COVID-19 and JACL operations and resources | |
JACL's physical offices remain closed. Staff continue to do the work of the organization remotely. Please direct all phone calls to our Washington, D.C. Office at (202) 223-1240 and we will get back to you as quickly as possible. Otherwise, we will all be available via email. All staff emails can be found HERE. You can also check our website, jacl.org, for updates and COVID-19 resources. You can view our resources page here. Stay safe everyone and we hope to see you all in person again soon. - JACL National Staff | |
| |
RSVP: Upcoming JACL National Meetings Open to the Public | |
Saturday, August 15 - Nominations Committee Presentation of Candidates. and National Board Meeting: 8am PT/11am ET At 8am PT the Nominations Committee will be announcing the candidates running for JACL National Board in the next biennium. Following the conclusion of the announcements, no later than 8:30am PT, the JACL National Board will be hosting its open board meeting for the JACL membership and community to attend. The board will be voting on the FY2021 Provisional Budget. Click below to register for the meeting. | |
| |
Sunday, August 16 - Candidate Forum: 11am PT/2pm ET The candidates for the upcoming National Board election will be discussing their platform and answering questions from the voting delegates. Click the separate registration for August 16. You will need to register for both if you wish to attend. | |
| |
Sunday, August 23 - Announcement and Swearing-in of 2020-2022 National Board: 3pm PT/6pm ET To view the election results announcement and the swearing-in of the new board follow the link below. | |
| |
| |
JACL 2021-2022 National Board Candidate Profiles | |
 |
With the elections for the 2021-2022 JACL National Board coming up soon, we're happy to present the candidate profile for the current list of candidates running. We'll be updating the list as we continue to receive further applications. The current candidate profiles can be found below. | |
| |
| |
Fireside Chat: Racial Solidarity with JACL & NAACP | |
 |
As part of our continuing series of webinars in lieu of the JACL National Convention, we're happy to bring our next webinar in collaboration with the NAACP! Join us for an evening fireside chat with JACL Executive Director David Inoue and NAACP’s Senior VP for Policy & Advocacy Hilary Shelton as they discuss the history between their respective organizations and what the future holds for future partnerships. They will discuss the similarities between Japanese American Redress and the current push for HR 40, and how the AAPI community can support the current movements for Black Lives. You can share on Facebook with the event link here! | |
| |
| |
JACL/OCA Virtual Leadership Summit | |
 |
The summit has been going on for over thirty-five years and is dedicated to fostering bonds between JACL and OCA, as well as training community leaders in advocacy. While the 2020 summit will take place online, we're still including much of the same programming from the regular in-person program. The summit will take place Thursday, September 24 through Tuesday, September 29. Thursday and Friday programming will be at night and last roughly 1.5 hours. Saturday and Sunday will be the bulk of the programming, lasting roughly 5 hours each. Monday and Tuesday will be meetings with congressional offices, requiring varying availability and times. At least one additional slot will be opened per district. Applications will be open now through August 30 at 11:59pm Hawaiian Standard Time. You can click here as well for a tentative schedule. If you have any questions about Leadership Summit please contact Matthew Weisbly and Cheyenne Cheng at policy@jacl.org | |
| |
| |
JACL Denounces the Continued Detainment of Children and Their Families by ICE | |
Recognizing parents were confronted with a “Sophie’s Choice” of giving up custody of their children so they could be released or consenting to their continued imprisonment to keep their family together, Judge Dolly Gee ruled her previous order to release all the children unenforceable. This will enable the continued detention of nearly 300 immigrant children and their families by ICE for the foreseeable future in clear violation of the law according to the Flores Settlement. | |
| |
| |
JACL Condemns Proposed Early End to Counting for the Census | |
In an announcement made on August 3, the Census Bureau discussed the remaining schedule for the 2020 Census, briefly mentioning that it would cut short its deadline to end census counting. This new deadline brings the end of Census outreach and self-response from October 31, 2020, to September 30, 2020, a month shorter than previously agreed upon by both Congress and the Administration. This is an egregious decision that will leave millions of people uncounted and is a further continuation of the Administration’s attempt to undermine the Census. | |
| |
Complete the 2020 Census Now! | |
 |
| |
| |
Tomorrow: JACL DC Chapter book talk with John Tateishi | |
 |
The JACL DC Chapter is pleased to invite our members and friends to participate in our second FREE virtual event via Zoom. Join us on Wednesday, August 12, 2020, at 7PM EDT to virtually meet with author John Tateishi, a leader of the JACL Redress Committee, as he discusses the herculean fight for an official government apology and compensation for the imprisonment of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II in his book, Redress: The Inside Story of the Successful Campaign for Japanese American Reparations. | |
| |
| |
A Virtual Book Talk with Marilyn Chase: Hosted by Berkeley JACL | |
 |
August 16
2pm-3:30pm PDT | 5pm-6:30pm EDT
Conversation with Marilyn Chase, author of Everything She Touched: The Life of Ruth Asawa. Zoom Call in Info: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83134300959?pwd=cFAycy9kZ0ZYaFo3NHY3bDIzZE9udz09 Meeting ID: 831 3430 0959 Passcode: 606149 One tap mobile +16699009128,,83134300959#,,,,,,0#,,606149# US (San Jose) +13462487799,,83134300959#,,,,,,0#,,606149# US (Houston) | |
| |
NJAMF Internship Opportunity | |
 |
The National Japanese American Memorial Foundation (“Foundation”) is seeking Marketing
Intern(s) to develop and execute marketing programs that help to achieve the Foundation’s
goal of preserving the legacy of the Japanese Americans during World War II by honoring their heroic military service and patriotism while educating the public of their unjust incarceration and sacrifices. The internship runs from September 1 through October 31. Applications will be due August 23rd. You can learn more below. | |
| |
| |
US-Japan Council Emerging Leaders Program Applications Out Now! | |
 |
The U.S.-Japan Council’s Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) identifies, cultivates, and empowers a new generation of Japanese American leaders. Emerging Leaders participate in leadership education, design and implement original USJC programming, and establish powerful professional connections and lifelong personal friendships. A new cohort aged 24-35 is selected annually to attend the Annual Conference, become USJC Associates, and join program alumni in bridging the future of the U.S.-Japan relationship. By providing access to members and education on relevant topics, the program aims to motivate participants to promote strong and positive U.S.-Japan relations in their personal and professional lives. | |
| |
| |
Okaeri Connects! Virtual Program | |
 |
| |
| |
| |
 |
| |
Tadaima Week 9 Programming! The Last Week of Tadaima! | |
 |
| |
| |
| |
Join Us in Support of H.R. 40 | |
 |
JACL Executive Director, David Inoue, discusses JACL’s support of H.R. 40. H.R. 40 would create a commission to examine the institution of slavery, its legacy, and make recommendations to Congress for reparations, beginning a process of repairing and restoring after centuries of enslavement. Click the image above to watch the full video statement. | |
| |
| |
Why We Can't Wait Campaign: US Congress Should Pass Reparations Bill | |
 |
"The US Congress should address systemic racism by bringing House Resolution (HR) 40 to a full vote once it reaches the floor, more than 100 civil rights, human rights, and civil society organizations and businesses said today. The federal bill would establish a commission to investigate the legacy of slavery and its ongoing harm, and come up with proposals to Congress for reparations. The organizations mobilized under the new campaign “Why We Can’t Wait,” initiated by groups including the National African American Reparations Commission (NAARC), Human Rights Watch, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and The National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N'COBRA)." - From Campaign Letter to Congress | |
| |
| |
Ruth Asawa Stamp Set from USPS | |
 |
The United States Postal Service will be issuing a new stamp set honoring the work of Japanese American artist, Ruth Asawa in a set being released on August 13, 2020. The Berkeley JACL will also be hosting a book talk on a new novel about Ruth Asawa's life on August 16, which you can learn more about down below. | |
| |
| |
JACL NY/SC Digital Storytelling Contest | |
 |
How does the past influence your present?: NY/SC Digital Storytelling Competition This summer, the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) National Youth/Student Council (NY/SC) is excited to introduce our Digital Storytelling competition. We know that storytelling has always been important, particularly for Japanese and Asian Americans. Much of our community history is recorded orally or passed down through personal archives, and in the present moment it is especially important that we take note of our experiences, memories, thoughts, and feelings. This competition is designed to uplift young JACL voices and use our stories, whether they be present or historical, to build connections with one another in times of physical distance. Using one of five mediums--journalistic-style essay, visual art, video presentation, poetry, or creative writing--we ask youth participants to send in their stories, with the theme of How does the past influence your present? We encourage entrants to be creative in their approach to the theme. How has the past--be it your personal, familial, national, or other histories--shaped your current experience? How has it formed your identity or perception of self? How will it continue to shape your future? You may interpret the prompt as freely as you’d like. In reviewing submissions, members of the National Youth/ Student Council will be evaluating based on the following attributes: -
Creativity -
Adherence to the Theme -
Clarity of Story -
Quality of Submission The competition submission form can be found at nysc.jacl.org and will open June 28th, running until August 15th. The competition is open to all youth ages 13-30, no prior experience necessary. The top two entries will receive: -
Recognition in the Pacific Citizen, our JACL newsletter; -
Publication online, both on the National Youth/Student Council site and the JACL National site; -
An expenses-covered opportunity to attend the 2021 JACL National Convention in Las Vegas to present their work. If you have any questions, please contact NY/SC Youth Representative Mieko Kuramoto at mkuramoto@jacl.org . We look forward to seeing your submissions! | |
| |
| |
We've updated our Hate Crimes Page to include more information and reporting options for members of the community as hate crimes increase as a result of COVID-19. You can visit the updated page here. | |
