The American Story | David Mura | TEDxGrinnellCollege
559,565
Published 2021-02-24
David is a writer and a Sansei, a third generation Japanese American. His most recent book is A Stranger’s Journey: Race, Identity & Narrative Craft in Writing. He’s written two memoirs, Where the Body Meets Memory, and Turning Japanese, which won the Oakland PEN Josephine Miles Book Award and was a New York Times Notable Book. His novel, Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire, was a finalist for the MN Book Award, the John Gardner Fiction Prize and the Virginia Commonwealth Cabell First Novelist Award. His four books of poetry include the National Poetry Contest winner After We Lost Our Way, The Colors of Desire, which won a Carl Sandburg Literary Award, Angels for the Burning, and The Last Incantations.
Among his awards, Mura has received a Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writers’ Award, a US/Japan Creative Artist Fellowship, two NEA Literature Fellowships, two Bush Foundation Fellowships, five Loft-McKnight Awards, Minnesota State Arts Board grants, and a Discovery/The Nation Award. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx
All Comments (21)
-
The rawness in his voice when he was talking about his son's friend was so emotional... like you could really hear it, how much lingering grief and pain there is.
-
I appreciate Mura shedding light on the historical injustices faced by Japanese Americans. It's crucial to confront our past and learn from it.
-
Ending with gratitude to Abdi for loving Nico is both heart-breaking and beautiful. It's a reminder that the power of connection and love to draw upon and hold dear is even more important during tragedy.
-
Wait, Japanese American linguists shortening the war by two years? Making history with words, not just bullets is like a secret weapon we never knew we had
-
The story of Abdi's tragic death and the reactions to it capture the complex web of emotions that individuals from diverse backgrounds experience. It's a stark reminder that while progress is being made, there's still much work to be done to eradicate hate and bias.
-
I got a bit emotional when he thanked Abdi's spirit for being his son's friend at the end. It was such a touching way to honor his memory and remind us what's truly important
-
I loved how he connected past events with what's happening today. Makes you really think about the ongoing affects of the past
-
David Mura is a beautiful author and poet, was very happy to find this talk, even if the subject matter is tough it's always so beautiful to experience your words.
-
"Identity would seem to be the garment with which one covers the nakedness of the self." Such a beautiful quote.
-
At first I thought this would be a bit of an academic gratification fest, but this lead to a truly genuine narrative about the way of life in America. Wonderful and thought provoking.
-
Mura's exploration of identity and the historical struggles faced by different communities in America is pretty spot on in terms of explaining what's happening now. Our journey as a nation has been so complex with a lot of different cultural impacts and I think prompts like this to reflect on what's happened can be very helpful in terms of navigating what's to come.
-
Identity is such a complicated idea and I think the way it grows and evolves over time indicates just how intangible of a thing it really is.
-
Mura's observation of America's simultaneous progress and regression raises important questions about our collective identity. It's crucial for us to confront the biases that hinder our growth as a nation and work towards a more equitable future.
-
I can't imagine the battle David Mura has endured. I definitely got teary eyed watching this. I know we have it in us to be and do better.
-
I must say, his personal experiences and the parallels drawn between different communities are truly eye-opening. It's a powerful reminder of the long-lasting impact that discrimination can have and the need for empathy and understanding.
-
I love that he references James Baldwin - gives an immediate sense of knowing what resonates with him, which in turn made it so easy to connect.
-
This hits pretty close to home for me... Our history is a mix of pain and triumph. Thank you for seeking to educate people on it.
-
I'm thankful that we still have access to videos like this, that people can share these stories. I only wish more people would see them and understand just how much their words and actions can affect another life.
-
Wow, Mura's story about Abdi's friendship and tragic loss hits hard. It's a sad reminder of the harsh realities some communities face.
-
This is the best thing I've seen in a while in terms of addressing the struggle between progress and regression in this area. The fact that positive strides are being made alongside a resurgence of hate groups is a sad reminder that change is not linear.
