| JACL Weekly Digest July 8, 2025 |
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| | | 2025 JACL National Convention Convention Registration Ends TOMORROW, July 9 |
|  | Join us this Summer in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from July 17th through 20th for an exciting convention as we celebrate local and national communities coming together with "Voices in Unity!" |
| | Check Out the Full Convention Schedule Online Now! |
|  | | Take Part in the 2025 JACL National Convention Silent Auction In-Person or Online! |
|  | Visit https://handbid.app.link/JACL-SA or download the Handbid app to view the silent auction baskets and participate.
Sneak peeks will be released on July 15, and bidding opens at 6:00 PM on July 17, 2025. Bidding will close at 7:00 PM MST on July 19, 2025.
Please note that the silent auction is open to all, but some items will need to be retrieved in person BY 8:30 PM MST on July 19th, 2025, at the Sayonara Gala. |
| | Take Action Against the Alien Enemies Act! Learn More at the Alien Enemies Act Landing Page on the JACL Website |
|  | President Trump has now invoked the Alien Enemies Act to target Venezuelan immigrants and already used it to arrest and deport hundreds of people without any due process, only specious accusations based on tattoos and social media posts, but not necessarily actual evidence of criminal activity. The Supreme Court infamously affirmed the right of the government to take actions to preserve the security of our nation in the cases of Hirabayashi, Korematsu, and Yasui, while also affirming the right to due process in the case of ex parte Endo. The Alien Enemies Act deprives people of that constitutional right to due process affirmed by the Supreme Court. Together, we can ensure that "Never Again" is more than a promise. Contact your members of Congress and urge them to oppose the President's use of the Alien Enemies Act and co-sponsor the Neighbors Not Enemies Act to repeal the Alien Enemies Act. |
| | You can also learn more about the Alien Enemies Act, the new JACL Alien Enemies Act Fund, hear stories of people who were subjected to the AEA in WWII, and more at our Alien Enemies Act landing page. Click the button below or visit jacl.org/alien-enemies-act |
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| | | 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 |
| | 2025 Legacy Fund Grant Applications Available Now |
|  | Please join us for a special afternoon of reflection, remembrance, and discussion at the Chandler Museum on Saturday, July 19, from 3:00 to 5:00 PM. We’re proud to partner with the Chandler Museum to present a Gaman Documentary Double Feature—two powerful mini-documentaries exploring life in Japanese American incarceration camps during WWII, including stories from right here in Arizona.  Film Schedule: 3:00 PM — Baseball Behind Barbed Wire by Yuriko Gamo Romer
Experience how baseball provided hope and normalcy in the Gila River incarceration camp. 4:00 PM — Lessons in Loyalty: One American’s Internment Camp Experience by Ray Gonzales
Follow the story of Mas Inoshita's journey through incarceration and the complicated decisions of loyalty, resistance, and resilience. After each film, stay for a discussion moderated by JACL-AZ chapter president Bill Staples, Jr., and friends to deepen our understanding of these complex histories and their legacies today.  Location:
Chandler Museum
300 South Chandler Village Drive
Chandler, AZ 85226
Free parking available |
| | | |  | | | Twin Cities JACL Summer Picnic! |
|  |  Sunday, July 27th, 2025
 11:00am - 2:30pm
 Rosland Park Shelter
4300 West 66th Street
Edina, MN 55435
Join the Twin Cities JACL for our annual summer picnic, featuring great food, Japanese Dance, Games, and More!
All are welcome! Bring your friends, family, and appetite. Please also bring something to share, and don't forget to RSVP!
https://tinyurl.com/4au297ae |
| | Chicago Japanese Community Picnic on August 2 |
|  | | Saturday, August 2, 2025 | LaBagh Woods Grove #1 (Entrance at N Cicero Ave, north of W Foster Ave, Chicago, IL 60630) The entire Chicago Japanese community and Friends are invited to share in a day of games, food, sports, sunshine, good times and more food! Bring a dish that’s big enough for your family (plus a little more) to share with everyone at our community food table buffet. BYOB allowed (beer, wine, etc.) – but no glass containers. The non-stop fun begins at 11 a.m. and includes games for kids and adults, karaoke (until 4 p.m.), volleyball, kickball, and tug-of-war. This event is FREE! | | | |
| | August 30: Intergenerational Conversations: Ripples of the Past |
|  | Saturday, August 30, 2025 | Midwest Buddhist Temple (435 W Menomonee St, Chicago IL 60614) Intergenerational Conversations: Ripples of the Past is a JACL Chicago and Nikkei Uprising program that brings Chicago-area Nikkei (people of Japanese ancestry) 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. The goals for this program include: - expanding understanding and awareness of the impacts of the WWII displacement and incarceration,
- creating a space where participants feel brave to explore difficult subjects and feelings with one another,
- encouraging community members to develop deeper connections with one another,
- catalyzing intergenerational processing and healing, and
- beginning to consider hopes and dreams for our community moving forward.
- For more information, visit https://jaclchicago.org/programs/intergenerational-conversations.
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| | | | Bonbu Stories - Lantern Song Workshop at Ekoji Buddhist Temple in Virginia! |
|  | Join Bonbu Stories at Ekoji Buddhist Temple for a special Lantern Song Workshop!  We'll be showing the "Lantern Song" music video, leading a craft session, and teaching the Bon Odori choreography.
"Lantern Song" was commissioned by the BCA Music Committee to commemorate Buddhist Churches of America's 125th Anniversary in 2024 and served as the official Obon Song. Bonbu Stories is an Asian American arts collaborative creating art in various mediums for authentic storytelling. You can stream "Lantern Song" on all major platforms. |
| | | July events for Honouliuli National Historic Site - 10th anniversary commemoration |
|  | Virtual talk: Life in Honouliuli for Okinawan POWs: Clues Revealed in Documents, Oral Histories and Memoirs. Kaori Akiyama is an Assistant Professor at the Division of Japanese Studies in the Graduate School of Humanities at Osaka University. Okinawan Prisoners of War (POWs) were the last group among four major ethnic groups of POWs to arrive in Hawaiʻi during and immediately following WWII. This presentation will examine clues that reveal details of their lives in Honouliuli based on US military documents, interviews and their memoirs in Japanese. When: Saturday, July 19 at 3 p.m. Where: This is a free virtual talk. However, registration is required to get the link for the talk. Virtual talk: From the Ryukyu Kingdom to Honouliuli: Okinawan POWs in Historical Context. Dr. Brandon Marc Higa is a lecturer in law with a doctor of juridical sciences and juris doctor degrees from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law. Dr. Higa’s presentation provides historical background on Okinawa before World War II. He will trace Okinawa’s transformation from the independent Ryukyu Kingdom to its annexation as a Japanese prefecture in 1879, highlighting the complex political and cultural shifts that shaped Okinawan identity under imperial rule. This historical context helps explain the distinct experiences of Okinawan POWs at Honouliuli and other internment sites, setting them apart from other Japanese detainees. When: Saturday, July 26 at 3 p.m. Where: This is a free virtual talk. However, registration is required to get the link for the talk. Honouliuli National Historic Site Traveling Pop-Up Exhibit: The Kapolei Public Library will be the home of Honouliuli National Historic Site’s traveling pop-up exhibit. Visit the exhibit to learn about the history of Honouliuli and the featured books carried by the library related to Honouliuli. When: The month of July Where: Kapolei Public Library, 1020 Manawai St, Kapolei, HI 96707. |
| | Taste of Aloha for LA Wildfire Relief - GFBNEC & King's Hawaiian |
|  | Join us for a special evening at King’s Hawaiian Bakery & Restaurant to raise support for the LA wildfire relief efforts in the Pasadena and Altadena area. The event will include buffet-style bites of King’s signature desserts and favorite sides like spam musubi and teriyaki chicken sticks appetizers, and a beverage bar of alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails, coffee, and tea. With passion-orange-guava juice in hand, be a part of this fun community gathering featuring: - the ever-popular spam musubi eating contest, the “Return of the Last Spamurai”
- the limited King’s Hawaiian Los Angeles Strong T-Shirt available for purchase
- a photo booth to capture fun memories!
Dress code is Aloha casual. Net proceeds will support wildfire relief efforts by the Pasadena Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Pasadena Nikkei Seniors, Pasadena Japanese Cultural Institute, Pasadena Buddhist Temple, and the First Presbyterian Church of Altadena. |
| | | JA Community Foundation Grant - Summer Letter of Inquiries Available Now |
|  | We're excited to announce that our newest Letter of Inquiry period is now open, beginning today and closing on July 31, 2025. If you are interested in applying for a grant, you can begin the process by clicking here.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@jagives.org. |
| | Our Debt of Gratitude - Seeking Stories of People Who Helped Japanese Americans During WWII |
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| | | | Crystal City Rising: Neighbors not Enemies - October 9-12th |
|  | The Crystal City Pilgrimage Committee has opened registration for the 2025 pilgrimage taking place October 9-12 in Texas. This year’s Pilgrimage theme is “Crystal City Rising - Neighbors Not Enemies.” In addition to learning about the unique history and stories of survivors of the Crystal City Concentration Camp, this year’s Pilgrimage will frame many of our programs through the lens of present-day attacks on immigrant communities. The event will include a visit to the site of the former prison camp in Crystal City, and a multi-day educational conference taking place in San Antonio. The registration fee costs $395.00 per person, which covers bus transportation from the hotel in San Antonio to Crystal City, pilgrimage-related meals, and other related pilgrimage costs. Registration can be completed using the online form at tinyurl.com/2025CCP. For questions about registration or assistance with the form, please email: info@crystalcitypilgrimage.org Conference programs will be held at the DoubleTree San Antonio Airport Hotel (611 NW Loop 410 San Antonio, TX 78216), which has a special group rate of $119.00 per night plus taxes for both single and double rooms for the duration of the event. Pilgrimage attendees can book online at tinyurl.com/2025CCPhotel using the discount code “CCP.” Hotel bookings can also be made by calling 1-888-728-3031 under the group name “Crystal City Pilgrimage.” |
| | | 2025 Poston Pilgrimage - October 24th and 25th! |
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| | JACL Headquarters
1765 Sutter Street
San Francisco, California 94115
(415) 921-5225 | mbr@jacl.org |
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JACL DC Office
1025 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 600
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 223-1240 | policy@jacl.org |
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