Book Launch of
Tomey: The Unyielding Spirit of Tomekichi Homma
On Saturday, September 20, 2025, the National Coalition of Canadians Against Anti-Asian Racism (NCCAAR) and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) celebrated the launch of Tomey: The Unyielding Spirit of Tomekichi Homma.
This private event highlighted the history of Tomekichi Homma, a Japanese Canadian who fought to end discrimination and for the right to vote for Japanese Canadians and other Canadians of Asian descent in British Columbia, Canada.
Immediately after the launch, the book was made available free of charge to school boards across Canada to encourage its use in their K-12 curricula and to other organizations interested in promoting the story of this Japanese Canadian who made a significant contribution to Canadian society.
The launch coincided with the participation of the book’s author, Jeff Chiba Stearns, and the illustrator, Ally Adachi, at the Gei Art Symposium hosted at the JCCC from September 19–21, 2025.
APF Canada also hosted a Vancouver launch at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre on September 25, 2025 featuring a fireside chat with the author and illustrator, with opening remarks from the grandaugther of Tomekichi Homma.
A limited number of books are available for a thank-you gift for donations of $30 or more. All proceeds support Asian heritage education and anti-racism projects.
A charitable donation receipt will be issued for the eligible portion of your contribution (the amount above the book’s fair market value of $30).”
Books can be collected from the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada’s downtown Vancouver or downtown Toronto offices. Shipping is not available at this time.
View the full Flickr album here.
Jeff Chiba Stearns
Jeff Chiba Stearns is an Emmy® nominated and Webby award winning animation and documentary filmmaker, Illustrator, and producer based in Vancouver, BC. His is the owner of the animation production company, Meditating Bunny Studio Inc.
Ally Adachi
Ally Adachi is a Japanese Canadian (Yonsei) illustrator based in Vancouver, BC. She focuses on storyboard animation, graphic novel illustration and tattoo design.