Members-Only Early Bird Registration is Now Open for the 2026 JACL National Convention!

Join us for the 56th JACL National Convention in Las Vegas, July 29-August 2. This year's theme is Reigniting Our Purpose and Mission! There are moments when we must pause, look within, and rediscover what drives us. Our 2026 convention theme, “Reigniting Our Purpose and Mission,” is the spirit that empowers and advances our community forward. It’s about transformational reflection for renewed action and impact.

What to Look Forward to in 2026:

• Welcome Reception 
• Chapter Awards Luncheon
• National Council and 2026 National Board Elections
• Sayonara Gala
• Workshops
• Mixers, community events, and other ways to engage!

2026 JACL National Convention Awards Nomination Forms Now Available!

As part of our upcoming 2026 JACL National Convention, "Reigniting Our Purpose and Mission," coming this Summer in Las Vegas, we are currently accepting nominations for several JACL awards! These awards are given to chapters or individuals who have contributed greatly to the organization's mission, vision, or the broader Japanese American community. Check out the awards and their guidelines on our convention webpage under the "Logistics" tab. 

2026 Awards Accepting Nominations:

• George J. Inagaki Chapter Award
• JACLer of the Biennium
• JA of the Biennium

Be a Part of JACL as our Next Executive Director!

We are launching a national search for our next Executive Director. Our recruitment partner, Bonsai Leadership Group, is proud to serve as our recruitment partner for this important search.

The Executive Director will serve as JACL’s chief executive and public-facing leader, responsible for advancing the organization’s mission, strengthening its national presence, and ensuring long-term sustainability. The ideal candidate brings a strong track record of organizational leadership, the ability to build and lead high-performing teams, and the skill to cultivate relationships with stakeholders, partners, and funders to support JACL’s continued growth.

This is an opportunity to lead with purpose and steward a powerful legacy into the future. If this role speaks to you, we encourage you to join the candidate pool or share this opportunity with your network. 

Learn more and join the candidate pool: https://www.bonsaileadershipgroup.com/jacl-ed

Candidates are encouraged to submit their interest by February 28 for priority consideration.

If you have questions about this search or would like to nominate someone for this opportunity, please contact Bonsai Leadership Group at careers@bonsaileadershipgroup.com. 

2026 JACL National Scholarship Applications Available Now! (General Applications Due Friday, April 3!)

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 Friday, April 3, 2026, 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 2025 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.

The JA Experience - Website & Video Series

The JAExperience.org is a long-needed update to our printed curriculum guide, The Japanese American Experience. Rather than a traditional reprint, we are excited to bring the Japanese American Experience into the modern age with a fully fledged website! 

Alongside the new website, we're also introducing the Japanese American Experience Video Series! Thanks to the Takahashi Family Foundation, we'll be publishing a series of ten short videos spanning the history of the Japanese American community. The series will be available on the JA Experience Website, and each video will be narrated by a community member and feature archival footage and photos. 

Sacramento Japantown Museum Exhibit Project

Reclaim Sacramento Japantown is raising funds for a Fall 2026 exhibit at the Sacramento History Museum at 101 I Street in Old Sacramento. This immersive, multi-room experience brings the lost neighborhood back to life through sound, light, artifacts, and community storytelling.

For generations, Sacramento Japantown was a vibrant cultural and economic center. The physical neighborhood was devastated by forced removal during World War II and later demolished by downtown redevelopment. But the story lives on.

March 7: JACL Monterey Movie Night - Mirai

March 11: San Diego JACL screening of "Loyal American" and "One Fighting Irishman"

March 14: Monterey JACL Documentary Screening and Discussion - Fruits of Labor 

March 14: Chicago JACL Intergenerational Conversations: Ripples of the Past

March 15: Community Action Through Art: Art Making and Protest Safety with Berkeley JACL and UC Berkeley NSU

March 22: Temari Zushi Cooking Demo with San Diego JACL

March 28: 28th Annual Freedom Walk in Washington, D.C.​​​​​​

2026 AAPIHiP Forum - Call for Proposals! 

FORUM is APIAHiP’s flagship gathering of enthusiasts and professionals dedicated to preserving historic places and cultural resources significant to Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. In 2026, we convene in the neighboring cities of Denver and Aurora, Colorado—communities where local and statewide efforts to Expand the Narrative are reshaping how APIA histories are understood, protected, and uplifted. 

Across the region, participants will explore stories and sites ranging from Denver’s lost Chinatown and the remaining block of Nihonmachi at Sakura Square, to Little Saigon’s Far East Center and Aurora’s Havana Street corridor with Koreatown roots, with opportunities to learn from places beyond the metro area such as Amache National Historic Landmark. Through sessions, workshops, and tours centered on collaboration, FORUM offers space to share strategies, build relationships, and strengthen a more inclusive preservation ethic. 

Join APIAHiP in Colorado as we honor the past, advance community-led stewardship, and affirm that our Emerging Historic Places are truly Centuries in the Making.

March 28: Annual Minoru Yasui Day

The year 2026 marks two significant milestones: the 10th anniversary of Oregon’s designation in perpetuity of March 28 as Minoru Yasui Day, honoring the day Minoru Yasui courageously stood against unjust government orders and the legacy of Oregon’s only Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, rooted in the principle of no kings and the belief that power belongs to the people.

Together, we will honor these anniversaries and explore contested narratives in history, education, and politics — standing with the voices of the past and present as we recommit to preserving democracy, freedom, civil rights, civil liberties, and justice for all.

57th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage - April 25, 2026

2026 Topaz Pilgrimage - April 30-May2, 2026

2026 Amache Pilgrimage - May 15-17, 2026

2026 Jerome Rohwer Pilgrimage - May 20-23, 2026