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So a lot of times when I talk about the Festival I realize that people think: "You know what
does this have to do with me? I'm not mixed. I'm not multiracial. I'm not biracial what
does it have to do with me? Why? Why should I donate to a cause like that?" And whenever
I meet someone like that I always think about this one moment uh when I really learned this
lesson.It was the very first event I did as a published author. And I'll never forget
this because it was January 2010 and it was in a very tiny little town called Chester,
Vermont. And even though it was 1 degree Fahrenheit that day the Old Stone Church was filled to
the brink with some 200 people or something like that. And I was so incredibly nervous.
I remember I walked up to the podium and my knees were actually shaking and I thought
thank God this podium's really big. And then I thought I need to take a deep breath before
I start 'cause I'm just about to fall apart here. So I took this breath and in this moment
I remember looking out at the audience and my first thought was: "Oh my God these people
are never going to get it. They're all white!" Well, so I do the reading. And I guess it
goes well because afterwards I'm signing copies and I'm talking to people. And probably about
half a dozen of these people said things to me like: "You know my granddaughter is biracial."
"Um, my sister is half-Latina. My half-sister is half-Latina." "My sister just married a
man from Africa." And I have to tell you this really rocked my world because I realized
that I had made them all quote un quote white people. And in that moment that I did that
I separated them from me and I denied them their history and who they loved and who they
knew and what they cared about. And so maybe you're sitting there thinking: "What does
the Mixed experience have to do with me?" "And I'm thinking what doesn't it have to
do with you?" You know we all know someone or are someone or love someone who is in the
Mixed experience. I hope you'll donate to the Festival. And I hope I'll see you June
14th at the Japanese American National Museum in downtown LA.