The Embassy of Japan announced that a book of condolences for the sudden passing of the Former Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Shinzo Abe will be opened at the Embassy of Japan as follows:
1. Date & Time
Monday, July 11 to Tuesday, July 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
2. Address
Embassy of Japan (at main entrance)
2520 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20008
* Please be advised that parking at the Embassy is unavailable.
The Office of Communications at the National Park Service (NPS) announced on June 21, 2022, that 19 preservation, restoration, and education projects were awarded grants through the Japanese American Confinement Sites program!
To learn more and access the full list of grant recipients, please click here.
Members of author Zhuqing Li’s family would like to cordially invite you to the official book launch of Li’s, “Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden: Two Sisters Separated by China’s Civil War.” The celebration of Li’s book will take place at Rollins Congressional Club, 1621 Martha Terrace, Rockville, Maryland, 20852, on Sunday, July 10th, 2022, from 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM.
Li’s book explores her mother and aunt’s experience during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. To mark the launch, Li’s family, with support from the North American Chinese Writers’ Association, is inviting members of the community to celebrate.
Folks have until June 30th to RSVP to the event. To RSVP, please email Edward and Corinna Shen at: sevenseasrestaurant@yahoo.com.
The San Jose, CA memorial motorcade and service for Secretary Norman Y. Mineta will take place today, June 16th, at 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM PDT/ 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM EDT.
Speakers to be featured include:
For more information and a link to the June 16 San Jose Rotunda Ceremony, please visit:
Come one, come all! The DC Chapter is hosting their annual in-person picnic on Sunday, June 12th, from 12:00 – 2:30 PM at the Cabin John Group Picnic Area, 7701 Tuckerman Lane, Potomac, Maryland.
Join us for a fun-filled afternoon of great food, games, raffles, and prizes~!
To register, click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jacl-dc-picnic-tickets-327446981737
For directions to the park, click here: https://cumaps.net/en/US/cabin-john-group-picnic-area-p3010316
We’re pleased to share that June 4th marked the one-year anniversary of the Go For Broke stamp.
To celebrate Go For Broke Stamp Day, the Stamp Our Story committee is asking community members to please commemorate the day by sharing photos and selfies of you/family/friends displaying the Go For Broke stamp on social media, with the hashtag #GoForBrokeStampDay #HonorAAPIElders #StampOurStory. These photos can be done anytime, throughout this month, and beyond.
For those interested, Stamp Our Story is also looking to collect photos for their documentary film. The committee is in need of photos for their film credits of a brand new cut of the short film on the stamp’s story. This new cut includes new content, and the hope is to include it in some upcoming Asian American Pacific Islander film festivals where the Nisei soldiers’ story can continue to be shared. Any photos shared also need to have your consent to show them publicly. If you do not wish to have your photo posted on social media, but consent to having it featured in the documentary, please make a note of that in your submission.
For those comfortable sharing their photos on social, please feel free to visit their Facebook and Instagram accounts (@stampourstory) for examples of how to take and submit your photos.
For additional questions, concerns, and/or documentary photo submissions, please email StampOurStory@gmail.com or contact committee Co-Chair Wayne Osako at wosako12@gmail.com.
📣 Calling all Eastern District Council (EDC) Youth! The NY/SC is excited to share an event happening THIS SATURDAY, June 4th, from 2:30-4:00 pm, in Washington D.C. at the AT&T Democracy Forum. Join us for an interactive event discussing the Japanese diaspora and connecting with fellow youth activists in the area.
🔔 RSVP at: https://bit.ly/3zhWsBs
* Please note that due to a recent uptick in COVID cases in the DMV area, we will be requiring all Summit attendees to be vaccinated, masked, and tested beforehand.
JACL DC Chapter was honored to host the 74th annual Memorial Day Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC). Along with our partners, the Japanese American Veterans Association, the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation, and the JACL National, we remembered the service and sacrifice of our veterans and their families. In addition to the formal ceremony, we were able to visit over 100 sites at ANC and pay our respects.
Click here to watch the ceremony.
Photographer Shane Sato has spent the last twenty-plus years using his shutter to capture evocative portraits of Japanese American World War II veterans, Nisei soldiers who fought and served America in the segregated unit of the 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team and as members of the Military Intelligence Service (MIS). The Go For Broke Spirit exhibit is the first time Sato’s works will be shown on the East Coast and opens on June 9, 2022, at the Japan Information & Culture Center (JICC) in Washington, DC.
The exhibition runs from June 9 to July 22, 2022, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday. Admission is free. The JICC will have special gallery hours from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Saturday, June 11, 2022, and invite the public to hear Shane Sato speak at 1:00 pm about his work and the specific portraits on view. The program will be free, but a ticket to enter the program will be required. Because of limited seating, reservations will be required.
Tickets will be available in mid-May on Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/d/dc–washington/events/
The portraits on view at the JICC are taken from Shane Sato’s hardcover books, The Go For Broke Spirit: Portraits of Courage and The Go For Broke Spirit: Portraits of Legacy. In addition to inspiring you, these coffee table books make handsome gifts. From June 9 to June 11, Mr. Sato will be at the JICC to sign his books.
Shane’s books are $60.00 each or $110.00 for both volumes. For this special JAVA event, pre-ordered shipping to JICC is free. All pre-orders must be placed by May 25th on Sato’s website. When completing the order form, please use JICC as the mailing address: 1150 18th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036.
—
For more information about Shane Sato’s work, please visit the website:
https://www.thegoforbrokespirit.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goforbrokespirit/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goforbrokespiritbook/?hl=en
For more information, please visit sponsors’ websites:
Japanese American Veterans Association – https://www.java-us.org/
JAVA’s point of contact is Neet Ford, Executive Director, at: javapotomac@gmail.com
Veterans Memorial Court Alliance: https://www.memorialcourtalliance.org/
Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan:
https://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/jicc/index.html
—
The exhibit is co-sponsored by the Japanese American Veterans Association through contributions from Glen S. Fukushima and Dr. Thomas Yoshikawa, Japan Information & Culture Center, the Veterans Memorial Court Alliance through a grant from the Japanese American Community Foundation, and Mr. Shane Sato.
JACL DC Vice President, Julie Abo (far left) and Shirley Ann Higuchi (far right), members were honored to be at the White House Rose Garden for a reception with optimism amidst the somberness observing Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Vice President Kamala Harris and President and Dr. Biden greeted the gathering and somberly noted the exceptional contributions of the late Secretary Norman Y. Mineta and the recent shootings. Son David Mineta and stepson Bob Brantner were also in attendance. Higuchi and Abo are seen here with Krystal Ka‘ai, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) and Floyd Mori, past JACL National Executive Director.
JACL DC 