Nobuko JoAnne Miyamoto facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nobuko JoAnne Miyamoto |
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| Background information | |
| Born | November 14, 1939 Los Angeles, California |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Folk |
Nobuko JoAnne Miyamoto is a Japanese-American folk singer, songwriter, and activist. She was born on November 14, 1939. Nobuko is known for her important role in the Asian American Movement. She was part of a music group called Yellow Pearl. This group included Chris Kando Iijima and Charlie Chin. They created the 1973 folk album A Grain of Sand: Music for the Struggle by Asians in America. This album is seen as the first Asian-American album ever made. Later, in the late 1970s, she was also a member of the band Warriors of the Rainbow.
In 2021, Nobuko Miyamoto released an album called 120,000 Stories. This name refers to the large number of Japanese Americans who were held in special camps by the U.S. government during World War II. Nobuko herself was one of these people. She uses her music to speak out about important issues. These include climate change and the Black Lives Matter movement. She also highlights concerns of the Asian American community.
Nobuko's Early Life
Nobuko Miyamoto was born in Los Angeles, California. This was on November 14, 1939. Her earliest memory is from the Santa Anita Park racetrack. This is where her family was held for a short time. They were then sent to special camps for Japanese Americans. This happened after President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. This order allowed the government to imprison many Japanese Americans.
Nobuko and her family were sent to Glasgow, Montana. Her father volunteered to work on a beet farm there. Later, they were allowed to live with Nobuko's grandfather. This was in Parker, Idaho. They then moved to Ogden, Utah. They stayed there until World War II ended.
Her Dancing Career
After the war, Nobuko Miyamoto started dancing. She began to appear in films and stage shows. People knew her as Joanne Miya during this time. When she was 15, she was in the film The King and I (1956).
She also played Francisca in the 1961 film West Side Story. Francisca was the girlfriend of one of the Sharks gang members. Nobuko appeared in all the Sharks' musical parts.
While performing in the Broadway show Flower Drum Song, Nobuko felt unhappy. She thought the show did not represent Asians well in American culture. Because of this, she left the cast. She then moved to Seattle.
Music and Activism
In 1968, Nobuko Miyamoto joined an Italian director. He was filming a documentary about the Black Panther Party in New York City. Nobuko quickly became a supporter of the Panthers. She also became friends with activist Yuri Kochiyama. She spoke out strongly against the Vietnam War. She was also one of the first to use the term "Asian American".
In 1972, Nobuko and Chris Iijima were invited to a TV show. It was called The Mike Douglas Show. Yoko Ono and John Lennon were guest hosts. Nobuko and Chris performed their song "We Are the Children." This song said, "We are the offspring of the concentration camp." Yellow Pearl did not appear on TV again after this.
Yellow Pearl released their album A Grain of Sand: Music for the Struggle by Asians in America in 1973. This album talked about Asian American experiences. It also covered topics like Black Liberation and returning land to indigenous people. Members of the Republic of New Afrika, Atallah Muhammad Ayubbi and Mutulu Shakur, also joined them on the album.
Nobuko Miyamoto had a son named Kamau. Kamau later became an Imam and an artist. Nobuko moved back to Los Angeles. She became involved with the Senshin Buddhist Temple. There, she started teaching dance classes. In 1978, Nobuko founded Great Leap. This was an arts organization inspired by Buddhist ideas. After the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Nobuko changed Great Leap's goals. She wanted it to help build stronger connections between Black, Latino, and Asian communities.
In 2000, she became a fellow at the Boggs Center in Detroit. She became involved in urban farming there. After the events of 9/11, Great Leap started hosting FandangObon. This is a festival that brings together Japanese, Mexican, and African American music and dance. Nobuko founded this festival with Chicano musician Quetzal Flores.
