The first born son of Japanese immigrants, Inouye’s early life was a balancing act of heritage and identity as an American. This delicate act was put to test in 1941 when Pearl Harbor was bombed, resulting in wartime hysteria which dubbed him and all Japanese Americans as “enemy aliens.” After petitioning the U.S. government, Inouye got a chance to prove his Americanism and was among the first 75 to enlist in the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated Japanese American unit, in 1943. During his World War II service, he was injured in battle, resulting in the amputation of his right arm.
Following the war and 22 months of rehabilitation, Daniel K. Inouye pivoted into law and public service, first winning territorial seats, then moving up to the U.S. House of Representatives, then to the U.S. Senate. While also representing Hawaiian interests, his national policy work revolved around civil rights, civil liberties, and support for policies that promoted equality for all peoples. His relational style led him to critical committee appointments in Congress and eventually to President Pro Tempore (third in line to the President of the United States). For his public service, he was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2000 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously.
The episode features interviews with: Inouye’s son, Ken Inouye; Inouye’s fomer chief of staff, Jennifer Sabas; longtime friend and colleague Jeff Watanabe, J.D.; and Robert Stodden, Ph.D., Founder of the Center on Disability Studies at University of Hawai’i at Mānoa. All of them speak about Inouye’s complicated relationship to disability and his refusal to be pigeonholed as someone with a “dis.” Inouye’s self-identity comes into focus as generational definitions break down and ultimately reveal that in all parts of his life, Inouye lived as a person who was always “equal to.”
Renegades is a series of five 12-minute short films showcasing the lives of diverse, lesser-known historical figures with disabilities, exploring not only their impact on and contributions to U.S. society, but also the concept of disability culture, which honors the uniqueness of disability. Hosted and narrated by the musician and disability rights advocate Lachi, who is blind, and created and produced by a team of D/deaf and disabled filmmakers, the series is designed to increase public knowledge of disability history, and encourage cross-cultural understanding between non-disabled people and those with disabilities – who make up 1 in 4 adults in America today.
Infused with the spirit of the disability movement’s mantra, “Nothing About Us Without Us,” Renegades places a focus on authentic storytelling, with a cast and crew composed almost entirely of disabled people, and a talent incubator model of filmmaking to mentor emerging directors, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors with disabilities.
Tammy “TS” Botkin is the director and producer of Renegades: Daniel K. Inouye. Her feature directorial debut is the Better Angels Lavine Fellow documentary, A Long March, which she created with a diverse crew under the guidance of the Filipino American community and broadcasted nationally in April 2024 via PBS member stations. She also co-produced the award-winning documentaries Her Turf (2018, pilot) and Mary Janes: The Women of Weed (2017, feature). A member of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, Botkin’s Indigenous writing has garnered recognition at Austin Film Festival (2016) and Atlanta Film Festival (2018). As a staunch supporter of diverse voices, she currently serves on the board of Women in Film and Media Colorado and volunteers across communities.
Angel Williams is the writer and producer of Renegades: Daniel K. Inouye. She is an award-winning writer, and producer, who hails from Washington, D.C but currently lives in Denver, CO. She is an U.S. Army disabled veteran that was given an opportunity in 2014, to attend the Writer’s Guild Initiative, where she was encouraged to turn her short stories into screenplays. A mother of three disabled children and a wife of over 20 years, Williams turned her passion into a career. Even after having a stroke, she has not given up on the opportunities to be creative. She focuses on telling the stories of those who live with non-visible disabilities and family dramas. Williams had the honor of being a fellow with the 2022 cohort of Respectability Entertainment Lab. She has placed as a semi-finalist in The ScreenCraft Film Fund for her sci-fi project, Stone Fate, which also made Coverfly’s Red List, as well as her family drama Conversations with Mom.
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