35

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bloodline or
What does it ntean to belong to a culture or a nationality? Must one's
physical appearance coincide as well? The socially accepted an$wer c;an be different
in

man\/ countries.

On September gth of last year, Al Jazeera America publisht-'d an article and

videg about Ariana tVliyamoto and the challenges sl^te's had to fa'oe as the first
half-black, half-Jaltianese woman to be named Miss Universe Japzln. l-1er mixed
heritagra has; evokr:d both public love and outcry'

ln Japan, hafu ("half') is the term used to des;cribe people of biracial descent.
The llerm is sometirnes; used as derogatory' Despiter being ethnically Japanese'
harfu

childrerr may face cliscrimination and abuse from thr:lr peers grorruing up'
Miss
Miyamoto's struggl,e is the same as others in Japan, but she perseveres'

lf I were livirrg with a host family, I would liket to ask them what lheir thoughts are
would
on tl.re subject of ltat'u, and how their community generally perceives them' I
discuss the parallels and differences that exist in the United States'

I would tell threm that although the US has sometirnes beerr called the Great
Melting pot of culturres; and natronarlities from all over the world, indiviclual experiences
-[he
may differ. issue ialmost always goes hand-in-hand with the bpic of immigration'
Herel in the US, Amelricans with foreign-born parents can also facra sirnilar
dis<;rinrination, especially because of their physical appearance, r,eligion, or
culturr-''

Silelt racism against immigrants and their citizen children pervade many regions of the
courrtpy. However, because larger communities of rnixed ethnicity exist in the
United
Stat,es, sorne affected individuals rnay find more support in their life tl'ran others.
Beciause there is so much diversity, some may not experience il llke an
issue at all'

I thirrk thatthis is different in Japan, where individual hafir may feel isolatecl by
their rarity. Miss tr;liy'amoto hopes to bring awareness to the issue and encourage those
who nray be hurting because of it. And not only is it an issue in .Japan or the US' but
it is

a worlrCwidt-. phenonnenon that makes me wonder etbout the self-imposed cognitive

barriers of race. F:or example, our individual herrtag;e might be able to be traced
else,Where, yet as; We are now, we partake in the Same cultural unity' So why
do preople
disr:rinninate based ron looks?

To my unclerstanding, hafu also bring up Japanese demographics' A declining

birthrerte prompts the question over whether allowirrg more immigranl.s
into Japanr can
 35 z"l z-

held as sacred in Japan, so

ce they are open to hosting

hafu. However, the topic
that integrate
this topic with them would
environment can shape