Weekly Digest
June 15, 2021

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. 

Stay safe everyone and we hope to see you all in person again soon. 

- JACL National Staff

Welcome Our New Intern!

Joining the JACL staff this summer as a policy and programs intern is Hunter Akiyoshi. Hunter was raised in Downers Grove, Illinois, a suburb 20 miles west of Chicago. Currently, Hunter is a junior undergraduate student at North Central College majoring in Global Studies with a minor in Political Science. On-campus, Hunter is a member of Asian Student Konnections (AKS), Japan Club, and International Club, organizations that aid his journey in becoming an active member in the AAPI community. 

This summer, Hunter is looking forward to working alongside fellow Asian Americans in the advocacy realm to improve his understanding of the issues affecting not only members of the AAPI community but issues affecting all ethnic and minority groups within the United States. Furthermore, during his time at JACL, Hunter hopes to strengthen his research skills, make valuable connections with the staff, and build upon his perception of Japanese American involvement in advocacy. This opportunity is especially important to Hunter as four of his great grandparents were members of JACL during the mid-to-late 20th century, a time when the civic rights of Japanese Americans were desecrated. As time progresses, Hunter hopes that members of the AAPI community, with the support of JACL, will continue to rise and stand against injustice together.

During his internship, Hunter will be conducting policy research and performing tasks that include the planning of JACL's National Convention. 

2021 JACL National Convention Registration Now Open!

This year's convention theme is "Communities Forged Under Fire" representing the long history of not only the Japanese American community's struggles throughout our history but the struggles of many marginalized communities from immigration and colonization to the fight for civil rights and beyond. 

The 2021 Virtual National Convention will take place from July 15-18, 2021. The virtual convention will include National Council sessions, as well as the usual breakout sessions and workshops that are hosted during convention. More information around the virtual convention and registration will be announced soon!

For Convention Committees, Chapters, and Members: 

Credentials, Resolution, and CBL Forms are now available on the JACL webpage! You can find them below along with the guidelines and due dates for each form!

Here is our At a Glance Schedule for the 2021 National Convention! 

Sponsored Youth Rate: For this year's special virtual format, we have expanded access to students and youth 25 and under to enjoy a special free rate. Limited tickets are available. Please email convention@jacl.org with the subject line "Convention Youth Rate" for the promo code.

Applications Open for the Daniel K. Inouye Fellowship!

JACL is now accepting applications for the Daniel K. Inouye Fellowship. The Fellowship is for one year and is based in our Washington, DC office. Due to the current office operating status, the fellowship will begin remotely but will be physically based in DC once we resume regular office operations.

JACL fellows gain exposure to JACL's legislative and policy advocacy work both directly and through broad coalition work. Fellows also help administer several major JACL programs including convention, the JACL/OCA Leadership Summit, and the Kakehashi program.

For more information about the Fellowship Program, click HERE.

Watch "1 Hour Photo" from East-West Players with a Special JACL Discount!

June 12th-20th, 2021 

Special Price for JACL members with discount: $9.99 use code 1HPGJACL at checkout!

1 Hour Photo

EWP presents Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (vAct)’s production of 1 Hour Photo by Tetsuro Shigematsu. Called, “superbly written and performed,” (Review Vancouver), 1 Hour Photo is a true, moving portrait of a Japanese Candian man’s quest to find beauty in the depths of a savage century, as he journeys from finding love in a WWII incarceration camp to rebuilding his life as a scientist, businessman, and father. A heartfelt exploration of a life well-lived, 1 Hour Photo employs the use of intricately crafted miniatures to explore the artifact of Mas Yamamoto’s life inside and beyond internment.

Juneteenth "Reparations" Screening and Panel Discussion

Join Stop Repeating History, National Urban League, Advancement Project, Race Forward, and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum on June 15 at 1:30 PM ET for a special Juneteenth film screening and panel on reparations and allyship featuring national Black and Asian American Leaders.

The short film “Reparations” examines reparations from two different but connected perspectives– specifically reparations for the Japanese Americans incarcerated during WW2, the role Black community in achieving reparations for them, and the need to address reparations for the Black community now. 

Panelists: 

• Marc Morial, President, National Urban League

• Judith Browne Dianis, Executive Director, Advancement Project

• Glenn Harris, President, Race Forward

• Don Tamaki, California Reparations Task Force Member

• Jon Osaki, Filmmaker of “Reparations”

Moderator:  

Mary L. Smith, VP and Managing Director of Programs, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum

"Our League of Dreams - Documentary of the JACL" Fundraiser

JACL National and film producer Lane Nishikawa have agreed to work together to produce the first educational documentary film about the 90-year history of the JACL. 

OUR LEAGUE OF DREAMS received a $25,000 Japanese American Community Foundation Grant Award through the assistance of the San Diego Chapter JACL. This will cover the costs of shooting in the first five cities. We need your help to meet our production budget goals. Lane has mapped out seventeen cities that he would like to shoot interviews.

Your individual donation or JACL Chapter donation will go a long way towards helping us achieve our goals. We will make sure that your names are prominently highlighted in the end credits of the film.

Once the film is completed, JACL National and Lane will work with any JACL Chapter that wants to hold a public film screening event in their city to fundraise for their chapter, to educate their youth, and network to new audiences for potential new members. 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

Now on YouTube! Booktalk with Olympic Medalists Maia and Alex Shibutani! 

In this second installment of the Kudo Kids series, middle schoolers Mika and Andy head off to New York City with their parents for Spring Break. Plans of visiting historic landmarks, eating delicious food, and catching up with their Aunt Kei and cousin Jenny are on the agenda while their sports reporter mom covers March Madness at Madison Square Garden. But their Big Apple adventure turns rotten when a dress that their Aunt Kei designed goes missing on their watch right before her first fashion show. Told in alternating perspectives from puzzle-loving Andy to photography-focused Mika, this fast past and fun mystery will not only test the siblings’ power of observation but their ability to work together as a team.

2021 Tsuru for Solidarity Call for Art

Tsuru for Solidarity is seeking art submissions that are inspired by or in conversation with Tsuru for Solidarity’s priorities. You can visit the Tsuru for Solidarity website below and social media to learn more. Subject areas can include but are not limited to:

• Close the Camps: Ending Child and Family Detention
• Prisons, Policing, Surveillance: Japanese American Resistance to State-Sponsored Violence
• Japanese Americans and African Americans Advancing the Movement for Reparations
• Healing Intergenerational Trauma in the Japanese American Community through healing circles, direct actions, and connecting to our legacy and histories.
• The “tsuru” (or origami crane) as a symbol of peace, hope, and solidarity
• Building Community & Solidarity
• “Being the Allies We Needed,” “Never Again Is Now,” “Stop Repeating History,” “Kodomo No Tame Ni”

Deadlines: 

• Application opens Monday, May 24, 2021
• Application closes Monday, June 28, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. PST
• Applicants notified by Friday, July 09, 2021.

JACL Anti-Hate and Hate Crime Resources

For resources, toolkits, articles, and more about anti-hate programs and hate crimes, you can visit our page on JACL.org by clicking the link below.

Healthcare.gov Available through August 15!

There’s a new Special Enrollment Period that allows you to sign up for or change health insurance through August 15, 2021, due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This Special Enrollment Period is available to residents of the 36 states that use HealthCare.gov. (If your state runs its own Marketplace, check their website. Most states are offering similar options to enroll.)

After you fill out and submit your application at HealthCare.gov, you have 30 days to enroll in a plan. Coverage starts the first day of the month after you enroll. For example, if you enroll any time in March, your coverage starts on April 1.

You may qualify to save money — most people do! In fact, 9 out of 10 people who enroll are eligible for savings. Millions more people can find plans for lower premiums due to the COVID relief law. In fact, 4 out of 5 can find a plan for $10 or less after savings.

JACL Young Professionals Caucus -Professional Development Contact List Survey 

The Young Professionals Caucus (YPC) is an affinity group within the JACL for self-identifying young professionals and provides a space for sharing experiences, building and deepening relationships, and collective growth through monthly virtual community spaces, innovative inter-chapter programming, and open forums for uplifting advocacy, resources, and encouraging direct action and dialogue.

We would appreciate you completing this survey about your current and past professional and individual experiences. We plan to compile an internal contact list for our members and potential/future members. Your participation in this survey will help YPC develop future programming.  

Providing information is voluntary and the information collected will only be used internally within JACL. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete. 

H.R. 40 Updates and Join in Support

Last Wednesday, April 14, the House Judiciary Committee voted for the first time in the bill's 30 year history to advance H.R. 40 to the House floor for a full vote! This is a monumental step in bill's life and a start towards righting another wrong in our nation's history. 

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. 

"Black + Japanese Reparations" Virtual Event Series and Book Club

Help find a Bone Marrow Match for

Paul and Kazumi!

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