Junko (Peterson) Bryant posted on FB Thursday 08.06.20: “Today is the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, which my mother’s family survived or I would not be here now! On the 19th, my mom and her longtime Punahou colleague Naomi Omizo are doing a presentation about their work, their personal journeys, and their family histories, which include the atomic bombing and the internment of Japanese community leaders in Hawaii during WWII. If you’re interested, here is the link!”
Beginning And End of the Bomb talk story Series — a free, online event, sponsored by The Spark Matsunaga Institute for Peace.
“Nurturing Peace Builders: Hiromi Peterson and Naomi Hirano-Omizo”
Learn about resiliency during unprecedented times.
The Story:
Hiromi Peterson and Naomi Hirano-Omizo are retired educators from Punahou School that will share their respective families’ wartime experiences that set in motion their eventual journey together to reach beyond their Japanese teaching careers. They are co-authors of a successful secondary high school Japanese textbook series “Adventures in Japanese” that is widely used throughout the United States, Japan, and Europe. The proceeds of the textbook have been used to pursue their dream of nurturing youth in Hawai’i to become global peace builders.
About Hiromi Peterson:
Hiromi Peterson is originally from Hiroshima, Japan. Hibakusha Nisei (parents/immediate family members are atomic bomb victims). Hiomi has resided in Honolulu for 48 years, married to Dr. Wes Peterson (deceased), and has two children, Junko and Ken. She taught at Maryknoll High School (1980-1984), and taught at Punahou School for 30 years (1984-2014). Hiromi is the co-author of “Adventures in Japanese” textbook series, and calligraphy instructor at Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii. She is the recipient of the National Council of Japanese Language Teachers (NCJLT) Teacher of the Year Award, Hawaii Association of Teachers of Japanese (HALT) Teacher of the Year Award, and Tanimoto Kiyoshi Peace Award.
About Naomi Hirano-Omizo:
Naomi Hirano-Omizo is originally from the Big Island, Hawaii. She is third-generation Japanese-American (Nikkei Sansei), descendant of immigrants from Shizuoka and Hiroshima, Japan. Naomi resides in Kailua with husband Stanley, and daughter Leigh. She taught at Mid-Pacific Institute (1980-1988), taught at Punahou School (1988-2020), and co-authored “Adventures in Japanese” textbook series. Naomi is the recipient of the Crown Prince Akihito Scholarship, and the Hawaii Association of Teachers of Japanese (HALT) Teacher of the Year Award.
University Lab School * University High School * Junior Bows Alumni * Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 