Lawrence Yoshitaka Shimoji talks about the accumulated scars of discrimination and the lessons his mother taught him: Asahi Shimbun

My mother, who speaks only Japanese and a little Okinawan, never calls herself "Japanese". About 30 years ago, at an elementary school in Akita Prefecture, all the parents and children played a game together. However, when we were divided into teams, my mother and I were the only ones who were given the same name.