Join us for a conversation with Jeff Chiba Stearns and Ally Adachi about the release of their new manga, Tomey: The Unyielding Spirit of Tomekichi Homma, which both entertains and informs about an under acknowledged Japanese Canadian hero and social justice change-maker.
Commissioned with funding from the National Coalition of Canadians Against Anti-Asian Racism (NCCAAR) and APF Canada, Tomey: The Unyielding Spirit of Tomekichi Homma tells the true story of one of the first Japanese settlers to arrive in Canada.
Tomekichi's advocacy and efforts to fight discrimination resulted in the achievement of the right to vote in British Columbia for Japanese Canadians and other Canadians of Asian descent. He also went on to build Canada’s first Japanese school, a hospital, and the first Japanese-language daily newspaper in Canada.
Following its official release on September 20, the graphic novel will be distributed free of charge to libraries, schools and other institutions to increase public awareness of the Japanese Canadian experience.
A downloadable version of Tomey will be available after the book launch on the websites of APF Canada and NCCAAR.
This event is open to Kakehashi Project alumni and interested members of the public. To register, click here.
NCCAAR is a not-for-profit that advances public education on anti-Asian racism and promotes racial equality through research, knowledge mobilization, education and training and programs, and media engagement. NCCAAR engages in public policy dialogue to develop educational programming and initiatives to combat hate and systemic discrimination in Canadian communities and creates and supports Canadian scholarships and bursaries for students to advance knowledge in the fields of race relations and equity, and the promotion of racial equity.
