JACL Weekly Digest

July 2, 2024

Note: JACL Offices will be closed on Thursday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day. JACL Offices will also be closed Monday, July 8 through Wednesday, July 17th as JACL staff travel, attend, and rest from the 2024 National Convention. There will be NO weekly digest next week, July 9! Follow JACL Social Media for any updates next week.

JACL National News

Get Your Convention Baseball Tickets Today! Almost Sold Out!

JACL is thrilled to offer additional Special Events at this year's convention:

• Phillies vs. Dodgers Baseball Game
• Natsu Matsuri (Summer Festival) at Shofuso Japanese House & Garden

IMPORTANT INFO

• Please note that full convention registrations only include access to Natsu Matsuri and do not include bento boxes at Natsu Matsuri or baseball tickets.
• Baseball Game tickets are first come first serve. There is only a handful of tickets left so be sure to get yours this week!
• Natsu Matsuri registration is now closed!

For Convention Attendees- Join the Whova App to stay up to date!

Can't Come to Convention? Watch the 2024 AAPI Presidential Town Hall at Home!

Since 2008, the Presidential Town Hall has served as a crucial national forum for inviting presidential candidates to engage directly with the AAPI community. By providing a dedicated space for candidates to address AAPI community members, leaders, and organizers face-to-face, the town hall offers one of the rare opportunities for this impactful growing electorate to hear directly from those vying for the nation’s highest office. This event ensures that AAPI issues are brought to the forefront of campaigns and media attention, pushing candidates to address the concerns and priorities that matter most to the AAPI population.

This year, the Presidential Town Hall will be held in the Pennsylvania Convention Center- Philadelphia on July 13, 2024 from 1-5pm. We are anticipating a crowd of up to 1800 in attendance for an in-person event.

To watch the AAPI Town Hall at home or to host a watch party, click below to learn more how!

Sign-On Letter Asking President Biden to Protect Minidoka NHS

Friends of Minidoka along with community partners have been fighting for nearly three years to preserve the solemn and reflective cultural landscape of Minidoka National Historic Site from a massive commercial wind development.

Last week, the Bureau of Land Management issued its Final EIS for Lava Ridge. The proposed alternative will mar the sanctity of Minidoka National Historic Site. Here is Friends of Minidoka’s and National Parks Conservation Association’s joint press release and press kit. Read more on our Lava Ridge webpage.

We need your help to protect the solemn and reflective immersive experience at Minidoka National Historic site from a massive commercial development on public lands. Please sign on to our letter to President Biden. The deadline to sign on is July 10, 2024.

New Partnership Gets You Paid to Enjoy the JACL Community!

Grouper connects you with social fitness benefits in your health plan. Eligible participants 65+ with qualifying plans can receive a check in the mail, recognizing your passion as beneficial to health. Check eligibility at GrouperGroups.com/jacl, and let JACL be on your health plan.

Mike Masaoka Congressional Fellowship Application Now Open!

The Mike M. Masaoka Fellowship Fund was established in 1988 to honor Mike M. Masaoka (1915-1991) for a lifetime of outstanding public service in promoting justice, civil rights, and human dignity. The Masaoka Fellowship is designed to develop leaders for public service, particularly at the national level, and provides fellows the unique opportunity to be placed in a Congressional office where they gain firsthand knowledge of policy creation.

The fellowship is housed in the D.C. office of a member of the U.S. Senate or the U.S. House of Representatives. The length of the fellowship is decided upon by the selected fellow and by the Congressional office and can last from 6 months to over a year. Specific duties in the office vary depending on the Congressional office and on the Fellow’s experience and knowledge of Congressional functions.

Priority Deadline: July 22, 2024 at 11:59 PM HST.

JACL Organizational Sign Ons

• LCCHR - JACL Joins Partners in Decrying Removal of Civil Rights Protections in the American Privacy Rights Act
• NWLC - JACL Joins Letter from 69 Civil Rights Organizations to School Administrators Urging Compliance With New Title IX Rule

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

We'll see you all next week in Philadelphia for the 2024 JACL National Convention!

From Our Partners

JA Community Foundation 2nd Round Grant LOIs 

The JA Community Foundation is currently focusing our funding on the Japanese American community. We accept applications from all 50 states in the United States.

We fund programs and projects that focus on senior health and services, history, arts and culture, and youth.

All grantees are required to be registered 501c3 public benefit nonprofit organizations.

Our grant application process has two stages. You must first submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) and then, if invited, submit a full proposal.

Deadline is July 31, 2024.

Upcoming Events from the Japanese American Resource Center of Colorado

Saturday, July 6, 2024 / Colorado Okinawa Association 

                  50^th Anniversary Celebration / 11:00 am - 3:30 pm / Free Admission

                  Douglas County Event Center / 500 Fairgrounds Rd. / Castle Rock, CO 

                  see attachment for more information (thumbnail) 

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