Kansha Obon 3, which will honor and demand justice for seniors who died of COVID-19 at community nursing homes owned by Pacifica Co., will be presented by Save Our Seniors Network on Saturday, Oct. 8, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the plaza of the Japanese American National Museum, First and Central in Little Tokyo.
Actor Derek Mio, star of AMC’s “The Terror: Infamy,” will emcee. The critically acclaimed series, executive produced by Ridley Scott, was set during the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans and combined horror with historical fact. Mio can also be seen in the Netflix anthology series “Medal of Honor,” executive produced by Robert Zemeckis.
Mio, a Yonsei, grew up in Huntington Beach and earned a BA from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. He is an alumnus of the Meisner-based Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Studio and also studied at Upright Citizens Brigade, The Michael Woolson Studio, and Aquila Morong Studio. In addition to acting, he is an impressionist and has performed stand-up comedy at The Improv, HaHa Comedy Club, The Laugh Factory, and The Comedy Store.
Kansha Obon will commemorate 134 seniors who died of COVID-19 in the former Keiro facilities now known as Kei-Ai L.A. and Kei-Ai South Bay.
“Our community deserves and demands answers, justice and closure. Peace for those who passed and better care for seniors in the future,” stated David Monkawa, co-chair of SOSN.
Speakers and performers will include:
• Poet Mike Sonksen, Boyle Heights historian for KCET and board member of Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Church.
• Maceo Hernandez, taiko legend and cultural activist known as the “Demon Drummer from East L.A.”
• traci kato-kiriyama, award-winning performing artist, community activist and creator of “Tales of Clamor” and “Navigating Without Instruments.”
• Ruben Funkahuatl Guevarra, musician, singer, activist and poet laureate of Chicano doo-wop music.
• Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. She previously served as mayor of Monterey Park, a member of the State Assembly and a member of the State Board of Equalization.
• Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), who along with Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) co-sponsored AB 279, a bill that would have stopped the evictions at Sakura (formerly Keiro) Intermediate Care Facility in Boyle Heights.
For more information, visit: https://saveourseniors.network