APA Compass on 10/4/2013: Congressional Gold Medal, Amy Uyeki, Vivek Bald, heart2heart

Japanese-American World War II Nisei Soldiers of the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and the Military Intelligence Service were recently celebrated in Portland, Oregon.  This tribute included bringing together the honored veterans from Oregon and Washington, the Congressional Gold Medal, screenings of “Honor and Sacrifice: The Roy Matsumoto Story” and “Searchlight Serenade”, and the Minidoka Swing Band.  We feature interviews with several participants. Many thanks to event organizers, the Oregon Nikkei Endowment and the Oregon History Museum.

• An audio postcard from the Congressional Gold Medal celebration.
• Medal recipients Shige Imai and Roy Matsumoto explain their very different roles as Japanese-American soldiers in the US military during WWII.
• Amy Uyeki‘s documentary “Searchlight Serenade: Big Bands in the WWII Japanese American Incarceration Camps” explores how music was used to restore a sense of normalcy to the internees.
• Former camp singer Chickie Ishihara White relates her family’s internment era experiences.
• In his book “Bengali Harlem”, Vivek Bald traces the lives of South Asian Muslim silk peddlers who settled within communities of color in the U.S.
• “Heart2heart with Ka” features thoughts on leaders and leadership.

APA Compass promotes social justice, features APA arts and culture, and challenges how APAs are represented in the media. Find podcasts at apaCompass.wordpress.com.  If you have a story idea or would like to contribute, leave us a message on our Facebook page, APA Compass Radio.