Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your web browser

JACL Weekly Digest

February 25, 2025

JACL National News

The Heightened Importance of Understanding Japanese American WWII Incarceration on this Day of Remembrance

February 19, 2025 -

"83 years ago on this date, February 19, 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. This executive action authorized what would become the forced removal and mass incarceration of over 125,000 people of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast and Hawai‘i, two-thirds of whom were United States citizens. In the name of national security, entire families were stripped of their homes, livelihoods, and dignity. Under duress from the government and the threat of their families being separated, some individuals renounced their American citizenship and were deported to Japan, a country they had little connection with other than their DNA."

Read the Full Statement Here

2025 Spring National Board Meeting

On Saturday, March 1st, 2025, the JACL National Board will be hosting its quarterly board meeting at the National Headquarters building in San Francisco Japantown. The address is 1765 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94115. This meeting will include a Zoom option however, it will be view ONLY. Attendees will NOT be able to participate, including asking questions. Details on joining the meeting and other information necessary will be sent out following registration, no later than 24 hours prior to the meeting's start time. The meeting will start at 9:00am Pacific Time (12:00pm Eastern Time).

JACL Endorses the February 28 Economic Blackout and NAACP's Black Consumer Advisory

On Friday, February 28, consumers across the nation will be joining together to demonstrate the collective buying power of those of us who support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs. Individuals are encouraged to abstain from spending money in stores and online for 24 hours particularly at many of the major national retailers who have announced pullbacks from DEI programs. If necessary, spending should be limited to locally owned businesses.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion have been targeted falsely as promoting non-meritorious hiring and promotions in the government and in businesses. As a result, several companies have declared and end to their DEI practices. At JACL we know that DEI programs are a means to ensure that well qualified women, minorities, and disabled people are not overlooked and given consideration equal to other candidates. The reality is that without DEI programs, hiring and promotions would not give such fair consideration to all candidates.

Participating in the February 28 economic blackout will be one way of demonstrating your support for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for all people.

The NAACP has issued a Black Consumer Advisory highlighting companies that have affirmed their support for DEI programs, as well as those who have scaled back or retreated from their support of an inclusive workplace. While not calling explicitly for boycotts of those companied who have scaled back, this is a tool so that consumers can be better informed and spend their dollars wisely and in accordance with their values. For more information about the NAACP's Black Consumer Advisory, follow the link below.

NAACP Black Consumer Advisory

2025 Day of Remembrance Events Ongoing this Month!

There is still time to send in your 2025 DOR Events!

Please send any information you have on your DOR events, including date(s), times, any website/social links, and images/flyers you might have!

Send any program information you have to Education Programs Manager, Matthew Weisbly at mweisbly@jacl.org

See the List of DOR Events Here!

2025 JACL National Scholarships! Freshman Applications Due March 3rd!

Learn More and Apply Here

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

Community in Conflict - The Santa Fe Internment Memorial

Learn More Here

Monterey JACL Nakayoshi Event - Sushi Making

2025 Kansha Project Applications Available Now!

Applications are now available for the 2025 Kansha Project! The Kansha Project is a JACL Chicago program founded in 2011 that connects self-identified Japanese American/Nikkei youth ages 18-25 from the Midwest to their identity, history, and community. Application deadline is March 1st at 11:59pm CST. Find more information on our website at https://jaclchicago.org/programs/kansha-project/.

Application link: https://bit.ly/kanshaprojectapp2025

Intergenerational Conversations:

Ripples of the Past

Intergenerational Conversations: Ripples of the Past will be held on Saturday, March 1st, 2025 from 2:30-4:30 PM (location to be announced soon). Advanced registration is required due to limited space. Masking during this event is required. Participants must register by 5pm on February 19th, 2025.

Intergenerational Conversations: Ripples of the Past is a JACL Chicago program that brings Chicago-area Nikkei (people of Japanese ancestry) of all ages together to connect and process the trauma of WWII forced displacement and incarceration through personal story sharing. It was created to bridge the gap in programming for the community’s need for containers to reflect on and heal from the generational impact of incarceration.

Learn more at https://jaclchicago.org/programs/intergenerational-conversations/ or RSVP at https://bit.ly/intergenconvoscontinued. Questions? Contact Program Director, Rebecca Ozaki, at rebecca@jaclchicago.org

Announcing: JACL Chicago 2025 Scholarships - Apply Now!

The Chicago Chapter of JACL offers scholarships ranging from $2,000 to $5,000+ to undergraduate and graduate students who have demonstrated a commitment to JACL’s mission. Scholarships are awarded based on an applicant’s understanding of and alignment with JACL’s mission, as well as academic performance and extracurricular involvement. Scholarships are open to all, regardless of race or ethnicity. Visit our website for more information: https://jaclchicago.org/programs/scholarship-program/

All application materials are due by email to scholarships@jaclchicago.org by 11:59 PM Central time on Saturday, March 1, 2025. Awards will be distributed at the annual Scholarship Luncheon on Sunday, May 18, 2025.

For more information, contact Christine Munteanu, JACL Chicago Scholarship Committee Chair, at scholarships@jaclchicago.org.

Announcing: Seattle JACL 2025 Scholarships - Apply Now!

Seattle JACL is proud to announce we are now accepting applications for our six 2024
Youth Scholarships to support students to continue their education.
Each of the six scholarships were established in honor of Seattle-area Japanese American
activists and leaders that made strides in community engagement and advancing access to
education. They are the:
- Aki Kurose Memorial Scholarship (Min.-$3,000)
- Cherry and Mas Kinoshita Scholarship ($3,000)
- Dr. Susumu Shimokon Memorial Scholarship ($5,000)
- Elaine Reiko Akagi Scholarship ($5,000)
- Minoru Tamesa Scholarship ($3,000)
- Bunshiro Tazuma Scholarship ($3,000)
Those eligible to apply include graduating high school seniors, current undergraduate,
graduate, and medical school students.
All scholarship applications and supplemental documents are due on Sunday, March 3,
2025. For more information on the Seattle JACL Scholarship Program please visit our
website: http://seattlejacl.org/programs/scholarships/
Seattle JACL is grateful for a recent generous bequest from the Shigeo and Toshiko Iseri
Family Trust which will sustain our scholarship program for the future.

From Our Partners

Jerome Rowher 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.

Motion Picture Association Entertainment Law and Policy Fellowship!

The MPA Entertainment Law & Policy Fellowship is an entertainment-focused law and policy program that is dedicated to advancing the cause of inclusion, community, and belonging in the entertainment industry.

This prestigious program ensures the best and brightest students have the opportunity to participate in the entertainment industry, regardless of their background, by providing the selected Fellows with stipends for living and housing, and reimbursement for certain fellowship-related travel expenses to participate in the year-long program.

Fellows will gain relevant experience working at the MPA as well as its member studios and interact with senior executives and policymakers, while building the skills needed to prepare them to be the next generation of law and policy leaders in the entertainment industry.

Learn More and Apply Here!