It’s graduation time at the University of Washington and for several former students, this Sunday will be a very momentous occasion.
A few months ago we told you that 440 AJAs who were removed from the school during World War II are finally receiving their degrees - 66 years later. Well, the time has finally arrived, and while many are not alive to receive their degrees, the university’s ceremony is still an important gesture for the Japanese American community.
If you aren’t planning on going to the ceremony, but still want to see it, you can view the live stream on this website on Sunday at 2 p.m. Seattle time (11 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time).
One more thing. Be sure to check back here, because The Hawaii Herald will be featuring a story on Sunday’s ceremony in one of our future issues.
Happy Children’s Day everyone! Or, if you still call it Boy’s Day, the same to you. Whatever name you call it, and whether you choose to fly carp or not, May 5th is a national holiday in Japan.
Did you know that Children’s Day is celebrated around the globe? It’s true, but Children’s Day often has different meanings for different cultures, and is even celebrated on different days depending on the country. In Sri Lanka, it’s October 1. In Honduras, it’s September 10. Find out more about this global holiday here.
Here’s how the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii celebrated Children’s Day this year:
Professor Albert Heck from Utrecht University in the Netherlands has discovered that the enzyme from the Japanese mushroom Grifola frondosa can help the study of diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
This article in Science Daily outlines the enzyme’s importance in identifying proteins in various organisms. There’s a lot of scientific mumbo-jumbo in the story, but here is the gist of the breakthrough:
Proteins play a critical role in disease and growth processes of humans, animals and plants. Identification was previously only possible when the genetic composition of the organism in question was known. Thanks to Heck’s discovery, this is now a thing of the past. Heck used an enzyme from the Japanese mushroom Grifola frondosa to identify proteins.
This makes it possible to study the proteins of an organism of which the genetic composition is – as yet – unknown (e.g. exotic animal species). In addition, research into proteins responsible for such diseases as cancer and diabetes, which usually undergo modification as a result, is much more effective.
According to the University of Oregon’s website, the school is also honoring the students with an exhibit entitled “Americans All: Japanese American Students at the University of Oregon, 1942-43.” The schedule for the exhibit, if you happen to be near Oregon, can be seen here, or you can check out the Japanese American Student Council Relocation Records here.
But, as we told you in February, UO isn’t the only school giving honorary degrees to former Japanese American students. The University of Washington will be doing the same thing at a ceremony in May.
In Hawaii it is easy to take the warm weather for granted. It’s a virtual constant that leaves us in the land of summer nearly the entire year. But all around the world, people are starting to celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of spring. One of the most beautiful aspects of springtime is the emergence of vibrant flowers and thriving plants, fresh from a winter slumber.
It brings me courting every day to watch its leaves unfold like tiny, delicate hands opening to the sun. The emerging pastel foliage is blushed with very fine silvery-gray hairs. The leaves will turn to a rich, deep red until late in summer, when they will turn a bronze green, followed by such a fiery red in the autumn that it makes me gasp.
Japanese maples are often chosen for their spectacular fall colors, but they can also be dazzling in spring. Certain varieties are cultivated in Japan as container plants and used as spring offerings at Shinto shrines.
So if you live in Hawaii, be sure to take a moment to appreciate our lovely year-round weather. And if you happen to be from a cold-weather climate, well, you are probably outside right now enjoying the sunshine.
As we all know, there are many Asian American stereotypes that still exist in this modern age.
It’s an unfortunate legacy that dates back decades in America and, despite the fact that Asian Americans have climbed up the corporate ladder in many fields, stereotypes do still exist.
DiversityInc made a list of the top 7 things that should never be said to Asian American executives. The comments range from laughable (”You must be the IT person”) to unbelievable (”How often do you go home?”). But as odd as some of the statements sound, those stereotypes do exist and they are making it very difficult for Asian Americans to be seen as equals in the workplace.
From the article:
Stereotypes are like a slap to the face because they shock and sting. They are usually uttered without much forethought and reveal the speaker’s ignorance. And in corporate settings, they can reveal why someone is excluded from after-work networking events or passed over for promotion.
Asian-American executives too often find themselves fighting to disprove the “model minority” stereotype, a group that works hard, is rarely controversial, but ultimately is not “American” enough for leadership opportunities.
