Mark your calendars! Tune in next Tuesday, August 25th...
In solidarity and to support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, we have invited Chicago native and fellow JET alumni, Deontae "Deuce" Griggs to share his experiences and views as one of the key organizers for the first BLM march in Japan.
Our discussion will explore the parallels between the BLM movement in Japan and the USA, how Deuce's JET Program experiences helped him develop his leadership abilities, and what we can do to help maintain the momentum of BLM as we work together in solidarity towards achieving racial justice and equity.
RSVP via Guestlist is required.
For more information and to join the conversation: https://guestlist.co/events/660342
About Deontae "Deuce" Griggs:
Chicago Westside’s very own Deontae “Deuce” Griggs (pronouns: he/him) finds himself showcasing Japan’s Kansai region on a global scale in his current position as a social media manager and project manager for the Kansai Tourism Bureau in Osaka, Japan. As the youngest employee in his office and the only person not of Japanese ancestry, he acts as an ambassador for American values, trends in social media and differing cultural values.
A graduate of both Lane Tech College Prep and the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point with a degree in International Relations/ East Asian Studies with the Chancellor’s Leadership Award, Deuce took a gap year to learn more about child development by working directly with low-income elementary students in St. Paul, Minnesota. With his background, he was successfully admitted into the JET Program as an ALT in Hyogo Prefecture from 2014-2017. During his tenure on JET, he was a very vocal and active member of both the JET and local community. Coordinating events, presenting at official Hyogo JET seminars, and joining CLAIR sponsored think tanks to improve local revitalization efforts known as JET Programme for Regional Internationalization (JET地域国際化塾) are just a few highlights of his JET career.
At the Kansai Tourism Bureau, Deuce is primarily responsible for showcasing the region via social media with stunning visuals and inspiring captions as an influencer and marketer. Currently, he is the Project Manager for the Kansai Connection Leaders program, an initiative aimed at connecting the local foreign community to government and local business entities in Kansai in order to make the region more accessible to people who are interested in visiting.
In his free time, Deuce enjoys traveling for work and pleasure as well as cooking. Generally considered “one of the cool kids” and as an active member of the community, he speaks to issues that he is vested in. Most recently he presented his personal narrative on the TEDx Ritsumeikan stage and is one of the Black Lives Matters KANSAI organizers which performed a peaceful march in Osaka Japan in as well as advises other Black Lives Matters Chapters in Japan.
Watch and listen to Deuce's inspirational and informational TEDx RitsumeikanU: