UCLA Asian American Studies Center and the Aratani CARE Award:
Aratani C.A.R.E. Award Boosts JA Documentary
SEPTEMBER 2018
From early immigration at the dawn of the Meiji era to the present-day efforts to protect the historic Japantowns, the saga of the Nikkei community will be chronicled in a documentary film funded in part by the George and Sakaye Aratani Community Advancement Research Endowment (C.A.R.E.) program and UCLA Asian American Studies.
Kuninosuke Masumizu
One of the first known immigrants to the mainland U.S.
The film, entitled Paper Chase - Japanese American History through the Lens of Vernacular Newspapers, will be produced by the Zentoku Foundation and coincides with the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Wakamatsu tea and silk colonists to the mainland United States and the first immigrants to Hawaii in 1868.
Zentoku is a relatively new nonprofit founded in 2017 to: (1) collect, preserve and share the little-known true stories within the Japanese American community; (2) encourage today’s journalism professionals and prepare the next generation of storytellers, authors, and journalists; and (3) celebrate and hand down Japanese and Japanese American culture, values, and achievements.
Okei Ito 1852-1871
First Japanese woman to die in America.
The Aratani C.A.R.E. award was established to promote projects that benefit and advance Japanese American communities.
“The documentary is one of several projects we are undertaking in the months to come,” noted Zentoku president Mark Nakakihara. “Our goal is to create something that guides us through our community’s cultural, political, and social history, capturing key moments large and small, from festivals to sports to history-making moments.
“We are grateful to the UCLA Asian American Studies Center and the Aratani CARE program for the opportunity to present our community’s development for new generations,” Nakakihara added.