Sonoma County JACL

Tsuru for Solidarity Please join us on October 24th for our final community conversation of 2020! COMMUNITY CONVERSATION Image... Divide and Conquer: The Model Minority Myth and Anti-Blackness Post-War and Now October 24th 10am-12pm PDT | 1pm-3pm EDT This session focuses on understanding how the intersection of Black and Japanese American lives after WWII set the stage for deepening and perpetuating racism and division. We explore the historical perspective through personal stories to shed light on how anti-Blackness and the myth of the model minority separated our communities. We also look to those who have challenged these divisive narratives to form alliances and build community. Our final conversation will be moderated by Tsuru for Solidarity Co-Chair, Satsuki Ina. The panel features Emily Akpan, Ross Harano, Akemi Kochiyama, and Hiroshi Shimizu. The workshop will be followed by Healing Circles for Change to allow participants to join small groups to share thoughts how the historical experiences shared in the workshop have influenced their own lives and attitudes, and what steps can be taken to support the Movement for Black Lives today.

Today - October 11, 2020 - we honored our elders with a special Keiro Kai event. In this time of COVID-19 we chose to purchase lunches from our favorite local restaurant, Kyoto in Rohnert Park. We also put together a special "goodie bag" with masks, hand sanitizer, activities, and sweet treats. We distributed the meals and the bags outside the restaurant. Relatives and friends of our elders also received meals and many of them volunteered to pick them up. Darryl Yagi volunteered to deliver to 32 addresses as far away as the town of Sonoma. Our committee members appreciate the volunteers who "jumped in" to help. Special shout out to Nancy Davlin who was the mastermind behind this successful event. To our elders we say Arigatgozaimashita for all your guidance and wisdom and all you have done to create the lives we have today.

Shotsuki Hoyo service available today 10-4-2020

On Saturday, October 10th (10am-12pm PDT), join us for our third Community Conversation, "Claiming Our Full Community: Multiracial Families and Identities in Ja...panese America," a panel conversation about the great diversity of multiracial families that constitutes Japanese America; the history of multiracial Japanese Americans, including those who were incarcerated in the WWII camps; and anti-Blackness and other forms of structural racism within the community. The panel will be followed by affinity group spaces (1pm-3pm PDT). These groups are an opportunity for multiracial Nikkei to engage in conversation and community building. There will also be spaces for parents, guardians, and caregivers of multiracial Japanese Americans. Registration is required for both the panel and affinity groups. To learn more about our panelists and our community conversations, visit: https://tsuruforsolidarity.org/tsuru-rising-community-conv/

1,000+ tsuru (folded paper cranes) by Tsuru for Solidarity and JACL chapters in the San Francisco Bay Area, sent to the family of Jacob Blake, who was shot 7 times in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Thanks to Vinícius Taguchi and Ron Kuramoto (JACL-WI) for the photos.

Tsuru for Solidarity is hosting these conversational events: Japanese American Identity & Intergenerational Trauma with Satsuki Ina, Donna Nagata, and Brian Niiya. If you were not able to join us, you can watch the program here: https://www.youtube.com/watch Our next Community Conversation, From Barbed Wire to Defund the Police: Surveillance, Detention, and Incarceration is on Saturday, September 19th.

This week marks the 75th anniversary of the Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WWII. People are encouraged to "ring the bell" to remember. Here are the times: Wednesday, Aug 5th at 4:15 pm PST (Japan time Aug 6th, 8:15 a.m. marking Hiroshima bombing) Saturday, Aug 8 at 7:02 pm PST (Japan 11:02 a.m. Aug 9 -- Nagasaki) -- Ring bells for 75 seconds (about 1.5 minutes) to mark the number of years.

Sonoma County United in Kindness Project Sonoma County JACL is proud to be a supporter of the Sonoma County United in Kindness Project. Formed last year as part of the Interfaith Council of Sonoma County, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors recently adopted the United in Kindness statement as a Gold Resolution. Read more about the project in the letter below:... Dear Sonoma County United in Kindness (UIK) Project Supporters, In response to our request, many of our 1500 allies recently registered their support of UIK with the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. In response, the Board of Supervisors adopted our Sonoma County United in Kindness statement as a Gold Resolution on Tuesday, June 9th. Thank you all for the support! UIK’s Progress to date: We have participated in tabling at 18 major events within the county to inform people about acts of kindness since March 2019. Additionally, we have presented two multi-faith seminars on Shared Values Among Religions and Religions and the Environment with the St. Patrick Episcopal Church in Kenwood with great success. UIK’s Future plans: We are currently reaching out to Sonoma County schools to introduce and promote our UIK agenda and to convene a multi-faith symposium on Root causes of bigotry and what we can do about it. The symposium was originally scheduled at the Sonoma County Day School’s 700-seat auditorium in September 2020 for all Sonoma County schools and their students/parents. However, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, a different date and platform will be needed for this event perhaps via Zoom. In collaboration with a group of parent activists, we have created a kindness toolkit, which is ready for use by willing teachers for the purpose of engaging their students to be more sensitive, inclusive, and open minded. Either in person or through video, we have organized and are ready to present highly qualified speakers and trainers to discuss the following topics at interested schools or organizations: racism, bullying, inclusivity, tolerance, and respect for others. We plan to work with large local businesses in Sonoma County to adopt and promote acts of kindness in their daily operations. We are also planning to engage city and county officials and agencies to integrate acts of kindness into their policies and conduct. Requesting your help: To effectively achieve UIK’s goals, we need support from the endorsers of our project and from the public. We are asking our endorsing organizations to publicize this letter in their newsletters and social media, and to inform their members about UIK. We are asking the public, the 1500 people who have signed our declaration, and newcomers, to assist with these projects. In particular, if you have expertise in the area of web design, or if you can offer other ideas on how to achieve our UIK goals, please let us know! Thank you! From the Sonoma County United In Kindness Team [email protected]

We are excited to announce that the Oral History project of the Sonoma County JACL now has a new Instagram page @socojapaneseamerican. Please check it out!

June 28, 2020 For Immediate Release David Inoue, Executive Director [email protected], 202-607-7273... Sarah Baker, VP Public Affairs [email protected] Last week the House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020. Thus far it is the most comprehensive effort to reform and reshape a justice system that has consistently failed. To date, there has been no justice for the Black lives lost to brutal and inhumane police tactics. This is why major systemic changes must be undertaken and this legislation is a step in the right direction. The bill passed in the House makes important first steps towards the beginning of long-overdue accountability of law enforcement to the people by establishing a federal standard for use of force, ban on chokeholds, the prohibition of the use of no-knock warrants, and demilitarization of the police. But even these policies could be stronger and we call upon the Senate to strengthen these provisions along with others. We further call upon the Senate to expand the investment in community-based solutions including but not limited to social workers, mental health service providers, community health centers, substance abuse programs, and equitable public school funding. Investment in these types of programs will reduce the need for police to respond outside their core responsibility of crime prevention. By narrowing the scope of what is expected of the police, we can demand greater accountability for performing their job as expected by the communities they serve. Overwhelming majorities of Americans recognize the injustices that our justice system has wrought upon our Black communities, and now is the time for Congress to act boldly and with moral conviction. ### The Japanese American Citizens League is a national organization whose ongoing mission is to secure and maintain the civil rights of Japanese Americans and all others who are victimized by injustice and bigotry. The leaders and members of the JACL also work to promote cultural, educational and social values and preserve the heritage and legacy of the Japanese American community.

Our Outrage for George Floyd’s Murder is Not Enough June 1, 2020 Announcements, History, Responses to Hate, Slider, Social Justice, Statements, US Government June 1, 2020 For Immediate Release...Continue reading

This - from tsuruforsolidarity.org Statement of Solidarity with Black Communities And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ... As survivors and descendants of U.S. World War II concentration camps, we express our moral outrage and heartbreak over the violent enforcement of white supremacy that continues to harm Black people daily across the country. Today we stand in solidarity with Black communities that are under attack due to the same racism, violence, and dehumanization that has been present in the U.S. since its founding and which led to our own community’s mass incarceration and deprivation of rights. We grieve, remember and demand justice for the families and loved ones of George Floyd, 46, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Ahmaud Arbery, 25, Brunswick, Georgia; Breonna Taylor 26, Louisville, Kentucky; and many more who have been terrorized and murdered at the hands of vigilantes and law enforcement. We call on Japanese Americans and our allies to take a stand against all acts of anti-Blackness every day; in ourselves, in our homes, in our places of work, and out in the world whenever we encounter it. Speak up, intervene, and disrupt. Together we rise. Be an ally now. Read the Letter for Black Lives to initiate conversations in your family about anti-Blackness. Take a look at this Black and Asian American Feminist Solidarities reading list from Black Women Radicals and Asian American Feminist Collective. Consider making donations to the Minnesota Freedom Fund and Black Visions Collective.

Thanks to those who contributed - keep making them! Please visit the tsuruforsolidarity.org page for more information.