Asian Heritage Month comes to an end, we remember Lillian Michiko Yano.
In addition to her incredible career as an artist, Lillian was also a writer, co-authoring the graphic novel, On Being Yukiko, with Jeff Chiba Stearns. The novel, accessible to young readers, gently explores themes of Japanese Canadian identity, history, and intergenerational relationships with gorgeous mixed media illustrations.
For all the stories she so openly shared with us and for all the time she so generously gave, we can’t deeply enough express our gratitude to Lillian. Her immense kindness, generosity, and dedication to social justice continues to serve as a north star to us in the JC community and beyond.
“I cannot express my gratitude for Lillian enough. Her work was deeply influential to both myself and my family, as survivors and descendants of those incarcerated on sugar beet farms in Alberta. While I was a student, I reached out to inquire about purchasing her book ‘On Being Michiko’ as a gift for my Oba (our family’s short-form of Obasan). She sent me a copy free of charge, alongside a kind and thoughtful message. Her work held many resonances with my family’s history. The value of capturing and sharing our community’s stories through her art is immeasurable. She leaves behind her a beautiful legacy that my family and I will not forget.”
Sofia Callaghan