Weekly Digest
October 3, 2023

2024 Kakehashi Project Applications Coming Soon!

Participant Applications as well as Supervisor Applications will be made available for the 2024 trip! Please stay tuned for more!

You're Invited to Our New Member Orientation!

When: 10/3, 10/10, 10/17

How can you make the most of your JACL membership? Join us with special guest Garrett James of Ryoko Rain (a fashion all-star and community advocate!), hear from JACL leadership, meet other new members, and find out all JACL has to offer. Spots are limited, so we encourage you to RSVP today! See the link below to RSVP or go to bit.ly/JACLnmo

Introducing Our New Daniel K. Inouye Fellow, Jack Shimabukuro!

Jack Shimabukuro is a 4th generation Japanese-American, organizer, and young professional aspiring to make concrete and positive change for disadvantaged communities. His grandparents and their stories about incarceration were his initial inspirations to get involved with advocacy work.

Jack is also a 2023 graduate of Washington University in Saint Louis, where he studied international affairs and legal studies. He brings experience in campaigns, organizing, and legislative affairs. Most recently, Jack interned with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), where they gained an in-depth understanding of Congress and served his community. As the current Daniel K. Inouye Fellow, he tracks federal legislation toward the advancement of JACL’s policy initiatives, coordinates with stakeholders, and collaborates with national advocacy groups.

Having lived most of his life in the Midwest before the fellowship, Jack is acclimating to life on the East Coast. While he misses his beloved deep-dish pizza, he has come to love D.C., especially for its diverse collection of cuisines. Jack looks forward to continuing to advocate for his communities in the nation’s capital while enjoying some tasty D.C. spots. 

Congratulations to Cheyenne Cheng and Matthew Weisbly on New JACL Roles!

JACL Staff Members, Cheyenne Cheng and Matthew Weisbly have accepted new positions within JACL! Cheyenne will now serve as the Youth and Programs Director, previously having served as the Youth and Programs Manager. While Matthew will be transitioning into the Education Programs Manager role, from his previous position as Education and Communications Coordinator. JACL staff and board congratulate Cheyenne and Matthew on these new roles and look forward to their continued work! 

We're Hiring! Join JACL as Our New Communications Manager!

Washington, D.C. Premiere of Defining Courage for Veterans Day

Twin Cities JACL Appropriation Vs. Appreciation Session 5

Saturday, Oct 7th at 8pm EDT/ 5pm PDT
Interviewed by Yuki of @made.by.yuki

Akemi Johnson is a mixed-race Yonsei writer and journalist. She is the author of Night In the American Village: Women in the Shadow of the U.S. Military Bases in Okinawa. A former Fulbright scholar to Japan, Akemi has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Nation, NPR’s Code Switch, and other publications. Her current project blends history, memoir, and reportage to tell the story of Tule Lake concentration camp, where the U.S. government incarcerated her family during WWII.

“Appreciation vs Appropriation: A nuanced discussion on cultural ownership” is a collaboration between the @twincitiesjacl Social Justice Committee and @made.by.yuki
Funding is provided by Karen and Les Suzukamo and graphic design by @kuniko.creates

Appreciation vs Appropriation is a continuous conversation on cultural ownership that attempts to explore this complex topic in a nuanced way. This conversation will be structured as a series of one-on-one interviews with artists, subject matter experts, and community members speaking from their own perspectives rather than attempting to speak for entire communities or cultures.

We do not expect all messaging to be consistent, nor do we expect a consensus to be reached on where the line falls between appropriation and appreciation. Rather, we hope to spark further conversations on the topic. All conversations will be streamed live, and recordings will be made available when interviewees grant their permission for us to do so.

Register here: https://www.tcjacl.org/events/cultural-appreciation-discussion-series/

Tadaima 2023 is Here!

From our friends at JA Memorial Pilgrimags -  

We are excited to announce the return of Tadaima: A Community Virtual Pilgrimage, a transformative online event that will run from October 1st to the 28th. This innovative initiative aims to foster connection, awareness, and understanding within our diverse community by offering a rich tapestry of livestreams, Zoom group discussions, workshops, and thought-provoking pre-recorded videos.

Tadaima will serve as a platform for enlightening conversations on various topics, such as the WWII history of Japanese American incarceration, the challenges and experiences of caring for elderly parents with dementia and Alzheimer's, the profound significance of monuments and memorials in our lives, and the therapeutic power of writing in documenting family histories, self-expression, and processing painful memories and histories.

This month-long virtual pilgrimage promises to be an enlightening and immersive experience, providing a space for shared learning, storytelling, and personal growth. We invite everyone to join us in this remarkable journey of discovery, reflection, and unity.

Premiere Screening of the Short Live-Action Japanese American Incarceration Film – The Blue Jay

Writer/Director/Executive Producer of The Blue Jay, Marlene Shigekawa, remembers her
mother, Misako Ishii Shigekawa telling her how her Grandpa Ishii created wooden bird carvings in “camp.” The camp was the Poston Incarceration Camp located in Arizona which imprisoned Japanese Americans during WWII on the Colorado River Indian Tribes reservation. The blue jay carving, among several other wood carvings that her grandpa made while at Poston, captured Marlene’s attention as a child. Today this blue jay carving, now a family heirloom, serves as a visual metaphor in her film, The Blue Jay. Actors Lee Shoren, the lead Japanese American character, and Ajuawak Kapashesit, an Indigenous character, both with several film and TV credits, form an unlikely friendship in this captivating film.

A free premiere screening will be on October 29, 2023, at 3pm at the Tateuchi Democracy
Theater of the Japanese American National Museum. The director and actors will be present. Following the screening, a discussion and Q & A. Reception to follow.

For more information about the event and to register go to:
https://tinyurl.com/2ybrw9mt

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

Okaeri 2023 Conference Registration Available Now!

Watch the Premiere of the New Short Film Baseball Behind Barbed Wire 

From the team at Diamond Diplomacy and Baseball Behind Barbed Wire - 

Baseball Behind Barbed Wire tells the story of the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans, through the uncommon yet popular lens of baseball, America’s national pastime. The All-American pastime became a favorite for many incarcerees at all ten camps stretching from California to Wyoming to Arkansas – where we're having the film's WORLD PREMIERE.

Some of the camps had two or three fields and some had as many as thirty teams! If there was one thread that ran through this unforgiving history, it was baseball, still popular and still shared by the U.S. and Japan.

Next month, we're going to five major film festivals — Hot Springs, AR; Honolulu, HI; Newport Beach, CA; Washington, DC; and Palo Alto, CA.

And that's just October! So make sure to check out our upcoming screenings page for more schedules, tickets, and updates!

JETAASC Career Development Seminar & Networking Event

San Diego JACL Monthly Virtual Dialogue - October 2023 

Defining Courage San Jose Tickets are Now on Sale!

FY2024 JACS Grant Applications Now Available! 

The National Park Service is now accepting applications for the 2024 Japanese American Confinement Sites (JACS) Grant Program. These grants provide financial assistance to organizations and entities working to preserve historic Japanese American confinement sites and their history. 

For more information on eligibility requirements and the application process, please visit the JACS Grant Program Website. 

Information is also available on [http://grants.gov (search for Funding P24AS00023)]Grants.gov (Funding # P24AS00023).

Poston Preservation Society Announces 2023 Poston Pilgrimage

The Poston Community Alliance Pilgrimage will take place October 13-14. 2023 at the Blue
Water Casino and other nearby sites in Parker, Arizona.

Pilgrimage capacity is limited to 250 attendees due to facility space. The registration fee is now $245 for adults and $145 for children.

For registration information and updates, please visit the Poston Community Alliance Website at: https://www.postonpreservation.org. Registration will be on the Eventbrite website which will be at the Poston Preservation Website.

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