Being in this Japanese American community

I have come to grips with my new job, in so many ways, and am even appreciating it for a lot of what it is. On some levels, sure, I have to get used to and/or come to terms with many parts, but in my effort to challenge myself and genuinely be invested in this cause, I am making some strides in understanding this organization.

It is a personal challenge, for sure, because when I hear the term "Japanese businesses" or listen to a majority of men give their input on the JA-Japanese effort, I tend to jump at the chance to criticize.

Admittedly, this organization has a lot of work on.  Without making a laundry list of excuses, simply, the organization is still growing and operating at a very young 10 years.  In such a short amount of time, under the guidance of its President, the organization has garnered the support of a number of high-level, influential Japanese Americans and Japanese, making the number of resources available to Boards and members and staff very great.  In the way of gender and things like SES, the organization has to work on its equity, since the folks represented are disproportionately on the male, upper middle to upper class category, and mostly work in the governmental or business, for-profit sectors. (There are, however, a good number of women in these sectors that are very active in this org.  I just think in a lot of ways they can be more at the forefront on the whole, not including our President, who is a woman and the guiding force behind all of this work.  We can, for example, explicitly talk about women's issues, since as JAs and Js, our set of issues can be unique to our experiences.  Such discussions, I feel, are only just starting.)

But I do have a lot to learn in the way of Japanese American community and its relation to Japan.  Which can sound like a rationalization, but maybe that's how real learning and understanding starts.  I also have a lot to learn about myself, and I think this job can teach me that and so much more.

In its membership and participants, this organization is representative of Japanese Americans from all over the country.  They come from various backgrounds and work in a number of types of jobs, from nonprofit to government to business to entertainment/media.  Granted, I don't necessarily get to be a part of the activities or programs they participate in, but as a staffer I do get to perpetuate these experiences for these people.  That in itself can be a personal achievement.

Anyway.  Without going into much detail right now, I can say that I feel like it has been an intense 4 weeks, but in a positive way.  I am maybe already starting to grow and see what parts of this org are good, and what can be improved, and with more experience, hopefully I can help in this whole effort to connect JA and J communities.  It is of course complex in so many ways, with so many types of people involved, but little by little I am starting to feel personally connected to the efforts, albeit very slowly.

Meanwhile, am looking forward to a weekend of fun and (hopefully) relaxation.  Congrats to this year's UCLA grads!  It's the last class of undergrads I think I really was close to and got to know.  Looking forward to dropping by at APIG on Sunday, and looking to LSAT courses in July.  Lots to anticipate in the coming months.  Right now, that feels like a good thing.