dear community

What is the history of the Japanese Canadian community in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside? What connects (or distinguishes) these two communities? Why does that matter—now, and for the future?

dear community is a creative video that emerged out of my experiences as an activist in two communities: the Japanese Canadian community (my own community) and Vancouver's Downtown Eastside community. It uses conversations with family and friends; visions of home; illustration; and all kinds of writing, both written and spoken, in order to question conventional tellings of Japanese Canadian history as well as the kinds of politics—and futures—that these tellings afford.