By EMIKO ESSMILLER
SPECIAL TO THE RAFU

“When I was in college, I took a leadership class. And my professor mentioned, you know, when young women are little, they get called bossy. A lot. And young men get told that they’ll be leaders. ‘They’re gonna be a CEO one day.’

“Why was I told that I was bossy, and they were told that they’re gonna be a CEO? So in that moment, I reflected back on my childhood and every time I was told I was being bossy, like no, I was being a leader. I thought, ‘I’m gonna be a leader one day.’”

Morgan Mayuko Gee was crowned Nisei Week Queen during the 82nd annual Nisei Week Coronation on Aug. 10. The evening’s program also honored the 140th anniversary of Little Tokyo.

Gee, 26, is a graduate from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, and represents the Venice Japanese Community Center and Venice-West Los Angeles JACL.
With a bright smile, she talked about her deep passion for empowering young girls as queen.

“You know, you see the queen and her crown, and they’re so poised and beautiful. And of course, everyone on the court is. You see them go out to all the community events and like I said previously, they’re such a big role model. I truly want to be a role model for young Japanese American women as well,” Gee said.

Her father, Ron Gee, expressed extreme pride for his daughter’s accomplishments.

“I’m very proud of what she’s accomplished throughout this whole process. I know she and the entire court worked very hard and it’s great to see that all of her hard work paid off.”

Gee has a bachelor’s degree of science, recreations, parks & tourism administration with a dual concentration in events and tourism & hospitality management. She expressed excitement over being able to incorporate her love for travel into her career.

Gee’s mother, Iris, discussed in an interview with The Rafu Shimpo that the Nisei Week Coronation had always been something Gee had looked forward to.

“[She] wanted to do this ever since I can remember. She always talked about it.”

The event was hosted by actress Tamlyn Tomita and news anchor and filmmaker David Ono, who described the night’s opening song, “Furusato,” meaning “a place we hold in our hearts.” A video was created to honor the 140th anniversary of Little Tokyo.

Following the introduction of the mistress and master of ceremonies, each candidate was introduced in their kimono, designed by Tadashi Shoji. Their production number — a hip-hop dance to the song “Sushi” — was greeted by the crowd with laughter and applause.

Leslie Kawai, the director and producer of the coronation, was given a special speech of gratitude from her coworkers. Several of her friends also joined her on stage as they danced with laughter. With a tearful smile, Kawai received warm embraces and a basket of vegetables.

2023 Nisei Week Queen Kaitlyn Emiko Chu gave a heartfelt farewell to her court.

“I am always so proud of the way you all bring warmth, authenticity, kindness and fun, dancey energy. We came into this journey as queens already, and now we leave as a royal family,” she said.

Seia Loraine Watanabe, a graduate from CSU Long Beach, was crowned First Princess. She represents the Japanese Restaurant Association of America.

Amy Ryoko Kubo, who represents the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center, was named Miss Tomodachi. She is a graduate of CSU Fullerton, and currently pursuing a master’s degree at Johns Hopkins University.

Rounding out the Nisei Week Court are three princesses: Anita Sumi Yayi Komatsu from the Gardena Evening Optimist Club; Carina Aiko Sakimura from the Pasadena Japanese Cultural Institute; and Caitlyn Tera Sasaki from the Orange County Nikkei Coordinating Council.

Gee has already identified what she hopes to focus on during her year as queen.

“[During] the next 12 months, I really want to celebrate Little Tokyo as a whole. It’s the 140th anniversary. And you know, I think a lot of people forget that the small businesses are still here… So I really want to be able to promote the small businesses within Little Tokyo to everyone so that they can come and enjoy it.

“Every queen leaves her mark on the community and I’m so excited to be part of that and leave a legacy as well, and continue that on for myself and then for the future generations to come.”

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