| JACL Weekly Digest May 21, 2024 |
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| | | Register Now for the 2024 JACL National Convention! 1 month left! |
|  | Registration closes on June 18th, 2024! Sponsorship information, committee forms, and volunteer registration are all available online now! Click the button to take you to the convention page below! The tentative convention schedule is also now available to view! |
| | | | | New Trailer for "League of Dreams"! |
|  | A new trailer is available for our documentary film being made in conjunction with filmmaker, Lane Nishikawa! "The League of Dreams", examining the 95-year history of the JACL. The film is currently in its final stages of production and will be screened at the 2024 JACL National Convention this summer! Be sure to join us in Philadelphia to get your first look. |
| | | JACL Organizational Sign-Ons |
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| | | If any JACL Chapters would like to submit stories or events to the Weekly Digest, please send inquiries to Education Programs Manager, Matthew Weisbly at mweisbly@jacl.org |
| | A Conversation On Combat Trauma - Documentary Screening and Q&A |
|  | The film we are honored to share is important not only for veterans to see, but for the families of those who serve since that sacrifice is shared. Hopefully, families will get a glimpse into the complexities of the journey home. "A Conversation On Combat Trauma" - Sunday, May 26, 2024, 1 pm PDT - Hosted by NCWNP District JACL Northern California Western Nevada Pacific District of the JACL, with the assistance of District Governor Carol Kawase, sponsors this event to honor the sacrifices of our Nisei Veterans, all U.S. military veterans, and active service members. Today’s curated program is to help impart the importance of storytelling and the need to pass on Veterans’ stories to others. Given that May is Mental Health Awareness Month it seems this year’s theme "A Conversation on Combat Trauma" is a particularly timely topic. The program includes a screening of the poignant documentary, The Volunteer, directed by David Brodie, an Emmy-awarded and Oscar-nominated editor. Guests presenters are Hubert Yoshida a Vietnam Veteran who served as a U.S. Marine Corps Platoon Commander from 1965-1966 near Chu Lai in the central part of Vietnam with 2nd Battalion 7th Marines, and LaShelle Natsuko Burch, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the Suicide Prevention Community Engagement and Partnership Coordinator serving within the VA Palo Alto Healthcare catchment. Oral Historian, author, and documentary filmmaker, Robert M. Horsting will serve as the moderator. We do hope you’ll make the effort to join in this conversation and add some of your own questions/comments to the mix. We hope you will RSVP to join us.
The response deadline is May 24, 2024 RSVP link here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd1QynA0o0euQ3BduzEoikKfLoyxvjtDoTdYxotW-DSukljoQ/viewform |
| | Sacramento Japantown Mural Fundraiser |
|  | | | Ventura County JACL APA Film Festival |
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| | | | AAPI History, K-12 Curriculum Advocacy, and Cross-Racial Solidarity: Lessons from the Field |
|  | | From our friends at Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC: Are K-12 students across the country being taught complete American history? Research has shown just how few states include Asian American history as part of their K-12 social studies standards—some do not have any at all. In response to COVID-fueled anti-Asian hate, the movement for the inclusion of Asian American history became widespread. In 2021, Illinois became the first state in the nation to require Asian American history to be taught in public schools. Since then, several states have passed laws requiring Asian American history. But laws alone do not guarantee our histories will be taught responsibly. It was community-led, cross-racial efforts in Illinois that helped pass legislation and also ensure its implementation into K-12 classrooms. At the same time, inclusive learning is under scrutiny. Books centering marginalized characters, including Asian American and LGBTQ+, are being banned, while African American studies and Palestinian history are being removed from curriculum. It is more important than ever for AAPIs to advocate for inclusive curriculum in solidarity with allied communities of color and marginalized communities. Join us as we bring together local leaders across the country who have advocated for the inclusion of AAPI history as part of broader racial justice efforts. We will highlight the creative strategies they have used in various states and political climates to ensure that the enactment and implementation of curriculum mandates advance racial justice priorities—in education policy and beyond. Guest Speakers: - Grace Pai, Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice |Chicago
- Sookyung Oh, Director, Hamkae Center
- Lily Trieu, Executive Director, Asian Texans for Justice
- Estella Owoimaha-Church, Executive Director, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities
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| | | Japanese American Support for Black Reparations: How to Talk About It |
|  | | | Voices in Solidarity - Virtual Fundraiser and Evening in Community |
|  | | | Japanese Cemetery Community Clean-Up Day in Colma, CA |
|  | | | 2024 OKAERI NORCAL – JAPANTOWN LGBTQ+ PRE-PRIDE POTLUCK |
|  | | | Memorial Day Volunteer Opportunity at Manzanar National Historic Site |
|  | From Manzanar National Historic Site: Our Memorial Day weekend volunteer project will be May 23-27 (Thurs-Mon). You are invited to join Manzanar’s staff in completing the restoration of Merritt Park. Our main job will be working on accessible paths. The existing paths need to be dug out a few inches with gravel and decomposed granite added, compacted, and stabilized. Other tasks include finishing the teahouse, installing metal edging, adding post walls and plants, sealing wood benches, pruning, and weeding. We will be able to accommodate up to 35 volunteers a day. Volunteers must be at least 15 years old and be able to work outdoors. Volunteers must sign up in advance and may work any number of days or hours, but a full day or multiple days are preferred. Work will be conducted regardless of weather, so please come prepared, bring water, lunch, snacks, sunscreen, hat, and work gloves. There will be a portable toilet and hand-washing station at the work areas. We will meet each day at Merritt Park at 8:00 am for introductions and a safety briefing. Park along the tour road and walk in. Participants will be emailed additional information about a week before the project starts. To reserve your spot reply to: jeff_burton@nps.gov |
| | Volunteer project documenting the contributions of Japanese American farmers in Sacramento/Yolo Counties |
|  | Hello! My name is Amanda Mei Kim and I’m the lead researcher/founder of www.KanshaHistory.org. We are a community history project that is documenting the incredible contributions of Japanese American farmers prior to World War II. Volunteers are transcribing and proofing the farm transfer records of 6,000 California Japanese American farmers who lost their farms/homes/livelihoods during World War II. This is a lost history for many Nikkei families because most were renters and could never return home after the war. This project began in the fall of 2023. Since then, we have recruited 50 volunteers and transcribed 1,000 records. Our next project, June-July 2024, will focus on the 600 records of the Sacramento Delta, where AAPIs have a rich agricultural history. This portion of the project is funded by the APIs Rise Fund. Volunteers range in age from teens to 80s. Family groups, clubs, youth and seniors are all welcome! If you have 10 hours, reliable internet, an email account, and basic data entry skills, join us! Volunteer Orientations:
May 25, 10 am
Jun 3, 6 pm To join us, sign up here: https://forms.gle/N9cEj4xpvT2J3frt5 See attached for examples. Every record is a precious family story. We are a fiscally sponsored project of the nonprofit California Black Media which provides us with discounted financial services and administrative oversight. We also use their taxpayer ID# so that all donations to Kansha History are tax-deductible. At the time of the incarceration, California’s Black newspapers were the most vocal, and in many communities, the only non-Nikkei opponent of the incarceration. Help us connect descendants to their powerful family stories. To read more about the volunteer experience, please check out these testimonials. If you can’t volunteer, please spread the word and donate. |
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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
1612 K Street NW, Suite 1400
Washington, D.C. 20006
(202) 223-1240 | policy@jacl.org |
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