The Okinawa Association of America (OAA), Inc host a free “Irei no Hi” lecture and movie screening at 1 p.m. June 21 at the OAA Center, 16500 S. Western Ave., Gardena. The event is to provide an introductory lecture focusing on the Battle of Okinawa, its historical context and the lasting effects on Okinawa and its people.
The Okinawa Association of America (OAA), Inc host a free “Irei no Hi” lecture and movie screening at 1 p.m. June 21 at the OAA Center, 16500 S. Western Ave., Gardena. The event is to provide an introductory lecture focusing on the Battle of Okinawa, its historical context and the lasting effects on Okinawa and its people.
June 23 is a prefectural holiday in Okinawa called “Irei no Hi,” commemorating the end of the Battle of Okinawa. Every year, Okinawans pray for the lives lost during the devastating battle from which approximately 150,000 civilians were killed or committed suicide.
“We are honored to have two very special lecturers at this event,” an OAA official said, “Keiko Itokazu, Japan’s House of Councillors and past Okinawa Prefecture Assembly Member (live video stream from Okinawa, schedule permitting) and Ayano Ginoza, research scholar at the UCLA Center for the Study of Women and lecturer at UC Riverside.”
There will be a screening of two short documentaries at the June 21 event:
In “Typhoon of Steel,” (20 minutes, English), local filmmaker and educator Gena Hamamoto interviews two Uchinaanchu “kibei” (nisei who were born in America and received their primary education in Japan or Okinawa): Takejiro Higa and Frank Seiyu Higashi served as linguists and interpreters in the U.S. Military Intelligence Service (M.I.S.), saving countless lives during the Battle of Okinawa. The documentary will be introduced by director Hamamoto.
"Himeyuri" (30 minutes, Japanese with English subtitles) recounts the harrowing experiences of the 222 high school students and 18 teachers who were forced to work as nurses for the Imperial Japanese Army during the Battle of Okinawa. This documentary was produced by the Himeyuri Peace Foundation in Okinawa.
This free event will take place at the OAA Center, Room 103 in Gardena, (parking lot accessible on 165th Street). RSVP is required due to limited seating. Contact the OAA at 310-532-1929 or mensore@earthlink.net.
