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February 2025 Issue 1 |
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In this issue |
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This year's theme, "Women Activists Leading
Change," celebrates the significant
influence and leadership of women in political
and social movements. San Jose's Japantown, in
particular, has a rich history of strong female
leadership.
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| Activist Leading Change: Bekki Shibayama |
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Click here to hear Bekki
talk about the Alien Enemies Act. |
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NOC's Bekki
Shibayama warns about the potential use
of the
Alien Enemies Act of 1798 for the mass
deportation of immigrants. This wartime act
was last used during World War II to round up
and
imprison over 31,000 German, Italian, and
Japanese immigrants in the United States and
from Latin America. The action had a
devastating impact on Bekki's family and over
2,260 Japanese Latin Americans. NOC urges the
repeal of the Alien Enemies Act through the
Neighbors Not Enemies Act. Bekki will share
ways to advocate for local immigrant communities
at the San Jose Day of Remembrance event on
Sunday, February 16, 2025. See
www.sjnoc.org
for more details. |
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| Aswat
Women's Ensemble |
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The
Aswat Women’s Ensemble (AWE) is the Bay
Area’s only exclusively-female Arab music
ensemble designed to empower women. AWE is a
multi-racial and multi-ethnic female ensemble
that reaches out to the diverse Bay Area
community with folkloric, classical,
contemporary, and sacred Arab music. AWE’s doors
remain open to all who want to participate in
the exciting, enriching exchange between Arab
Americans and other communities through the
universal language of music. |
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San Jose Day
of Remembrance
speakers are Professor Alice Yang,
Chair of the History Department at the University of
California, Santa Cruz, and Diana Tsuchida,
independent historian and creator of the oral history
project Tessaku. |
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Alice Yang |
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Diana Tsuchida |
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Nina Chuang has been a
prominent student leader at San Jose State
University, advocating for social justice and
underrepresented students. She continues
to work on the project,
Never Again Is Now!, a
student-led artistic movement to honor the
history of Japanese American incarceration
during World War II and to call for recognition
of San José State University’s (SJSU) role in
this dark chapter of American history.
Nina will be a
co-emcee of the San Jose Day of
Remembrance event. |
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Click here for more infomation |
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Never Again is Now! is a student-led, artistic
movement to honor the history of Japanese American incarceration
during World War II and to call for recognition of San José
State University’s (SJSU) role in this dark chapter of American
history. This powerful project aims to create a permanent mural
on campus that commemorates the experiences of Japanese
Americans who were forcibly removed from their homes and
detained in camps under Executive Order 9066, and whose voices
have long been silenced.
This campaign seeks your support to fund the creation of the
mural, which will not only honor this history but also serve
as a space for learning, reflection, and continued activism.
Your donation will help us cover the costs of materials, artist
fees, and educational programming surrounding the mural’s
unveiling and continued engagement.
Visit this page for more information about how you can help. |
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In 1942, SJSU’s Spartan Complex Boy’s Gym served as a
processing center where over 2,400 Japanese Americans,
including American citizens, were ordered to report
before being sent to incarceration camps. Among those
affected were 125 Japanese American students who were
forced to leave SJSU, many of whom never returned to
complete their education |
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A note from Kenji Taguma, president of the
Nichi Bei
Foundation:
I just wanted to take a moment to personally invite you
to our 14th annual Films of Remembrance, the premier
showcase of films on the Japanese American incarceration
experience, on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025 at the
Buddhist
Church of San Jose Betsuin. We will be bringing in
filmmakers from as far as South Korea and the East
Coast, and end the day with a special performance of
"Manzanar" and "We Are the Children" by Tomomi Emori and
friends.
Of this year's record class of 19 films, we are feature
TWO films EXCLUSIVE to San Jose Japantown:
"Row Don't
Drift," about the wartime resistance of Yoshi Kubo
(father of Yu-Ai Kai co-founder
Dan Kubo) and "Out of
the Dust," choreographed by Yayoi Kambara
and featuring
San Jose's own PJ Hirabayashi. "Out of the Dust" has
some roots in the San Jose JACL-sponsored production of
"Ikkai" held at the Betsuin.
In our continuing efforts to build community and support
other nonprofits, the Nichi Bei Foundation will be
donating proceeds from ticket sales in San Jose to
Yu-Ai
Kai, the Japanese American Museum of San Jose and the
San Jose Betsuin Dharma Center. So, the more tickets we
sell in San Jose, the more we can give. Food sales
throughout the day will also benefit Betsuin groups. |
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Women Activists Leading Change:
Mothers of Topaz |
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A recent donor to the
Nihonmachi Outreach Committee made her contribution in honor of
the
Mothers of Topaz group: |
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Women Leading Change: Camp Remembrance Poetry |
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Ann Muto has had a
significant and impactful journey. Born in the
concentration camp at Poston, Arizona, she has used her
experiences to create meaningful work, including poetry
that remembers her family's time in the camp. As a
former executive board director at the
Japanese American Museum
of San Jose and a former
City of Cupertino Poet Laureate, she has made
considerable contributions to preserving and sharing
Japanese American history. Her volunteer work at the
museum has also helped her uncover many insights about
her family's history.
Ann was a speaker at the 2016 San Jose Day of
Remembrance event held at San Jose State
University's
Yoshiro Uchida Hall, which served as the registration
center for people of Japanese ancestry who were
forcibly removed from the area. Ann received a Master's
degree in Administration and Higher Education at SJSU. |
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NOC Women Activists Leading Change
January 20, 2025 Protest |
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We The People - Shepard Fairey
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The
Nihonmachi Outreach Committee (NOC)
has a long history of women's activism and
leadership. |
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NOC's Susan Hayase (right),
Attorney General Dick Thornburgh (center),
Richard Bratt (Left. Office of Redress
Administration) during a ceremony where the
first redress checks were delivered. |
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NOC co-founder, Julie Hatta
(right), preparing Mrs. Ueno for the
Commission on Wartime Relocation of Civilians
testimony. |
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San Jose Nihonmachi
Outreach Committee (NOC)
P.O. Box 10643
San Jose, CA 95157E-Mail:
info@sjnoc.org
Website:
www.sjnoc.org
"In the End, we will remember not the words of
our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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