Todd Wong, who is not hapa, (but is an honourary one – hey, he can’t help it, eh?) sent this message around this morning and I found it sitting in my in-box when I got home tonight (after driving my girls around all day to various events where they were performing with Chibi Taiko) and I thought it was really sweet. And since I’m too tired to write a message myself . . . well, here it is! (it’s also posted on his tres-cool website)
For my special Hapa Friends….
Canada Day Eve is one of the greatest celebration events not celebrated…
Hapa-Canadian “Standing on Guard for Thee”! original drawing by Jeff Chiba Stearns
Why don’t we have a midnight countdown to celebrate our country’s birthday? Okay, there are fireworks celebrations at the end of Canada Day, but everybody has to go to work the next morning. Aren’t holidays better celebrated when you can stay up late the night before, then sleep in?
Last night, I met up with two friends, Leanne Riding and Judy Maxwell. When I introduced them, it took only a few moments before one of them said “Are you hapa?”
And this was in a darkened room!
If people think that “Canadian Identity”is a conundrum, try to define being Hapa. It’s a Hawaiian term that is now more commonly used to define mixed race Asian-Canadians and Asian-Americans.