‘Living the Nisei Dream’ Focuses on WWII Soldiers’ Legacy
LOS ANGELES — Go for Broke National Education Center (GFBNEC) will host a special livestream kickoff of its new virtual series, “Living the Nisei Dream,” at 12 noon PT on Saturday, Feb. 27, on GFBNEC’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. The online series will explore how the accomplishments of the Nisei World War II veterans ensured that future generations could pursue their own dreams and passions.
The inaugural two-part segment was filmed (socially distanced) in historic downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo at GFBNEC’s Defining Courage exhibit and iconic establishments Bunkado and Far Bar. Hosted by writer, comedian and actor Sierra Katow, the first segment features special guest, hip-hop artist and educator Kaze Jones, with an appearance by Irene Tsukada Simonian, owner of Bunkado.
The kickoff program also includes a live post-show conversation and chat with Katow, Jones, Simonian, GFBNEC board member Staci Toji and GFBNEC President and CEO Mitch Maki. The livestream will be available free of charge on YouTube and Facebook.
Each of the four segments being released in 2021 will explore how the accomplishments of the WWII Nisei ensured that the Yonsei (fourth generation), Gosei (fifth generation) and Shin-Nikkei (those born post-WWII to Japanese immigrant parents) could flourish in American society.
Katow is an L.A.-based comedian, writer and actor. She started doing stand-up at 16 and was the youngest comedian featured on Season 9 of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” Her stand-up has also been featured on “Last Call With Carson Daly,” “Just for Laughs Digital,” “Laughs on Fox” and “Acting Out” on MTV. In addition to comedy, Sierra moonlights as a freelance full-stack web developer and holds a degree in computer science from Harvard.
Jones is an activist, lyricist and teacher. The Southern California-born and raised Shin-Nisei hip-hop artist fuses his passion for social justice and education in his art, which includes works such as “Go for Broke,” about the 100th Battalion/442nd RCT on YouTube , and “Never Again Is Now,” inspired by the Japanese American, Jewish and other communities protesting the detention of adults and children at U.S. borders by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
GFBNEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that educates the public on the valor of Japanese American veterans of World War II and their contributions to democracy. Our goal is to inspire new generations to embody the Nisei veterans’ core values of courage, sacrifice, equality, humility and patriotism. Founded in 1989, GFBNEC maintains the Go for Broke Monument and the interactive GFBNEC’s Defining Courage exhibit in downtown Los Angeles, as well as extensive oral histories and archives, education and training programs, and other initiatives. For more information, visit www.goforbroke.org.
