It is the JACL's mission to secure and uphold the human and civil rights of Americans of Japanese ancestry and others, and to promote and preserve the cultural heritage and values of Japanese Americans.
FREE Access to Japanese American Camp Records on Ancestry.com
In remembrance of the 70th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066 placing more than 120,000 Japanese Americans in World War II camps, Ancestry.com, the world's largest online family history resource, is offering free access from February 16-23 to its extensive Japanese American camp record collections. Visit ancestry.com/japanese to view more than 180,000 records, spanning the years 1942-45. The Japanese American National Museum is pleased to partner with Ancestry.com to commemorate this historic anniversary. Note: free access closes at midnight February 23, 2012 ET.
Take Action for the Day of Remembrance
The Day of Remembrance is held to never forget what happened to Japanese Americans during WWII.
This weekend marks 70 years after President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, forcing 120,000 Japanese Americans into illegal detention centers.
Policy and Advocacy Program: The JACL played a key role in righting this terrible wrong. But today we are again fighting war hysteria and racial bigotry that has once again allowed the government to detain "suspected enemies" indefinitely without benefit of due process. This is what happened in 1942.
Your membership and donations fight for current civil rights issues so history does not repeat itself.
Education Program: JACL publishes and distributes educational materials about the internment and about the Asian American historical experience and hold teacher trainings so entire classrooms of students learn about what happened. Your support gets this done.
Youth/Leadership Program: We use history to empower our emerging leaders at our Leadership Summit in Washington DC, and youth programs like Bridging Communities and Project Community. Support this work!
MameDaiko will once again participate in "First Night Akron 2012". The event is the New Year's Eve celebration in Downtown Akron, Ohio.
About First Night Akron
Make plans for New Year's Eve and join the fun in Downtown Akron! Now in its 16th year, First Night Akron is a New Year's Eve celebration unlike any other. This family-friendly, alcohol-free celebration of the arts brings the community together to experience a brief moment in time while creating lasting memories. Come in out of the cold and celebrate the New Year! On Saturday, December 31, enjoy indoor entertainment and fun for all ages throughout Downtown Akron featuring the region's best in music, dance, theater, visual and interactive arts! Entertainment and fun will delight the whole family!
MameDaiko will be performing at the "Greystone Hall: Ballroom 2nd Floor
6:15 to 7pm and 7:15 to 8:15pm. Visit the First Night Akron website: http://www.firstnightakron.org/.
Art in the Square festival draws crowds but no traffic
Remarks on the Tragic Disasters in Japan, the Japanese Response, And What Can Be Done to Help
Margaret W. Wong with Hiroyuki Fujita and Maria Pujana Invite You to Join Kuninori Matsuda, Consul General, Consulate General of Japan in Detroit and Richard Pogue, Chairman of the Board of Directors, American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland.
Thursday May 5th, 2011 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at the Law Office of Margaret W. Wong and Associates
3150 Chester Ave, Cleveland, Ohio 44114.
In times of devastation and tragedy Americans have always been generous in their support. The Cleveland JACL supports the efforts of the Dayton JACL Chapter/Asian American Council to raise donations for those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The need is great and the efforts of all those who help is ongoing. Please give generously. Donation Information.
Poston Internment Camp - Restoration Project
Historical information about the wartime imprisonment of the people of Japanese ancestry at the Colorado River Relocation Center.
Japanese Internment and the 442nd Infantry Regiment
Created by Richard Theus III, a Yonsei (third generation born in America), for a final project at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. His grandmother, Hazel Asamoto (a Nisei), was in the camps.
Recent event displayed on Heights Observer!
We are part of a recent article by the Heights Observer (reporter Anita Kazarian). The link will go to this recent event along with a few photos in their image gallery. http://heightsobserver.org/read/3/8/taiko-drumming-obon-dancing.
We would like to thank Tee Takahata (Zachary Spannbauer's Grandfather) who recently fixed a severely wrapped drum for us. he stripped, sanded, reinforced, RESHAPED, re-stained, and re-coated. Later, we replaced both sides and it now sounds like a new drum!
Zachary Spannbauer, a member of the Mame Daiko Taiko Drumming Ensemble (Cleveland JACL Taiko) has been accepted to attend the "2010 Invitation Program for Japanese American Students". Zachary has been selected to be a participant in the trip to Japan in July and is 1 of 8 students selected to participate in this program.
The program is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. The purpose of the program is to "Provide Japanese American students with an opportunity to learn various aspects of Japan (politics, economy, society, history, culture, language, etc.). Promote mutual understanding and exchanges between Japanese and Japanese American younger generations."
Zachary is the son of Ray and Susan Spannbauer, and grandson of Tsutomu (Tee) and Teruko (Terri) Takahata.
VOTE FOR A NISEI BASEBALL PLAYER
We have been asked for help in spreading the word to nominate Kenichi Zenimura for the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award at Baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. This is a chance to honor an exemplary Japanese American (Nisei, second generation).
(July 1, 2010 -- Fresno, CA) The National Baseball Hall of Fame is now accepting nominations for The Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award honors an individual whose extraordinary efforts enhanced baseball's positive impact on society, broadened the game's appeal, and whose character, integrity and dignity are comparable to the qualities exhibited by O'Neil.
The Nisei Baseball Research Project (NBRP) is spearheading a campaign to nominate Kenichi Zenimura (1900-1968), the Father of Japanese American Baseball, the perfect recipient of this award. You can learn more about Mr. Zenimura at the website listed below.
Please Help Nominate Zenimura.for the Buck O'Neil award with sixty seconds, a signature and a stamp.If you can help, please vote at: www.niseibaseball.com - The deadline is July 30.
JACL JOINS LAWSUIT AGAINST ARIZONA LAW
Washington, D.C. -- The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) joined with other national civil rights groups in filing a lawsuit against the implementation of SB 1070, the recently signed Arizona law that authorizes local law enforcement officers to detain those who may be suspected to be in this country without legal authorization. This lawsuit challenges the new Arizona law that was recently passed through the Arizona State Legislature and signed into law by Arizona Governor Brewer.
The JACL has expressed strong opposition to the legislation because it is seen as open season for local law enforcement officers to prey upon people of color, particularly the Hispanic population who are often the target of discriminatory detention practices of local police. Asian Americans, who have seen a long history of anti-immigrant politics, also fear the threat of detention simply because this group of American citizens are often mistaken for visiting foreigners.
Floyd Mori, the National Executive Director of the JACL stated today that, "Japanese Americans are all too familiar with law enforcement actions that have targeted their communities simply because of their ethnicity and nothing else. While there are alleged protections in the new law, we have seen the terrible impact of over zealous law enforcement who ignored the basic protections of the Constitution in the past. It was wrong to racial profile then and it is wrong today."
The National JACL President, Larry Oda commented, "We feel it our duty and obligation to stand with our friends in the civil rights arena to challenge the Constitutional validity of this new law. JACL members are at risk because Asian Americans are often seen as the perpetual foreigner and assumed to be immigrants when many are now fourth and fifth generation Americans."
Among the other national organizations that have joined in the lawsuit are the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, the Mexican Legal Defense and Education Fund, the NAACP, the ACLU, and many other groups and individuals. The Obama Administration has also indicated serious reservations about the new law and is actively looking at it legality.
The JACL is the largest and oldest Asian American civil and human rights organization in the country. There are over 100 chapters throughout the United Sates including their Arizona chapter. The JACL held its national convention in Arizona in 2006. The members of their Arizona chapter are part of a coalition of concerned citizens who have been actively engaged in opposing the law.
Japanese Collection at Cleveland Public Library
The Japanese Collection of Foreign Literature Department offers free e-mail service to provide newly arrived Japanese book information. Readers may reserve books online and request sending the books to a library branch/network library close to them for a pickup.
Please feel free to browse the booklists linked below. If anyone would like to receive the department's collection information, please send a request to forlit.asian@cpl.org.
