Gregory Suko
JACL New Mexico Chapter
As many traveled from planes, trains and automobiles to the Land of Enchantment, we hope from the New Mexico JACL chapter that it was memorable and allowed you to relax, soak up the sun and enjoy the sights of Nuevo Mexico. It is no secret now that New Mexico has really kept development on its own timetable, and much of the best things to do and experience are only a referral away.
If you didn’t get a chance to admire the Sandia Mountain at sunset, when enjoying da grindz from Kimo’s food truck at the Japanese American Cultural Center, it gives off a pink hue that was named by the Spanish as the Sandia or the Watermelon Mountain. It is also the site of Great Unconformity, a gap in the geological record. Rocks that are over a billion years old touch rocks that are a few hundred million years old. Bringing everyone together this year helps to ensure that there will be at least a chance that not all of our stories will be lost to eternity.
Greg and Amy Suko were among the many New Mexico chapter members who helped to organize and support activities, programming and events at this year’s JACL National Convention. (Photo: Darrell Miho)
It is only natural that we want to fill in the gap in storytelling, whether it is nonfiction, historical fiction or science fiction. Telling a complete story allows for introspection and a bit more empathy for all of the characters. As we all reach milestones in our lives, I believe it gives us better insight to walk in the shoes of our family members that are no longer with us or are unavailable.
During the recent JACL National Convention, we were able to learn from the stories of our fathers, grandfathers, uncles and great-uncles out in the desert who were forcibly removed and not often discussed. New Mexico is the home to 23 sovereign tribal nations. Many JA families have been born on the soil of many tribal and sovereign nations. We are connected.
For me, attending the National Convention both last year and this year instilled a commitment on a national level that my families’ experience was not unlike many others but has twists and turns like a corkscrew when it comes to families being raised after the war. Ever since the convention, I hear the lyrics and the powerful driving force of CCR’s “Fortunate Son” — to quote . . . “It ain’t me, It ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate one, no.”
My Sansei uncle is a Vietnam War veteran. I have always been proud of his service to our country, even though anti-war protests were alive and strong when I was a child. The tension between anti-war protests and serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, in my opinion, should represent the stories for the next chapter of our JA collective experience.
We hope that everyone had a safe trip knowing that the best part of traveling is returning safely home with new friends, a sense of calmness and healing. After our convention, I would like to introduce a pledge that, collectively with our feet firmly grounded, we are committed to helping the women hold the sky up with our brothers and sisters from the community that we have grown into and are a part of. Support comes from not only paying our full monetary share but also in making a commitment from our hearts, in our words and in our actions.
Our singers and activists show us how to move our bodies and express ourselves and our emotions. Our educators show us that our hard work and degrees will be recognized, even if it has to be posthumously. Our friends and neighbors show us they will take care of our land and property if we have to move away. Our poets and storytellers show us how to use our voices and wield the words that change the world one person at a time. And most of all, our art directors set the stage for our comedians to help us laugh and by so doing, release tension, recycled thoughts and uneasy feelings that naturally build up to work against us.
Thanks to the JACL organization, national board and officers, local chapters, Victoria Meaney, convention sponsors and volunteers a plenty and to the Pacific Citizen and its staff for making the journey, sharing experiences and recognizing that words and stories are medicine, and intergenerational healing cannot begin without recognizing that the cure is within each of us and becomes powerful when we join together.
Deep thoughts . . . what if the paperwork for next year left off Nevada, would some folks book their reservations for Las Vegas, N.M.?
Gregory Suko is a member of the New Mexico JACL.
