Weekly Digest
November 12, 2019
February 2020 Kakehashi Trip Applications Now Open! Apply now through November 20th at 11:59pm HST
2019 Veterans Day at the
National Japanese American Memorial
On Monday, November 11, the Japanese American Veteran Association (JAVA) led a ceremony at the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During WWII in Washington, D.C. to honor the long tradition of Japanese American military service. General Paul Nakasone, the highest ranking Asian American on active duty, and the third Japanese American to reach the rank of "Flag Officer" gave special remarks, alongside Commander Kenta Washington (JAVA), Brigadier General Roy Macaraeg (Pan-Pacific American Leaders and Mentors), Shirley Ann Higuchi (National Japanese American Memorial Foundation), and Minister Kenichiro Mukai (Japanese Embassy).
Advocacy Opportunity: Support Filipino Veterans and their Families
Recently the Parole Program for World War II Filipino veterans and their families to immigrate to the United States and seek citizenship was terminated by the administration. The JACL joins other civil rights organizations in a call to action to help reinstate the program to help Filipino Veterans and their families reunite and seek citizenship! You can learn more in an op-ed written by General Taguba here!
FBI Releases its 2018 Hate Crime Statistics Report
Today, the FBI released its annual report on Hate Crime Statistics across the United States. While the number of crimes reported has decreased slightly, this is not necessarily a sign of decreasing hate crimes. The number of participating agencies has decreased by over 100 between 2017 and 2018. For cities with over 100,000 residents, 71 reported zero hate crimes and eight did not participate. With inconsistent participation from municipalities, it is difficult to truly analyze the data from year to year. Regardless, some disturbing numbers continue to be revealed.

Crimes against Asian/Pacific Islanders have gone up 14.3%, the third straight year of increases. Crimes against Sikhs saw a staggering 200 percent increase. Among religious groups, Jewish victims continue to be targeted at the highest rates with over 59% of the reported anti-religious bias crimes. Alongside these were significant increases in crimes against Latinx groups and LGBTQ groups for sexual orientation and gender identity.

The FBI releases statistics every year to help understand who is being attacked in our country, and just like every year, we see these numbers as a call for better reporting by law enforcement as evidenced by the lack of reporting in so many jurisdictions. Additionally, further data dis-aggregation, particularly of Asian/Pacific Islander data would show if trends in anti-China sentiment and imagery are resulting in increased crimes against Chinese people.

If you want to read more and see the statistics for yourself, click here.
Japantown Cultural District Town Hall Meeting
"Enemy Child" Book signing with Secretary Norm Mineta and Andrea Warren
Join the Smithsonian for a conversation and book signing with the museum’s Elizabeth MacMillan Director, Anthea M. Hartig; former Cabinet Secretary Norman Mineta; and Andrea Warren, author of Enemy Child: The Story of Norman Mineta, a Boy Imprisoned in a Japanese American Internment Camp During World War II. The talk will focus on Secretary Mineta’s extraordinary story of meeting a great civil injustice with incredible fortitude and dignity.

You can find more information here !

Courtesy of Noriko Sanefuji, Smithsonian Institute
Veteran's Month Caregiving Event Hosted by AARP
You are cordially invited to this special event for Veterans’ Caregiving Month with AARP! RSVP is needed by this Thursday, November 14. Please feel free to forward and invite your friends and colleagues who are veterans or in the military.

Richard Lui Veteran Caregiver Event
Monday, November 18 at 7:00 PM
The Terrace Theater
John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F Street, NW, Washington, DC
RSVP By Thursday, November 14 at 10 AM
RSVP By Thursday, November 14 at 10 AM
Doors Open at 6:30 PM
Business Attire or Military Equivalent
NCWNP District Council Installs New Board Members
The JACL NCWNP District Council recently held its quarterly meeting on Sunday, Nov. 3. The meeting was hosted by the Lodi JACL, and there were 18 chapters represented.  

The District Council elected members to its Executive Board that afternoon. Pictured above are (l. to r.) NCWNP Youth Representative Marco Torrez, PC Representative Nancy Ukai, Secretary Janice Luszczak, Governor Carol Kawase, Board Member Yoko Olsgaard, Vice Governor Howard Shimada and Treasurer Alan Teruya. Administering the oath of office is Past Governor Alan Nishi.  Not pictured is Board Member Sharon Uyeda.
Courtesy of Patty Wada
National Youth Student Council Retreat in Seattle, WA
The  JACL National Youth/Student Council  hosted its fall retreat in Seattle from October 25-27. The NY/SC went over it's business agenda on Saturday talking about ways to streamline its external communications plan by updating its website and providing more content on its Nikkei-Mashou newsletter.

The group visited the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience for a tour of the historic museum. The team later attended the Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple's College Welcome Night which involved pumpkin decorating and mochi making!
- Jess Juanich, JACL NY/SC Youth Chair
National Youth Student Council and Tsuru for Solidarity at the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival
The JACL National Youth Student Council (NY/SC) Eastern District Council held its Tsuru for Solidarity Coalition Building Panel along with the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. The Panel was held Saturday November 9th, and brought 7 students from Brown and Smith Colleges to visit Philadelphia for the panel as well as brought in many community members to learn more about JACL and Tsuru for Solidarity.
The Philadelphia NY/SC Youth Summit is Sponsored by:
Education/Health Opportunity: Webinar on Diabetes Solutions and Wellness for Diabetes Awareness Month
Diabetes Solution Center Webinar
Eli Lilly and Company has created an educational opportunity in conjunction with November’s Diabetes Awareness Month. The information shared could be a resource for those seeking assistance with access to Lilly insulins.
Lilly will host two webinars on the Lilly Diabetes Solution Center  to raise awareness and understanding of how the program works. Lilly content experts will guide your constituency through the key operational details of the program and equip them with the information they need to help connect patients with the LDSC toll-free number.
Please RSVP   here  and join us at one the following 30-minute web-based educational events on  November 19:
  • Tuesday, November 19 @ 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM (EDT)
  • Tuesday, November 19 @ 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM (EDT)

Courtesy of Eli, Lilly and Company
Pacific Citizen is looking for Submissions for its Special Holiday Edition!
Gift a JACL Membership to Your Family!
Follow us on social media to receive updates about JACL's advocacy work and the activities of JACL chapters!
In Case You Missed It...
Update: The 2020 JACS NPS Grant Deadline Has Been Extended to November 19th!
The National Park Service is currently accepting applications for the Fiscal Year 2020 Japanese American Confinement Sites (JACS) Grant Program. These matching grants provide financial assistance to organizations and entities working to preserve historic Japanese American confinement sites and their history. Grants will be awarded dependent on funds appropriated by Congress.

For more information on eligibility requirements and the application process, please visit the JACS Grant Program website at   https://www.nps.gov/jacs/application.html . Information is also available on  grants.gov  (search for Funding Opportunity Number P19AS00210). Applications must be received by  Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at 5:00 PM Mountain Time
If you have any questions, please contact one of the NPS-JACS regional representatives listed below: 

Intermountain Region
(AZ, CO, MT, NM, OK, TX, UT, WY)
Kara Miyagishima
(303) 969-2885

Midwest Region  
(AR, IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE,OH,SD,WI) 
Rachel Franklin Weekley
(402) 661-1928

Pacific West Region
(AK, CA, ID, NV, OR, WA, and other states not listed)
Tom Leatherman
(510) 778-4171

Hawaii
Jacqueline Ashwell
(808) 725-6146

Text Courtesy of Kara Miyagashima from National Parks Service
Join the SF Chapter for their Spaghetti Crab Feed in December!
More Upcoming Tsuru for Solidarity Events
Saturday Nov 16: 2-4pm Tsuru Gathering- Seattle
Facebook Link Coming Soon
Nisei Veterans' Committee Memorial Hall, 1212 S. King Street
Seattle WA 98144
Sponsor: Tsuru for Solidarity - Seattle (Stan Shikuma)

Saturday Nov 16: 3-4pm 
Butterfly Effect Youth Rally to Support Migrant Children, Oakland
Lake Merritt Amphitheater; SouthSide of Lake Merritt Oakland CA
Sponsor: Butterfly Effect Migration
Upgrade Your Membership!
Advocacy Opportunity: Join the JACL in Supporting the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act!
More than one million immigrants arrive at U.S. borders every year, many escaping violent or threatening situations in their home countries. 

Under Trump, immigrants arrive to U.S. detention centers that are just as damaging as the violence-prone countries many are fleeing. One investigator even found conditions at the nation’s largest Customs and Border Protection detention center “could be compared to torture facilities.”

U.S. Congress members, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) have sponsored a bill called the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, proposing changes to how the U.S. treats immigrants and ensuring transparent and responsible conduct around immigrants awaiting a court decision.

This legislation would implement a shift from detention to alternative housing arrangements for immigrants awaiting court decisions. Community-based supervision programs allow immigrants to live independently, and outside of detention centers.

This legislation will also address transparency in how the U.S. runs its detention centers, calling for regular inspections at detention facilities to ensure that the facility workers are respecting all rights of immigrants. 

Migrant families lawfully seeking asylum cannot continue to be abused! Congress must enact legislation to prevent further detainment in for-profit concentration camps. Join the JACL along with other sponsors, Daily Kos, Franciscan Action Network, Blue Future, and more by signing the petition!
Advocacy Opportunity:
Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act
Check if your member of Congress has co-sponsored the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act of 2019. ( List of cosponsors here )

If they have not, call their office TODAY and ask them to do so. Mention that you are their constituent.

Not sure who your member of Congress is? Find them here .

This bill would bring oversight and enforcement of standards to immigrant detention, in an attempt to curb the horrific, inhumane conditions found inside many of these facilities. It would also compel investigations of deaths in custody and phase out private detention, so that all facilities are regulated and no companies stand to profit from locking up families seeking asylum. Find the text here .
Advocacy Opportunity:
Reuniting Families Act
Check if your member of Congress has co-sponsored the Reuniting Families Act. ( List of cosponsors here )

If they have not, call their office TODAY and ask them to do so. Mention that you are their constituent.

The bill promotes family unity by clearing backlogs for family-based immigration and providing for the more timely reunification of spouses and children, as well as providing protection for LGBTQ families. It eliminates per-country visa limits and recaptures lost visas. Find the text here.
Advocacy Opportunity: Petition of Japanese Americans to Close the Camps!
JACL has joined as a supporting organization for this petition.

Nikkei-mashou
Click HERE for the latest issue of Nikkei-mashou, the newsletter of the National Youth/Student Council.

The mission of the National Youth/Student Council is to build a national network that engages the next generation through community organizing to create positive change for the API community.

Apply to be a census worker
The U.S. Census Bureau is hiring temporary workers for the 2020 census count, including census takers and office staff. It is important to have representatives from all communities working as census workers to work towards a full and accurate count.

Click here to find the application and pay rates in your local area.