UUCB is gifted with the presence and music of Dr. Susan T. Mashiyama as we celebrate with Susan, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Celtic harp player and singer/songwriter Susan T. Mashiyama shares her music and tells us about her multicultural experiences and heritage from Southern California, Hawaii, the Bay Area, and Japan.
Dr. Susan Mashiyama
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (as of 2009, officially changed from Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month) is a period for the duration of the month of May for recognizing the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_American_and_Pacific_Islander_Heritage_Month
Susan T. Mashiyama, PhD, was born in Michigan and grew up in southern California. Her family has been in the United States by way of Hawaii for more than four generations. Her grandmother, parents, aunts, uncles, and many of her cousins were born and raised in Hawaii where her grandfather was the Bishop of the Shingon Buddhist Church. Susan was brought up as a Buddhist and she first learned about UU when she moved to the Bay Area and was intrigued by the welcoming and intellectual nature of this spiritual community. A lifelong student of music who is classically trained in piano and violin, she is a singer/songwriter who plays a number of other musical instruments including the Celtic harp and ukulele, and enjoys contributing to the spirituality of a meeting by creating music. Her music is inspired by nature, as well as the music and folk and fairy tales from many countries. With a BA in English literature from Yale University and a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from UC Berkeley, she believes in both science and spirituality and thinks that the two can co-exist peacefully
