On Feb. 18, South Seattle College hosted noted author and historian Robert Shimabukuro as the featured speaker for the annual Day of Remembrance. This annual event marks the anniversary that President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the evacuation and incarceration of 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry, living on the West Coast, most of whom were U.S. […]
Elsie Taniguchi — Spreading love in response to war-time internment experience
By Yiqin Weng Northwest Asian Weekly Elsie Taniguchi, a 79-year-old Japanese American, describes herself as a volunteer. She has been the president of the Puyallup Valley Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) for 17 years. Taniguchi and her colleagues in JACL are now focusing on a subcommittee called “Camp Harmony Committee” to tell the next generation […]
JACL collaborates with the Smithsonian
Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Executive Director Priscilla Ouchida met with Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History John Gray to sign an agreement for JACL to collaborate with the Museum on a 2017 exhibition commemorating the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066. Signed by President Roosevelt in 1942, Executive Order 9066 led […]
Hasegawa, lawmakers, commemorate the Day of Remembrance
Legislators commemorated the anniversary of Executive Order 9066 in Olympia which was acknowledged on Feb. 23. The order was a wartime measure that sent 120,000 Japanese-Americans to concentration camps. A Senate Resolution honoring what is now called the Day of Remembrance, was offered by Sen. Bob Hasegawa, D-Beacon Hill. “My whole family was sent […]
COMMENTARY: My wish for the Japanese American community
By Louise Kashino Takisaki Northwest Asian Weekly My dedication to support the Nisei Veterans Committee is because of the importance of preserving our history, especially during WWII. Our mission at NVC is to “Honor the Past; Educate the Future.” The history books have included very little on the Japanese incarceration during WWII, so it is […]
Diane Sugimura: 35 years of planning for Seattle
By Irfan Shariff Northwest Asian Weekly One could consider Diane Sugimura as the woman behind Seattle’s skyline. She is the city’s director of planning and development and leads the 300-plus employees of the city’s department. Last year, she celebrated over 35 years of service to the city.
70 years later, NU honors Japanese American student
Northwest University (NU) in Kirkland will posthumously award an honorary bachelor’s degree to Yeiko Ogata, the school’s first Japanese American student. Research on the school’s multicultural history will be revealed during the ceremony, including how NU assisted Ogata in defiance of popular anti-Japanese sentiment during WWII.
President Obama meets Japanese American World War II veterans
On Feb. 18, President Obama met with seven surviving Japanese American World War II veterans, all in their 90s, to thank them in person for their service.
White House increases outreach to limited English speakers
Last month, the White House Office of Public Engagement and White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI) convened a daylong summit for federal agencies to discuss how to improve outreach to limited English proficient (LEP) communities.
White House honors legacy of Fred Korematsu
On Jan. 30, the White House issued a statement honoring the legacy of Fred Korematsu, a Japanese American hero who stood his ground in the face of injustice.