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Hello! My name's Gian-Luca. My mom's Africo-Puerto Rican, my dad's Japanese-Brazilian. I speak English, Spanish, and Portuguese fluently, but my Japanese is super rusty. I'm currently working on improving that, especially since I plan on going to graduate school in Japan (Tōkōdai, woot woot!). I'm currently in school, double majoring in Computer Sciences and Sustainability, and double minoring in Environmental studies and Architecture. Crazy, right? I know. In any case, I love horses, tech, science, museums, coffee, wasabi peas, obscure, intellectual toys (Newton cradle, rubik's cubes, Maneki neko, and beer. Hello:)

Kuramoto Family in Gardena, CA, early 1900's. Born in Tokyo, Japan 1955; mother born in Gardena, CA 1917; grandfather Jirokichi Kuramoto, b. 1866, Japan; strawberry farmer; arrived prior to 1900 by ship to Seattle, WA; worked railroad in WA, OR, CA; until settling first in Kern County, then Gardena, CA. Married Kiyo Hashimoto 1900? Sold farm to Mr. Knotts of Knotts Berry Farm prior to WWII and returned to Tokyo, Japan with his family. Mother returned to States 1959 [mother married my father (US military) in 1954]. I am very happy to be part of Discover Nikkei.

The mission of the Oregon Nikkei Endowment is to preserve and honor the history and culture of Japanese Americans in the Pacific Northwest, to educate the public about the Japanese American experience during World War II, and to advocate for the protection of civil rights for all Americans. In 1990, the Japanese American Historical Plaza was completed at the north end of the Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland. Conceived and guided by the Oregon Nikkei Endowment and designed by the late Robert Murase, the Plaza, along with its narrative of sculpted stones, stands as a permanent memorial to the lives of Oregon Nikkei and their determined pursuit of liberty, equality, and justice as American citizens. With funding from the Meyer Memorial Trust and support from the Japanese National Museum in Los Angeles, the Oregon Historical Society and the Portland Nikkei community, an exhibition honoring the first Issei pioneers in Oregon was developed in 1993. It was while researching "In This Great Land of Freedom: The Issei Pioneers of Oregon" that the Nikkei community was alarmed to find that historical documentation relating to these early settlers was rapidly disappearing. The prospect of losing forever the legacy of their Issei forebears quickly moved the community to action. An Oregon Nikkei Endowment committee was formed, and work began in earnest to locate a site for what would one day become the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center. By 1996 and with the help of the late Bill Naito, the committee had located a potential site owned by the H. Naito Corporation on Northwest Front Avenue across from the Japanese American Historical Plaza. Negotiation for acquiring the property and bringing it up to city building codes began, but were suspended upon the untimely death of Mr. Naito. Subsequently, Sam Naito and the H. Naito Corporation proposed an alternative site in Portland's Old Town on NW Second Avenue. In September of 2004, the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center relocated to 121 NW Second Avenue, the current home of the Legacy Center.




I am Manager of the Minidoka Swing Band - a tribute band remembering the music that made life bearable behind barbed wire in the Japanese American Internment camps of WWII. Named after the Minidoka Internment Camp near Twin Falls, ID

Henry Amick is Education Manager at Oregon Nikkei Endowment. He has been providing museum services since the late 1980s. He was the director of education for the publicly operated museums of the City of Detroit, heritage research fellow in Sweden, and educational adviser to the creation of the Arab American National Museum. Amick earned a BA in History from Albion College, an MS in Preservation from Eastern Michigan University, and a Certificate in Cultural Leadership from the University of Victoria (Canada). He has a specialization in effect of environments on enhancing human potential.



Kayla Kamei is a freshman at UCLA majoring in English with a minor in Asian American Studies. She is a third-generation Japanese American and Chinese American, and grew up in Monterey Park, California. Kayla loves anime, instrumental scores, and delicious ramen. During her breaks, she enjoys spending time with friends and family as well as relaxing on her couch and reading a good book. She is excited about exploring her interests in literature, film, and law.
Kayla has been a Discover Nikkei volunteer writer since June 2023. She’s written several stories about local Japanese Americans arts and community organizations. Kayla is very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this project and is excited to listen to and share more stories from her community.
What do you like most about volunteering for Discover Nikkei?
My favorite part of volunteering for Discover Nikkei has been listening to the life stories of other people of Japanese descent. It has been inspiring for me to hear their perspectives and recognize not only their successes but also their tremendous resilience in the face of adversity. Through these stories, I have learned so much more about my culture and the people in my community. I am very grateful to be a part of the Discover Nikkei project and to contribute to this space of remembrance of grief, tragedy, love, and human connection. It has been a gift being able to hear the voices of my community and an honor to help preserve their echoes.
How do you connect to your Nikkei identity?
In addition to being a part of the Discover Nikkei community, I have remained connected to my Nikkei identity in personal ways. Ever since I was born, my family has always celebrated Oshogatsu together with my Japanese grandparents where we enjoy each other’s company with traditional New Year’s food. I also love visiting Little Tokyo and attending events at the Japanese American National Museum. Through my academic studies, my connection to my culture has evolved to include a growing critical awareness of my cultural history and how it relates to the present. Educating myself on past and current injustices as well as the Japanese American community’s resilience has helped me to understand my cultural heritage as part of my Nikkei identity.
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