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Weekly Digest
March 1, 2022 |
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JACL's physical offices remain officially closed. Staff continue to do the work of the organization remotely with some visits to the physical office. 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 |
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Killing of Amir Locke Shows Need for Legislation to End “No-Knock” Warrants |
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March 1, 2022 The national Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and our Twin Cities Chapter condemn the use of “no-knock” warrants by the Minneapolis Police Department, who fatally shot 22-year-old Amir Locke on February 2nd, 2022 during a botched raid that had nothing to do with him. Bodycam footage shows Locke, a licensed gun owner, holding a weapon with his finger off the trigger after being startled awake by police. Despite not being named on the warrant, Locke was shot and killed by Minneapolis Police within seconds... This morning, Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar introduced the Amir Locke Stop Deadly No-Knock Warrants Act in response to the killing of Amir Locke and others due to these dangerous police actions. JACL supports this bill as well as more comprehensive efforts at reform including the BREATHE Act and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which continue to stall in the Senate and could have prevented Amir Locke’s death. We are appalled by the continued congressional inaction in the face of these tragedies and demand legislation now. |
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Announcing JACL's New Youth & Programs Manager, Cheyenne Cheng! |
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JACL is happy to announce that former Norman Y. Mineta Fellow, Cheyenne Cheng, has been promoted to JACL's New Youth & Programs Manager Position! In her new role, Cheyenne will be in charge of several JACL programs, including JACL/OCA Leadership Summit, the Kakehashi Project, and more; as well as provide staff support to the NY/SC and the YPC. Also, be on the lookout for new possibilities with JACL coming up in the next few weeks! |
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House Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Discrimination and the Civil Rights of the Muslim, Arab, and South Asian American Communities |
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Representative Omar testified on the need to repeal the Alien Enemies Act which has been used by executive powers to exclude communities throughout American history. It was used to justify the exclusion of over 120,000 people of Japanese Ancestry during WWII with the signing of executive order 9066. |
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There's Still Time to Support JLA Redress! |
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| Phase 2 of the Japanese American redress campaign is underway. The signing of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 gave redress to Japanese Americans who were citizens or Legal Permanent Residents when they were interned during World War II, but Japanese Latin Americans were excluded. Now, after a major victory with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Japanese Latin Americans call upon everyone who supported Phase 1 of the redress campaign to call the White House or write letters to the Biden Administration urging them to honor the rule of international law and give appropriate redress to Japanese Latin Americans. Visit https://jlacampaignforjustice.org/ for more information. | | |
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2022 JACL National Freshman Scholarship Applications Due this Week! |
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Freshman Scholarships are due March 4th! All other scholarships are due April 1st! |
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2022 JACL/OCA Leadership Summit Applications due March 6! |
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Applications for the 2022 JACL/OCA Leadership Summit are now open! Since 1984, JACL has been hosting the summit for our members and began partnering with OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates in 1994! We will be hosting the summit in person in Washington, D.C. from May 21 - 24 with health guidelines to keep participants safe. |
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Day of Remembrance Recordings |
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In case you missed any Day of Remembrance Events, you can visit our page for links to recordings and more information on events. Links to recordings will be updated as they become available. |
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2022 JACL Legacy Fund Grant Applications Now Open! |
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JACL Chapters and Districts are eligible to apply for a grant to support a project or activity that is supportive of the National JACL Strategic Plan. Grants of up to $6,000 each will be awarded by the Legacy Fund Grants Committee to selected applicants. Funding for the program grants is provided by Legacy Fund revenues. |
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