Jean Matsumoto: aka Mom 2.0 Got Me Out of the Cave to see “Hold These Truths”

Well, I’ve been shamed by Mom 2.0 aka Jean Matsumoto. I don’t know how and where these Nikkei Ladies get their energy. I’ve seen the same in Mom 1.0 (aka Lolita Tsujimura) too… Amazing.

Mom 2.0 got me away from my computer and out of my Cave last night to see “Hold These Truths” a One-Person play by Jeanne Sakata at Portland Center Stage (ends November 13, 2016) and, I got to meet a bunch of Awesome and Amazing People too. 1

“Hold These Truths” is a play by Jeanne Sakata (@JeanneSakata) of Gordon Hirabayashi’s Journey during the events of WWII with a blend of historical fact and fiction. Impressively, the play is now part of the Library of Congress Playwrights Archive in the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection in Washington DC.

Even more amazing and appreciated by me is the opportunity to meet in person Eleanor Ring Davis — WOW – I have met a real Oregon Trailblazer and Hero.

Without Eleanor (if you read the Gordon Hirabayashi letters, she’s “Ellie”, a close friend of Gordon’s), there probably wouldn’t be the Gordon Hirabayashi we know today – She was the “Change Agent” the “Tipping Point” for Gordon. Eleanor was also the wife of Charles Davis, a local hero in the Portland Japanese Community for his supportive efforts during WWII.

Historically, Eleanor R. Davis is one of Oregon’s most influential women. Davis’ work on the advancement of women in Oregon. This includes her involvement in groups such as the Task Force on Sex Discrimination in Education, the State Advisory Council on Sex Discrimination in Employment, the Oregon Council for Women’s Equality, the American Association of University Women, the Unitarian Church, and a variety of other civil rights-related commissions and task forces. Eleanor, I can’t wait to sit and visit with you. 2

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