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Weekly Digest
February 14, 2023 |
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JACL Responds to the 2023 State of the Union |
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February 8, 2023 "Last [week], President Joe Biden delivered his second annual State of the Union address. While touching on a number of points, the President’s major message throughout his address were calls to work across the partisan divide and to make significant progress towards meeting the needs of the American people." |
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Become a Millennium Club Member Today! |
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As a Millennium Club member, you notably further the JACL’s mission for civil rights and Japanese American heritage preservation. Until February 19th, the next 2 Millennium Club upgrades will each be matched with $500. |
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San Diego JACL March Monthly Community Dialogue |
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Rebuild Manzanar's Baseball Field |
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Manzanar National Historic Site preserves and tells the stories of Japanese-American incarceration during World War II. Visitors to the park come across a simple sign saying "baseball fields" in front of an expanse of dirt and scraps of chicken wire once used as back stops. This is a huge missed opportunity because the story of baseball at Manzanar is one of its most deeply touching. Japanese Americans, labelled "enemies of the state," continued to enjoy the everyday American game of baseball. This speaks loudly of their resilience and the injustice of their incarceration. Over 120 baseball and softball teams divided into twelve leagues played year-round within the bleak and dehumanizing camp.
A grant from The Fund for People in Parks to rebuild the baseball field, complete with bleachers and announcer's booth, will enable the park to offer visitors a powerful image of life at Manzanar. An educational display on the site will add context. The area will be archaeologically excavated during the work, possibly uncovering new objects. No grass will be planted, keeping this a dirt field, as it always was. Ceremonial games will be played on occasion, allowing for reconciliation and remembrance. The project is only $1,200 off of its goal! Help the project team reach its goal! |
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FACT SHEET: Resources for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities in the Aftermath of Mass Violence |
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The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to providing assistance to survivors and families, and all those affected by mass violence, including in the aftermath of the shootings in Monterey Park, CA and Half Moon Bay, CA and to providing culturally appropriate resources to all those affected, including those in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) communities. |
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Atsuhiko Tateuchi Memorial Scholarship - Vocational and Trade Program |
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Ina Goodwin Tateuchi and her late husband, Atsuhiko Tateuchi, both came from hard-working families and were taught to appreciate and respect education. They wish to provide $5000 scholarships for students who are residents of the Pacific Rim states (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington) who demonstrate hard work, dedication and sincerity. Students must have financial need and be of Japanese or other Asian ancestry, including multi-ethnic Asians. This program is for students pursuing a vocational or trade degree or certification (e.g. auto mechanics, carpentry, nursing, plumbing, electrician, manufacturing, HVAC, etc.). This scholarship will be renewable for up to four years. Note: this program is not intended for students pursuing an Associates degree who intend to transition to a 4-year college (please see the Atsuhiko Tateuchi Memorial Scholarship – College or Graduate Program) |
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Call for Day Of Remembrance Events! |
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As we're coming up on Day of Remembrance, JACL is once again asking all of our chapters and supporters to send us information on any events that you know of so that we can share it with the wider membership and Japanese American community! Please send any information you have on your DOR events, including date(s), times, any website/social links, and images/flyers you might have! We'll continually update the listing so if you currently only have some information and are still waiting on more, send us what you have and we can update the event page. The event page and calendar will be made available later. Send any program information you have to Education and Communications Coordinator, Matthew Weisbly at mweisbly@jacl.org |
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Fundraiser for Japanese Grocery Store After Shooting |
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Tokyo Foods Grocery store has been one of the few local Japanese stores in Cincinnati for the last 35 years. Owners Tozan (93) and Kimiko (78) Matsuda have run the store by themselves for over three decades providing fresh and unique Japanese groceries to Greater Cincinnati. On Sunday evening January 22nd, a man fired at least a dozen rounds from a handgun into the front windows of Tokyo Foods. He did not know the owners, and thankfully Mr. & Mrs. Matsuda were unharmed as the store was closed. The man's reason for shooting into the store was because he claimed he was the "President of Tokyo" and that Tokyo Foods was "not in compliance". The man was arrested and in custody for multiple felonious charges. All funds will be given to Mr. & Mrs. Matsuda to repair damages, pay rent & insurance, and provide savings to assist in day-to-day living expenses. |
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APPLY FOR THE 2023 KANSHA PROJECT! |
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Kansha Project Trip
– Wednesday, June 7: Pre-departure orientation
– Thursday, June 8 – Sunday, June 11: Little Tokyo Trip
– Sunday, June 25: Culmination The Kansha Project is a JACL Chicago program founded in 2011 that connects self-identified Japanese Americans, ages 18-25, from the Midwest to their identity, history and community. Participants engage in an in-depth examination of the WWII confinement site experience through an immersive educational trip to Los Angeles’ historic Little Tokyo neighborhood and Manzanar National Historic Site. Through workshops with local experts and community activists, historical tours, and group reflections, participants work to interpret and promote the stories, lessons, and the legacy of the Japanese American confinement site experience. |
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USPS to End Sale of Go For Broke Stamps |
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From our friends at Stamp Our Story: The U.S. Postal Service will stop selling the Go For Broke Japanese American Soldiers of World War II Commemorative Postage Stamp sometime this year. The remaining inventory will be destroyed, postal sources shared with the Stamp Our Story Committee, the community group that led the fifteen-year campaign for the stamp... “We strongly encourage interested individuals and organizations in the community to buy up the remaining Go For Broke Soldiers Stamps — let’s sell out the stamp!” said Wayne Osako, chair of the Stamp Our Story Committee. “This is a wonderful way to show your support for the Nisei Soldiers legacy, and to send a message to Washington that more stories like ours ought to be shared.” |
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"Rebuilding Home Plate – Baseball in Arizona’s Japanese American Incarceration Camps" Open Now! |
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“Rebuilding Home Plate – Baseball in Arizona’s Japanese American Incarceration Camps” opens to the public 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., January 26. The exhibit tells the stories of Japanese Americans who were stripped of their constitutional rights during World War II and how “America’s Pastime” was a means of enduring and escaping their imprisonment. “Rebuilding Home Plate” is presented in partnership with the Nisei Baseball Research Project, the Arizona Baseball Legacy and Experience, and the Japanese American Citizens League-Arizona Chapter. |
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Call to Action: Protect Minidoka National Historic Site! |
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From Friends of Minidoka: The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed Lava Ridge Wind Project in south-central Idaho was released by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on January 17, 2023, and sent to the EPA for approval. It was published in the Federal Register on January 20. The public comment period started Friday, January 20, and will end at 11:59 pm MDT on March 21, 2023. For more information about the Lava Ridge proposal, see additional posts on the Friends of Minidoka site linked below. |
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2023 JACL National Scholarship Applications Available Now! |
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Scholarship Program guidelines, instructions, and applications have been posted on the JACL website, www.jacl.org, and can be accessed by clicking the “Youth” tab on the menu bar. You may also click the button below "To Learn More or Apply Click Here." Following previous years, the application forms for the scholarship program will be completely online. Freshman applications must be submitted directly by the applicant to National JACL through the online form no later than March 6, 2023, 11:59 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (HST). Applications for the non-freshman scholarship categories (undergraduate, graduate, law, creative/performing arts, and financial aid) are also to be sent directly by the applicant to National JACL through the online form no later than April 3, 2023, 11:59 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (HST). All those applying to the National JACL Scholarship Program must be a youth/student or individual member of the JACL; a couple/family membership held by a parent does NOT meet this requirement. Applicants must be enrolled in school in Fall 2023 in order to be eligible for a scholarship. If a student has received two National scholarship awards previously, they are no longer eligible to apply as the limit is two national awards per person. |
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Manzanar Commitee Announces 8th Annual Sue Kunitomi Embrey Student Awards Program for K-12 Students |
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Photo: Some of the winners of the Fifth Annual Manzanar Committee Student Awards Program. Photo by Jason Fujii/Manzanar Committee LOS ANGELES — On December 4, the Manzanar Committee announced their Eighth Annual Sue Kunitomi Embrey Student Awards Program, a creative works program in which K-12 students may submit essays, short stories, poetry, works of art, including drawings, collages, posters, and works involving technology, including animation, podcasts, movies, or videos.
Winning entrants will receive up to $100.00, and their work will be recognized during the Manzanar Pilgrimage and may be published in the Pilgrimage program, on the Manzanar Committee’s website (https://manzanarcommittee.org), in the Sue Kunitomi Embrey Student Awards printed program, and in the Manzanar Committee’s newsletter, the Manzanar Messenger. The Manzanar Committee will determine the final award amounts.
All submissions must be postmarked no later than February 23, 2023. Winners will be contacted shortly after that date.
Program information and application forms can be downloaded at:
https://manzanarcommittee.org/program-details-application |
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