August 29, 2021
Written by Becky Pierce
Meet Akemi Matsumoto. She is the GAGV member highlighted in this month’s profile feature. Akemi is a retired college counselor. She is an accomplished, articulate and passionate advocate for social justice issues. Her interest in reducing gun violence is directly related to the work she’s done as a founding member of the Asian Pacific Americans for Civic Empowerment. She has served on the Board of APACE since 1998. The organization works with and endorses political candidates, helps voter turnout in the Asian community, conducts leadership development sessions and helps Asian Americans understand their role in the history of this country.
Akemi understands the challenges of promoting progressive social change. She sees gun violence as one of several symptoms pointing toward the need to transform the social underpinnings of America’s social fabric. She also brings to the discussion the experiences of a third generation Japanese American who has also been a single mother.
Akemi did not permit her young son to have guns of any sort. Nevertheless, she found him sculpting his sandwiches into the shape of guns. She has a nephew who teaches gun safety through his role as a police officer and her best friend’s son impulsively committed suicide with a gun. Gun culture in the US touches everyone. So do the issues of race.
It is enlightening to listen to Akemi discuss issues of race in America. She spoke eloquently about the issues of anti Asian sentiment as well as where Asians fall into the racial hierarchy in the United States. She has long been an advocate for helping all people understand their responsibility in creating a society that values the common good. In her last professional role as a counselor at Bellevue College she organized and trained the facilitators of a program called “Courageous Conversations on Race”. (Is that a wonderful title or what?) The curriculum was developed by Glenn Singleton. A core group of students, classified staff, administrators and faculty led 11 conversations every week for 3 years. While these conversations gave participants a deeper understanding of themselves as racial beings, it did not lead to systemic change.
Akemi shared that it is important to understand the current racial hierarchy. The American power structure was created by and privileges White people. Asians occupy a space between Whites at the top and Blacks at the bottom of the current hierarchy. She has spent years educating the Asian community on the need to understand this paradigm and to not perpetuate this injustice. She has spent her career and political influence in creating different pathways for all races to have equal voice in our democracy.
Here’s a few other Akemi facts:
She is a new grandmother. Her son, daughter in law and 8 month old baby girl live in Torrance, California. Akemi splits her time between there and W Seattle.
Akemi speaks Thai and German. She spent time in Thailand as a Peace Corp volunteer and went to college in Germany.
Akemi values education. She attended the University of Colorado, Northern Illinois University, UC-Berkely,Monterey Institute of Foreign Languages, Frei Universitat in Berlin, Oregon State and the University of Washington!
She wishes she could sing better and loves the movie version of “Mamma Mia!”
Her most respected living person - Michelle Obama. Akemi admired how dignified she remained through all the pressure she endured as First Lady.
Akemi’s guilty pleasure is lemon drop candy. She said she experienced a distressing shortage during the height of the pandemic!
She recently was riding the Water Taxi from W Seattle. They went off course to rescue 2 sailors whose boat was capsized.
Akemi concluded our interview with this statement, “ I am privileged every moment, I must stay conscious to do my best to work to change the inequalities in our society.”
She’s a remarkable person and it was a pleasure to share her story.