About This Project

Keiro means Respect for the Elderly

Every Thursday the Watonsville Japanese American senior citizen community comes together to play bingo. To them, bingo is more then just a way to pass time; it is an opportunity to get together with friends and reminisce on life experiences. Keiro Thursdays is a film about the heart of a community and the inspiring life stories of the individuals who attend. Despite shared life struggles, such as the passing of a spouse or the memories of the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, the seniors demonstrate how they move forward with humor and friendship.

SPECIAL FEATURES

About JACL Watsonville-Santa Cruz Senior Center

The Watsonville-Santa Cruz JACL Senior Center offers the Japanese American senior community a place to gather socially each week to play bingo and celebrate birthdays and special occasions, as well as opportunities to participate in numerous trips and activities which are both educational and entertaining, and access to health information and monitoring.

For more information please visit their website.

*This film was completed in part of the Social Documentation Graduate Program in the Department of Film and Digital Media at the University of California Santa Cruz.

*Special Thanks to the JACL Watsonville-Santa Cruz Chapter and the Senior Center for putting up with me and my cameras, and feeding me lots of birthday cake and ice cream. I especially want to thank to Mas & Marcia Hashimoto, Paul & Carol Kaneko, Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, and my classmates in SOCD 208 for their support and making this film possible.