Community, including growing up asian in america, we wrap up our show with wu yee Childrens Services celebrating its 40th year as it helps chinese immigrants, especially in china town. All that on our show today. Well, we have prided ourselves in presenting the contributions of japaneseamericans during world war ii, and today we get to talk about an effort to make their history a part of the literary landscape in a big way. Joining me to talk about the coffee book, the go for broke spirit portraits of courage are robert horsting, the oral historian and coauthor, and photographer and coauthor shane sato. Welcome to the show. Robert horsting thank you for having us. Robert handa great to have both of you here. Well, give me an idea. First of all, we were talking a little bit earlier about, you know, the idea of this, and how it got started, and your collaboration. Give us an idea in terms of the origins of this book, and how you guys ended up collaborating. Go ahead, robert. Shane sato well, ive been working on this book for over 20 years, working with the veterans, trying to take their photos. And at first, i really didnt know what i was going to be doing with the photos. I tried to take the photos cause i really felt that it was necessary. But i first did a black and white series with film back in the day, and then i started taking the pictures, starting making the portraits. And then after a while, i thought, okay, maybe try and do another series. That series was a color portrait series. And that color portrait series, i tried to also incorporate a different style, where the photos looked like they were part of world war ii because when i first started to take these photos, they didnt come across as veterans, yes. And people didnt relate to them, these Senior Citizens at that time, to be the veterans. So, when i took some more photos and i did some tests, and when i used these pictures in the uniform, then people could really understand and relate to them. And then when we started to work with that, we thought, oh, roberts doing so many of these oral histories that maybe we should try and incorporate some of the stories. Robert handa almost a natural kind of collaboration in a way, huh robert . Robert horsting yeah, what happened was that we actually met through go for broke. And i would share stories from time to time, id go on these trips and wed interview people all over the country. And so, id share a story, and those stuck with him, and the simplicity of the style and things. And so, when he decided, hey, you know, ive got all these photos, i want to do something. Im going to do a book, and he asked if i would join him on that effort. And so, i was excited for the opportunity to really be able to tell these stories in a different medium that could be really accessible. And then because also the style that he wanted to do that and to make it an easy read, not history or dates heavy, but really a talk story style that would be accessible to people beyond the japaneseamerican community or history interested people. Robert handa right, i mean, it sounds so simple because one adds dimension to the other. You know, the story adds to the pictures, pictures add to the story, yet its not always that easy to kind of find the right combination. When you were taking the portraits and things like that, what are you trying to, as a photographer, what are you trying to capture . You know, right away you noticed if they didnt have the uniforms and things, it wasnt having the impact you wanted. When youreas a photographer, what are you trying to capture . Whats the essence thatof these people that youre trying to convey through the pictures . Shane well, being a portrait photographer for most of my life doingworking in hollywood and trying to do things for magazines, i always try to bring out some essence about these people. And i dont know if, you know, people know a lot about the nisei at this time. Im sure they do, but getting them to open up about a picture was very difficult to creating the kind of emotion, to show something that besides the stoic and stern face that youd always see was a big challenge for me. So, for myself, trying to bring out any kind of emotion, trying to bring out something that showed a different side to them that other people didnt see, or only certain people saw, is what my main focus in the photographs. Robert handa yeah, and then, of course, combining it with the right kind of story. You know, i mean, again we did that with the mis veterans. Sometimes they will kind of talk about what they want to talk about. Maybe some of the things they dont want to talk about are some of the most interesting things, especially historically. How about for you, do pictures help quite a bit for you . Robert horsting they really did because one of the things i really love about his photography is that fact that he was able to coax out or put them in a comfortable place to really draw a wide range of emotions, and some very subdued and very introspective, and others where theyre very gregarious. It was really nice to see. And then the idea too that the stories that we have, theyre not necessarily a world war ii story, but something personal to them. So, some of the stories, one of the ones that he wrote is actually on a man about his love for baseball, and that he sponsored Little League teams and different teams in his city. So, we have a wide range of stories, and i think people that view this will see that the photos and the stories give them a moment to see a little bit of a personal point in time of that persons history. Robert handa thats nice to be able to do it. Now, of course this is the book right here, and its a very nice book, Coffee Table Book. They are the most kind of like the ones that hang around the most. Well keep it on our coffee table, hows that . Shane great, yeah. Robert handa okay, really quickly here, whats your next project . What do you want to do real quickly . Shane well, the main reason i brought out with this, the book, it is about the veterans, but its also because, you know, as growing up japaneseamerican, my family never really talked about anything about the camps, about the war. My dad was in the korean war, but our family was in the 442. And they never really talked about too many things. And theres a couple stories where were trying to get the people toor the vets to continue to tell their stories, or the families to continue to tell their stories, otherwise these stories will all be lost. And the Coffee Table Book hopefully its something willitll get them to talklook at it, be interested in the pictures, see the short stories, and then continue on with it. Robert handa very good, okay. Well, were recommending it, and well have you back later to talk about your future projects, okay . All right, well leave it here. All right, and when we come back, the fred t. Korematsu institute and the neverending battle of civil rights with karen korematsu, so stay with us. Fred korematsu is one of the most significant figures in American History because of the unique circumstances that he faced when he refused to be interned by the us government. His battle showed how much the countrys perspective can change when he lost his legal fight in 1944, only to have the conviction overturned in 1983. The Fred Korematsu institute now educates to advance racial equity, social justice, and human rights. At the helm of preserving her fathers legacy and the mission of the institute is freds daughter, karen korematsu, who became executive director in 2013 and led the way to turn the institute into an independent organization a year later. She has become a civil rights leader in her own right, and she joins us today. Welcome to the show. Karen korematsu thank you, its a pleasure to be with you. Robert anyway, we talked a little bit earlier, just a little while ago in fact, about some of the things that the Korematsu Institute is doing now because its always active. What are some of the current things going on . Karen well, our main focus is education. And we just actually finished the second edition of our teachers guide that is part of our Korematsu Institute curriculum kit that we send out to teachers free of charge. So, they can go to korematsuinstitute. Org and sign up. And we have lesson plans that focus from k through 12 with supplemental materials and dvds that they can use because weve learned that teachers are demanding, you know, more and more materials. And of course, now departments of education, School Districts dont have the funds to really, you know, help teachers teach the lessons of history because we can see that our work now is more important than ever. Robert yeah, and weve talked before about the idea that it was something that was somewhat downplayed early, and then it was kind of talked about in the scheme of a bigger picture, but not really by itself. And now, i think this curriculum really helps because you can get into the depth of the issues and the things that not only what happened, but also the issues that led up to it. Karen yes, and also, i mean, its not just starting with myyou know, my fathers story, of course and the japaneseamerican incarceration, but we have materials that relate to our issues today. And its not just a west coast story, its an american story. And thats what we want, especially now children and students to learn, because you know, how we learn the lessons of history. Robert yeah, how widespread is the distribution of this curriculum . Karen now, weve been able since 2011 to impact all 50 states, 12,000 teachers, a million and a half students, and even 12 countries because the other countries look at the japaneseamerican incarceration as a human rights violation. And we work with the National Council for social studies teachers. Robert we were talking before and at various events, and you always hear people saying that ironically, the current Political Climate makes some of these historical lessons relevant, contemporary now. You probably feel that way, dont you . Karen yes, unfortunately, my fathers, you know, Supreme Court case of 44 is more relevant now than ever. And when his conviction was overturned in 1983 through a little known procedure called coram nobis and the legal team helped to bring that to justice, it was determined that was government misconduct. And you know, whats happening now, i mean, we have these issues that regarding these executive orders. And are we going to find out years later its, you know, government misconduct. And so, thats why we also have a campaign called stoprepeatinghistory to help educate people and really to join us in this solidary movement. Robert one great thing about social media is you can kind of go back and find out what was said or what was written that they might have missed before. You did a couple of oped pieces for the New York Times and the washington post. What was the thrust of what you were talking about so that people can maybe go back, find those, and read them . Karen well, in february, it was the New York Times. And it was because of the muslim immigration travel ban. And of course, that was going to the, you know, 9th district and the 4th district courts. And we were hoping to have kind of a presence at the Supreme Court in october. However, with the other executive order, third one being issued, it kind of negated it. But then were starting again. And in december, i had an oped in the washington post. Robert mmhmm, a same issue. Karen same issue. Robert i mean, when we see the pictures of the internment process, people going through that, and then to hear that at one time people were throwing out the idea of internment camps again, i mean, i really was surprised because you really think that something is just a part of history and so far behind you, and then it comes up and you realize those feelings are still there. You have to deal with those feelings still in society, huh . Karen yes, and you know, we may be calling it a different thing now, it mayits obviously a Different Group of people. But you know, what i say is racial profiling was wrong in 1942, and racial profiling is wrong now. Robert yeah, aside from education, what are some of the other things that the Korematsu Institute is kind of focusing on . Karen well, thank you for asking. We have our Fred Korematsu day events coming up. My fathers birthday is january 30. And Fred Korematsu day in california was first established in perpetuity in 2011. And now, hawaii, virginia, and florida has followed suit. And actually, new york city just passed their resolution to establish Fred Korematsu day in perpetuity for new york city. So the forand so, were having our inaugural on january 30. Robert i know. Karen so, here in san jose, we have an event in the afternoon of the 27th and at the United Methodist church. And then on the 28th on sunday at uc berkley, wheeler hall, were having our other main event through the Korematsu Institute. And were really excited because its the first time, this is our 8th annual, so the first time we were able to invite students free of charge with a student id, even up through university. And thanks to very generous sponsors, covington berling law firm, it was International Law firm that promotes diversity and inclusion has been a big supporter. And International Assignee services in san ramon, and Minami Tamaki yamaguchi kwak Lee Foundation in San Francisco has made it possible for us to have students really be part of this narrative. Robert thats great. Great to see you havinggreat seeing you again, karen. Karen thank you very much. Robert all right, well, well be right back with a look of some very other Important Community events coming up, then a look at wu yee Childrens Services and its unique benefit recital coming up in San Francisco. Some important events are coming up for the community. First, its time for the call for entries for the growing up asian in america student art, essay, and video contest. Entries will now be accepted till march 2. This years theme is my hope for the future. The sponsoring group, Asian Pacific fund, invites you to share your hopes and dreams. And to help with them, the top 20 will win a 500 award. And 20 honorable mentioned winners will also be selected. To get more information on eligibility, entry guidelines, and theme, go to nbcbayarea. Com. Then its time for omochitsuki, mochi pounding on january 20 at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco from 11 a. M. To 2 p. M. Ive been enjoying mochi myself a lot during this new years celebration. Now join kagami kai, an acclaimed mochi group that will present the exciting and colorful traditional of mochi pounding, making the sweet rice cakes with lively music, energetic dance, and traditional costumes. Its free with museum entrance. And one of our favorites, the ciniquest film and vr festival, february 27 to march 11, with various venues in san jose and redwood city. Well be featuring two films from the festival on our show on february 25. And if you didnt know, ciniquest fuses the world of filmed arts and technology to empower artists, innovators, and audiences. For more info on all of these events, go to nbcbayarea. Com. Now, stay right there, well be back with a group helping chinese immigrants, especially children. Wu yee Childrens Services is next. Wu yee Childrens Services was started by social workers, parents, and teachers concerned about the challenges facing chinese immigrants in china town, especially in finding childcare. With me right now is virginia cheung, director of development and communications there. Welcome to the show. Virginia cheung thank you, thank you for having me. Robert well, first of all, congratulations. Its the 40th anniversary that you guys are celebrating, right . Virginia yes, absolutely. Robert give us an idea in terms of people who havent known about the services, generally speaking what does the group try to do . Whats its mission . Virginia well, we were founded with inclusion in mind. There was a lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate services for immigrant working parents in china town. So, we started off with 35 cantonesespeaking kids in a childcare center. Its where our name wu yee comes from. It means protector of children in cantonese. And so, 40 years later, we have grown now to 12 Childcare Centers throughout San Francisco, head start, Early Head Start centers serving over 600 kids from birth to age 5. We have home visitors through our homebased program, we have a Family Resource center, we have Childcare Research center referral, we help connect parents to affordable early care and education, childcare services. And we also have a Small Business program for Early Childhood educators. Robert you wonder how families could have functioned without those services, without that kind of help. Virginia right, its hard. Robert how hard is it to keep up and maintain those services . And especially you must have a growing demand . Virginia absolutely, theres a lot of people coming into the city, a lot of immigrants who dont know how to access services. And theres cultural barriers, theres language barriers. Robert how do you reach them . How do you reach these people that dont know how to reach you . Virginia we go word of mouth a lot of times and through families that we serve. They share the information with other families or through other community partners. They found out about wu yee and they come to our offices. Robert i guess it wouldnt be too hard for word of mouth because, you know, those kind of concerns, those kinds of needs, people are looking for how to get help, right . Yeah. What about in terms of the 40th anniversary celebration . How are you guys celebrating . And i heard its kind of a unique recital . Virginia yeah, so, we have a two piano benefit recital featuring michelle and christopher kuo. They are one of a kind, the best kept secret in classical music. They are fully booked out into 2019, and theyre only going to be in the bay area this one time. And yeah. Robert what about in terms of the organization now . What do you want people to know, especially people who want to help and support your group . What do you wantwhat do they need to know . Virginia well, come to our piano concert, its going to be a benefit. We definitely cannot do it without the help of our generous donors. We have a lot of grants, but the needs are so great. There is still a huge waitlist for subsidized care in San Francisco. And childcarethe childcare workforce, Early Childhood educators are among the lowest paid with their level of education. So, we definitely want to elevate their role in educating our youngest, most precious. Robert yeah, what about the Business Aspect that you were mentioning before . Whats that program . Virginia so, our Small Business development program, we help Early Childhood educators to elevate their own skills to provide Higher Quality services. We can help someone start a business. So, also for immigrants or women who dont have marketable skills, we can help them get their education, their certifications, their environmental certifications, and be able to start a family childcare. Robert you really do it all, huh . Virginia we try. Robert congratulations. Virginia thank you. Robert all right, lets tell them a little bit about this. The benefit for wu yee Childrens Services will be on saturday, january 20 at 7 p. M. At the green room at the San Francisco war memorial and performing arts center. It will feature two piano journey as you heard, a motherson duo, michelle and christopher kuo. As always, get more information at nbcbayarea. Com. And thats also a place to find out more about our guests and their events. And were also on social media, who isnt . Facebook and twitter, give us a look and tell us what you think. And we want to thank all of our guests today. Please join us again next week here on Asian Pacific america. Thanks for watching, and happy new year. Chance for rain. Kari dissects the newest weather models coming in overnight. Plus rocking the south bay. The small art projects popping up, and how you can get involved. today in the bay monday 4 30 to 7. I dmoent how anyone can survive this. Absolutely know collusion. He said those things repeatedly. The new day is on the horizon good morning and welcome to sunday today on this january 14th. Im willie geist. The state of hawaii experienced a terrifying 38 minutes of panic after false alerts were set out claiming hawaii was under imminent attack from ballistic missiles. Tourists huddling in bath tubs with their children and sending messages to loved ones saying od