Remembering Uncle Bob

Guest Post by Karen L. Ishizuka


A traditional Filipino appellation of respect, anyone older than you is called auntie or uncle. But beyond protocol, Uncle Bob Santos was truly everyone's favorite Uncle Bob, Filipino or not. Greeted by a jaunty "Hey Kiddo!," whenever you saw him, you knew you could always count on him for lunch money, to bring 200 people to a demonstration or to keep a community from becoming gentrified.

He was called "the Asian American community's elder statesman and enduring rabble-rouser,"ⁱ "an advisor, mentor, confidante, and drinking buddy for a generation of our community's Jedi Knights,"ⁱⁱ and "a hero in an urban hamlet called the International District"ⁱⁱⁱ. And this was while he was still alive and raising hell. Now hailed as one of Seattle's greatest civil rights and social justice champions whose accomplishments you can read about in HistoryLink, his autobiography Hum Bows, Not Hot Dogs!: Memoirs of a Savvy Asian-American Activist (International Examiner Press, 2002), Gang of Four: Four Leaders, Four Communities, One Friendship (Chin Music Press, 2015), and the multitude of tributes by the many organizations he was a part of, the following remembrance is not so much on the importance of his achievements as the magnitude of his character.

Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Guest Post by Karen L. Ishizuka



On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first of two atomic bombs on the small island nation of Japan – the only time a nuclear weapon of mass destruction has been deliberately used to annihilate an entire city. Three days later, on August 9, 1945, the U.S. dropped another atomic bomb on another city in Japan, a mere 261 miles -- less than the distance between Los Angeles and Las Vegas -- from the first.

Because of the overwhelming devastation and resulting chaos, the actual mortality of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will never be known. However, the latest figures indicate the number killed in Hiroshima is now over 192,000 (either instantly or within the following few months) and over 75,000 in Nagasaki. This is more than six times the number of women, children and men living in Culver City, where I reside. In addition to the deaths, over seven decades later, untold numbers of survivors and their children continue to suffer from radiation and other after effects,

This year Barack Obama was the first U.S. president to visit Hiroshima while in office, breaking the silence of nine previous presidents since Truman pressed the buttons. During this interval, many scholars have come to the same conclusion that Gen. Dwight Eisenhower voiced at the time: that Japan was already defeated and the bomb was completely unnecessary. Although Obama did not apologize on behalf of the United States, as some have long wished for, his visit, with all the pomp and ceremony befitting of a state visit -- as well as his personal homage to the victims -- was historic and long overdue.

Serve the People: Author Discussion and Activist Panel

Saturday, June 18 at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles



If you're in Los Angeles this weekend, you are invited to join an author discussion and activist panel on the Asian American Movement, led by Karen L. Ishizuka, author of Serve the People: Making Asian American in the Long Sixties, featuring Warren T. Furutani, Mike Murase, Qris Yamashita and traci kato-kiriyama. It's happening Saturday, June 18 at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo.

Here are some more details about the event:

Angry Reader of the Week: Karen Ishizuka

"We need all voices, but it's clear that only some are listened to."



Hello, my friends. Gather 'round, because it's time to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Karen Ishizuka.

Serve the People: Making Asian America in the Long 60s with Karen L. Ishizuka

Sunday, April 3 at UC Berkeley's Multicultural Center



If you're in the Bay Area this weekend, here's a cool book event... Karen L. Ishizuka, author of the new book Serve the People: Making Asian American in the Long Sixties, will be giving a keynote presentation as part of the Asian Pacific Islanders Issues Series 2016 conference. The talk will be followed by a panel discussion and signing. It's happening Sunday, April 3 at UC Berkeley's Multicultural Center.

Here are some more details: