- SEASON ONE -
Episode 1:
The American Dream
with guests, Jonnie Narita & Saiyare Refaei
Join us for our premiere episode of The Yon-Say Podcast as we reflect on the immigration stories of our ancestors and how it has affected the newest generation of Nikkei within the community. As we dive into this discussion, we will also have the opportunity to explore the intersectionality between the immigration of our ancestors and the communities of today. Our first episode of The Yon-Say Podcast is live! You can listen to it on Spotify by clicking here or listen to it in the web browser by clicking play below!
Episode 2: Only What you Can Carry
with guests, Nina Nakao & Kendal Takeshita
In this second episode of the Yon-Say Podcast, Michelle and Hiro reflect on our ancestors' lives leading up to Executive Order 9066 and the forced removal with guests Nina Nakao and Kendal Takeshita. Listen as they dive into how these stories have affected the newest generations of Nikkei and what it means to them as descendants. You can listen to it on Spotify by clicking here, listen to it on iTunes by clicking here, or listen to it in the web browser by clicking play below!
Episode 3: An American Nightmare
with guests, Jason Fujii & Lauren Matsumoto
Ep 4: A Question of Loyalty
with guests, Andie Kimura & Bethany Narita
What does it mean to be a descendant of the incarceration? Jonnie and Yoko are joined by guests Lauren Matsumoto and Jason Fujii to discuss our families’ camp experiences and explore how those experiences inform our yonsei identities. From the importance of pilgrimages to all the little stories passed down from our grandparents, this episode dissects why who we are is so deeply entangled with these desolate sites of WWII incarceration. You can listen to it on Spotify by clicking here, listen to it on iTunes by clicking here, or listen to it in the web browser by clicking play below!
What would you do if your loyalty to your country was questioned? Matthew and Jonnie are joined by guests Andie Kimura, with Go for Broke National Education Center, and Bethany Narita, Jonnie’s sister, to discuss the infamous loyalty questionnaire and how it affected our families.Some volunteered to fight in the army, some answered “No,No”, others were draft resistors, and still others found themselves stuck in the middle. This episode looks at how the army asked for loyalty after it put our families in concentration camp, and how that created a divide between friends and families that remains to this day. You can listen to it on Spotify by clicking here, listen to it on iTunes by clicking here, or listen to it in the web browser by clicking play below!
Episode 5: What is citizenship?
with guests, Nat Hayashibara & Leidy
Episode 6: A Bus Ticket & $25
with guests, Rob Buscher & Celeste Goedert
What is citizenship? In the fifth episode of the Yon-Say Podcast Yoko and Hiro are joined by guests Leidy and Nat to interrogate the complicated and often dehumanizing notion of citizenship which pervades our country and its systems. Is citizenship a legitimate mode of belonging in a country that put its own citizens in concentration camps, barred others from naturalization on the basis of race, and continues to subjugate residents who do not have documentation? From the treatment of Issei in the 1900s to the experiences of undocumented people today, we delve into how citizenship operates as an institution of oppression, what it means to be part such an institution, and what it means to be excluded from it. You can listen to it on Spotify by clicking here, listen to it on iTunes by clicking here, or listen to it in the web browser by clicking play below!
What happens when the war is over? In the sixth episode of the Yon-Say Podcast, Matt and Michelle talk to Rob Buscher of Philadelphia and Celeste Goedert of Detroit to discuss what their families did when the war finally came to an end. The Army gave every incarceree a bus ticket and $25 and told them to return to their non-existent homes as if nothing happened. From where their families went, what choices they had to make after four years of incarceration, and how that’s impacted them today, this episode explores a history that isn’t as well known within the stories of Japanese American history. You can listen to it on Spotify by clicking here, listen to it on iTunes by clicking here, or listen to it in the web browser by clicking play below!
Episode 7: Nikkei Incarceration Abroad
with guests, Kayla Isomura & Marisa Nakada
Episode 8: A Lineage of Bad*sses
with guests, Miya Sommers & Nina Wallace
The story of incarceration doesn’t only follow Japanese Americans. Japanese Canadians and Japanese Latin Americans were also subjected to the cruel practice of incarceration during World War II. In today’s episode, Matthew and Jonnie sit down with Kayla Isomura and Marisa Nakada, descendent of Nikkei outside the US, to learn more about the stories of incarceration even we as Japanese Americans rarely hear. With some similarities to the Japanese American experience, and even more surprising differences, the story of Nikkei incarceration across the Americas is one that everyone should learn. You can listen to it on Spotify by clicking here, listen to it on iTunes by clicking here, or listen to it in the web browser by clicking play below!
In our society at large, women’s histories are too often erased, forgotten, or misremembered in ways in ways which strip women of their agency, complexity and intelligence. Nikkei history is no exception. In this episode Michelle and Yoko are joined by guests Nina Wallace and Miya Sommers to learn about the vital, but often overlooked, contributions of women in the redress movement, share stories about our Nikkei foremothers, and talk about the Nikkei women who inspire us from Yuri Kochiyama to our extraordinary grandmothers. You can listen to it on Spotify by clicking here, listen to it on iTunes by clicking here, or listen to it in the web browser by clicking play below! (Image courtesy of Densho)
Episode 9: The Go-Say
with the Yon-Say Podcast Team
For these past 8 weeks, the Yon-Say Podcast team has had the chance to talk to various guests from different walks of life. That being said, for this final episode of the Yon-Say, we thought it would be fun if your favorite five (五) hosts were to come together for this last episode to explore the topics of identity & reconciliation together. We hope you enjoy our discussion as we dive into what it was like for each of us to get involved in the community, what it's like being bi/multi-racial, and what we envision for the future of the Nikkei community. Thank you for tuning in every week and we can't wait for what's in store for the future! You can listen to it on Spotify by clicking here, listen to it on iTunes by clicking here, or listen to it in the web browser by clicking play below!
The History Behind the Episodes
In each episode of the Yon-Say Podcast, our hosts and guests explore different time periods of the Japanese American experience through the use of round table discussions. In some of these discussions, it can be difficult to follow the conversation regarding this often overlooked history, if one does not have background knowledge of the topic at hand. That being said, the Yon-Say Podcast team is prepared to help you out! Along with each episode, a new post regarding the history behind the topic will appear on our Yon-Say Podcast blog. You can find this information by clicking on an episode below or searching for a specific topic in the search bar.
GUESTS
Jonnie Narita - Ep 1
Jonnie Narita is a Yonsei artist planning on diving into University of Washington’s Interaction Design program this Fall. With a background in fine art and freelance video production, you can find him watercoloring at Hing Hay Park or deeply hyper-focused in his editing bay (his room). He’s an active volunteer with the Minidoka Pilgrimage Planning Committee and had the privilege of filming with JAMP’s production team at the 2019 Poston Pilgrimage. On festive weekends, he draws crowds with the thundering drums of Seattle Kokon Taiko.
Saiyare Refaei - Ep 1
A connector of visions and encourager rooted in movements, Saiyare finds joy outside, with people, in music and colorful food. Leading with love and a child of Iranian and Chinese immigrants, Saiyare has delved into research, visual art and writing on such topics as resistance, identity, grief, the environment and migration. Saiyare occupies traditional lands of the Puyallup people and is a Tacoma based community artist and organizer who attended the Minidoka Pilgrimage for the first time last summer.
Nina Nakao - Ep 2
Nina Nakao (she/her) currently works in the Education Unit at the Japanese American National Museum. She identifies as a biracial yonsei Japanese American. She grew up in Berkeley, California and is an Nikkei Community Internship (NCI) alum ’18. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Vassar College. She’s most looking forward to attending JANM’s famous volunteer potluck lunches A.C. (After Coronavirus)!
Kendal Takeshita - Ep 2
Kendal Takeshita is a second-year at Macalester College. He is currently studying Political Science and Data Science. Born in Bellevue, Washington and raised in Everett, Kendal is a 5th generation Japanese American, bilingual in English and Japanese. Kendal is the Midwest District Youth Representative for the Japanese American Citizens League. One of his most memorable moments was visiting the Minidoka internment camp in 2019 where his family was incarcerated during WWII.
Jason Fujii - Ep 3
Jason Fujii grew up in La Palma, CA. He is currently a substitute teacher with a credential in Mathaematics. Jason graduated from CSU Long Beach with a degree in Math Education and was heavily involved with the Nikkei Student Union on campus. For the past 5 years Jason has been involved with the Kizuna organizaiton as a couselor and camp director for the OC summer camp. He is currently a part of the Manzanar Committee and the chair of the Manzanar at Dusk program. Jason is also a co-organizer of the Katari Project, which strives to educate college students about the history of the camps and focuses on passing the stories along of the former incarcerees to the future generation. he has been attending the Manzaanar Pilgrimage since 2010 with either my NSU or close friends. Jason had family incarcererated at Amache and Tule Lake. Jason plans to attend these pilgrimages in the near future.
Lauren Matsumoto - Ep 3
Lauren is a fourth gen Japanese American (yonsei) and third/fourth gen Chinese American. Motivated by the desire to understand her hyphen identity, learn more about her own heritage, and explore other cultures, Lauren has made sure she had time to pursue these passions.
While a student at UCSD, she was a member of her schools NSU all four years and in her senior year served as President. She became more active with JACL San Diego chapter and JACL national level working with the Pacific Southwest district as a stand in representative at JACL National Convention and the JACL/OCA leadership summit. Through her work in NSU she also served on the Manzanar at Dusk committee for three years. A San Diego native, she recently moved to NorCal for her work and want to continue her involvement in the community.
Andie Kimura - Ep 4
Andie Kimura is a fourth generation Los Angeles based Japanese American. She is the descendant of Heart Mountain, Rowher, and Poston incarcerees and granddaughter to both a Military Intelligence Service and 100th Infantry Battalion veteran. Andie currently serves as the Education Manager at Go For Broke National Education Center.
Bethany Narita - Ep 4
Bethany Narita is a yonsei from Seattle. She enjoys playing taiko and learning about family history.
Nat
Hayashibara - Ep 5
Nat is a yonsei Japanese American and a 3rd generation Chinese American. They are an environmental studies graduate who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in geographic information systems. They are passionate about social and environmental justice and are trying to navigate this complex world without losing sense of self. They are also a steering committee member of Vigilant Love.
Leidy - Ep 5
Leidy, born in Mexico in 1999, is currently residing in the U.S as an undocumented DACA recipient. She is attending UC Riverside where she is double majoring in U.S. History and Political Science with a concentration in International Affairs. She is particularly focused on studying how the history of international affairs between the U.S. and Latin America in the 20th century have affected local Latinx communities and pushing migration to the U.S. She is also dedicated to understanding how international affairs specifically influence domestic policies in the U.S. that affect the undocumented community. In terms of being undocumented, she thanks her community for the labor of love she has received and continues to dedicate her activism with the end goal of liberation, beyond just citizenship.
Rob Buscher - Ep 6
Rob Buscher, Board Chair of the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival is a film and media specialist, educator, arts administrator, and published author who has worked in non- profit arts organizations for over a decade. As a person of biracial Japanese American heritage who is deeply involved in his community, Rob also has an expertise in cultural sensitivity training, community organizing, and advocacy issues related to the Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
Robʼs expertise is Japanese and Asian American & Pacific Islander Cinema although he has worked as a professional film programmer, critic, and lecturer across a variety of fields. Some of his career highlights include growing Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival into an internationally recognized leader in the film festival circuit, developing the Japanese Cinema and Asian American Studies curriculum at Arcadia University, and co-founding Zipangu Fest - the UKʼs first Japanese Film Festival. Rob currently lectures at University of Pennsylvania, and is a contributing writer at Pacific Citizen and Broad Street Review.
Rob serves as President of the Philadelphia Chapter of civil rights group Japanese American Citizens League and chairs the editorial board of Pacific Citizen, the organization’s national newspaper. In his spare time, Rob is an accomplished guitarist and enjoys writing and performing music.
Celeste Godert - Ep 6
Celeste Goedert, Youth Chair, JACL Detroit Chapter
Celeste is a fourth generation Nikkei who grew up in Southeast Michigan. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2017 with a degree in Social Theory & Practice and is currently employed at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Alongside Mika Kennedy of the Detroit Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens’ League, she is currently working on Exiled to Motown, an exhibition exploring how Japanese Americans created community in Detroit in the wake of the incarceration during WWII. She aspires to build community with the scholars, artists, and activists doing work in Asian American history and culture, women of color feminisms, and abolitionism. Her research interests explores pathways to recovery from cultural amnesia wrought from assimilation and larger-scale multiracial/coalitional healing in general. In her spare time, she loves discovering new music, playing piano and making food with friends!
Kayla Isomura - Ep 7
Kayla Isomura is a fourth-generation Japanese and Chinese Canadian photographer exploring themes of intergenerational trauma and racialized identity. With a background in journalism, her interest in storytelling through multimedia has been deeply influenced by her family's roots. In 2018, Kayla produced The Suitcase Project, asking yonsei and gosei what they would pack thinking about the forced internment and incarceration of their ancestors. Kayla currently lives on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations, presently known as Vancouver, Canada.
Marisa Nakada - Ep 7
Marisa Nakada (she/her) is a fourth generation Okinawan American and second generation Vietnamese American. She is currently attending San Francisco State University, studying Art History and Education, in pursuit of a teaching credential. Last school year, Marisa served as the Internship Coordinator for the Asian Student Union and this fall, she will be teaching her own 1-credit upper division course. Marisa is also on the Nikkei Rising committee and is so grateful for the opportunity to meet so many Nikkei and talk about her Japanese-Peruvian family history.
Miya Sommers - Ep 8
Miya (they/she) is a gosei femme who is a settler on the territory of Huichin, Chochenyo-speaking Ohlone land. They are an organizer with Nikkei Resisters, Nikkei Decolonization Tour, and Japantown for Justice.
Nina Wallace - Ep 8
Nina Wallace is the communications coordinator at Densho and a yonsei who believes in the change-making power of personal story and community history. She has led public presentations and classroom discussions on the historical legacy of Japanese American incarceration, and published writings in HuffPost, NBC Asian America, The Seattle Times, Yes! Magazine, and Discover Nikkei. She is eternally grateful for and humbled by the brilliant, resilient women who preceded her on this earth, and aspires to one day be someone's cool auntie.