Venice Japanese American Memorial Monument

ANNOUNCING: The ARNOLD MAEDA MANZANAR PILGRIMAGE GRANT (Click on link below for more info and application) The Venice Japanese American Memorial Monument Committee with the Manzanar Committee will recognize two students who have demonstrated an understanding of the legacy of Arnold Maeda, who was a role model in the Japanese American Community. The Grant Program honors the accomplishments and insights the students have demonstrated in his/her lives. Winning entrants will receive a stipend up to $500 to intern with the Manzanar Committee. All applicantswill be notified of the judging results by the end of December 2020.

Thank you YouthBuild for helping to maintain the VJAMM.

The VJAMM Committee mourns the loss of VJAMM Committee charter member Arnold Maeda, who passed away on September 10, 2020. One day shy of ten years ago, Arnold gave an informed and impassioned presentation at the first VJAMM community meeting, held at the Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple on September 11, 2010, in favor of permanently memorializing the northwest corner of Venice and Lincoln Boulevards. The memorial would honor the 1,000 persons of Japanese ancestry from Venic...e, Santa Monica, and Malibu who assembled on the sidewalk in April, 1942 with only what they could carry. This included fifteen-year old Arnold and his parents, Norman Toyoshige Maeda and Sasami Takeda Maeda. Arnold’s quote on the Venice Japanese American Memorial Monument reads, "Instead of being worried about where we were going, I was obsessed with the fact that I had parted with my constant companion, my pet dog, Boy. For a fifteen-year old, that was unforgettably traumatic. Arnold and his family were forcibly removed from Santa Monica by Executive Order 9066, which followed the attack on the U. S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1942. The Maedas left behind their home and their gardening and nursery business. Dogs were not permitted at the American concentration camp at Manzanar. The VJAMM Committee extends sympathy and condolences to Arnold's family, including Arnold’s brother, Brian Maeda, also a VJAMM Committee charter member, who was born in Manzanar. The VJAMM Committee sent Arnold birthday greetings on the occasion of his ninety-fourth birthday on July 17, 2020, which reads in part: We are so happy to have met you, and so grateful for your moral support and outspokenness. You truly inspired us all, and congratulations! We did it! We dedicated the VJAMM on April 27, 2017, and we couldn’t have done it without you! For more information, please visit www.venicejamm.org.

Len Nguyen from LA City Councilmember Mike Bonin 's office with a copy of the VJAMM sign that will go up on four existing posts at the intersection of Venice and Lincoln Blvds. Thank you Councilmember Bonin and Len.

VJAMM Committee member Brian Maeda along with Colman (pictured), Mary, and Judy on Main Street, Culver City, June 23, 2020.The VJAMM Monument Committee stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter!

Hello, everybody at the Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, thank you for contributing to the 6,000+ origami cranes folded and strung for the Tsuru for Solidarity Pilgrimage, postponed from June 6 - 7, 2020 due to the Coronavirus19 pandemic, but held virtually online that same weekend. We delivered the cranes to the beautiful home of Rev and Mrs. Duncan Ryuken Williams on Monday, June 15. Sensei said they have collected nearly 250,000 origami cranes in total! They do plan to r...eschedule their Pilgrimage to Close the Camps in the future. Now they are planning a 70,000 origami mariposa (butterfly) project, to represent immigrants incarcerated in the US awaiting hearings. Please let your affiliate members know their tsuru-folding efforts are greatly appreciated!

The VJAMM Committee mourns the loss of VJAMM supporter Amy Takahashi Ioki, who passed away on June 4, 2020. She maintained an extensive home library of books, archival documents, and photographs from her experiences in the west coast Japanese American incarceration during World War II. Amy kept herself up-to-date on new research, and generously made herself available to be interviewed by various youngsters seeking first-hand information from a survivor. Amy's quote on the ...Venice Japanese American Memorial Monument reads, "As a sixteen-year old, I didn't realize the injustice fully, but in time we learned how our rights were ignored. Thanks to the strength and resilience of our Issei parents, we were able to survive." Amy and her family were forcibly removed from Malibu in 1942, assembled with about 1,000 other persons of Japanese ancestry from Venice and Santa Monica on the northwest corner of Venice and Lincoln Boulevards (where the VJAMM stands) with only what they could carry, and were bused to what would become the American concentration camp at Manzanar. The VJAMM Committee extends sympathy and condolences to Amy's family. For more information, please visit www.venicejamm.org.

51st Manzanar Pilgrimage video online.