Getting even more hip to faces, lives of hapa kids

From the Japanese American National Museum

With Barack Obama in the White House and Tiger Woods commanding the headlines (sigh), it's tough to be unaware of the presence and impact of so-called 'mixed race' people. But, whoa, who really wants to focus on 'racial purity' and what the heck is it and why should it matter in the 21st Century any way? Well, for all the supposed contemporary advancements in the modern social clime, hapas -- as the Japanese call multiracial individuals or people of mixed ancestry -- still face challenges, particularly in matters of personal identity. And writer-artist Kip Fulbeck continues his exploration of these in a new book (in which pop star Cher contributes) and with his latest exhibition opening this weekend in Little Tokyo. For Americans of Japanese ancestry, of course, the 20th Century posed particular, peculiar issues and hardships regarding race and national origin. They not only endured a wrongful, national incarceration based on these aspects but also juggled a cultural tradition and history that emphasized the alleged uniqueness of the Japanese, even as they assimilated and 'out-married' at unprecedented rates, such that hapa kids are not just common but prevalent in the community. 

In Little Tokyo, a second glimpse of growing cultural phenomena of multiracial young people