Weekly Digest
June 6, 2023

- 2023 JACL National Convention -

Register Now to join us in July! 

Join us for a sunny, lively, and invigorating 53rd JACL Convention, "Rooted in Community", in the heart of L.A.'s Little Tokyo!

Our 2023 theme of “Rooted in Community” perfectly encompasses your cultural immersion into Little Tokyo's community organizations, museums, history, and, of course, food and shopping! We want to continue the momentum from last year's theme, "Strengthening our Community Through Action."

You can also scan the QR Code below to register! 

We're hiring for a new Daniel K. Inouye Fellow!

The fellowships provide the opportunity to work on advocacy at a national level through the National JACL office based in Washington, D.C. As a fellow, you will become a key component of the D.C. team. In this position you will be working with JACL staff, other fellows, and the executive director, collectively working to mobilize and inform local chapters. As part of this D.C. branch of National JACL, fellows are integral in establishing a voice for JACL and its members within D.C and the various networks. This voice is critical when it comes to policy issues that affect our communities and collaborating with other organizations in order to establish a stronger collective voice.

JACL Teacher Training Workshop in Sacramento, CA - June 24

Several times in our nation’s history, political leaders have been faced with balancing constitutional rights with issues of national security. These decisions were colored by many factors, including wartime hysteria, misinformation, sensationalized media, and racism. The workshop session will cover the historical background of the Japanese American incarceration during World War II, connections to current events and other communities, and the ongoing lessons of discrimination, civil liberties, and justice.

JACL workshops make explicit the lessons of the WWII Japanese American experience through content that emphasizes the universal issues of identity, community, patriotism, civil rights, and justice that continue to be relevant. Including perspectives from community activists and former incarcerees!

We charge a $25 registration fee to hold limited spaces and decrease no-shows. The value of the workshop lasts a lifetime - especially hearing from WWII camp survivors - plus we offer a $100 gift certificate back for all who attend the whole day.

Seattle Area Asian Jewish Initiative Builds and Expands Community Relationships

Three dozen community members, representing some 15 Asian American and Jewish organizations and including six elected officials, gathered on a beautiful summer Sunday, June 4 afternoon hosted at the Wing Museum to further build community relationships.  Co-emceed by the Anti-Defamation League and the Chinese Information and  Service Center, the attendees had a brief history of Wing Museum and its namesake, Wing Luke, who as a Seattle city council member, worked to end housing discrimination and redlining in the 1960s. This was followed by an hour-long walking tour of the Chinatown/International District to learn about and see the effects of redlining in this neighborhood led by the event site host, the Wing Museum. The afternoon concluded with a facilitated roundtable discussion on how redlining shaped both Asian American and Jewish communities and brainstorming for future events and activities. The next community program is at the Holocaust Center for Humanity in the fall. 

"The roundtable conversations were the opportunity to share the stories of how the Asian American and Jewish communities and organizations have worked together," said PNW Governor Sheldon Arakaki.  "Whether assisting incarees resettle in the midwest during World War II to pursuing Federal civil rights charges for the murder of Vicent Chin and to providing introductions on Capitol Hill for the redress movement."

JACL Chicago Upcoming Events!

Saturday, June 23, 2023; 2 – 5 PM

Church of Christ Presbyterian | 5846 N. Spaulding Avenue Chicago, IL 60659

We invite you to join us at Culmination to celebrate this year’s Kansha Project with the Kansha Alumni Leadership Board (ALB) and the 2023 program participants! Participants will share reflections of their experience of their trip to Little Tokyo, LA and Manzanar Historic Site and present their unique projects summarizing their experience to the community. 

A Kansha Project Alumni event will follow the Culmination event from 5:30-7:30 at Alarmist Brewing! 

RSVP: Eventbrite – https://kanshaculmination2023.eventbrite.com

Saturday, July 29 & Sunday, July 30th, 2023 | 10am – 4pm both days

Location : Japanese American Service Committee | 4427 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60640

Free with advance registration! | Registration closes at 11:59pm on Friday, June 30th 

Participants will be notified in early July.

Light breakfast and lunch will be provided to participants. 

Registration Link: https://bit.ly/campdaikon2023 

Camp Daikon was created in collaboration by JACL Chicago’s Next Gen Nikkei and Nikkei Uprising. 

Calling all Japanese American & Nikkei Identifying young people (16-29) in the Chicagoland area interested in social justice! Join us for Camp Daikon, a 2 day retreat with workshops on activism and identity. 

On day one, we’ll be talking about our unique personal identities and messages we’ve been given about what it means to be Japanese and American. On day two, we’ll explore how we as Japanese and Nikkei people fit into larger social movements for social and racial justice, focusing especially on incarceration during WWII and mass incarceration and policing today. Through stories, art, games, and community building activities, we’ll do a deep dive into the historical and cultural forces that impact our community and influence the world around us. 

If you’re interested in discussing…

• Japanese imperialism and how it has manifested in Japan’s rise as a “soft power” and ally to the US
• Intergenerational impacts of Japanese-American incarceration during WWII, and how it connects us to struggles against mass incarceration today
• How to show Japanese-American solidarity with other marginalized communities, in theory and in action

…we hope you’ll consider joining us for Camp Daikon!

For questions, contact Rebecca Ozaki, JACL Chicago Program Director at rebecca@jaclchicago.org or call 773-728-7171. 

National Park Service invites public input on the development of the Amache National Historic Site Foundation Document

From the NPS Amache Study Planning Team, 

The planning team for the Amache National Historic Site Foundation Document would like to thank many of you for your recent participation at the recent public meetings held in California and Colorado. For those who would still like to meet with us, the final public meeting is scheduled for this Saturday (June 10, 2023) in Arvada, Colorado. During the meeting, the NPS will present background information on Amache and the foundation document process, followed by opportunities for the public to ask questions and share thoughts and ideas in an open house setting. Anyone with an interest in Amache's future with the NPS is welcome to attend. 

The meeting location and time can be found on the project website by clicking on ‘Meeting Notices’ on the left-hand menu: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/AMCH_Foundation. For those unable to attend in person, a link to a recorded virtual information session remains available at https://tinyurl.com/Amache-Virtual-Public-Meeting.     

Written comments can be submitted online on the project website (https://parkplanning.nps.gov/AMCH_Foundation) under ‘Open for Comment,’ or postmarked by June 23 and mailed to the address below:    

National Park Service   

Denver Service Center   

Attn: Amache Foundation Document / Charles Lawson   

12795 West Alameda Pkwy   

Denver, CO 80228   

More information about Amache National Historic Site and its transition to NPS management can be found on the park website: https://www.nps.gov/amch.    

2023 60th Anniversary March on Washington 

National Action Network has announced their Not a Commemoration, a Continuation March on Washington, scheduled for August 26th, 2023. The march looks back on the 60 years since the original march back in 1963 and all the achievements and failures that have occurred in the time in between. For more information and to register click the link below to visit the sign-up form from NAN. JACL looks forward to participating in this upcoming march just as we did 60 years ago. 

JA Community Foundation 2023 Fall Grant Cycle Now Open!

The next grant application period will begin on Thursday, June 1, 2023

To apply, you must submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) through our online grant system by Monday, June 26, 2023 (5 pm, PST). If your LOI is approved, you will be invited to submit a full grant application between July 16 and August 7, 2023.

Please review the grant requirements on our website before submitting your LOI as we cannot accept applications that do not meet our criteria.  Please note that organizations with current open grants are not eligible to submit a Letter of Inquiry.  You have an open grant if your Final Report has not been approved by our Grant Committee.

To find out more about this grant cycle and submit your LOI, please visit our website and check FAQ's. 

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@jagives.org.  

JACL Organizational Sign Ons

• Rep. Judy Chu - Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our Communities Act 
• Human Rights Campaign - Over 200 LGBTQ+ and Allied Organizations Call on Target, Business Community to Speak Out Against Extremist Anti-LGBTQ+ Attacks

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

Complicity and Conscience in America's World War II Concentration Camps for Japanese-Americans

Join Hogan Lovells for a panel discussion with Eric Muller, Professor of Law in Jurisprudence and Ethics at the University of North Carolina School of Law, for a discussion on his latest book, "Lawyer, Jailer, Ally, Foe: Complicity and Conscience in America's World War II Concentration Camps."

The book highlights the contradictory instructions given to lawyers: to provide legal counsel to the prisoners while also keeping the concentration camps running. This struggle leads the lawyers to make difficult moral decisions that reveal the complex nature of their role in upholding the unjust system. As we delve into the stories of these lawyers, we are confronted with the harsh reality of how the legal system and government institutions can be used to perpetrate injustice and systemic racism.

Research Study on Racial Encounters in the Asian American Community

Help Find a Match for Mama Grannis!

From Kina Grannis: 

Hi! Kina, Emi, and Misa Grannis here. Thanks for coming to help save our mom’s life. Here’s the deal: If you know our family, you know that our mom is an incredibly magical human. If you don’t know our family, trust us when we tell you that she brings light to everything and everyone she touches. Right now, she needs your help.

The short version:

1. Mama G has a bone marrow cancer called myelofibrosis.

2. She needs a blood stem cell donor* as soon as possible to save her life.

3. To see if you are her match, all you have to do is swab your cheeks with DKMS provided swabs.

*Due to our mom’s specific condition, she needs a blood stem cell donor, not a bone marrow donor. It’s a different (and much simpler) donation process. Either way, all that’s required up front are cheek swabs.

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