dear community

What is the history of the Japanese Canadian community in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside? What connects (or distinguishes) these two communities? Why does that matter---now, and for the future?

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dear community is a creative video that emerged out of my experiences as an activist in two communities: the Japanese Canadian community (my own community) and Vancouver's Downtown Eastside community. It uses conversations with family and friends; visions of home; illustration; and all kinds of writing, both written and spoken, in order to question conventional tellings of Japanese Canadian history as well as the kinds of politics—and futures—that these tellings afford.