Internship with Hapa Issues Forum Sevenju Miki Pepper 1998 AS A RECIPIENT of the 1998 CJAAA summer internship, I worked with Hapa Issues Forum (HIF), a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a voice for Japanese Americans of mixed-race descent, as well as people of all mixed-race ancestry. HIF was started in 1992 on the UC Berkeley campus by a handful of Japanese American mixed race students. Today, HIF is a national organization with a chapter in southern California and possibilities of expansion to the south bay and the Pacific Northwest. I have been a part of HIF since coming to CAL in 1996. Last year I served as Co-President of the UC Berkeley Chapter. As a summer intern, I have had the opportunity to work with HIF, not only as a regional chapter, but as a national organization. I worked closely as the assistant to Deirdre Howard, Board Treasurer, to organize an event sponsored by HIF. The event is a performance storytelling piece created by bay area artist, Brenda Wong Aoki. The performance documents one of the first mixed race marriages in San Francisco, between a Japanese American man and a Caucasian woman. As an intern I work closely with Deirdre. I assist her with meetings with the producer and stage director. I also have the responsibility of contacting restaurants to get food donations for the reception following the performance. This allows me to see what goes into hosting an event and has improved my communication skills in dealing with professionals. I have worked under the direction of Board of Directors members to aid in the completion of various projects and events. I am currently conducting research on large Asian American populations in the United States to determine where the next HIF chapter is most needed. I have compiled a profile of the members of Board of Directors and Advisory Board, which I will post on the web as a resource to those visiting the HIF website. In compiling the profile, I was able to interact with many professionals, including professors and Ph.D. candidates doing work on Asian American and Mixed Race issues. I have written many professional letters to outside Asian American organizations in compiling resources for HIF, including the Internal Revenue Service which confirmed the non-profit status of HIF. These opportunities have helped to hone my writing and communication skills. I also spend much of my time on the computer - searching the web for additional resources for HIF - as well as maintain correspondence via e-mail. Computer skills are an important tool to have in this technological world, and I believe my work this summer has given me the practice to refine my own skill while providing HIF with valuable resources. The most important work that will come out of my internship will be the completion of the Parenting Resource Guide Book for parents and their mixed-race children. I am currently in the midst of this large project. I have been in contact with various professors and other professionals doing work with mixed race issues, particularly with interracial couples and their hapa children. The parenting guide book will include: personal stories of interracial couples and hapas, hapa food recipes and art activities and games for children - to aid in the discovery of their mixed race identity. Also, it will include resources such as websites, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of members working with HIF and other Asian American and Mixed-Race organizations. There will be a section of common question and answers that parents of hapas may have, a support network, a listing of mixed race books and videos for children, teens and parents. I have met with several Advisory board members of HIF including Helena Herschel, a psychotherapist and Professor at UC Berkeley. She has been a tremendous help in connecting me with others to aid in the completion of the resource guide book, as well as suggesting other important issues to address, including the troubles teens face with a mixed-race identity. It has been a wonderful opportunity to work closely with her, as she is very knowledgeable in mixed-race issues and has dedicated her life to spreading this knowledge through academia and individual counseling. The projects I have worked on this past summer are integral to the growth of HIF as a national organization. HIF is a relatively new organization started at UCB, so the idea of HIF as a national unit is extremely new. The founders, who now serve on the Board of Directors and Advisory Board, are professionals or in graduate school, and do not have the time needed to expand HIF beyond the two regional chapters in southern California and at UC Berkeley. Since people of mixed-race Asian American ancestry live all over the United States, it is important that HIF expand to reach those outside of California. Awareness of mixed-race issues is an important way to begin to eliminate stereotypes and tear down the barriers which separate ethnic groups in America. HIF is dedicated to spreading this awareness and ensuring that children of all mixed-race Asian American backgrounds grow up in a country which celebrates their diversity. I have been privileged to work with HIF and am thankful to the CJAAA for giving me this opportunity to understand and participate in the process of running and expanding a non-profit organization as important as HIF.