Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/926/

Growing up and identity

I grew up in a neighborhood, my school pretty much all the way up until college had been all Caucasians and Asians and here I am this one, only black kid in school. And actually to be honest no one really made a big deal about it. I never felt any different. I was accepted just like any other kid. I never really thought about it until college amazingly enough because you think as a child kids are so honest they just kind of will say things without thinking. But it wasn’t until college that my race was brought into question. People would say, you know why do you speak like that. Meaning not speaking like stereotypically black just having good grammar or why do you look that way. They wanted to know what I was, like why is my hair kind of straight and I think they are more interested in. I didn’t have any problems. I think they were just more interested. And I never really realized that I was different until college and I think after awhile it became an attribute because I looked a little different than everybody else. And I just think if anything it has totally enhanced my life because I try to or I feel like I get the best quality of both cultures and try to put them together.


African Americans hapa identity racially mixed people

Date: February 7, 2000

Location: California, US

Interviewer: John Esaki

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Johnnie James Morton, Jr. was born in Inglewood, CA in 1971, the son of an African American father and Japanese American mother. As a child, he attended Saturday Japanese school in Gardena for three years. Growing up in Torrance, California, he graduated from the University of Southern California after a distinguished career as a student athlete on the Trojan football team.

Morton is a twelve-year veteran in the National Football League and currently plays wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers. He has done some modeling and acting work, including an appearance playing himself in the film Jerry Maguire. (August 10, 2005)

Enson Inoue
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Inoue,Enson

Ring name: "Yamato Damashi"

(b. 1967) Hawai`i-born professional fighter in Japan

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Jero  (Jerome Charles White Jr.)
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(Jerome Charles White Jr.),Jero

Getting on Kohaku (Japanese)

(b. 1981) Enka Singer

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Enson Inoue
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Inoue,Enson

Citizenship and identity

(b. 1967) Hawai`i-born professional fighter in Japan

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Kip Fulbeck
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Fulbeck,Kip

Early consciousness of identity

(b. 1965) filmmaker and artist

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William Hohri
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Hohri,William

Importance of self-representation in legislation

(1927-2010) Political Activist

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Kip Fulbeck
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Fulbeck,Kip

Finding parallels through art

(b. 1965) filmmaker and artist

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Kip Fulbeck
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Fulbeck,Kip

The Hapa Project

(b. 1965) filmmaker and artist

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Francis Y. Sogi
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Sogi,Francis Y.

Defining the term Nikkei

(1923-2011) Lawyer, MIS veteran, founder of Francis and Sarah Sogi Foundation

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Kip Fulbeck
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Fulbeck,Kip

Perceptions of uniqueness

(b. 1965) filmmaker and artist

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Kip Fulbeck
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Fulbeck,Kip

Identity as a conscious ongoing process

(b. 1965) filmmaker and artist

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Kip Fulbeck
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Fulbeck,Kip

Lessons learned from The Hapa Project

(b. 1965) filmmaker and artist

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Kip Fulbeck
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Fulbeck,Kip

Japanese Americans are more aware of their Hapa identity

(b. 1965) filmmaker and artist

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Kip Fulbeck
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Fulbeck,Kip

Discomfort at being labeled by others

(b. 1965) filmmaker and artist

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Kip Fulbeck
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Fulbeck,Kip

Issues of identity outside of America

(b. 1965) filmmaker and artist

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Kip Fulbeck
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Fulbeck,Kip

Imposing identity upon others

(b. 1965) filmmaker and artist

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