“Go back to where you came from!” Imagine how it feels for someone to tell you that you do not belong to the place that you call home. When I was in school, the social studies teacher taught that America was a melting pot of cultures. What did we have in common? Perhaps, the ideals of freedom and opportunity. In today’s divisive climate, I often ponder what it means to be American. What unites us?
Asians have been coming to America for many generations, and Asia is a large continent of vastly different cultures and experiences. In a recent Stagebridge storytelling program, various members of the Asian American diaspora explore the many different stories of “Finding Ourselves in America.” From the immigrant to the refugee, from the first generation to the many generations beyond, the experiences are vast, but the issues of finding home and belonging remain.
San Francisco Bay Area storytellers Eleanor Clement Glass and Linda Yemoto coordinate this showcase focused on the healing power of storytelling and narrative to promote cross-cultural understanding.
Storytelling artists include award-winning journalist Emil Guillermo (former host of “All Things Considered”), cultural activists Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo and Nancy Wang (Eth-Noh-Tec), playwright and actress M.J. Kang (Noran Bang: The Yellow Room), Alton Takiyama Chung (Hawaii), Anne Shimojima (Illinois), Roopa Mohan (California), Motoko Dworkin (Massachusetts), Joel Ying (Florida), Bowen Lee (California), Karin Amano (Georgia), Tobey Ishii Anderson (Washington), Yasu Ishida (South Carolina) and Kuniko Yamamoto (Florida).
Watch Video ~ Finding Ourselves in America: Asian American Voices
Asian American Storytellers in Unity is a network of professional storytellers from across the US. Our goal is to encourage, support and develop the art and business of storytelling from the diverse voices of our Pan-Asian American community. Our performances include the telling of traditional folk tales and myths of Asia, as well as personal narrative and biographical narratives drawn from our history, heritage and community experiences of the Asian Diaspora in America. We work in schools, theaters, libraries, community centers, corporations, festivals, universities, and museums. It is our intent that these stories, told from our voices, contribute to the richness of an inclusive, diverse and socially just society.