JACL Weekly Digest

April 1, 2025

JACL National News

2025 JACL National Convention

Early Bird Registration is Available Now! Register before April 30 to Save!

Join us this Summer in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from July 17th through 20th for an exciting convention as we celebrate local and national communities coming together with "Voices in Unity!" 

2025 JACL National Scholarships!

General & Arts Applications Due This Friday, April 4 at 11:59pm HST!

JACL Chapters News

If any JACL Chapters would like to submit stories or events to the Weekly Digest, please send inquiries to Education Programs Manager, Matthew Weisbly at mweisbly@jacl.org

JACL Arizona Essay Challenge with the Chandler Museum

 The Chandler Museum has partnered with Japanese American Citizens League - Arizona Chapter (JACL-AZ) to invite students to participate in the 2025 Essay Challenge! This contest encourages young writers to explore the history of Japanese American incarceration during World War II and the importance of protecting civil liberties for all.

Eligibility:
Open to students residing in Arizona who meet ONE of the following criteria:
 Are a member (or have relatives who are a member) of JACL-AZ Chapter, Arizona Buddhist Temple, or Phoenix Life Church.
 Have visited the 2025 Chandler Museum Exhibit, Gaman: Enduring Japanese American Internment at Gila River.

Essay Topics:
Students should submit a well-organized, thought-provoking essay addressing:
 The history and reasons behind Japanese American incarceration during WWII.
 The lessons this history teaches us about justice and equality today.
 Ways to prevent future injustices through laws, education, and civic engagement.
 The significance of this history for all Americans, regardless of background.

Submission Guidelines:
 Grades 4-8: 500-800 words
 Grades 9-12: 1,000-1,500 words
 Typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman font
 Must include a bibliography

Deadline: All entries must be submitted by April 30, 2025, at 11:59 PM.

Details and Submission Link: http://bit.ly/JACLAZ_Essay_Challenge_2025 Or scan the QR code

JACL Monterey Nakayoshi - Curators' Tour

From Our Partners

2025 Heart Mountain Pilgrimage Early Bird Registration Available Now

Eighty years ago, the unjust incarceration of over 14,000 Japanese Americans at Heart Mountain finally came to an end. Yet, the lessons of this dark chapter in history are more relevant than ever. Join us at the 2025 Heart Mountain Pilgrimage as we honor the stories of incarceration, uplift the voices of incarcerees and their descendants, and fortify our community’s strength.

This year’s Pilgrimage will be a powerful gathering, designed to inspire hope and resilience for future generations. Featured events include the premiere of Hello Maggie!, the stamping of the Ireichō, the debut of a compelling short film exploring cultural connections to Heart Mountain, multigenerational discussion groups, a transformative art healing workshop, and the ever-popular Sayonara Banquet.

Come be part of this unforgettable experience—because remembering the past is the key to shaping a just future.

Honouliuli National Historic Site 10th Anniversary

Honouliuli National Historic Site, established Feb. 24, 2015, will commemorate its 10-year anniversary with monthly events and activities in the coming year.  

From March 2025 through January 2026, the park and its partners will honor and preserve this history by featuring different aspects of the park -- past, present, and future -- to connect and engage the community to important history lessons that are relevant today. 

Two events will kick-off the celebrations this month: On March 27 at 10 a.m. at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai’i, a panel will share the story of how Honouliuli became a national park, which will include a park update from Superintendent Christine Ogura.

On March 30 at 3 p.m., Mary Farrell and Jeff Burton, archaeologists for Japanese American confinement sites in Hawaii, will talk about their archaeological excavations at the park and other sites in the state. This will be a virtual event and the link will be on the park’s website.

Events and activities will include a speaker series, special tours, book events, pop-up exhibits, film screenings, panel sessions, musical performances, youth and school initiatives, and a statewide art exhibit. Many events will be free through the park’s partnership with its non-profit organization, Pacific Historic Parks.     

The park tells the story of incarceration, martial law, and prisoners of war in Hawaii during World War II.  The incarceration site, opened in 1943, was the largest and longest used incarceration site in Hawaii where U.S. residents and citizens of Japanese and European ancestry were unjustly detained. The camp also held over 4,000 prisoners of war including Okinawans, Koreans, and Italians.

Restoring Hope: Mental Health and the Path to Justice for Adoptees

Join us for an engaging and heartfelt event that shines a light on the mental health challenges faced by adoptees without citizenship. Together, we will explore the emotional toll of legal uncertainty, the stress of potential deportation, and the barriers to accessing essential benefits—all of which profoundly impact the well-being of many in the adoptee community. Whether you are an adoptee, a friend or ally, or simply seeking to learn more, this is an opportunity to connect, heal, and contribute to a brighter future for all. Your presence matters.

56th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage - April 26th, 2025! 

Jerome Rohwer Pilgrimage Registration Available Now!

The Jerome Rohwer Committee and the Jerome Rohwer Pilgrimage Planning Committee are thrilled to invite you to register for our upcoming 2025 Jerome Rohwer Pilgrimage in Little Rock, AR, May 21-24, 2025.

The Pilgrimage offers camp survivors, descendants, and others the opportunities to connect with fellow Pilgrims from around the globe.  Last year we had Pilgrims from as far east as Europe, and as far west as Hawaii.  You will learn about and discuss the legacy and aftermath of WWII era concentration camps in the USA.  One day of the Pilgrimage is a journey to each concentration camp site in Jerome and Rohwer, where the sacred Ireichō (a book with names of over 125,000 innocent Japanese and Japanese Americans imprisoned during WWII) will be honored and short services will be held.  We will have lunch in McGehee, AR, home to the WWII Japanese Internment Museum, followed by a program that includes taiko drummers and a short Obon festival to honor the spirits of our ancestors.  There will be two full days of programming in Little Rock, with historical sessions, survivor perspectives, generational and intergenerational discussions, social activities, and opportunities to research family histories and to stamp the sacred Ireichō.  Learning and open conversation leads to understanding and healing.  

50th Amache Pilgrimage Registration Available Now!

This year, the Full Amache Pilgrimage will take place in the Amache area from the evening of Friday May 16 to midday Sunday May 18, with additional events hosted by Amache Alliance, the University of Denver Amache Project, National Parks Conservation Association, Colorado Preservation Inc., and the Sand Creek Massacre Foundation. There will also be events earlier in the week in Denver at the Denver Art Museum and History Colorado Center. PLEASE NOTE: you will need your own transportation to attend these events.

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