In his new book, "The Unsung Great: Stories of Extraordinary Japanese Americans," scholar and journalist Greg Robinson showcases the lives and achievements of relatively unknown but remarkable people in Nikkei history. Drawn primarily from Robinson’s popular writings in the San Francisco newspaper Nichi Bei Weekly and community website Discover Nikkei, "The Unsung Great" offers entertaining and compelling stories that challenge one-dimensional views of Japanese Americans. This collection breaks new ground by devoting attention to Nikkei beyond the West Coast—including the vibrant communities of New York and Chicago, as well as the little-known history of Japanese Americans in the US South.
In this book launch event on January 21, 2021, Robinson—a native New Yorker—explores the unknown aspects of the diverse and artistically vibrant Nikkei community in prewar and wartime New York. He is joined by artists Tomie Arai and Sheila Hamanaka in a conversation moderated by Brian Niiya, Densho Content Director. This event is co-presented by Densho, Japanese American Association, NYC DOR Committee, JACL-NY, University of Washington Press, and Elliott Bay Book Company.
