N. Rochelle Sato

N. Rochelle Sato (formerly known as N. Rochelle Yamagishi), born in Taber, AB, spent most of her life in Lethbridge, AB, her parents having been “evacuated” to the Southern Alberta sugar beet farms with other Japanese Canadians, during the Second World War. She has a B.A. and M.Ed. from the University of Lethbridge, and Ph.D. from the University of Alberta in “Sociology of Education,” focussing on race, class and gender issues. She has worked as a psychiatric social worker, school counsellor and postsecondary instructor in Lethbridge, and has been a tutor/instructor in sociology with Athabasca University for over 20 years.

After being a guest curator for “Nikkei Tapestry,” a Galt Museum (Lethbridge) exhibition about Japanese Canadians in southern Alberta, Rochelle wrote a companion book, called Nikkei Journey: Japanese Canadians in southern Alberta. Another book about Japanese Canadians was written in conjunction with the “Mavericks” exhibition at Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Japanese Canadian Journey: The Nakagama story.

Rochelle and her husband have their own publishing company (Mugo Pine Press) and recently published a book written by an incarcerated Aboriginal man, who was a former Athabasca University student. The book, Letter to Cody: The longest journey by Mitchell Moise (2017), is written in his own unedited words, as an open letter to his estranged 18-year-old son. He explains to Cody (and all young Aboriginal men, for whom he wishes to be a positive role model) how, as a result of intergenerational trauma, himself suffering physical, emotional, sexual, mental and spiritual abuse, he committed violent acts that were both modelled and encouraged by his parents and grandparents, all residential school survivors. Rochelle has written an introduction, which includes background information about indigenous peoples and residential schools. She also draws a connection between Aboriginal people in Canada and Japanese Canadians, both racial/ethnic groups that suffered blatant racism from the Canadian government.

Rochelle is the mother of four adult children (one daughter deceased), with five grandchildren. Along with her husband, she forms a cover band called "Mountain Sapphire" that performs at many venues in the Edmonton area. Other leisure interests include walking/hiking, photography, and reading.

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Research interests

• Women of colour
• Japanese Canadians
• anti-racism
• Indian Residential School trauma

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Educational credentials

• B.A. (Psychology)
• M.Ed. (Curriculum)
• Ph.D. (Sociology of Education)

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