Celebrating California Gardens Blog Series: Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month

 

This May, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources and the UC Master Gardener Program are joining other organizations across the country to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (APAHM). This month invites personal reflection on the history, culture, art, and activism as well as on the unprovoked attacks against Asians and Pacific Islanders taking place across the country. In the face of these acts of violence we aim to recognize and pay tribute to the contributions and incredible impact of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in America's history, culture, and garden traditions.  

 

In a recent blog post, we outlined UC Master Gardener Program priorities for the upcoming year, focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this four-part, Celebrating California Gardens, blog series we aim to highlight plants, gardening practices, and vibrant traditions sometimes missing from the UC Master Gardener Program curriculum. We would like to showcase a list of events and continuing education resources developed by our colleagues. The final offering, ‘Supporting Our Friends and Colleagues ‘Bystander Intervention Training' is co-hosted with national nonprofit group, Hollaback!. This training will introduce five ways bystanders can change the outcome in an incident of street harassment or racist discrimination. We hope you'll join us in deepening our knowledge and building our skills.

 

Upcoming UC ANR Asian Pacific Heritage Month Events:

UC ANR Staff and the APHM Planning Team, are hosting online educational programs and activities to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Month throughout May. All events are open to all UC ANR employees and volunteers. 2021 UC ANR's Asian Pacific Heritage Month Meetings Registration link.  

 

Florence Nishida "Growing Asian vegetables in Los Angeles" 

 

 

 

An influential member of the UC Master Gardener community is Dr Loren Oki, UC Cooperative Extension Specialist in Environmental Horticulture. Loren's family emigrated to California in the late 1800s and established a family legacy of prominence in the nursery industry that Loren continues today. Early on, the family business, Oki Nursery, grew primarily fruit and nut trees that supplied California farmers and helped establish California as our nation's leading agricultural producer. In addition, they led horticulture industry innovations to mechanize planting and create efficient plant production systems.

The thriving business was lost when the family, along with 120,000 Japanese Americans, were interred during WWII. After their forced displacement, the family returned to Sacramento and re-established Oki Nursery, expanding the business to include ornamentals. Over the years, Oki Nursery employed thousands, teaching, encouraging, and supporting future generations of nursery professionals. In further support of the industry, the family-integrated technology into plant production, pioneered overhead irrigation, mechanized containerized nursery production, and more.

 

Today, Loren continues his family's commitment to advancing the field of horticulture. As a researcher, Loren identifies new nursery efficiencies and plant husbandry methods. As an instructor, he teaches UC Master Gardener volunteer training classes, UC Davis undergraduate courses, nursery professional workshops, and manages to also mentor UC Davis graduate students. Along with our own UC Master Gardener volunteer Florence Nishida, Loren and his family are examples of Asian Americans we celebrate for shaping California Culture yesterday, today and tomorrow.

• A master gardener transforms a South L.A. food desert into an edible oasis (LA Times) Interview of Florence Nishida for the LA times about her passion for teaching her community the joys of gardening and growing edible plants and a co-founder of the LA Grounds demonstration garden. Florence has been a champion for food access and food security in Los Angeles.
  
  
• Oral History Interview with George Oki, Sr. created by the Florin Japanese American Citizens League and published as part of California Revealed from California State University, Sacramento. Also hosted by the University of California as part of Calisphere.
  
  
• Bok Choy Isn't ‘Exotic' (Eater.com) - "A young generation of Asian-American farmers is reclaiming Asian vegetables — and in the process, their own culinary heritage."
  
  
• How Asian Americans Use Kitchen Gardens To Reclaim Their Heritage (Huffpost.com) “Growing produce that's common in Asia has become a radical act of cultural preservation.”
  
  
• Peach Farmer's Daughter by Brenda Nakamoto, the story of a third-generation Japanese American woman growing up on her family farm in rural California. Available through book retailers and Amazon.com.

Are you a UC Master Gardener Program volunteer or a member of our community with a story to contribute to the Celebrating California Gardens blog series marking Black History Month, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and American Indian Heritage Month? Reach out to Melissa Womack, Statewide Marketing Coordinator, at mgwomack@ucanr.edu to share your idea!