A native of Hiroshima Japan, Mitchie Takeuchi, producer of documentary film The Vow to Hiroshima, and two Japanese American authors – Naomi Hirahara, author of Edgar Award – nominated Hiroshima Boy, and Kathleen Burkinshaw, author of The Last Cherry Blossom, A United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs Education Resource, discuss how they grew into their identity of being second generation Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors). Each has a unique path influenced by their Hibakusha parent(s)’ experience but share a quest for peace.
This webinar is sponsored by the International Center for Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma (ICMGLT). Yael Danieli PhD, Founder and Executive Director of ICMGLT will be the moderator.
Mitchie Takeuchi, a native of Hiroshima, produced “The Vow From Hiroshima”, a documentary film about Setsuko Thurlow, an atomic bomb survivor and world renown activist for nuclear disarmament. Mitchie’s mother and grandfather both survived the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima but never spoke of this horrific event. After researching her family’s history, Mitchie understood the important perspective she could add by sharing her experience as the 2nd generation of survivors.
Naomi Hirahara, a former editor of The RafuShimpo newspaper, is an award-winning mystery writer and social historian based in Los Angeles. Her Mas Arai mystery series features a Southern California gardener and Hiroshima survivor, a protagonist inspired by her American-born father’s experiences. The final Mas Arai mystery, Hiroshima Boy, was released in Japan by Shogakukan on August 6, 2021.
Kathleen Burkinshaw is a Japanese American author & daughter of a Hiroshima survivor residing in Charlotte, NC. She’s presented her mother’s experience in Hiroshima at: United Nations (NYC), Japanese American National Museum, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, teacher conferences, and middle & high schools for the past 11 years. Her award-winning novel The Last Cherry Blossom, is a United Nations Education Resource for teachers and students. Download Here
