JAMsj E-News Japanese American Museum of San Jose
January 2010 - Vol. 3, Issue 1
|
|
|
|
|
JAMsj Reopening in 2010
|
Message from the President
Dr. Aggie Idemoto
The question of
the month is: "When will JAMsj be ready to open?" We hope to be able
to answer this question soon. With so
much activity within JAMsj and in the larger community, it's easy to get
distracted from the main focus: the unveiling of our all-new museum. But we are
all committed to maintaining a laser-sharp focus on construction completion and
the grand opening.
Definitive dates for the opening have not been determined, but if you drive by the Museum site, you will notice that the building exterior has been completed. Our vision of a new Museum, styled as an attractive Japanese farm house, is finally being realized. In addition, because we are currently working
feverishly on the Museum interior, the exciting, new exhibit displays are now
taking shape.
In addition to the new facility, JAMsj will expand its area of focus beyond the Santa Clara Valley and reach out to the Greater Bay Area, from South San Francisco to Salinas/Monterey. Watch for signs of this expansion in future exhibits and events.
It's a Farming Life
An exciting example of what you will see within our wider focus is JAMsj's expanded agricultural exhibit, "It's a Farming Life." Upon re-opening, this exhibit will present artifacts and oral histories from the rich agricultural region just south of us -- Morgan Hill to Salinas/Monterey. The telling of stories and the gathering of artifacts from this area started with a meeting of post-war farmers at the Pacific Grove home of Ko Nishimura.Read more from Aggie Idemoto...
|
|
|
|
30th Annual San Jose Day of Remembrance
|
30th Annual San Jose Day of Remembrance
Sunday, February 14, 2010 5:30-7:30 pm San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin 640 North Fifth Street,
San Jose, CA 95112
Click here for event info The San Jose Day of Remembrance commemorates the anniversary of Executive Order 9066 which led to the forced incarceration of 120,000 people of Japanese descent, two-thirds of whom were American citizens.
Thirty years ago, the Nihonmachi Outreach Committee (NOC) organized the San Jose Day of Remembrance event to bring awareness to the plight of former Japanese American incarcerees and to build support for efforts in obtaining an official apology from the United States government. Initially, there was not widespread support for redress and reparations, even within the Japanese American community, but gradually the redress movement gathered momentum. Education and legislative efforts from many organizations and individuals culminated in the signing of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
Similar in spirit to the early Day of Remembrance
programs, the 2010 Day of Remembrance will describe grassroots and legislative efforts to
establish a commission that would investigate and
determine the facts surrounding the wartime
deportation and incarceration of Japanese Latin Americans. The
struggle for a formal acknowledgment of this great
injustice reminds us that there is still much
unfinished business related to the redress
and reparations.
This year's Day of
Remembrance program features special
performances by
San Jose Taiko and
by shakuhachi master, Kanow Matsueda accompanied by Julie Masazuki Sumida on
koto. The program also includes Congressman Mike Honda, speakers from the
community, and the traditional candlelight
procession through historic San Jose Japantown.
At this event, JAMsj will have an exhibit display of the Crystal City camp where many Japanese Latin Americans were incarcerated.
|
Honorary Degrees to Japanese Americans Incarcerated During World War II |
WW II Nisei College Grads Being Sought
JAMsj is collaborating with San Jose State
University (SJSU) and the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern
California (JCCCNC) in a search for Japanese American students who were unable
to complete their college education in a California public post-secondary
institution during WWII, such as:
- University of California (UC)
- California State University (CSU)
- California Community College (CCC)
because of the wartime forced removal and
incarceration. AB 37 (Warren Furutani), authorizes eligible students to receive
an honorary degree from the college in which they were a member of the
graduating classes of 1942-1945. Surviving family members are invited to accept
an honorary degree on behalf of individuals who are deceased.
To receive an application or to get more information, contact CANiseiProject@jccnc.org or call 415-567-5505. For a local contact:
JAMsj: Aggie
Idemoto (aggieidemoto@gmail.com
,
408.294-3138)
San
Jose State University: Bill Nance (bill.nance@sjsu.edu, 408.924-1177)
Former students or their family members will be
invited to attend SJSU's graduation commencement ceremony this spring.
|
Volunteer Opportunities
|
As we get ready for our grand opening, we will need many more volunteers to help with various activities. Help is desired in many exciting areas:
-
Docents
for the Museum and Japantown tours
- Event planning
- Business operations
- Office manager
- Administrative assistants
- Data processing/transcribing
- Library maintenance
- Retail operations
- Museum store manager
- Online retail development
- Finance department
- Accounts payable/receivable
- Budgeting and finance
- Facility and grounds maintenance
- Construction support
- Gardening maintenance support
- Marketing communications
- IT services
- Hardware/software management
- Website maintenance
- Internet communications implementation
- Fund development
- Grant writers
- Donor program coordinators
- Corporate and planned giving program coordinators
- Membership coordinators
- Exhibit preparation
Click here for more information about our exciting opportunities.
Become a part of the JAMsj family as we enter this exciting period! Contact June Honma at june@jamsj.org or the JAMsj office at 408-294-3138.
|
|
Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj)535 N. Fifth StreetSan Jose, CA 95112Tel: 408-294-3138Email: mail@jamsj.orgwww.jamsj.org
|
|
|
|