 | | Weekly Digest
March 28, 2023 |
| | 2023 JACL National Convention Workshop Proposal Form! |
|  | Do you have an idea for a possible workshop at this year's upcoming JACL National Convention? Then help us by submitting your idea to possibly see it as a workshop this year! Proposals are due by Monday, April 10th. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. This year's workshops will be spread across two days with each dedicated to a specific theme:
Friday Workshops: Envisioning JACL for the Future
Workshops on this day should focus on the current work that JACL is doing, educating and skill-building for chapters and members, and/or discussing how JACL can prepare itself for the future
Saturday Workshops: Rooted in Community
Workshops on this day should focus on the work individuals and organizations are doing to preserve and celebrate the Japanese American, the larger Asian American & Pacific Islander community, and allied communities. |
| | You can also scan the QR Code below to visit the form! |
|  | | JACL Deplores Radio Host Remarks and Station Response |
|  | March 24, 2023 On Wednesday, March 22, WEEI radio show producer Chris Curtis was discussing the upcoming banning of single-use liquor bottles, sometimes referred to as nip bottles or “nips” which also happens to be a slur against those of Japanese background. As the actual show participants named their favorite types of liquor, Mr. Curtis, the show producer, chose to interject snidely with Mina Kimes, a Korean American sportscaster for ESPN in obvious recognition of her Asian heritage. Mr. Curtis’ employer, WEEI responded that he has spoken in error and intended to say Mila Kunis to cover up Mr. Curtis’ racism. The station has since suspended him for one week. |
| | | JACL Celebrates Return of the KAKEHASHI Project |
|  | March 23, 2023 JACL is pleased to have once again taken part in the KAKEHASHI Project in conjunction with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Japanese International Cooperation Center (JICE). MOFA has worked with JACL since 2014 to send over 1,000 Japanese American students and young adults to Japan on trips that broaden their understanding of their cultural ties to Japan and facilitate exchanges that promote better U.S.-Japan relations. |
| | | 2023 JACL National Scholarship General/Arts Applications due April 3! |
|  | Freshman Application are Now Closed! Scholarship Program guidelines, instructions, and applications have been posted on the JACL website, www.jacl.org, and can be accessed by clicking the “Youth” tab on the menu bar. You may also click the button below "To Learn More or Apply Click Here." Applications for the non-freshman scholarship categories (undergraduate, graduate, law, creative/performing arts, and financial aid) are also to be sent directly by the applicant to National JACL through the online form no later than April 3, 2023, 11:59 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (HST). All those applying to the National JACL Scholarship Program must be a youth/student or individual member of the JACL; a couple/family membership held by a parent does NOT meet this requirement. Applicants must be enrolled in school in Fall 2023 in order to be eligible for a scholarship. If a student has received two National scholarship awards previously, they are no longer eligible to apply as the limit is two national awards per person. |
| | | Darrell Miho & Heart Bypass Surgery #MihoStrong |
|  | Dear Friends and Family of Darrell Miho, Our dear friend, Darrell, has had a sudden serious health emergency and needs our help. He was running errands when he began to feel chest pain and was a little short of breath. It felt off enough that he went to an ER. Good going, Darrell. But, you know it’s not good when you turn around to suddenly see the doctor and staff surrounding you, springing into action. He underwent open heart surgery on February 27, 2023. A total of 5 bypasses(!) were performed that day. Thank goodness it was a success! Darrell was the official photographer for the 2022 JACL National Convention in Las Vegas. We wish him a speedy and successful recovery and hope that the community can help support him through the process! |
| | | Seattle JACL event: Stop Rhyming History |
|  | The Seattle JACL is pleased to host a discussion of the documentary film Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America. The film is the creation of Jeffery Robinson, a Seattle-based and nationally recognized civil rights lawyer. The film explores the history of anti-Black racism in America and the enduring legacy of white supremacy and our collective responsibility to overcome it. Our event will reflect on the types of oppression still present today, how they repeat, or rhyme with episodes in our nation's past, and current efforts aimed at repairing past harms and promoting equity and liberation for all. Our event will feature a panel discussion with Professor Wayne Au, Professor Lorraine Bannai, and community leader Peter Hasegawa, followed by small group conversations among event attendees. Here are the event details: Saturday, April 15 1 PM - 3:30 PM PDT / 4 PM - 6:30 PM EDT Zoom - register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIldOitrjwsG9eRkcsrV6BQYUjUhcfxL8yA Event attendees are asked to watch the film prior to the event. The film is available for streaming on Netflix. The Seattle JACL has also obtained a screening license for those who are not Netflix subscribers. The link for the screening will be active for 72 hours from distribution. We hope you will share this event with your organization's members. We are excited to continue to build community together. |
| | 25th Annual Freedom Walk in Washington, D.C. |
|  | | | Wakasa 80th commemorative weekend in Utah: April 21-22, 2023 |
|  | The Topaz Museum Board and Wakasa Memorial Committee will co-host memorial events at the Topaz concentration camp in Delta, and Salt Lake, Utah, to honor the memory of James Hatsuaki Wakasa, who was walking his dog when he was killed by an Army guard on April 11, 1943, at Topaz. The memorial events in Utah will require registration and will commence Friday, April 21, at the Salt Lake City Buddhist Temple. An evening program will feature a presentation on the life of James Hatsuaki Wakasa, followed by a panel presentation by officials from the Utah State Historical Preservation Office and the National Park Service, as well as a stone conservator. They will discuss the long-term preservation of the Wakasa memorial stone and site. At Topaz, on Saturday, April 22, a ceremonial walk will retrace Wakasa’s steps from his barrack to the sacred place where he died. After his death, a monument was built nearby in his memory but taken down by government order. A brief interfaith ceremony will be held near the fence where he died. After the memorial walk, a ritual ceremony will be live streamed to the RJ Law Community Center from the courtyard of the Topaz Museum in Delta, 16 miles from Topaz. The Wakasa Monument, a 2,400-pound memorial stone, was erected in 1943 near the fence at Topaz by Issei friends and members of the landscape committee, in defiance of the authorities’ orders not to build a monument. Soon after, they were ordered by WRA administration to destroy the monument. The builders, instead, buried the stone. The top was rediscovered in 2020. It had lain in the ground for 78 years, until it was unearthed by the Topaz Museum Board and relocated to the Museum's courtyard in 2021, to protect it from vandalism and other acts of deliberate destruction, according to a museum spokesperson. |
| | | JACL Organizational Sign Ons |
| | | | San Diego JACL Monthly Community Dialogues |
|  | | | Call to Action: Protect Minidoka National Historic Site! Deadline for Comments Extended! |
|  | From Friends of Minidoka: The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed Lava Ridge Wind Project in south-central Idaho was released by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on January 17, 2023, and sent to the EPA for approval. It was published in the Federal Register on January 20. The public comment period started Friday, January 20, and will end at 11:59 pm MDT on April 20, 2023 (NEW DEADLINE). For more information about the Lava Ridge proposal, see additional posts on the Friends of Minidoka site linked below. |
| | | 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. |
| | | 2023 Minoru Yasui Student Contest |
|  | The 2023 Minoru Yasui Student Contest theme is responsibility and asks students to express their community responsibilities through a visual art piece and artist statement. The contest has a Junior Division (5th-8th grade) offering a $500 grand prize and Senior Division (9th-12th grade) offering a $1,000 grand prize. Organized by the Minoru Yasui Legacy Project and the Japanese American Museum of Oregon, the Minoru Yasui Student Contest offers students the opportunity to explore societal topics in connection with the legacy of Minoru Yasui, the only Oregonian to have been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. To view the full details of the contest, visit the Minoru Yasui Student Contest webpage. Submissions must be completed and uploaded by 11:59pm PT on Sunday, May 14. |
| | Rebuild Manzanar's Baseball Field |
|  | Manzanar National Historic Site preserves and tells the stories of Japanese-American incarceration during World War II. Visitors to the park come across a simple sign saying "baseball fields" in front of an expanse of dirt and scraps of chicken wire once used as back stops. This is a huge missed opportunity because the story of baseball at Manzanar is one of its most deeply touching. Japanese Americans, labelled "enemies of the state," continued to enjoy the everyday American game of baseball. This speaks loudly of their resilience and the injustice of their incarceration. Over 120 baseball and softball teams divided into twelve leagues played year-round within the bleak and dehumanizing camp.
A grant from The Fund for People in Parks to rebuild the baseball field, complete with bleachers and announcer's booth, will enable the park to offer visitors a powerful image of life at Manzanar. An educational display on the site will add context. The area will be archaeologically excavated during the work, possibly uncovering new objects. No grass will be planted, keeping this a dirt field, as it always was. Ceremonial games will be played on occasion, allowing for reconciliation and remembrance. The project is only $1,200 off of its goal! Help the project team reach its goal! |
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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
1629 K Street NW, Suite 400
Washington, D.C. 20006
(202) 223-1240 | policy@jacl.org |
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