Japanese American activist and songwriter Nobuko Miyamoto shared her perspective on what life was like during the civil rights period in American history with UMD students at a presentation Nov. 19.
Despite the violence during that time period, Miyamoto said, “It was an era of music I was really lucky to be a part of.”
Although seeing demonstrations had been a frightening experience for Miyamoto, it was also inspiring. She found commonalities between her struggle as a Japanese American, whose family was sent to concentration camps, and the struggles of the African American community. “I saw another side to black people that I had never seen before,” she said. “They had called me a sister. I had never been called a sister before. I was touched by that.”
Director of the AAST department Janelle Wong had worked alongside UMBC American Studies chair Theo Gonzalves to bring Miyamoto to UMD. “Miyamoto is an important figure in the development of politicized Asian American consciousness,” said Wong. “She represents a unique intersection of activism and artistic expression.”
During the civil rights period, Miyamoto had met notable people such as Geronimo Pratt and other members of the Black Panthers. “It was a tumultuous time that made you question where you really stood,” said Miyamoto. “You could meet someone and the next day, they were in jail.”
Miyamoto described the Black Panthers as an organization that was seen as one-dimensional when they were actually multi-dimensional. “You’d see violent demonstrations by them, but you’d also see them feeding children and trying to help their community,” said the Japanese activist.
Miyamoto, along with friends Chris Iijim and Charlie Chin, released the first album of Asian American music titled “A Grain of Sand” in 1973. The album has been hailed as the soundtrack of the Asian American Movement, according to the AAST department at UMD. The album is now a part of the Smithsonian Institution collection.
When she began writing music Miyamoto said she felt a limitation as an Asian American artist. She questioned, “[sic] What is a people without their own song? Where was our song?”
Miyamoto has spent the majority of her life promoting the arts and is currently the artistic director of Great Leap, Inc., a non-profit arts organization.
The presentation by Miyamoto had included not only an oration of her personal experiences during the civil rights period, but also musical selections sung by the Japanese artist that encouraged audience participation. Wong said she was impressed by the non-traditional exchange and interaction between the students and Miyamoto. “It was a surprisingly touching encounter between the generations for me,” she said.
Senior sociology major Matt Rauh said he had enjoyed the music that came along with the lecture. “I found Nobuko’s stories interesting and insightful,” he said. “It was fun how she incorporated everyone to sing with her.”
