On Saturday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m. (PT), the Grateful Crane Ensemble presents the premiere of “In Conversation,” a virtual dialogue with dynamic members of the community who are working to keep the Japanese American story, culture and traditions alive.
Following last week’s online premiere of Hiroshi Kashiwagi’s “The Betrayed,” Dr. Satsuki Ina and Grateful Crane’s Soji Kashiwagi will discuss the play and the real-life community split caused by the two controversial “loyalty” questions at the heart of the play.
A licensed clinical psychotherapist for over 30 years, Ina has spent her professional career seeking to understand the long-term impact of collective and historical trauma. She will discuss the trauma these questions caused, and the resulting “disloyal” stigma that has stuck with those who answered the questions “No-No.”
The sad tragedy, she says, is that this government-imposed conflict and separation did not end after it started in 1943, but has remained within the community ever since, and has been passed on from one generation to the next.
But due to the current energy and activism she has seen from younger generations of Japanese Americans, Ina is optimistic that a reconciliation is possible, and offers a hopeful pathway toward a community healing.
View “In Conversation” by going to this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEUWZuwj8wo