COVID-19 and JACL operations and resources |
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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. You can also check our website, jacl.org, for updates and COVID-19 resources. You can view our resources page here. Stay safe everyone and we hope to see you all in person again soon. - JACL National Staff |
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Make a Gift in Honor of Greg Marutani |
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March 14 would have been the birthday of long-time JACL Education Committee leader, Greg Marutani, who passed in November 2019. Greg's education fund has raised over $20,000 and counting and we hope to continue growing Greg's Education Fund. Recently, we updated the JACL Power of Words Handbook and our National Education Committee has been active to plan virtual activities and update our educational resources. Please consider a gift in memory of Greg’s birthday using the button below and select "In Memory Of" in the donation dedication. |
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President Biden Announces Additional Actions to Respond to Anti-Asian Violence, Xenophobia and Bias |
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Today President Biden announced he would be building on his original Memorandum Condemning and Combating Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Among the announced initiatives was the commitment of $49.5 million of funds in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from the American Rescue Plan to support programs serving AANHPI survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. This is a good first direct investment in impacted communities. HHS will also ensure COVID-19 response does not exacerbate anti-Asian xenophobia, and also will promote health equity for marginalized AANHPI communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. The Department of Justice also announced several initiatives including increased efforts at reaching out to the community to promote better reporting and for the FBI to also improve data collection including the training of local law enforcement officers. The FBI implemented a page with instructions on hate crime reporting in five Asian languages, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean, and Japanese plus Arabic. The President also affirmed his commitment to reinstating the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders with an initial focus on anti-Asian bias and violence. We look forward to engaging with the White House in the process of reconstructing how WHIAAPI can best serve our communities. Today's announcement marks several positive advancements, but there remains much more to be done to support Asian American communities that continue to live in fear from the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and anti-Asian racism. To read the full White House statement, please follow the link below. |
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President Biden Announces 11 ProposJudicial Appointments Including Japanese American Candidate |
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JACL applauds the diversity of eleven new nominees to the United States federal courts. Among the nominees are four Asian Americans. - Judge Florence Y. Pan: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- Judge Rupa Ranga Puttagunta: Nominee for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia
- Judge Zahid N. Quraishi: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
- Regina Rodriguez: Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
If confirmed, Judge Quraishi would be the first Muslim American federal judge in U.S. history and he will be the first Asian American to serve as a federal district court judge in New Jersey. Judge Pan would be the first Asian American woman to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of D.C. Regina Rodriguez would be the first Asian American and Japanese American to serve in the 10th Circuit. This first slate of judicial nominees follows through on President Biden's promise to nominate judges who better reflect the diversity of our country. Please follow the link below for biographies of all eleven nominees. Also below is a link to JACL's endorsement of Regina Rodriguez's candidacy to the court. |
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2021 Reintroduction of the JACE Act in the House of Representatives and Senate |
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Last week, Senator Schatz reintroduced the JACE Act in the Senate as a companion to Representative Doris Matsui's House Bill. This bill would permanently reauthorize the Japanese American Confinement Sites (JACS) program with $38 million in annual funding to preserve internment camps across the country and create a new $2 million federal grant program to promote the education of Japanese American incarceration. We thank both of them for their work on preserving the Japanese American story and in the coming months, we look forward to working towards its passage. |
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JACL Intermountain District Council Congressional Gold Medal Scholarship |
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For JACL Members looking for scholarship opportunities for the 2021-2022 school year, the Intermountain District Council (IDC) of the JACL is giving out its annual Congressional Gold Medal Scholarship!
The deadline to apply (or to have all materials postmarked if sending by mail) is April 15th.
You can find the detailed program guidelines here. Some important information for the award is: - The scholarship is available to any high school graduate, post-secondary education, or graduate school applicant.
- The scholarship is worth $2000.
- The primary audience for the scholarship will be descendants of Congressional Gold Medal recipients, though it is not a requirement.
- Applicants need not be JACL members to apply, but they must meet the scholarship criteria.
The application packet can be found here. |
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2 Days Left for General and Art Applicants! JACL National 2021 Scholarship Program |
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REMINDER: 2 DAYS LEFT FOR GENERAL APPLICATIONS FRESHMAN APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED! WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) announced that the 2021 National Scholarship and Awards Program is now underway. The JACL annually offers approximately 30 college scholarships for students who are incoming college freshmen, undergraduates and graduates, and those specializing in law and the creative/performing arts. There are also financial aid scholarships for those demonstrating a need for financial assistance. General and Art applications must be submitted directly by the applicant to National JACL through the online form and all supplement material (transcripts, letters of recommendation, and financial aid information if applicable) must be received no later than April 1, 2021, 11:59 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (HST). 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.” For more information on the National JACL Scholarship Program, contact Scholarship Program Manager Matthew Weisbly at scholarships@jacl.org. |
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Our League of Dreams - Documentary of the JACL Fundraiser |
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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. |
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2021 JACL National Convention Announcement |
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Due to the ongoing safety issues presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the JACL National Board has decided to postpone a physical convention until at least the Summer of 2022. In the interim, JACL National will be conducting a virtual convention hosted this coming summer, 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! |
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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. |
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Watch Now! ACLU Webinar on Japanese American and African American Reparations and HR-40 |
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Japanese American Veterans Association Scholarship Program |
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Click the pencil icon above to replace this temporary copy. When you add the content for this text block, make sure it's personal, informational, emotional, and actionable. That's how to ignite change! |
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The Japanese American Veterans Association announces its annual Memorial Scholarship Program for 2021. The scholarships will benefit a range of graduating high school seniors, undergraduate students, and post-graduate and professional education students. Descendants of those who served in the 100th Infantry Battalion, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the Military Intelligence Service, the 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion, or other United States military unit, including the Women’s Army Corps or Army Nurses Corps are eligible and encouraged to apply. Current members of JAVA whose membership began prior to April 1, 2019 are eligible and encouraged to apply. Children of current JAVA members are also eligible and encouraged to apply if the applicant’s parent or guardian was a member of JAVA prior to April 1, 2019. Past or present members of the Army’s 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry (USAR), are eligible and encouraged to apply for the Senator Daniel K. Inouye Memorial Scholarship. Applicants should demonstrate their lifelong commitment to public and uniformed service leadership for the nation. Applicants should first review published rules and forms. Applications and supporting documents must be electronically submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 30, 2021, to javascholarship222@gmail.com. Applications not received by that date or that fail to meet the submission requirements will NOT be considered. Applicants will be notified of a decision by early June 2021. Awards will be presented at a JAVA scholarship awards ceremony on July 17, 2021. |
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Another Scholarship opportunity is through Foundation 649! A nonprofit focused on providing college scholarship opportunities to East and Southeast Asian American students who are actively engaged within our community. Their application deadline is April 1, 2021. |
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Seeing LGBTQ Nikkei Conversation Series |
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Join us for Seeing LGBTQ Nikkei, a collaboration of J-Sei & Okaeri-Los Angeles, a series of programs centered on the perspectives and insights of different generations of queer Japanese Americans. The experiences of LGBTQ+ Japanese Americans are seldom the focus of community attention. Yet, the wisdom of LGBTQ Nikkei - forged through confrontations with racism, homophobia, transphobia, and sexism – is a vital resource as we create a more inclusive and compassionate society. Perspectives: Queerness, Ethnicity and Gender in the Arts - April 18, 2021, 4-5:30 pm PT Artists reflect and interpret cultural anxieties while also creating visions that inspire us to consider alternatives to current reality. How have ethnic identity, gender, and sexual orientation influenced the works of queer Nikkei artists? What other factors have impacted LGBTQ+ Japanese American artists of different generations? Artists working in different media will share their thoughts. In conversation: traci kato kiriyama (moderator), Rey Fukuda, Jill Guillermo Togawa, Nikiko Masumoto, Michael Matsuno |
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JACL 2021 Legacy Fund Grant Announcement |
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The JACL Legacy Fund Grants Committee is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for 2021 Legacy Fund grants. The LFG Co-Chairs, Roberta Barton, and Toshi Abe encourage JACL chapters in good standing and JACL District Councils to apply. This year, the maximum grant award is $6,000. Legacy Fund grants will be awarded for projects and activities that support the mission of JACL and are supportive of the National JACL Strategic Plan. Instructions and application forms may be downloaded from the National JACL’s website at https://jacl.org/legacy-fund-grants/ and submissions for grants must be received by May 1, 2021. The Legacy Fund was established by the JACL National Council at the 1990 JACL National Convention in San Diego. Much of the original funds were donated by JACL members who gave portions of their redress awards to further the legacy of the JACL. Each year, a portion of the earnings from the Legacy Fund Endowment provides the funds to run the LFG program. For questions or additional information, please contact the co-chairs, Roberta Barton (rbarton4106@comcast.net) and Toshi Abe (tabe@jacl.org). Completed applications are due by May 1, 2021. Grant award recipients will be announced at the JACL National Convention. |
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"Black + Japanese Reparations" Virtual Event Series and Book Club |
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Help find a Bone Marrow Match for Paul and Kazumi! |
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Join Us in Support of H.R. 40 |
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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. |
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