Filmmaker looks at racism
By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer
The biggest part of culture shock for Hawai'i residents-turned-Mainlanders, said Isle filmmaker Steve Okino, is that there is a culture shock at all. They find racial dynamics so different that — for non-Caucasians, especially — arrival at the other end of the Pacific sometimes marks their first brush with racism.
"The advantage of growing up in Hawai'i is it's a comfort level," Okino said. "It's a relatively benign environment that translates to being unprepared, or unaware, or not ready to deal with the sharper edges of racial issues if you go to the Mainland U.S. We get lulled into the sense that race and ethnicity aren't as critical anymore."
'A Most Unlikely Hero'
Okino produced "A Most Unlikely Hero," a documentary that chronicles the experience of Hawai'i-born Bruce Yamashita when he entered the Marine Corps and encountered anti-Asian stereotypes. The film premiered and was televised locally in October before touring Mainland cities.
During those screenings, however, Okino tapped into enough empathy from uprooted Islanders that he thought the broader topic of racism was ripe for discussion once he got back home. A free screening, followed by a forum, provides that opportunity tonight.
Okino acknowledged the success of Asian Americans such as Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, but Yamashita's experience was different. Racist hazing during his Officer Candidate School training led to his disenrollment and then to a legal challenge of the Marine Corps. The 1993 settlement resulted in Yamashita's receiving a Marine Corps commission, but he is now a civilian attorney in Washington, D.C., specializing in immigration law and criminal defense.
"Being born and raised here really didn't prepare him for what he faced later in life," Okino said. "It was just so far away and he couldn't relate to it."
Although most first encounters don't produce this type of drama, Hawai'i-born viewers have noted parallels with their own experience, he said.
"Younger people, students, are still enmeshed in the traditional cultural values and roles. It's hard for them to break out. A lot of them tell us that," Okino said.
Reach Vicki Viotti at vviotti@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8053.
