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 | |
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JACL 2020 National Officer Elections | |
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This past weekend, the Nominations Committee announced the candidates for the upcoming National Board elections and held a Candidates Forum for candidates to answer questions from the members. If you missed and wish to watch these please click the link below. Be sure to contact your chapter's voting delegate with your opinions on the candidates before voting is conducted on Sunday. | |
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Nominated candidate profiles can be found by clicking the button below. | |
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Also join us for the announcement of the election results this Sunday! Sunday, August 23 - 3pm PT/6pm ET To view the election results announcement and the swearing-in of the new board members follow the link below. | |
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Tomorrow! Fireside Chat: Racial Solidarity with JACL & NAACP | |
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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! | |
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JACL/OCA Virtual Leadership Summit | |
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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 | |
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Friday! Building Your Toolkit: Addressing Anti-Blackness in the JA Community | |
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This Friday, August 21st, the National Youth/Student Council of the Japanese American Citizens League will join Chicago's Next Generation Nikkei, Tsuru for Solidarity, and Northern California Nikkei Community Interns in hosting a workshop to equip young people, activists, and organizers with the tools to address anti-Black rhetoric and attitudes that we see in our own community.
This session features segments on history, solidarity-building, and strategies for approaching conversations with compassion, and includes time for discussion. Attendees will come away with concrete skills and techniques to facilitate these conversations in their own communities. This event will take place on Friday, August 21st, 7-9 pm EST. To register, please go to the following link: https://bit.ly/JAcommunity . | |
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Coming Soon: JACL Japan Chapter "Ask Me Anything" about Life in Japan | |
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New Program Announcement from JACL Japan Chapter! Were you planning on moving to Japan, but your timeline got postponed? If you’re like many others, who have been heavily affected by travel restrictions and bans due to COVID-19, but still want to learn about life on the ground in Japan, we invite you to join us! JACL Japan Chapter is hosting a new digital program called AMA (Ask Me Anything) Asian American Experience in Japan series. We want to bring you to Japan, through our experiences living an ocean away from home, and also share our insider tips on the good, the bad, and the realities of living abroad ~ especially during times like these. Life as an Asian American in Japan, is unique in so many ways. Join us to learn, ask questions, and talk with our session leaders about narratives of life in Japan!
Date: Aug 29th (Sat)
Time: 8 - 10PM PDT
Registration Link: http://shorturl.at/nDGTV
Follow us on IG for updates: @jacl_japan #AMA #Japan #asianamericanexperience #lifeinjapan #jacl | |
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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. | |
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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. | |
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Complete the 2020 Census Now! | |
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NJAMF Internship Opportunity | |
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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. | |
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US-Japan Council Emerging Leaders Program Applications Out Now! | |
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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. | |
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Okaeri Connects! Virtual Program | |
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Join Us in Support of H.R. 40 | |
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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. | |
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Why We Can't Wait Campaign: US Congress Should Pass Reparations Bill | |
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"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 | |
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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. | |
