Cultural Overlap and Historical Parallels
A version of this article originally appeared in the March 2022 issue of The Parkside Journal.
As Black History Month came to an end, JASGP and Philadelphia’s Japanese American community took an opportunity to remember the many areas in which our communities overlap with African Americans. Hosted at School of the Future on Saturday, February 26, the Black History Month Bunka-Sai (Cultural Fair) was the first of many public programs that seek to explore and expand the existing connections that tie us together.
The event consisted of an artist fair produced by BlackSci-Fi.com, a historical exhibit on African American veterans of World War II by ACES museum, and a series of film programs that explored the shared experiences among our communities. I had the privilege of curating the film programs that were showcased that day, which each dealt with a different theme of connection.
The day started with a program called Double Victory, which presented a series of short documentaries and historic newsreels that told the stories of African American veterans of WWII such as the Tuskegee Airmen and Black Panther Tank Battalion. Also included in this program were the stories of Japanese American veterans of the segregated 442nd Regimental Combat Team, many of whom volunteered out of US prison camps to prove their loyalty amid widespread racial prejudice.
The second film program titled, Blended Sounds, was easily the crowd favorite and explored the rich legacy of Black music cultures in Japan such as the Reggae/Dancehall scene through a compilation of music videos and short documentaries.
The program also introduced two of the acts who will be participating in the 2022 Cherry Blossom Festival: Japanese/Jamaican Reggae band Brown Rice Family and Japanese American Hip Hop artist G Yamazawa. The program was bookended by two videos in the NHK Blends series that showcases Japanese traditional instrumentalists performing hit songs by American musicians. The program began with Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” performed on Shakuhachi (bamboo flute) and Shamisen (three-string banjo), and ended with a rendition of Ray Charles’ “Georgia on My Mind” played on the Hichiriki (double reed flute).
The final program titled Shared Struggles, looked at the long history of collaboration among African American and Japanese American activists from the Civil Rights movement to today.
This program began with a story of friendship between Malcolm X and Japanese American internment camp survivor Yuri Kochiyama, who resettled in Harlem after being imprisoned by the government during WWII and worked closely with Malcolm on his Afro-American Unity Organization. In this program the main attraction was Jon Osaki’s Reparations, a short documentary that explores the four-century struggle to seek repair and atonement for slavery in the United States. In Osaki’s film, African Americans and Asian Americans reflect on the legacy of slavery, the inequities that persists, and the critical role that solidarity between communities has in acknowledging and addressing systemic racism in America.
The program then ended with a series of videos about local protests that Japanese American activists participated in alongside the Haitian refugee community throughout the summer of 2020.
With over 150 attendees throughout the day, the staff of JASGP were excited to introduce the themes of our project and start conversations with many local residents of Parkside.
Taiko drum instructor Mac Evans (who performed at the Bunka-Sai) will be leading a series of free drum workshops throughout the 2022 season on Saturday afternoons 1:30-4pm starting April 2. Advance registration is encouraged on the JASGP website, but walkup participants are also welcome.
Taiko drum instructor Mac Evans (who performed at the Bunka-Sai) will be leading a series of free drum workshops throughout the 2022 season on Saturday afternoons 1:30-4pm starting April 2. Advance registration is encouraged on the JASGP website, but walkup participants are also welcome.
I am also pleased to announce that Shofuso will have Nigerian-born, Philadelphia-based multimedia artist and deejay Oluwafemi Olatunji as our Artist-in-Residence throughout the first half of this year. Femi designed the Bunka-Sai flyer and will be adding his artistic interpretations to many of JASGP’s programs throughout his residency. Expect more details on public events with Femi as we get closer to the season.
The last piece of news that I’d like to share is that Shofuso Cherry Blossom Festival of Philadelphia will be back in person this year. Scheduled for the weekend of April 8-10, 2022, programming in West Fairmount Park will celebrate both Japanese and American culture in a new format that better incorporates the local neighborhood. Instead of a single day festival, JASGP will be presenting the Sakura Concert Series over three days on the weekend of April 8-10. Free and open to the public, these events will explore the intersections of Japanese and African American culture, from traditional to contemporary, through a range of musical performances by multi-ethnic Hip Hop, Jazz, and Percussion musicians. While the concerts themselves are not ticketed, food and drink will
be available for purchase. Participants are also encouraged to bring their own picnic supplies to enjoy beneath the cherry blossoms.
There is so much to be excited about and I cannot wait to welcome everyone in the neighborhood to our programs and events this Spring.