Keiro representatives Heather Harada and Stacey Yoshinaga present a sponsorship check to Amanda Kim and Glenn Tanaka.
By LYNDA TAKAGI KOVACH and LISA TAKATA
On March 16, approximately 275 attendees, mostly descendants of Japanese American farmers, came to the bustling Tanaka Farms in Irvine for a vibrant celebration of Nikkei farm history, which included presentations, performances, and food.
The event was sponsored by Kansha Project, a community-based history project that is documenting 5,000 pre-World War II Nikkei farms in California, and OCO Youth: Helping Farms Feed Families, an Orange County service club. Grants from Keiro and the Takahashi Foundation funded the event.
On the crisp, sunny spring morning, attendees gathered in the venue overlooking the farm, which the Tanaka family and the farm’s crew members had meticulously staged and decorated. As guests arrived, they perused the extensive floor-to-ceiling display of farm family stories and photographs that comprise the “Issei and Nisei Farmers: Their Legacy” collection, as well as a detailed timeline of Japanese American history.
A rousing performance by OCO’s Kibou Taiko opened the formal program, followed by Glenn Tanaka’s inspiring remarks and touching recognition of the legacy project’s volunteers.
Amanda Kim, a Yonsei from Ventura County and founder of Kansha Project, also presented an overview of her volunteers’ efforts to transcribe handwritten federal documents related to World War II-era Nikkei farms. As Kim explained, the project’s work preserves the historical contributions, skills, and accomplishments of thousands of Japanese American farmers, their families, and their communities.
After a delicious buffet lunch, a sake toast, and a feast of succulent, freshly picked strawberries prepared and served by Tanaka Farms, Kansha volunteers assisted attendees with searching the project’s database for their families’ farm records.
Many farmers and descendants were awestruck by receiving a printed copy of the decades-old records that they were just seeing for the first time. Their excitement moved them to share stories of their families’ strength and resilience, sparking conversation with younger family members, fellow attendees, and volunteers.
The event proved to be a transformative learning experience for the hosts, guests, and the Kansha Project team. Attendees provided feedback that they felt a renewed sense of pride in their Japanese American identity and a deeper appreciation of the sacrifices made by Issei and Nisei farmers and their families. Although some expressed a feeling of sadness, there was an overwhelming sense of connection, belonging, and shared purpose among attendees.
Reflecting upon the event and the two history projects, Farmer Tanaka emphasized that “it is not about reliving the past but remembering it.” He continued, “As the saying goes, ‘We must know where we have been to understand where we are and where we are going.’ With each passing generation, we move closer to losing first-hand accounts of those who endured the indignity of having their civil rights stripped away. It is vital to pass these memories on.”
Just a few weeks later, on May 9, over 40 farmers and descendants of all ages gathered at the Reedley Buddhist Church in California’s San Joaquin Valley to learn about the Kansha Project. Vickie Nishida, vice president of the church, and her busy crew of volunteers set up the meeting and prepared a delicious lunch.
At the event, over 30 people received their families’ farm records. One descendant, upon seeing the list of crops his father was growing in 1942, said, “These are things I never knew about my family before today.”
Nishida, expressing the intergenerational impact of the event on attendees, stated, “It truly felt that we could connect to our relatives and once again feel gratitude for what they endured.”
You can learn more about the Kansha Project at KanshaHistory.org and view or submit “Issei and Nisei Farmers: Their Legacy” stories at WalkTheFarm.org.