group page on Facebook. While you’re there, please sign up to become a member; then, feel free to post whatever news you think would be of interest to blendies, mixies, transracial adoptees and anyone who crosses cultures.

In celebration of Lunar New Year of the Rabbit, Your Hip Hapa introduces you to Billy No--a clothing designer of French, Mexican and Korean ancestry.

That’s Billy in the photo to the left. To learn more about his numerous lines of clothing and all the companies he owns and operates, visit the links below:

Q: So, Billy, how did your French-Mexican mother and Korean father meet?

A: My parents met in 1972 at a factory in Chicago where they both worked while attending college. They both had the same bus route to and from work. That created an opportunity for them to get to know one another outside of work, where they soon became friends. That friendship transitioned into my father asking my mother out on a few dates; then, those few dates turned into marriage. That’s the short version, there’s more when the book comes out.

Q: Since your mother is both French and Mexican, she's also multi-ethnic. What was it like for her growing up?

A: My mother grew up in the northern part of Mexico, which is well known for their European-looking residents. My grandmother’s side of the family has the French and Spaniard bloodline and my grandfather is Indio/Aztec. Fortunately, my mother had a great upbringing, coming from a well-off family that lived both in the United States and Mexico. My grandmother’s side owned several mineral mines, and also had family that lived in Kansas for several years.

Q: With your father being Korean, what kind of meals did your family eat?

A: Our dinners surprisingly consisted of a wide variety of ethnic dishes. We never ate just one specific type of food. Meals always consisted of a blend of ethnic dishes from Asian, European, Spanish and classic American dishes. I was very spoiled when it came to food and, fortunately, I was not a picky individual when it came to food. It also helps that my mother is an amazing cook!

Q: What about the way you grew up? Was it difficult being multi-ethnic?

A: My upbringing was a bit different than most kids; I had three languages going on simultaneously growing up in the household. I had families that sometimes did not see eye to eye on things-- because of cultural differences--that were always interesting to watch. I began to develop great insights and a global perspective at a very young age. I loved every minute of it, the good and bad times; it was such an experience and still is. I just need to work on my Korean and French and I’ll be good to go. I’ve got my Spanish pretty good. People always had a healthy curiosity about my upbringing and my perspective on specific subjects like race, culture and politics for some reason. Overall, growing up as a blended kid and with a blended family has been a blessing for me, a great opportunity to experience a wide variety of foods, music and culture. Family is by far the best aspects of being a “blend”.

Q: What inspired you to start a clothing company?

A: My parents owned a few businesses in Chicago, where I began to learn the ropes of what it takes to run a business. I loved every moment. We went to McCormick Place for business trade shows and merchandising events to check the latest and newest trends. I started Blend America in the summer of 1989, when I had free time to think of a name and create a logo for the company. Fortunately, I’ve been blessed with some artistic abilities, allowing me to create and illustrate logos at a very young age. I chose to create a clothing line because of its platform, a very versatile way to leave a mark and impression in the minds of the masses. I had the plan set at a very young age; I knew exactly what I wanted and how to accomplish my goals.

Q: Who are your customers? Are they mostly multi-ethnic?

A: So far, my business has been U.S.-based, from New York, Chicago, Miami, California to Arizona. I’ve had a few customers from various parts of the world, and several hundred emails with requests for new products. It’s been amazing! Blend America Clothing is a global brand that reaches out to everyone, not just a specific group, but to have a mass appeal and include everyone. I utilize my blended upbringing and perspective to ensure that my brand stays global and reaches out to everyone in the world.

Q: Any future plans?

A: All my online ventures are part-time projects. I own a graphic and web design business by

day and conduct all my other operations after hours. I am currently running four online retail

stores: blendamerica.com, blendcouture.com, babyblend.com and iwearorganic.com. These

are my main focuses at the moment, my plans is to stay focused on these four brands and

build a solid foundation and brand identity. My ultimate goal is to find a financial partner in

these ventures, so that these brands have the opportunity to flourish and compete in the

global market.

Good luck, Billy! May the Rabbit bring you great fortune.

As for us Hip Hapa Homeez, we’re in hop-step with Rabbit, too. Please remember to join our Watermelon Sushi Fan page on Facebook that supports our film. You can also show your love by purchasing a Hapa*Teez t-shirt on Café Press. Apologies for our intermittent tweeting, but if you have some good ideas on how we can become better involved, please join our Twitter page and tweet away!

Also, several months ago, Watermelon Sushi producer Robert Taylor and I began co-hosting a biweekly online show called Sexy Voices of Hollywood featuring tips from show biz types. SVOH was created specifically to help guide those desiring Hollywood careers and to financially support our Watermelon Sushi film. You can help by joining our SVOH Fan page on Facebook, and attending our “events” by listening to our shows. Here’s the YouTube address: http://www.youtube.com/sexyvoiceshollywood

Until we meet again my little bunnies...

I am Your Hippity-Hoppity Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

MultiCulti Mario: American Artist And Haitian Hunk

2011-01-05T14:38:00.000-08:00

Hau’oli Makahiki Hou, Hip Hapa Homeez! In case you’re not familiar, that’s literally Happy, Year, New in Hawai’ian. Hawai’ians also gave us the word “hapa”, which is the way they pronounced the English word “half”. Along with “haole”, meaning “he without sacred breath” or “non-Hawai’ian”, "hapa" was used in reference to Hawai’ians of mixed blood. Thus, "hapa haole", or "half non-Hawai’ian".

Hey, welcome back to Watermelon Sushi World! We’ve missed you. Here we are in a brand new year with a brand new interviewee.

Remember our last featured guest, Pei Ju Chou? Because she emigrated to the U.S. as a teen, she often felt as if she had one foot in two worlds—Taiwan's and America's. So, Pei created a documentary—Stuck on the Boat—featuring the stories of “1.5 generation” children.

Like Pei, this month’s featured guest--Mario Louis--also arrived on the shores of the U.S. as a teenager. Besides being a prolific rapper and music producer, Mario also served in the U.S. military and is preparing to tour with To the Fallen Records.

To Mario, we say, “Bonn Ane”--Haitian Creole for Happy New Year! Check out the Haitian hunk in the pix above and below, and follow him at these links:

www.quietgunz.com

www.facebook.com/quietgunz

http://twitter.com/quietgunz

Here’s Mario’s story:

Q: Lately, Haiti has been in the news for its tragedies, but it can't be all bad. What city were you born in, and what was it like living there?

A: I was born in the L'artibonite section of Haiti. My dad left for the States a week later, and then mom moved back to the capital, Port-au-Prince, when I was three months old.

Growing up in Port-au-Prince was rough, but it was beautiful. Despite all the struggles and political unrest, it was my home sweet home. It's the kind of place where you expect anything to happen at anytime. Nothing surprises you after awhile, and then life goes on.

Q: How old were you when you left, and what was it like leaving and coming to America?

A: I left Haiti at 15. It was painful. It was kinda like mixed feelings. I was happy to be reunited with my dad and to know a better life and opportunities were waiting ahead, but it was painful leaving it all behind. My family, my friends, my neighborhood.

Q: Why do you think that so many African Americans, and Americans of other ethnicities, know little about the Haitian Revolution and its significance to the history of black liberation?

A: The Haitian Revolution took place in the late 1700's and ended in 1804 with the African slaves in Haiti defeating the French army. The same way the Internet is popular in our time today, slavery was the biggest business around the globe back in those times. It was a conflict of interest for the American government to deal with the free Africans in Haiti, when every African in the United States was still enslaved. The last thing they wanted was for African Americans to be inspired to start another "Haitian Revolution" in their own backyards.

Q: How many languages do you speak, and what are they?

A: I speak four languages. Haitian Creole, being my first, was spoken at home and in the streets. Then, French, which was always on TV, media, books, and spoken in school with the teachers. Both Spanish and English were mandatory in junior high school, but I had already learned a lot of Spanish since my dad’s side of the family lived near the Dominican Republic border. English was the last one I picked up.

Q: What were the hardest and easiest things to adjust to after you moved to the U.S.?

A: Everything was hard moving to New York. It was basically starting your life all over again. Here, I come from Haiti, where everyone knew me and I knew everyone. Then, I wake up one day and nobody knows anything about me or cares to know. It was hard to communicate with peers in school at first. It was a big change, and the hardest part was accepting that change and adapting to it day by day. So nothing was easy really easy, but it didn't take me too long to adjust because I was never shy to ask questions or make mistakes.

Q: What led you to join the U.S. military and how long were you in it?

A: I was just looking for avenues after high school. Many of my close friends were getting involved in the streets and I was watching some of them go to jail. Others were being deported back to Haiti. I wanted to go play college basketball, but couldn't get into the schools I wanted. So that's when I joined the Marines. But right before I went in, I got accepted into UMES in Maryland. I still had the option of walking away from my military contract at that point, but I chose to stay in the reserve for six years after boot camp. It's still one of my proudest accomplishments to date.

Q: Tell us about your music--how did you get started and what’s going on with your career now?

A: I used to listen to a lot of reggae when I was a kid and that's how I learned my first song structures and how to rhyme. Then, my cousin introduced me to rap and I started hearing AZ, Nas, and Xzibit. After I moved to the States, I started writing my own stuff in high school and people used to be amazed. I remember one time somebody had my notebook and, for like a whole day, my rhymes were being passed around the school and people were coming to me like, "Yo, you always quiet, but I ain’t know you rapped. You nice wit it, son."

When I went away in the military, every down time we got turned into a freestyle session. In college, I started doing talent shows and performed on military bases. But it was all a hobby. When I wanted to get serious with it, I realized it was costing too much to buy beats. So I learned how to make them myself. Then, recording was costing me money. So, I bought all the basic equipment and taught myself how to record. I was so addicted to the whole process that I acted as if I were a record label on foot. I got into graphic design and created my CD covers and flyers. I then released my first project "Silent, but Deadly" in late 2007. I sold it out of my trunk, online and received lots of offers from DJ's, promoters, and semi-pro basketball leagues to perform.

As of now, I'm getting ready to release "Trigga Muscle: a Tribute to the Troops and Fallen Warriors". One of the singles recently got released on a compilation through To the Fallen Records, which is an independent label distributed through Universal Music Group/Fontana. They've helped me reach a larger audience and are preparing to tour various military bases.

Merci beaucoups, Mario. Wow! Four languages, a prolific musician, and cutie-pie to boot.

Hey, Hip Hapa Homeez, as you may know Sexy Voices of Hollywood (SVOH) was launched as an Internet edutainment show to help finance the Watermelon Sushi film. You can listen to it every other Wednesday on YouTube or any number of Internet channels. You can also “like” the SVOH Fan page on Facebook and sign up on the SVOH Event page to stay tuned for upcoming shows. You can also purchase an SVOH t-shirt, follow SVOH on Twitter, or friend SVOH on MySpace. Sexy Voices of Hollywood is everywhere!

Don’t forget, you can also show your support for Watermelon Sushi World by joining our Hip Hapa Homeez group page where we post news about multiethnic communities, transracial adoptees and multiculti moments. And, you can “like” our Watermelon Sushi fan page, follow our impromptu tweets on Twitter, or buy a HapaTeez t-shirt on Café Press—where every purchase will earn you a rear crawl credit on the film, so be sure we have the correct spelling of your name.

No matter how you show us your love, HHH, we love you back.

For now, Watermelon Sushi World moves to a monthly format. Look for us on the first Wednesday of each month. Until next time, may I be the first to remind you, I am and will always be…

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

In Between

2010-11-18T02:08:00.000-08:00

Greetings, my Hip Hapa Homeez! Welcome back to Watermelon Sushi World, dude.

While the majority of interviews posted on this blog involve biracial people, we also like to include stories of transracial adoptees and those who promote crossing cultures. In other words, we are all about mixing it up.

Like multiethnic folks, this week's guest has also experienced a sense of not belonging. But instead of ethnicity causing her discomfort, it’s generational. Pei Ju Chou considers herself “in between” two generations. Among Asian Americans, those who arrive in the U.S. from another country are referred to as being “first generation”. Their children who are born here are called “second generation”. But, sometimes, families migrate to America after their children have been born and raised in their birth countries. Those kids arrive in the U.S. steeped in their original country's culture and speaking English with accents because their first language was that of their parents. For them, developing a new identity is a complicated process. And, the older they are when they move here, the more adjustments they must make to fit in.

Below, Pei Ju Chou explains what she means by the term “1.5 generation” and the documentary film, Stuck on the Boat, she made about the subject. That's the filmmaker in the photo, below.

Q: What's a nice “1.5 generation” girl like you doing making a documentary about the “1.5” generation experience?

A: I wanted to provide some sort of explanation, or even affirmation, to other struggling “1.5 generation” kids. Growing up, it was always tough for me to find a place to fit in. I was never quite "American" enough to my friends in the U.S., but in the eyes of Taiwanese people, I was too American. What is this identity of being “in between”? What the hell am I then? That was the question I would ask myself everyday when I looked in the mirror during high school. Through talking to a few friends while going to the University of Washington, I started to notice a pattern of experiences for people like me. It was a shared pain and a shared confusion. And, there was my inspiration. I wanted to share this collective voice and experience with others who did not understand. I wanted to use this documentary almost as a shout-out to those other “1.5 generation” kids out there and say to them, "Hey, it's alright to be stuck in between...We are the ‘1.5 generation’ and proud of it!"

Q: Who are your parents and how did you grow up?

A: My parents are both Taiwanese. I was born and raised in Taiwan until I was 10-years old. It’s kind of funny to think about it. I remember when I was eight, I found out I had a whole bunch of aunties and cousins that lived in the U.S. I remember asking my dad, "We have American relatives?!" After that, we flew over for a few visits over the next couple of years. Finally, my dad decided to move us all there. Both he and my mom believed that it would give my brother and me better educations and better opportunities. That's my grandmother, mother and me above. And, in the photo below, I'm with my father.

Q: Why do you refer to yourself as “1.5”?

A: I wasn't born in the U.S. so I'm not considered second generation. But I'm not quite like my parents--they were born and raised completely in Taiwan and are first generation. So, I felt like I was stuck in-between just like the title of my documentary, Stuck on the Boat. The boat has arrived in America, but the people are still stuck on it. I wanted to be proud of this uncertain identity, and I am comfortable with who I am. The “1.5 generation” is a title I have chosen to claim as a form of empowerment and statement of who I am. Here I am with my brother and cousins in the picture below.

Q: There are mixed-race people, people who are first generation, and people who cross cultures that all experience isolation. What makes it so difficult to be “1.5”?

A: I believe in “intersectionality”. We all come from different backgrounds. All of those specific backgrounds make our experiences as a group unique, and we have our own struggles and difficulties. The “1.5 generation’s” struggle is different in the way that we were once accepted by our home country, and all of a sudden we went from the "in-crowd" to being an "outcast". It is this shift that makes it difficult for most people to accept. Think about it; you grow up thinking and knowing you are one thing, and one move within a short period of time shifts the whole reality around. What you think you know is no longer valid or true. You're kind of stuck in this third space--what I call "cultural limbo"--where you don't really know how to be nor act. It's a tough place to be. I think a lot of mixed-race people and those who cross cultures can resonate with this "limbo" experience one way or another. Like I said, each group has a unique place in society that makes all our experiences different. We all struggle. I'm not saying anyone is struggling more or less. It's a matter of sharing and understanding these pains.

Q: Who were some of your interviewees?

A: Most of them were my personal friends who agreed to share their stories after I told them about what I was doing. Most of them were happy to learn about the “1.5 generation” as a term, and happy to be able to identify themselves as part of that group.

Among them, Areum Chong, with me below left, was the girl who first told me about “1.5 generation”. She and I shared very similar backgrounds. She moved here from Korea when she was 14, and grew up in Olympia with her aunt and uncle. She told me how the “1.5 generation” was a special generation. She said that we are the only ones that can still absorb the best of both worlds. We have a foundation in our roots because we grew up in Asia, and we learned to absorb western concepts as we grew up in America.

Another interviewee I had was actually born here, but he felt so strongly connected with his Asian roots he personally requested to be part of the documentary. This was how Derrick convinced me: He said, "It's not necessarily 1 is 1, 2 is 2. The 1.5 is everything in between as a matter of a continuum. It is also about a shared experience that makes a person 1.5." Even though Derrick was born in the U.S., he always felt like an outcast at school and among his peers. This is the experience that convinced me to interview him. That’s me with Derrick below.

Q: What is the most significant thing you learned from making this film?

A: We all have some form of struggle to belong somewhere growing up whether we're part of the “1.5 generation” or not. But it’s really what’s in your mind that makes you or breaks you. One common pattern that kept recurring when I was making this film was how the interviewees all said something about "acceptance". There will always be this uncertainty with our identities, and there will always be a struggle between our American peers and our Asian parents. Eventually, we just get used to it and accept it as what it is. It's about embracing ambiguity and being comfortable with who we are. I really hope this theme will resonate with other “non-1.5 generation-ers”. It's about embracing our identity and finding our places.

Q: What are your future plans with Stuck on the Boat?

A: I haven't thought all that much about it. I just want to move forward and capture more genuine Asian American experiences on film and share them with the world. Like my tagline on Pookii (my blog), I want to depict Asian America one story at a time. I’m finishing up my next film about my family restaurant experience, which I think will be a more upbeat and fun documentary. I just hope my “1.5 generation” film has made a difference to someone out there, even if it's just one person.

Thank you, Pei, for enlightening us about “1.5 generation”.

Below are Pei’s links:

Blog: http://thepookii.wordpress.com

Twitter: @peijuchou

And that, Hip Hapa Homeez, is going to be it until January 2011. Your Hip Hapa is taking the next month off to reorganize and regroup. We’ve got multiple projects in development, so please stay tuned to learn more about them.

Please “like” our Watermelon Sushi Fan page on Facebook to keep up with the latest on our film. You can also support us by buying a Hapa*Teez t-shirt, like the one worn by Cassie, below. Besides showing us love, you’ll also earn a rear crawl credit. Just make sure we have the correct spelling of your name once you make your purchase. While you’re on Facebook, please join our Hip Hapa Homeez Group page where we post news of interest to our multi-culti community. You can also follow our sporadic tweets on Twitter.

Along with partner Robert L. Taylor, Your Hip Hapa now hosts a biweekly YouTube show called Sexy Voices Of Hollywood. You can follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and watch the Event page to stay up to date.

Until January 5, I will still be…

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Being Blended

2010-11-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

Hey, Hip Hapa Homeez! Many, many thanks for your unending support.

One of the best ways to keep our multiethnic agenda alive and on the table is by joining and supporting organizations that represent us. Unlike a biweekly blog with its limited reach, these specialized groups can often spotlight our particular issues and educate people en mass. In the Q&A below, one of the founders of BPA (Blended People of America)—Chris--discusses how that group nurtures and upholds our multicultural and mixed-race existences.

Q: What was the motivation for creating the BPA website?

A: BPA was founded by a group of five people. We initially created the site to fulfill a gap in informative news directed towards the mixed-race and/or multiracial, multicultural audience in the United States. Later on, we added a blogging section where everyday people can share their own experiences or discuss topics of any kind related to the mixed-race and/or multiracial, multicultural experience. This blogging section, which we now call Chameleon, serves to connect people with a more realistic approach from opinion writers throughout the community.

Q: Please share the ethnic backgrounds of your staff.

A: The main founders of the site are Jenn, Joe, Shaka, Chris and Reisling. Jenn and Shaka are both a mixture of black and white. Jenn has strong family roots in the United States with her ancestry being based here from way back in the Colonial period. Shaka's father is African American and his mother is of white German descent. Joe is Eurasian (white and Asian mix) with roots from here as well as in China. Reisling is blasian (black and Asian mix) with strong cultural roots here, but also elsewhere. Her father is of Caribbean descent while her mother is of Chinese/Mongolian descent. Chris is a tri-racial mix of white, Asian, and black with roots not only here but also that of the Caribbean, Philippines, China, England, Spain and Scotland.

Q: What have you discovered about your contributors and readers that has really surprised you, disappointed you, or moved you in some way?

A: I'm sure your readers are accustomed to reading about surprises. Unfortunately, this hasn't been the case for us. When we created the site, we knew there could be reactions of all sorts due to the nature of it. After all, topics centering on mixed-race matters are still considered somewhat sensitive by the general public. With that said, we've received all sorts of reactions from our readers and contributors--some more "elegant" than others. Overall, the reaction to the site since we launched in late 2009 has been fantastic. We continue to make gains in our readers, traffic, and overall support. There isn't anything like having an email forwarded to you from a high school freshman thanking your organization for creating a website that not only informs and allows people of mixed races and multicultural backgrounds to interact, but is also there to support and enrich their own personal experience.

Q: Your site says "...of America", but it appears you have a broader audience. Are mixed-race issues fundamentally different or the same worldwide?

A: Though there are similarities globally, ultimately mixed-race issues are unique in each country. Of course, some countries are more similar than others in the issues they face. Take for example, the United States and the U.K. In this example, it's no surprise that BPA gets a lot of contributors and readers from the U.K. On the other hand, there are many cases where situations are very different--the U.S. and Brazil, for example.

Q: In your opinion, are things changing for blended people? Is humanity evolving to the point where we will no longer need to identify ourselves by ethnic group some day?

A: Overall, yes they are positively changing for blended people. Just a while back in the 1990's, it was almost taboo for some people to discuss or share their experiences as a mixed-race person in America, especially those mixed with black to some degree. These days, it's like a walk in the park in many places. Regardless, there are still many obstacles that mixed-race Americans need to overcome--much of which is highly attributed to the uniqueness we face.

Q: What are some future plans for the site?

A: At this time, we are satisfied with how things continue to unfold. At some point, however, we would like to expand upon it in many different ways beyond informative news content or opinion blogs. We continue to create partnerships with others in the community adept in a number of skills, from radio to podcasting and so on. It's our goal to, hopefully, be a premier provider of rich content and media to the mixed-race and multicultural community in the United States.

Thank you, Chris and Blended People of America!

Remember, dear readers, when you buy a Hapa Teez t-shirt, you support our Watermelon Sushi film. You also get a rear crawl credit, so please drop us an email after your purchase so that we can spell your name right. You can also follow Watermelon Sushi on Twitter and “like” our Watermelon Sushi fan page on Facebook to stay updated about the latest on the film. And, join our Hip Hapa Homeez group page for more blended and mixed news. Finally, Watermelon Sushi producer Robert Taylor and Your Hip Hapa have recently launched a new YouTube show called Sexy Voices Of Hollywood. Check us out: http://www.youtube.com/sexyvoiceshollywood#p/a/u/1/gjTZvPkPBh8

‘til we touch in cyberspace again, please stay hip, my hapa homeez!

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Hip HaHa-pa Homee!

2010-10-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

Aloha Hip Hapa Homeez! Tell me if you agree or not, but haven’t you experienced moments when you’ve felt like the whole issue of race was just an unbearable burden? You know, those times when you have to explain to a so-called mono-racial person “what you are”. Or, how about when curiosity gets the best of a stranger and they demand you explain to them in detail what it’s like being mixed? Most of the time, I don’t mind answering questions if it’s for genuine educational purposes, but if it’s only to entertain someone I’ll never see again, I question his or her motive.

In any case, those are the times during our multiethnic experience that we really need to keep our sense of humor. This week’s Hip Hapa Homee has an incredible one! Meet comedian Ian Clark. The first time Your Hip Hapa watched his video about being mixed, she laughed so hard yet, at the same time, was completely captivated. The truth, it seems, is not only funny but entrancing, too.

Check out Ian here: http://ianclarkonline.com/

And, in the photos below.

Q: What’s a nice mixed-race guy like you doing being a comedy star, and how did you start?

A: I remember making a phony phone call at four. So I guess I was born with it. I loved anything funny as a kid—from TV to films to MAD magazine. It just became a part of who I was as a person. Plus, when you’re laughing, you’re happy. And, I think happiness is the goal of life.

Q: Who are your parents, and how did you grow up?

A: My mom, Linda, is Swedish American and my dad, James, is African American. I grew up in Oak Park Illinois, right outside of Chicago. My folks raised me to just be myself. I never had issues with race until high school--where I could never be black enough, and was always too white. But it taught me that race, in all of its forms, is stupid. We are all humans, and have different color skin the same way we have different eye and hair color. The brain holds your identity, not your “race”.

Q: You do a variety of comedy shows--onstage, on the Internet, etc. Any preference? And, why?

A: I like filming things the best. It’s always there for people to enjoy at another date. Stand-up is wonderful in its own way because of the intimacy with the audience. So maybe my real answer would be a film of me doing stand-up.

Q: We Hip Hapa Homeez first became aware of you through your It's Good To Be Mixed video about the pros of being multiethnic. Since then, you're not as focused on race in your comedy shows. Is there a reason?

A: I found out that race is one of humans’ mental illnesses. It makes no sense to judge a person on the color of their skin. I’m not even talking about the moral argument. Even if you lack morals, it’s stupid. It would seem stupid to say you know something about a person based on eye color, but we do it with skin color. I will address these issues soon in my work. I just needed some time to figure out how to sell the idea.

Q: Do you envision a time when the world will truly be so-called colorblind?

A: Yes, I think we are close. The incentive to hold onto racist views diminishes everyday. And, today’s kids don’t seem to care.

Q: How do you feel comedy fits in with hot political topics?

A: I think it helps people see through the B.S.

Q: What are your future plans with your comedy act?

A: To keep them laughing.

Mahalo nui loa, Ian! Listen up, Hip Hapa Homeez. The Watermelon Sushi film has a new producer, Robert Lee Taylor, so check us out and “like” our Facebook fan page. While you’re there, please join our Hip Hapa Homeez group page where we post the latest news about multiethnic and trans-racial adoptee communities. Also, please show your support by purchasing a Hapa*Teez t-shirt, which will help get our film produced and give you a rear crawl credit, too. Robert and Your Hip Hapa have also launched a new YouTube show called Sexy Voices of Hollywood. Check us out at our Sexy Voices of Hollywood Facebook fan page.

Until we touch screens again, I will always be…

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

A Globally-Minded Man Of Many Gifts

2010-10-06T23:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Watermelon Sushi World, all you Hip Hapa Homeez. It seems that from time to time, I’m asked to explain why the word hapa is not exclusive to people who are half Asian. Hapa is how Native Hawai’ians (Kanaka Maoli) pronounced the English word 'half' to describe their children that were born with one European parent. Technically, anyone half is hapa.

One of my favorite hapas is Robert Lee Taylor, a record producer who is also producing the Watermelon Sushi film and co-producing a YouTube radio show with Yours Truly. Look for Sexy Voices of Hollywood coming to you soon! Robert has a very international following and below he explains how he developed his cross-cultural agenda. Check out Robert and the musical talent he manages in the photos following.

Q: What's a nice hapa black and white guy like you doing speaking Korean?

A: Prior to working in the film industry, I worked for the U.S. government in Washington D.C., a couple of blocks from the White House. While in college, I studied Korean as a Second Language (KSL) and later worked as a cultural attaché for several companies. I have lived and worked in the Asian international community for over ten years. As a youth and as far back as I can recall, I was always drawn to Asian culture. My parents also worked for the U.S. government in different parts of Asia, and my father lived and worked in Korea for three years. Learning to read, write and speak Korean as a Second Language as well as learning Korean culture resulted in many different job offers for me.

In addition to the preceding careers, I taught English, math and science at a Korean private school for many years. Later, I was hired to work as an international project manager, worked for a Korean real estate company, was the official spokesperson and campaign manager for a Korean American political candidate in the State of Virginia and a 50/50 business partner of what later became an energy and aerospace LLC (Limited Liability Company). I worked on Embassy Row in the U.S. capital and have met with and visited representatives of the Russian and Korean Embassies in addition to foreign dignitaries.

Q: How did you grow up?

A: My mother is Caucasian and originally from the Pacific Northwest and my father is African American and originally from the South. My parents were both career Armed Forces service members. My mother worked at U.S. Embassies in different countries in the Cryptologic field of Naval Intelligence. She had been in the Army for four years before transferring to the Navy to complete her more than twenty years of government service, during which time she lived in Northern Virginia. It was when she was in the Army that she met my father. My father was a teacher of Sociology and taught race relations for the military back in the 1960s during times of heightened racial tensions throughout America.

My mother, a white woman from the mountainous region of Washington State, happened to be in one of my father’s classes. Originally, having been in a science-related program and studying microbiology, my mother earned her college degree in business administration. Later she studied codes, ciphers and military communications at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey.

In addition to living in Korea for three years, my father lived in Germany, Panama and some other places before he retired to the ‘windy city’ of Chicago. As with many military families, I moved around quite a bit during my youth. I have traveled to over twenty-five states, have lived in the Bay Area at the Naval Air Station in Alameda (literally a few blocks from downtown Oakland), have lived in Hayward California, Washington State, Chicago, Northern Virginia, Brandenburg Germany and many other places.

Q: How did you get into the music industry?

A: During high school, I followed through with my childhood plan to become an entrepreneur in the world of business, arts and entertainment, and other industries. When I was of the legal age, I drafted my first official business plan and applied for a business license with the city, state and federal governments. Earlier, I had been an athlete, played track and field and was a regional track star. I also played football, basketball, baseball, soccer, and was in gymnastics and studied martial arts. I had a goal to try out for the U.S. Olympics after ten years of gymnastics training. When I was in high school, I realized that despite having played sports for most of my life, I also had a proclivity for music and fine art. I decided to abandon my goal of becoming a famous sports star to become a professional artist and producer. Back in the very early 1990s and while still in high school, I enrolled in a business and computer training program so that I could figure out how to multitask as both an artist and a business manager who would be capable of handling his own bookkeeping and business affairs without having to depend on someone else.

Q: Who are some of the talent you manage?

A: Currently, I am managing a boy band/rap group called T.G.W.N. (Team Great White North) and an Asian American rapper named Koreon who was recently invited to work with the group. TGWN is slated to represent the next greatest boy band from North America. The single "Ain't Telling Me Nothing" by Doug Crawford of TGWN from Edmonton Alberta is now available across the Web and via dozens of companies such as iTunes and Interscope Digital Distribution. TGWN boy band members consist of Caucasian, Canadian, urban music artists, with the addition of an African American U.S. artist, who all have a long history of having worked with artists from Los Angeles and other parts of the West Coast. During the time that the boy band was signed to the independent label AONN Records of which I am the founder, they sold thousands of CDs and opened live, in concert and on tour, for over a dozen major (platinum) recording artists.

Q: How has being mixed impacted you as an artist?

A: Being biracial has provided me with a perspective of West Coast business, music and politics conducive to urban music marketing. For example, it has been said that Caucasians between the ages of 12 and 29 years of age tend to be the largest consumers of urban music, of which the latter has historically been made mostly by African Americans. As a mixed African American-Caucasian, I have seen both worlds, first hand, in a way that helps me produce advanced marketing strategies that seem to appeal to many African Americans and Caucasians alike. I know both markets.

Q: What are your plans as the producer for the Watermelon Sushi film?

A: My plan is to obtain multimillion dollar funding with which to properly produce Watermelon Sushi. I seek to transform the movie into a successful and well-respected, multinational enterprise. One of my goals is to create a full-fledged entertainment company comprised of, but not limited to, filmmaking, entertainment publishing, a radio and television show, merchandising, and so forth.

Q: What is Sexy Voices of Hollywood, and what is its future?

A: Sexy Voices of Hollywood is a biweekly Internet radio show featuring you (Yayoi) and me interviewing the sexiest voices of Hollywood. From its top stars to the people who keep the stars on top, we will feature them all.

I see Sexy Voices of Hollywood fast becoming one of the most popular shows for arts and entertainment on the World Wide Web supported by major, reputable sponsors.

Thank you and, by the way, Robert. You really do have a sexy voice!

Hey, Hip Hapa Homeez, don’t forget our Hapa*Teez shirts on Café Press. Your purchase helps support our Watermelon Sushi film. Check out effervescent Eva above in her Hapa Nation tee. Also, please “like” our Watermelon Sushi Fan page on Facebook. While you’re there, join our Hip Hapa Homeez Group page to stay updated on the latest news about blendies, mixies and transracial adoptees.

Here's the link to Team Great White North on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rkvsf7Fjws

Oh, and one of Robert's first CD's is available below.

Until we meet again, I will always be…

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Damn It! Carolyn Battle-Cochrane Goes To Battle For Biracials

2010-09-22T22:20:00.000-07:00

To all you Hip Hapa Homeez in the house, do we have a special treat for you this week! Perhaps you’ve already heard, but there’s a documentary about the biracial experience that is causing controversy on every side of the mixed-race experience. For one, the title “Biracial: Not Black, Damn It” has created huge debates. Below, we speak to director Carolyn Battle-Cochrane about her life and what inspired her to make this movie. Scattered below are photos of Carolyn along with promo pieces for the film.

Q: Who are your parents and how did you grow up?

A: My father was a cotton-picking, cussing, pool hustling turned professional tailor black man from the South. My mother is a proper white woman from Boston who feels that certain etiquettes are always required. The extreme differences in their life experiences and/or lack of experiences made for an interesting behind-closed-doors-highly-dysfunctional reality show. I was one of the biracial folks who always knew I was walking the tightrope. My community constantly reminded me I had a white mother, and my father reminded me that "the white woman" was my mother.

I recently completed my memoir, "Private Conversations" telling the story of my extremely "different" parents (culturally) and my personal story about being biracial. Currently, I have two chapters on my website: www.battlecatt.com

Q: What’s your filmmaking background?

A: When I decided I wanted to make films, my daughter still lived at home. It was a serious choice to fall back from making the kind of money I was at the time and take a lesser position so that I could go to school. As a single parent, I had a talk with my daughter about cutting back. She said she was down with my choice to work full-time weekends while I took independent studies at the New School for Social Research in New York, as well as workshops and classes at NYU and several other film outlets. I was fortunate enough to make a great student film, which opened doors shortly after I left film school. I got a job as a consultant at Disney and was able to make a film that was used for cross-platforming business units into working together. Before the Disney gig, I had been in and out of Hollywood from NY because of a few scripts I had written. I got a call from an NBA player at the time who had read my script. He thought it was a hit and wanted to get me connected. We took meetings and I realized I had a lot to learn. I was not willing to compromise the storyline when the executives running the show had no idea about the world I was trying to bring to the forefront. Not much has changed. As people of color, we have few storylines. My scripts are about chicks that might be mixed or might not be, but have lived beyond the stereotypes. So the scripts are dusty, but still stories untold. That led me to making my documentary series. I decided I was going to do a project that I bankrolled that no one was going to control, but me. The money ran out, so I started selling a life from the past: LV's, Pradas, mink coats, diamonds. $350,000 later, part 1 and 2 are complete, and I am $150,000 in debt--but, still shooting and editing, still self-financed.

Q: What’s surprised you the most about the people you've interviewed for your documentary?

A: That almost everyone has the same exact answers, that everyone felt so alone, isolated, even when they had siblings. Often the topic, the confusion, was/is never discussed.

Q: What’s disappointed you the most?

A: I can't think of anything disappointing about the interviews I have done. The closest thing to a disappointment is one chick I interviewed went really personal, dropping info that was shocking. She matter of factly mentioned that feeling so alone being biracial had turned her into a heroin addict. The experience with her after she chose to unleash the demon was a disappointing saga. I have decided that will not be an interview that I will put into the series. I have probably 20-30 interviews I will never use; too dark, too sad. I don't want a series that is only about the blues.

Q: How about what pleased you the most?

A: Pleased me the most is how open, easy and free the flow is when we're talking about "our" story. The element of knowing each other even though often it is a new relationship, and how healing it is for almost everyone that does an interview. Usually what they have to say has been laying heavy on their chest and unloading that burden is amazing to watch. The transformation from being in pain and then not is mad cool.

Q: That title upsets a lot of people who are not mixed. Was that intentional?

A: The title came from a place of pure honesty and frustration. I was tired of the arguments about my identity: 'No, you're black, you look black, your father is black, yada, yada.' I had no idea the impact the title was going to have, both positive and negative. I'd like to say for the most part it has been a much more positive response than negative. I get letters and emails from monoracial folks both black and white that thank me for telling the truth and keeping it real. After really pinpointing who has the biggest problem with the title, I have found that it is a small group that is still living the One Drop lie. There are people who like things the way they are for a number of reasons, and they would still hate the project regardless of the title, but this title got folks talking and that is what is needed. If we are not talking, we are not learning about each other. I do find it hysterical when folks suggest I should change the title because I might possibly hit a broader audience. Part one of this project was done a year and a half before it got any love. It just had another title, and no one was interested. That title opened the door.

Q: You have a huge Facebook following. Is social media a good platform for mixed-race agendas?

A: Social media is good for any agenda, that's where the world lives and plays and learns, but, yes, mixed-race issues can have a platform without asking for permission. It is still a hard knock-knock to get the doors open in mainstream America so this allows the support, the conversations, the unity that wasn't available years ago. Eventually, the doors in mainstream media will open. It's just still an uncomfortable subject for whatever reason. I personally do not get it, but I am told folks are still not ready. That's why they have deemed Obama the first "black" president. 'Bulloney' is all I can say.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish with your documentary? Any future plans?

A: Hit mainstream and turn it into a television series. Multicultural/multiracial America is huge (and growing) and the interesting, funny, heart-provoking stories need a forum to breathe, to be told in truth, to be heard, to be documented.

I have plans, blueprints, and I am in constant motion to bring them to light. There is always something on the horizon, but I do not want to shoot myself in the foot by running my mouth before its time. I most recently got my first syndicated film review, which got me on Rotten Tomatoes and that was a great feeling. When I saw the review on the same page as three studio films, it was a ‘wow’ moment.

Thank you, Carolyn. Check out the multiple trailers for the documentary series at the official website: www.battlecatt.com

Also, remember to join our Hip Hapa Homeez group on Facebook where we post info about multiethnic and transracial adoptee communities. You can also “like” our Watermelon Sushi fan page which helps support our film, Watermelon Sushi. Purchasing a Hapa*Teez t-shirt will also assist in the production of our film, and you’ll receive a rear-crawl credit for your help. Just drop us a line a hapateez@me.com so we can spell your name right.

As always, it’s been real.

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi