Brown Bag Biography: Karen C. Oshiro

The Center for Biographical Research presents: “Oral History of Okinawan Kibei/Nisei/Issei Women” Karen C. Oshiro, MEd, Assistive Technology Practitioner, Certified Aging in Place Specialist Cosponsored by Hamilton Library, the Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, the School of Communications, the Center for Okinawan Studies, the Center for Oral History, and the Departments of Ethnic Studies, History, Political Science, Anthropology, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Thursday, September 30 at 12PM to 1:15PM (HST) on Zoom Zoom Meeting ID: 959 4604 6252 Password: 212581 Link: https://hawaii.zoom.us/j/95946046252 Karen C. Oshiro began this Okinawan Kibei/Nisei/Issei oral history project a year ago during the pandemic to occupy her time with research about the experiences of Okinawan women similar to her mother as a Kibei/Nisei, someone born in Hawai‘i and raised in Okinawa. Both of her parents left at age three or four and returned ten years later as schoolchildren learning English as a second language. Their limited education motivated them to try their best at raising a family in Hawai‘i. Oshiro found eight women of Okinawan ancestry, Nisei and Issei, who shared creative and amazing stories through Zoom. Micah Mizukami (Center for Oral History, UH Mānoa) helped develop this project, extending it into a service learning project with UH students. Oshiro intends to share stories so that the younger generation can learn about their own families or similar experiences from other kūpuna. Karen C. Oshiro was born in Hawai‘i and grew up in Hawaii Kai (formally Koko Head), raised by parents who were farmers. She currently has four children and twelve grandchildren, in whom she would like to instill a sense of the importance of their Okinawan heritage through oral history. She is a retired instructor of Kapi‘olani Community College’s Occupational Therapy Assistant Program, and continues to serve as a consultant for power wheelchairs with Universal Medical Supply as an assistive technology practitioner.

Event Sponsor
Center for Biographical Research, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Zoë E. Sprott, (808) 956-3774, gabiog@hawaii.edu, https://blog.hawaii.edu/cbrhawaii/

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