The inspirational and fearless civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama passed away yesterday. A champion of peace and equality, she made the world a better place. Read more about her life here.
In honor of this day of remembrance, I thought that I would share a visual development piece for my short film Gaman. On Feb 19, 1942 Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, officially starting the internment of Japanese Americans. This was the culmination of decades of Anti-Asian sentiment and racism in the US, and saw over 100,000 Issei, Nissei, and Sansei have their rights and property stripped from them before being forced into concentration camps. Let us have this day to reflect on this horrendous act, and how the same sentiments that created internment manifest today in the US and around the world.
Before Pearl Harbor and the nationalist hysteria that led to the internment of tens of thousands of Japanese Americans during World War II, there was a thriving community of Japanese immigrants in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights neighborhood.
Japanese churches in the neighborhood, a section of Evergreen Cemetery and a Japanese language school all have roots in that period before the war in 1941. So does the former Japanese Hospital, built to serve a community of immigrants who were routinely denied entry into public health institutions.
A 4th generation Japanese American and a Japanese native – here’s some of our similarities and difficulties that arise from a married couple sharing the same cultural roots, born and raised on different sides of the planet, now living under the same roof in Tokyo.
More street food to sample! Today we take you to Kuromon Market in Osaka, Japan, one of the major marketplaces in all of Japan. Subscribe! http://goo.gl/18SB8p
The JACL is looking to create a Next Gen Speakers Program for volunteers who can speak on a variety of subjects related to the Japanese American experience, history, and culture. We want these speakers to be able to engage with a wide audience to learn about our community and history from someone who knows it well. Types of speaker engagements could include classroom lessons, Day of Remembrance celebrations, news interviews, research projects, and more!
Program Expectations:
Program training will consist of multiple sessions over Zoom in which participants will be given opportunities to refine their stories, practice with others, hear from other speakers, and get material that they can share as part of their engagements. These trainings will take place over several months, 1-2 times per month. Regular attendance is expected but all sessions will be recorded in case of absence or for later use. Speaking responsibilities will be on a case by case basis, as needed or requested.
Some possible events to look forward to as a speaker: Invitations to speak at JACL NEH 2022 Summer Program, special speakers group reception at 2022 National Convention, participation in JACL National Education Committee Teacher Training Workshops, and more!
Eligibility:
Anyone is welcome to join, you don’t need to be Japanese or Japanese American, or have any family connection to the incarceration. We also welcome anyone who isn’t looking to be a speaker but wants to learn more about Japanese American history or use this knowledge of the incarceration experience in other ways such as through art and media. The goal of the program is to increase historical knowledge amongst the community and to possibly help people find out more of their personal family history.
