Entrevistas

1. What Nikkei means to her

2. Fitting in to both sides of her family

3. Hapa Haole

4. Daughters want to identify with their cultures

5. Culture is an important part of one's identity

6. Writing a novel on the 442nd

7. Not many Japanese Jews

Biller,Francesca Yukari

Periodista judío japonesa-americana

Hapa Haole

Interestingly enough, it was more confusing in Hawai'i. In Hawai'i I think they're more judgmental, actually. I think it’s because there's so many different cultures there: there's the Japanese, the Koreans, the Filipinos, the Hawai'ians, the whites. I remember when I first moved there, we went in my high school years, that the Japanese girls in the school, they were the most popular girls. They were the cheerleaders and the homecoming queen, and the president of this and president of that. They didn't accept me as Japanese. They said “No, you're not Japanese.” When I came to school, I was considered the hapa haole, and the white they, the Caucasians more accepted me. But the pure Japanese girls did not accept me. I remember being really sad and telling my mom and she just said, “Well, just try to act more Japanese.” (Laughs) I said, “How do I act more Japanese?” “Well you're too loud and too outspoken, and maybe you shouldn't do musical theater”… But I just dealt with it. It’s not like they bullied me, they just didn't make me feel like a part of them and I experienced that the whole time I was there.

Fecha: April 4, 2013

Zona: California, US

Entrevista: Patricia Wakida

País: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Entrevista

Francesca Biller nació en Hawai de padre judío y madre japonesa americana y criada en California del Sur.

Ella es una galardonada periodista investigadora, satírica política, autora, y comentarista social en la prensa, radio y televisión. De raíces japonesas y judías, ella escribe sobre su interesante antecedente de forma tanto introspectiva como humorística y su trabajo ha sido publicado en The Huffington Post, CNN, The Los Angeles Times, The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, y muchas otras publicaciones. Sus premiaciones incluyen el premio Edward R. Murrow, dos premios Golden Mike, y cuatro premios de Excelencia en Periodismo de la Sociedad de Periodistas Profesionales.

Biller actualmente escribe tres libros; el primero es una novela sobre el Batallón de infantería 442, ambientada en Hawai, el segundo es una compilación de ensayos humorísticos sobre el crecer como japonés judío en Los Angeles durante la década de los setenta, y el tercero es un libro de divulgación sobre el cómo una dieta de comidas hawaiana, japonesa y judía mantiene a su familia saludable y feliz. Ella también participa actualmente en un tour radial nacional discutiendo su humorístico punto de vista en política, cultura pop y familias. (Agosto 2013)