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November 28, 2017
This Week's Digest
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givingtuesdayGiving Tuesday Today!
Today is Giving Tuesday!

Now that we are through Black Friday and Cyber Monday, today is Giving Tuesday, a chance to catch your breath after the flurry of excitement of the holiday shopping season and reflect on the missions that are important to you.

We hope that you include JACL among those organizations that you value and will consider a gift today to support our work. We seek to be a reliable source of information and a voice for civil rights on behalf of our Japanese American community and beyond. Membership dues cover only a fraction of our annual expenses and your donation is one way to make up this difference.

Thank you for your consideration today and may you be blessed during this holiday season. 

Thank you,
David Inoue
Executive Director
millionrisingJACL and 18 Million Rising launch Petition to Remove Tastelessly Marketed Japanese American Historical Items
Washington, D.C. - Yesterday on Cyber Monday, JACL and 18 Million Rising launched a petition urging internet retailers Amazon and eBay to remove insensitively marketed items suggesting Japanese American prison camp art as "A Great Decoration for Home/Office."

JACL and 18 Million Rising previously worked to press Walmart to remove similarly offensively marketed items from their website and continue to work with them to ensure this does not happen again.

We urge other internet retailers to follow Walmart's lead and choosing not to profit from the pain of our incarceration experience and take down these insensitively marketed pieces.

For those who wish to obtain the World War II photos of the Japanese American incarceration experience, you may do so for FREE at the National Archives and Library of Congress online repositories. See here and here

Please click HERE to sign our petition.
navajoJACL Honors Navajo Code Talkers and Denounces the President's Insensitive Words
Washington, D.C.On November 27th, the White House honored the incredible service of Navajo Code Talkers. Their ingenuity, intelligence, and their contributions especially during WWII are widely heralded as instrumental in saving countless lives. The President marred what should have been an honorable event by referring to a member of Congress as "Pocahontas".

The statement by the President also belittles the accomplishments of Pocahontas as a historical figure and the legacy her and her tribe.

As Japanese Americans we remember the legacy of the Japanese American WW II soldiers who, like these Native Americans, served their country despite the country's racist history against them. Also, as Japanese Americans we understand the hurt of our accomplishments being degraded by racist tropes, cultural distillation, and "jokes". The Navajo Code Talkers deserve nothing but respect, especially at a long overdue ceremony honoring them.

We call for the President to apologize to the Navajo Code Talkers and to actively demonstrate respect for the Native Americans he intended to honor.

portlandPortland: News Conference in Front of City Hall

Seemab Hussaini, CAIR, Brandon Mayfield, Marleen Wallingford, President Portland JACL and supporters of Portland Copwatch, standing in front of Portland City Hall

Portland, OR - On November 8, 2017 the Portland JACL joined the ACLU, the Council on American-Islamic Relations(CAIR) and other civil rights organizations in opposing the Portland Police Department participating in the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Marleen Wallingford, President of Portland JACL gave a statement to the Portland City Council. Showing the similarities between what happened to Japanese Americans during World War II and the targeting of Muslim communities since 9/11. In the statement Wallingford says, "Our history is valuable lesson for all Americans citizens, immigrants and refugees alike.  We should not repeat the mistakes of the past  as we confront challenges like Islamophobia, hate violence, the rise of the white supremacist movement and the pervasiveness of institutional racism that criminalizes communities of color."
seattleSeattle Leadership Seminar Series Brings Learning and Networking Opportunities
Left to Right:  Community activist Sharon Maeda, Kristina Logsdon, Chief of Staff to King County Councilmember Dembowski and State Senator Bob Hasegawa address participant questions about effective advocacy at the "Non-Profits:  Leadership and Advocacy for Social Justice" themed work shop

Seattle, WA - The Seattle JACL concluded their 2017 leadership seminar series for students, young professionals and emerging leaders with 40 registrants participating in the "Non-Profits: Leadership and Advocacy for Social Justice" themed workshop on Saturday, November 18th, at the Keiro Northwest Rehabilitation and Care Center, a key chapter community partner.

With the goal to provide a basic primer on non-profits, Seatt le engaged Wayfind, a 501(c)(3) organization of volunteer lawyers whose mission is to assist Washington Non-Profit groups, to present an overview of topics essential for anyone aspiring to lead a non-profit organization. The intense and compressed two-and-a-half hour morning session covered the do's and don'ts of advocacy, defining lobbying, understanding the IRS requirements and State of Washington statutes governing 501(c)(3) groups, fundraising limitations and what a 501(c)(4) is and can do. 

The morning session was followed by an afternoon session with community leaders to exchange ideas on what works and doesn't work in advocacy followed by small group breakouts delving further into the community leaders' life experiences and skills emerging leaders need to hone.

"My favorite experience from the seminar was learning about advocacy from community leaders. Sharon Maeda told a great story about a UW [University of Washington] dorm food strike she organized," said Emily Tasaka, Asian Student Commission Director at the University of Washington. "She had plenty of insights on what it takes to mobilize students and gather people around a shared interest. I loved hearing the knowledge she had to share. There's a lot to learn from people like Sharon and I'm glad I had the opportunity to do so."

"Gaining Influence - Developing Leaders for Equity and Justice in Private, Public and Non Profit Sectors" was the theme of the first of the two leadership seminars also at held Keiro NW on September 30. The 40  registered participants met Asian American leaders from the private, public and n on-profit sectors and learned how their professional success is intertwined with their championing of equity issues and social justice.

Hyeok Kim, City of Seattle Deputy Mayor, opened the event with a keynote address about growing up in a single parent household living in public housing and receiving food stamps, and how that life experience informed her about dealing with barriers and her championing of equity and social justice issues through her work.

The rest of the morning was an interactive panel discussion of community leaders about how they promote social justice and equity and deal with racism in the workplace. This was followed by the afternoon breakout into three smaller group discussions, each led by a community leader from the private, public or non-profit sector.

"For a long time I've been curious about what JACL is all about after reading about their outpouring support for Muslim Americ ans. After this leadership workshop, I am re-charged and feel empowered to keep fighting the good fight for equity and social justice," said Erika Enomoto of the Artist Trust. "It was incredible to be in the same room with so many like-minded, inspiring, and smart individuals and I am tremendously grateful to JACL for holding this event and introducing me to this great community." 

The leadership seminars for the development and advancement of young people with a commitment to equity and social justice are organized by the chapter's Presidents Committee, chaired by Gail Tanaka. Other committee members include current, but soon -to-be former board president Sarah Baker, and past presidents Toshiko Hasegawa, Joy Saint Germain, Arlene Oki, David Okimoto, Bill Tashima, and Paul Tashima. Funding the seminars was made possible by grants from the Robert Chinn Foundation and Verity Credit Union. Additional support was received from the Past Presidents Youth Leadership Fund, which raised donations from past chapter presidents and the Raise thePaddle opportunity at the chapter's annual awards dinner.

Over two years in the making, the committee was conceived as a vehicle to re-engage past chapter presidents to raise funds through direct appeals, Raise the Paddle opportunities and grants for chapter activities around building community capacity and promoting JACL.

pugetUniversity of Puget Sound Dedication of Cherry Trees
Left to Right: Kojo Kakihara, Tacoma Buddhist Temple, Karen Yokota Love, Mason Methodist Church,  Isiaah Crawford, President of UPS,  Dave Wright, Chaplain of UPS, Eileen Yamada Lamphere, President of Puyallup Valley JACL,  Jae Bates, Camille Goo, Brittney Imada, students of UPS

Tacoma, WA - In 1940, the members of the University of Puget Sound Japanese Club located in Tacoma, Washington, donated a grove of cherry trees. They had no idea what those cherry trees would mean in the future. For them, the trees represented an act of friendship between and among students of diverse backgrounds.

Two years later in May 1942, Shigeo Wakamatsu told the UPS student body, "Each spring, you will watch the cherry trees bloom and grow. It has been our only tangible contribution to the college. It is our most earnest prayer that our friendship will continue to grow. At this time, we say, not good-bye, but until we meet again."

Today the fourth generation of cherry trees was dedicated on a hill overlooking a new garden. These trees are a living legacy that honor the thirty-six Japanese American UPS students who were forced to leave campus and leave their education behind them due to Executive Order 9066 during World War II. By Spring of 2018, there will be plaque describing the significance of the cherry trees along with the names of all thirty-six students.

Eileen Yamada Lamphere, president of the Puyallup Valley Chapter, was invited to say a few words on behalf the JACL. "Today I stand witness to the values and beliefs of the University of Puget Sound as it dedicates these cherry trees. For those students who planted the original trees, we say "Domo arigato", which means "thank you very much." For today's students, we say "Okage same de", which means 'we stand on your shoulders' or 'we are who we are because of you.' We must never forget because we cannot allow this ever to happen again."

scholarshipNational JACL Announces 2018 Scholarship Program
San Francisco, CA - The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) announces its National Scholarship and Awards Program for the 2018 academic year. 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 student aid scholarships for those in need of financial assistance in this era of rising tuition costs.

Scholarship Program information, instructions and applications can be found on the JACL website, here

Freshman applications must be submitted directly by the applicant to his/her local JACL chapter, with a postmark no later than March 1, 2018. Freshman applicants may obtain the mailing address of his/her chapter by contacting Membership Assistant Tomiko Ismail at tismail@jacl.org or by calling the Membership Department at (415) 921-5225, extension 26.

Chapters will then have one month to evaluate their freshman applications and are to forward ONLY the most outstanding ones to the National JACL Freshman Scholarship Committee, c/o JACL NCWNP District, 3566 Barley Court, San Jose, CA 95127, postmarked no later than April 2, 2018.

Applications for the "other" scholarship categories (undergraduate, graduate, law, creative/performing arts, and student aid) are to be sent directly by the applicant to the National JACL Scholarship Committee, c/o Central California District Council, with a postmark no later than April 2, 2018. The mailing address for this committee can be found on the application itself.

All those applying to the National JACL Scholarship Program must be a student member or individual member of the JACL.

For more information on the National JACL Scholarship Program, contact Regional Director Patty Wada at pwada@jacl.org or National JACL Vice President for Planning & Development Matthew Farrells at mfarrells@jacl.org.
upcomingUpcoming News & Announcements
Accepting Applications for Trip 2 Kakehashi Program Due Jan 2
For more information please see website

Join or Renew Your JACL Membership! 
Join or renew your JACL membership today! Members receive a complimentary subscription to the Pacific Citizen Newspaper, free admission to the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, CA (just show your membership card), valuable discounts, access to special events, and eligibility for over $70,000 in scholarships awarded every year. Most importantly, your membership dues will support the mission of JACL as the oldest and largest Asian American organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights and liberties of all Americans and preserving the Japanese American cultural and historical legacy. 

To join or renew your membership online, please click here! If you would like to join or renew over the phone, please call us at 415-921-5225 (Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm PST).  
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