JAMsj E-News
Japanese American Museum of San JoseJanuary 2013
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 | | Read Darrell Miho's personal story about how he got involved in Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief efforts on the JAMsj blog. He will talk about his experiences at JAMsj on February 3, 2013. Photo courtesy of Ai Love Japan and Ken Matsui |
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Fred Korematsu Program
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In 1998, Fred Korematsu received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award.
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Dangerous Parallels:
American Muslims Today and the Echoes of WWII Injustice
January 26, 2013
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Wesley United Methodist Church
(across the street from JAMsj)
566 N. Fifth Street
San Jose, CA 95112
"Fears and prejudices directed against minority communities are too easy to evoke and exaggerate, often to serve the political agendas of those who promote those fears. No one should ever be locked away simply because they share the same race, ethnicity, or religion as a spy or terrorist. If that principle was not learned from the internment of Japanese Americans, then these are very dangerous times for our democracy."
- Fred Korematsu (2004)
Following 9/11, American Muslims found themselves in a situation not unlike that of Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Recognizing this, Japanese Americans came to the defense of American Muslim community members as their civil liberties were threatened, resulting in an extraordinary kinship between the two communities.
Cost: Free with admission to the museum (non-members, $5; students and seniors over age 65, $3; JAMsj members and children under 12, free)
RSVP by contacting PublicPrograms@jamsj.org
or calling (408) 294-3138.
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Ai Love Japan: Ongoing Recovery and
Relief Efforts in Northeastern Japan
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May 18, 2011; Minamisanriku, Miyagi Pref., Japan - 1.2 kilometers inland, a fishing boat sits amongst splintered wood and debris in the shadow of homes that were virtually untouched after the magnitude 9.0 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami that devastated the Tohoku region of Japan on March 11, 2011. Photo courtesy of Darrell Miho.
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Ai Love Japan: Ongoing Recovery and Relief Efforts in Northeastern Japan February 3, 2013
1:00-3:00 p.m. Japanese American Museum of San Jose 535 N. Fifth Street
San Jose, CA 95112 On February 3, Darrell Miho, Sansei photojournalist and co-founder of Ai Love Japan, will be at JAMsj to talk about his experiences and discuss some of the current issues and needs in the areas hit by disaster in northeast Japan almost two years ago. Miho has made five trips to Japan to document the aftermath of the March 11 disaster that devastated the Tohoku region. This is a rare opportunity to see a photojournalist's labor of love and hear about his first-hand experiences. Photos and videos about the survivors and the current situation will be shown, followed by a Q&A session. Light refreshments will be served.  | |
June 9, 2011; Kessenuma, Miyagi Pref., Japan - Darrell Miho (L) hands students at Shishiori Shougakko 1000 cranes donated by Madrona, Cypress and Banyan Elementary Schools in Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park to encourage students to be strong after the March 11, 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami damaged the first floor of the elementary school in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture. Photo credit: Ken Matsui Ken Matsui Images Photography
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Ai Love Japan uses earthquake and tsunami survivor stories to increase public awareness about how people were affected and what they are doing to rebuild their lives. Its goal is to keep people aware of the ongoing situation in the disaster area in hopes of encouraging volunteers to raise additional funds and go help people in the hardest-hit areas in the Fukushima, Iwate, and Miyagi Prefectures. Read Darrell Miho's personal story about how he got involved in relief efforts on the JAMsj blog. 
Additional information about Ai Love Japan can be found on its website: http://ailovejapan.org. Cost: Free with admission to the museum (non-members, $5; students and seniors over age 65, $3; JAMsj members and children under 12, free) Seating is limited, so please email PublicPrograms@JAMsj.org or call the JAMsj office at (408) 294-3138 to reserve your spot today. .
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San Jose Day of Remembrance
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The Day of Remembrance candlelight ceremony honors internees, war veterans, and people who were displaced by EO 9066. Photo courtesy of Andy Frazer
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33rd Annual
San Jose Day of Remembrance
The Changing Face of America
February 17, 2013
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin
640 North 5th Street
San Jose, CA 95112
Please do not contact the San Jose Buddhist Church for information. Contact info@sjnoc.org or visit the NOC website.
By Will Kaku
The 2013 San Jose Day of Remembrance commemorates the signing of Executive Order 9066, which led to the incarceration of 120,000 people of Japanese descent, two-thirds of whom were American citizens. The event will also recognize the 25th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. This landmark legislation stated that "a grave injustice was done to both citizens and permanent residents of Japanese ancestry by the evacuation, relocation, and internment of civilians during World War II."
To many of us in the Japanese American community, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 demonstrated that America can be a great nation. America can look back in painful introspection and admit our past wrongs. But because our families and our community have been the recipients of the government's apology and redress, many of us also believe that we bear a special responsibility to uphold the lessons learned from Executive Order 9066.
 | Candlelight vigil after the Oak Creek massacre. Photo by Ernie Mastroianni. Courtesy of the Sikh Coalition.
Simran Kaur, the advocacy director of the Sikh Coalition, will speak at the 2013 San Jose Day of Remembrance event.
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The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 stated that the government's actions "were motivated largely by racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and a failure of political leadership." The reference to "prejudice" strikes a special chord with many Japanese Americans, leading us to believe that we must not be silent when we see our neighbors, friends, classmates, colleagues, and various communities become the targets of discrimination and violence. The 2013 San Jose Day of Remembrance program reflects this belief.The 2013 Day of Remembrance program, The Changing Face of America, acknowledges the changing composition of America. Many political observers have stated that the 2012 election results demonstrated a dramatic shift in the demographics of the country, citing the increasing influence of particular groups, such as Latinos, Asian Americans, African Americans, women, and younger Americans. The election also revealed some progressive gains in LGBT equality, the great civil rights struggle of this decade. Accompanying this dramatic demographic and attitudinal shift is an increased risk of backlash, intolerance, ignorance, xenophobia, and violence. Read More...
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JAMsj Book Club
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Snow on Willow: A Nisei Memoir
By Jean Oda Moy Japanese American Museum of San Jose 535 N. Fifth Street San Jose, CA 95112
This is the story of an American-born daughter of Japanese immigrants who is caught in Japan in the 1940s and returns to America after the war. She spends her early childhood exposed to two cultures in a pre-war Japanese settlement in West Seattle. When U.S. anti-Japanese sentiments escalate, she is called "Jap" and told "Go back home." Her parents take her to their homeland. Here, she experiences discrimination from the Japanese, who call her "Yankee girl" because she is different and because of anti-U.S. sentiment. During the war, she and her family endure terrifying air raids, severe food shortages and many other hardships. They are only 40 miles from Hiroshima when the Americans drop the atomic bomb and they feel its massive jolt. Two years later she travels alone to Boston and works her way through college. Although this intrepid young woman encounters enormous hurdles on both sides of the Pacific, she refuses to allow anyone or anything to crush her spirit. What does it feel like not to belong anywhere? The JAMsj Book Club is always open to new members. Selections are chosen collaboratively at the end of each meeting and align with the JAMsj mission: the celebration of Japanese American art, history, and culture. Books may be purchased at the JAMsj museum store. If you have questions, please contact Aggie Idemoto at (408) 268-4440 or aggie@jamsj.org.
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Senator Daniel Inouye Remembrance
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In the wake of the passing of Senator Daniel Inouye, we heard or read a groundswell of memories about his persona, as well as his many contributions to the Japanese American community and to the country. The following remembrance of Senator Inouye was written by JAMsj volunteer, Sandra Komo Gauvreau, on December 17, 2012, the day of Senator Inouye's passing. The power of role modeling is exemplified in Komo's reflections. As busy adults, we often forget how impressionable our words and actions are to those who learn from us. Thank you, Komo, for sharing this heart-felt memoir.
By Sandra Komo Gauvreau
 | Senator Daniel Inouye
1924-2012 |
You probably already know this ... but I just found out that my senator (Daniel Inouye) passed away today.
I'm so sad. He was a hero that most kids in Hawaii, especially JA kids, grow up respecting and admiring. Not a year of my childhood went by without at least one kid presenting a report on his life. Inouye was a senator for almost 50 years. How many politicians can say that they were able to hold the faith of their constituency for so long? I remember his campaign bumper stickers from back when I was a teenager. They just said "Dan" and everyone knew which Dan it was. It didn't matter if Akaka or any other Dan was running in that election - we knew that "Dan" could only be Daniel Inouye.
Dan Inouye was President pro tempore. This meant that if anything happened to the president, he would have been third in the line of succession (behind the Vice President and the House speaker). He recently commented on how things had changed since WWII. To imagine going from being thought of as an enemy alien to being constantly escorted by security agents because he was now third in line for the presidency - he was amazed.
With the recent election, I found myself thinking about and appreciating him often. We are so fortunate to have so many JA politicians who represent our people with so much integrity. I can't help but think that our history has something to do with that. Daniel Inouye was a hero and he lived up to that throughout his long life. I never doubted any decision or action by my senator, because I knew with certainty that he was a man of integrity. He fought for and accomplished so much for us - the people of Hawaii, the Japanese American community and, in fact, we the entire nation. Everything he did was with our best interests at heart.
I'm so sad to know that he's gone. I'm a little teary eyed ... but I don't know if it's sadness or sheer appreciation. I have a lot of love for my senator.
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Japanese American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj)535 N. Fifth StreetSan Jose, CA 95112Tel: (408) 294-3138Email: mail@jamsj.orgwww.jamsj.org |
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