Champloo: An Okinawa Identity Symposium
Saturday, November 7, 2026 from 1:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. (Doors open at 12:30 p.m.)
Kimmel Center Grand Hall at NYU – 60 Washington Square South
Admission: $76.54 Early Bird General Admission | $55.20 Early Bird OAANY Member | $87.21 General Admission | $65.87 OAANY Member | $28.52 Virtual | $12.51 Virtual OAANY Member
An Inaugural Identity Symposium Exploring Identity, Heritage, and Community Across Generations
As the Okinawan community evolves across generations, geographies, and lived experiences, many Uchinānchu navigate identities that are Okinawan, Japanese, American, mixed-race, multilingual, and multicultural. Through four moderated panels exploring Okinawan identity, the role of Kenjinkais in North America, cultural revitalization, and Okinawan futurism, the symposium invites meaningful conversations about belonging, heritage, and the future of our community.
The Champloo Symposium has been a labor of love for the Okinawa American Association of New York (OAANY), and the organization has the goal of bringing together Okinawans, friends of Okinawa, scholars, artists, community leaders, and curious minds from across the country for a day of yuntaku (conversation), connection, reflection, and imagining what comes next. Open to everyone, regardless of Okinawan identity or background, the symposium creates space to explore what it means to be Okinawan today and what that might look like tomorrow.
JapanCulture•NYC is proud to be a sponsor of Champloo: An Okinawa Identity Symposium. OAANY is offering this symposium online as well. Tickets are limited, and registration required in advance by Wednesday, November 4. To purchase tickets, please visit OAANY’s website.
Symposium Schedule
12:30 p.m. | Doors
1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Event
Opening Performances: New York Okinawa Club & Jimpukai
Keynote: Dr. Annmaria Shimabuku, NYU EAS
Panel 1: Okinawa Across Borders — Geographic & Identity Perspectives
With Dr. Mitzi Uehara Carter, Maia Hibbett, Momi Cummings, and Sabien Taylor
How do race, geography, generation, and lived experience shape our understanding of Okinawan identity? This panel explores the diverse and intersecting experiences of Uchinānchu across generations, diasporic communities, ancestral roots, and perspectives, illuminating the many ways Okinawan identity is understood, experienced, and expressed.
Panel 2: Kenjinkai Conversations — Community, Connection & Belonging
With Kenjinkai Presidents Linda Asato (Chicago), Nariko Addaman (North Carolina), Mariko Middleton (New York / North East), and Naomi Folta (Skater, Artist, and Creator)
What role do prefectural associations play today? How does geography shape the culture and needs of our communities? And how can we serve both older and younger generations as our communities become more geographically dispersed and increasingly virtual? Hear from three Kenjinkai Presidents on how we are cultivating and serving our communities.
Panel 3: Reclaiming Ryukyu — Identity, Scholarship & Academia
With Dr. Wesley Ueunten, Dr. Lex McClellan Ufugusuku, Dr. Co Shigeko Lewis, and Zack Edwards
How are we preserving Okinawan culture and carrying it forward? Through historical research, the revitalization of hajichi (Okinawan tattooing), and efforts to preserve Uchinaaguchi, we’ll explore the challenges and possibilities of reclaiming our heritage for future generations.
Panel 4: Okinawa Futurism — Evolving Okinawan Spaces
With Yumi Sakugawa, Gwyneth Yuma, Aya Trussell, and Ari Rueda
What might Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands look like in ten, 50, or 100 years? As our communities evolve and become increasingly interconnected, we’ll explore and imagine how Okinawan identities, cultural spaces, and possibilities might transform in a changing world—and what futures we can create together.
Each panel will follow a yuntaku or conversational format, giving panelists room to share their perspectives and personal experiences.
5:30pm - 7pm | Dinner & Performances by New York Okinawa Club and Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko of Massachusetts
Enjoying JapanCulture•NYC? This site is supported by our community, and a $5/month membership helps offset the costs of keeping it running so we can continue spotlighting the people and events that make our community shine. Please join JapanCultureNYC today.
