Jade Sato of Minoru Farm

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I asked Clara and Jesse if I could make a statement about the increase in hate crimes against AAPI people with the release of my interview. We recorded this conversation before the mass shooting in Georgia, otherwise I would have mentioned it in the interview. I appreciate their support to use these platforms to speak out.

Over the past year there has been an overwhelming increase in AAPI hate crimes. There has been dangerous rhetoric used during the Covid-19 pandemic. Resulting in many individual cases of race based violence and a mass shooting in Georgia where eight people lost their lives, six of which were Asian women. Here in Colorado, one week after the shooting in Georgia was another mass shooting at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. Eleven people’s lives were lost. It is my hope that mass shootings do not continue and become normalized. It’s unacceptable.

As a fourth generation mixed Japanese American woman, silencing my anger and pain has been a path to acceptance and safety in this country. Speaking out feels like I’m going against my safety but when our AAPI elders and mothers are being targeted, silence is compliance. I hope you all will take time to process how the racism in our country is not shocking, seek historical facts, and do what you can to support Black, Indigenous, Immigrant, AAPI, LGBTQIA2S+ peoples.


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Jade Sato of Minoru Farm joins host Clara Coleman to talk about starting a farm during a pandemic, varying scales of experience in a given locale, first year winter growing in the harsh climate of Colorado, Irrigation challenges, Asians greens, fairly compensating helpers, and how her Japanese culture has informed her perspectives on farming.