Community Roundtable at the Japanese American National Museum. (Photo Credit: Dr. Teresa Williams-León)
Community Roundtable On Hapa Families
In the last 20 years, America has witnessed a growing number of multiethnic people in the population, many whom refer to themselves as “Hapa,” a slang term originating in Hawaii, meaning “part of” or mixed.
In a recent round-table forum titled, “Revelations & Resilience: Exploring the Realities of Hapa-ness,” the Japanese American National Museum in collaboration with Curtiss Takada Rooks organized a discussion of four “hapa” panelists who could give insight and knowledge to the growing topic.
Growing Hapa Population
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the first census of its kind to allow people to select one or more entries for race, over 6.8 million Americans marked identification with two or more races, approximating 2.4 percent of the total population.
Furthermore, of those who selected two or more races, White and “other” was the number one combination, followed by White and Asian mixes.
At the April 12 forum, the four noted panelists included Curtiss Takada Rooks, Rika Houston, Teresa Williams-Leon, and Tracy Sayuki Tiemeier. The panelists discussed ‘hapa’ issues such as personal and professional identity, family and parenting, and ethnic community participation.
Hapa Identity and Family
Panelist Dr. Tracy Sayuki Tiemeier, assistant professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University discussed her own journey as a ‘hapa’ Japanese and German American and leading to her profession as a theologian.
“I have always been always been very conscious of my “hapa-ness,” growing up St. Louis I was aware that interracial communities were an anomaly. At least that was the attitude in my Suburban community.
I was therefore experienced myself being caught between worlds: Japanese and German Asian and American yellow and white,” said Tiemeier. “My own personal negations of my Japanese and German identity have also led to specific commitments in my life, commitments that impacted my professional life as a teacher, scholar and theologian.”
Indeed, California State University Northridge’s very own Dr. Teresa Williams-Leon, Associate Dean of the College of Humanities conversed about her experiences being a ‘hapa’ mother and raising a ‘quapa,’ (child of a ‘hapa’).
“My husband, who is Mexican American and I decided even before we had children, we decided we really wanted our daughter to speak Spanish and Japanese and English,” said Williams-Leon. “We believe language is really the prism through which culture and identity is lived, experienced, and formed”.
On the home page: From the event flyer for the recent roundtable discussion at the Japanese American National Museum. (Photo Credit: Dr. Teresa Williams-León)
Lastly, Rooks, who is Japanese and African American and professor at Loyola Marymount University, reminded the audience that although being ‘hapa’ is often seen as a negative aspect due to feelings of ‘not-belonging,’ it is also a resilient and powerful quality.
“Most of the time when we hear about issues of being hapa, it’s always the tragic mulatto story, the mixed up, the twisted in-between, somehow confused not knowing where you are. That is the discourse, public conversation about multiracialism. But we get to challenge the conversation about it and how it is used. Hapa is only part of our identity not out entire identity,” said Rooks.
Join the Discussion
For more information regarding the “Revelations & Resilience: Exploring the Realities of Hapa-ness” forum, please visit the DiscoverNikkei website.
The Asian American Studies Department teaches a course, AAS 355: Biracial and Multiracial Identity, on a rotating basis. Inquire with the department's faculty advisor for the next time that the course will be available.
Eve Green is a junior majoring in Journalism and minoring
in Asian American Studies. Originally from Hawaii, Green has lived
in Los Angeles for 2 years. She hopes to continue to live here
and fulfill her dreams of working in public relations
for an Asian American organization.