Remembering To Heal

This collection is a result of personal reflection as an Asian, Japanese immigrant, and a woman of color in the U.S., visually exploring the instigators of cultural losses, methods to reclaim what was lost, and ways to regain a sense of belonging to my culture of origin in order to understand what transforms this specific yet less recognized type of grief into healing.

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​I define cultural loss as a phenomenon in which one loses familiarity with their cultural knowledge, customs, and languages. A byproduct of cultural loss is the loss of cultural identity, diminishing the sense of pride and respect for one’s own culture, and eroding one’s sense of belonging. Cultural loss can occur due to time spent away from the home country, as well as through multiple forms of oppression in the new host country. Social contexts and political climates may promote cultural losses, as one’s culture may be cherished one day but frowned upon another day based on the political relationships between home and host countries. Cultural loss and cultural identity loss can span across generations in a family, slowly assimilating people into the mainstream culture.

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Yet within this erosion lies the potential for renewal. By confronting the grief of cultural disconnection, we open space for healing that is not only personal, but communal—a reclamation that affirms our right to exist fully, visibly, and with reverence for our roots.