Come celebrate interracial marraige at the Loving Day celebrations!

I came across Loving Day less than a year ago while searching through hapa (Hawaiian-term for mixed race) based websites. As someone who feels that my life path has been directly influenced by my multiracial and multicultural background, it is especially important for me to honor the day that interracial marriage was legalized.

Personally, I can't remember when I first learned that there was a time in US history (just forty some years ago) when interracial marriage was illegal in many states. But nonetheless it baffled me that this had been a recent reality. I believe that much of the same ignorance and prejudice that existed against interracial and intercultural marriage persists today with new issues. As someone who champions for civil and human right, its only natural to honor the battles that we have already won.

So come on out, let's celebrate!


Event Details
Hosted By: Loving Day and World Up
RSVP: requested via email
Email: lovingdayparty@gmail.com
Link: http://www.lovingday.org/
Loving Day proudly presents the 6th annual
LOVING DAY FLAGSHIP CELEBRATION
in New York City

FREE BBQ: all day long
FREE BEER: for the first hour
GET IN FREE: rain or shine
MULTICULTURAL: family friendly

Featuring:
DJ DHUNDEE, Sugarcuts Music (http://www.djdhundee.blogspot.com)
DJ TYLER ASKEW, Rude/MFT (http://www.rudemovements.net/)

Sunday, June 7th from 3-7pm at Solar 1
East River at 23rd St. in Manhattan

Come celebrate the anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court case that legalized interracial marriage in the US.

Directions:
SUBWAY: 6 train to 23rd, then M23 bus or walk e. past Ave C & FDR. Look for Gulf gas station. Or, L train to 1st Ave: walk N. to 23rd
BY CARr: from south, FDR to 20-23 St. exit. Right on Ave C, right on 23rd almost to Gulf gas station, then service road to Solar 1

RSVP YOUR SPOT: lovingdayparty@gmail.com
LEARN MORE ONLINE: http://www.lovingday.org

Seeking interracial couple for documentary on Loving Day

Hi- I'm currently planning to shoot a short documentary while I'm in New York in June. I'm looking for a interracial couple to follow as they celebrate Loving day- the day the Loving vs. Virgina Supreme Court case legalized interracial marriage. Anyways, here's my call:


Documentary filmmaker seeks an interracial couple to film at the Loving Day celebrations on June 7th, 2009 in NYC.
The Loving Day Campaign (http://www.lovingday.org) commemorates the legalization of interracial marriage by organizing an afternoon of festivities the Solar 1 pier
in New York City.

Ideally, we are looking for an interracial couple who is:
-passionate about overcoming racial prejudice
-who is either married or considering it in the future
-interested in volunteering at the Loving Day celebrations (optional)
-be willing to have a camera follow them on the day and be interviewed about how you met etc. (on possibly another day)

If interested please contact the filmmaker
Megumi Nishikura
meguminishikura@yahoo.com
http://www.meguminishikura.com

About the filmmaker:
Megumi is a documentary filmmaker of mix heritage.
Her desire to create films about our common humanity stems from her own multicultural and interracial background.
Past documentary work includes films for the United Nations, Associated Press and various NGOs and foundations.

Please feel free to repost and share with anyone who might be interested.

Global Media Forum - June 3-5, 2009

While I have yet to make it to a conference that addresses the media's role in peace (they seem to get canceled a lot), the Global Media Forum is one I'm hoping to attend. It's main objective is to examine how new media technology (hello my thesis!!) can aid in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

In their first conference (2008) they addressed the following questions:
What is the relation between the media and violent conflict? Do the media have a responsibility to prevent the outbreak of violence? Moreover, can they contribute to peace-building activities? And if so: how?

Here's a video from last year's conference:

This years follow up conference will be held from June 3-5th in Bonn, Germany.
Taking a look through their website and their lineup of talks, it's clear that they are aware of how these new medias- Youtube, blogging, and social networking- are changing the face of not only traditional media but its outreach to newer audiences.

Out of the questions/issues that this conference aims to address these are the following that particularly interest me:
• Do the changes in technology and user profiles influence the way in which the media report on conflicts – or do they directly influence the way in which a war is fought?
• What about the impact on peace-building processes and conflict-prevention strategies?
• What are the main challenges for the international media during this technological revolution?
• How have the expectations of viewers, listeners and users changed, and what is the best way to reach them in the digital age?
• The multimedia revolution and its impact on conventional media YouTube & Co.: Generating new audiences or excluding even more people?
• Blogging for peace or hate as a way to bypass censorship?

I hope that this conference will prove to be an opportunity to learn in greater detail from those already working in this field of how both content and the way it is served can reach the largest amount of individuals and have the greatest impact possible.

Hometown Baghdad on the Sundance Channel this Thursday night

Hometown Baghdad, the web-based documentary series that I wrote my thesis on, will be making its debut on the Sundance Channel on Thursday March 19 at 11:30pm. It's airing coincides with an important date--the 6th anniversary of the war in Iraq. Let's take this opportunity to re-reflect on the costs of war. For international viewers, look for it listed on the National Geographic International channel. I hope to catch it there!

From Chat the Planet's email blast:
"Hometown Baghdad follows three Iraqi college students based in Baghdad as they try to maintain a semblance of normal existence amidst the escalating violence and chaos around them. The online version of Hometown Baghdad drew over 3 million viewers worldwide when it launched in March 2007. The series won three 2008 Webby Awards, and in the categories News and Politics Series, Public Service and Activism, and Reality. In an article about the online series for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, pop culture critic Cary Darling wrote that the series' scenes of ordinary lives "offer a glimpse into a society few knew existed: young Iraqis who are clinging to a global, middle-class identity while the world around them crumbles into chaos."

My First OW2.0 Video: Will you eco-marry me?

My first Our World 2.0 story is up on the ourworld hompage. To read the article that goes a long with the article click here. Please visit the website and leave your comments there! Thank you!

Will you eco-marry me? from UNUChannel on Vimeo.

"Tokyo couple Shigeru Komori and Tomoko Hoshino embraced the chance to create a beautiful wedding day without leaving behind a huge environmental footprint. Both of them are passionate about the environment and so practicing their eco-philosophy on their wedding day was a true reflection of who they are and what is important to them."

Up sleeve number two

I apologize for this much overdue entry, as I have certainly been busy for the past month and half. After returning from Australia and successfully producing the Associated Press story about the Hibakusha Peace Boat voyage, I was offered a short-term contract position working for the United Nations University Media Studio. So for the past few weeks, I have been producing short six-minute documentaries for a webmagazine called Our World2.0.

The web magazine and documentaries focus on solutions to our global issues, with an emphasis on oil scarcity, alternative energy, and food security. So far the stories that I have been working on have been about how the diminishing drift-ice in the Okhotsk sea is affecting tourism in Hokkaido, how one couple planned an eco-wedding, and a machine that converts our plastic waste back into oil. As these stories go up online, I'll be posting the links here as well. Check it out when you get a chance.

Up sleeve number one (as promised in my previous entry)

As this message posts, I will be onboard a plane to Sydney, Australia. I'm headed there to do a freelance video report for Associated Press. The topic of the five minute video for AP's Horizons programming is on the current Peace Boat voyage in which 102 atomic bomb survivors share their anti-nuclear testimonies as they travel around the world. What an incredible journey they must be having as they connect with locals in 20 plus countries. It's a story that is much needed to be documented and shared with as many people as possible--as for some of the hibakusha this may be their last chance to share their story.

I'm excited and nervous at the same time. Nervous about my continual push to challenge myself as a storyteller, to meet AP standards, and to handle all the technical aspects of this shoot. Excited to be going to Australia (a first for me!), to meet with the Hibakusha and tell their story as best as I can. I hope that this will be first of many experiences like this in my lifetime. Wish me luck and see you back in Tokyo on the 8th!

(photo credit: Peace Boat)