MIX
In Hawaii, you d get a "mixed plate," the culinary symbol of Hawaii's rich ethnic diversity, which might include, for example, lau lau (Hawaiian), teriyaki (Japanese), chow fun (Chinese), adobo (Pilipino) and/or a malasada (Portuguese). For the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, a new educational institution affiliated with the Japanese American National Museum, this mix results in Dilemmas + Decisions (D+D), a national youth media project presenting perspectives on diversity and democracy from the streets, suburbs, and mesas of the United States.
In the U.S., "freedom" and "democracy" are bandied about frequently and freely, too often taken for granted and blindly essentialized into "the American way of life." But in practice, they're not simple truths handed down by some wigged (out?) forefathers but play out in complex ways that require critical thinking, civic engagement, and downright vigilance. In D+D, each of the above youth groups are provided the opportunity, responsibility, and a modest production grant to produce a five-minute video on dilemmas and decisions stemming from real-life issues related to freedom and democracy. The Downtown Community Television Center is exploring the relationship between violence and power using the medium of hip-hop. Evanston Township High School is tackling anti-gang and anti-loitering laws in light of the freedom of assembly. The Santa Fe Indian School, itself considered a sovereign nation, is looking at what that status means when one is also a citizen of a larger democratic society. And the Vietnamese Youth Development Center is questioning the very meaning of freedom: To do whatever you want? To not be locked up? Is it a state of the nation or a state of mind?
Resulting in a twenty-five minute DVD, D+D is not meant to provide easy answers to the issues raised. Rather, D+D is about process - respecting youth perspectives and empowering their voices and visions - as well as product - challenging and stimulating viewers to look beyond the surface and ultimately realize that each of us have the power and responsibility to shape a just world. No melting pot, D+D is a digital mixed plate with distinct flavors that not only go together but supplement and enhance each other.
KAREN ISHIZUKA, senior producer of the Frank H. Watase Media Arts Center of the Japanese American National Museum, is the media arts developer for the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy and the executive producer of D+D.
© 2004 National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture. All Rights Reserved.
