JACL Vision Aware of our responsibilities as the oldest and largest Asian Pacific American civil rights organization, JACL strives to promote a world that honors diversity by respecting values of fairness, equality and social justice. |
Our Mission 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. |
2021 Placer County JACL Chapter Board |
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Co-President
Co-President
Vice-President
Secretary
Treasurer
Scholarship Chair
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Nancy Mune Whiteside
Jim Craig
Mark Nitta
Thaya Mune Craig
Linda Hada Dickerson
Jim Craig
Fusae Miyamoto
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Membership Membership in JACL is open to all. Please use a link (above, at right) to join online or by mail. |
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JACL also offers many educational programs and resources on the National JACL website. (from JACL website) The JACL is committed to the goal of educating our membership and the public at-large about the Japanese American historical experience and the lesson that the World War II internment holds for the future conduct of our government related to our Constitutional liberties. To accomplish its goal, the JACL publishes and distributes educational materials about the internment and about the Asian American historical experience. These materials include the curriculum guides A Lesson in American History: The Japanese American Experience and The Journey From Gold Mountain: The Asian American Historical Experience. |
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Chronological History of the Placer County JACL |
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For Placer Nisei it all started when Tom Yego, while on business in Fresno, had the opportunity to talk with the late Dr. Thomas T. Yatabe, dean of Nisei elders. Tom had a very informative and encouraging discussion about forming a Nisei citizens group in Placer. Fresno already had a citizens group known as American Loyalty League organized in 1923. Dr. Yatabe invited Tom to come back and attend a meeting of the Loyalty League, to learn what it’s all about by observing and asking questions about its agenda. In 1926, Tom Yego and Cosma Sakamoto traveled to Fresno to attend a meeting of the loyalty league, at which time they were given a warm welcome and encouragement. They learned much. about the purpose of the league and its service to community betterment. The need for Placer Nisei to form a like organization was made quite evident. About three months later Tom and Harry Kawahata made another trip to Fresno to consult with Dr. Yatabe and get final detailed plan and suggestions to how best to form a Nisei citizens group in Placer. Armed with necessary know-how to organize, Tom decided it was time to take the big leap forward. Thus a meeting was held by the following concerned Nisei to discuss plans to organize a citizens group: Tom Yego, Cosma Sakamoto, Louis Oki, Tom Matsumoto, Harry Kawahata, Satoru Taoka, Jack Hanamoto, Tokuichi Imamoto, Hike Yego, Togo Yokota and Roy Yoshida. After thoroughly discussing the pros and cons of the proposal, the group unanimously decided to organize. For the time being it was decided to call the organization Placer Nisei Citizens Association. In order to have enough members to strongly pursue its goal of attaining equal rights and fair playas Americans, following Nisei were invited to join the association. Sam and Ulchi Sunada, Kay Takemoto, George Nakamoto and Marcelle Kawada. This young group of 16 citizens became charter members and as their initial official act unanimously elected Tom Yego as the first association president. It should be noted that all through the pre-organization period and difficult formative years, Newcastle Young Men’s Endeavor society (seinen kai) gave the group much needed moral and financial support. The endeavor society was the only local club that backed up the movement to bring better life for all persons of Japanese ancestry. [The following was written in 1988] Highlights Of The Organization’s 60 Years 0f Public Service:Presidents For Each of the 60 Years1928-29 President Tom Yego and Louis Oki attended a meeting of well known West Coast Nisei leaders in San Francisco. This elite group decided to form a network of Nisei citizen organizations to present a strong, united front to fight discrimination and promote good citizenship. The conferees decided to hold its first national convention in Seattle, Washington in 1930. 1930-31 President Kay Takemoto; Tom Yego and Louis Oki were official delegates to the first Nisei national convention in Seattle, Washington. The delegates adopted “Japanese Americans Citizens League” as its official name assisted National JACL in getting Congress to pass the Cable Act, which restored citizenship lost by Nisei women who married alien Japanese. 1932 President Sam Sunada 1940 President George Sakamoto; held the first Goodwill Dinner at the Loomis First Methodist Church. 1941 President Kay Takemoto; hosted its first district council meeting, combined with annual Goodwill Dinner at Freeman Hotel in Auburn. With declaration of war between the United States and Japan, the chapter, as did other chapters, accepted National JACL decision to comply with Executive Order 9066, which ordered all persons of Japanese ancestry evacuated from the western Defense Zone. Placer chapter officials assisted local evacuees with the internment process. 1942-45 Kay Takemoto served as “exiled” chapter president during the war years, with Harry Kawahata serving as treasurer. 1946 President Jeff Asazawa; returning chapter members and interested returnees hold first meeting to reorganize Placer JACL. 1947 President Tom Matsumoto & Roy Takemoto; Placer Young Men’s Association grants JACL permission to use its clubhouse in Penryn for chapter office. 1948 President Kay Takemoto; started the Placer JACL picnic, which started small but soon became a major social, event in the spring. Purchased land from the Yamada family to be used for baseball diamond and hold annual community picnic. The Yamadas donated a small piece of land with the purchase. 1949 President Howard Nakae; with the passage of the Evacuation ClaimsAct initiated by National JACL, giving evacuees partial compensation for war time property losses, the chapter helped evacuees file claims with Tom Yego in charge. Howard Nakae generously presents (gift) to JACL the deed to the land on which the YMS building is located, thus making the chapter legal owner of both the building and the property. 1950 President James Makimoto 1951 President Frank Hironaka; sponsored baseball team managed by Frank and Bunny Nakagawa, which competed in the Placer Nevada League and Sacramento Valley Nisei League. 1952 President, Homer Takahashi following the passage of the Issei Naturalization Act, the chapter sponsored citizenship classes at Penryn Grammar School for resident alien Japanese to study for application for US citizenship. Kay Takemoto, Tom and Tad Yego, and K. Nodohara directed the program. 1953 President Tad Yego, after approval for citizenship by Edward Sweeny the first group of alien Japanese was sworn in as U. S. citizens by Superior Court Judge Lowell Sparks in a historic ceremony. A scholarship program was established for Placer County high school graduates. 1954 President Ko Uyeno 1963-64 President Harry Kawahata served as the last president elected by the membership at large. 1965 President Dick Nishimura 1969 President Nob Nimura; participated in the Gold Discovery Day Celebration at Coloma which was dedicated to the Japanese pioneers of America on their centennial year of immigration. Co-sponsored erecting the Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony monument on the Gold Trail Elementary School ground at Gold Hill, near Coloma. Governor Ronald Reagan and Japanese Consul General Seiichi Shima of San Francisco were main participants in the dedication ceremony. Assemblyman Gene Chappie was the master of ceremonies. 1970-71 President Rusty Uratsu; established Oki Memorial Achievement Award to be presented to outstanding boy and girl graduates of Gold Trail Elementary School. 1972 President Seiichi Otow 1975 President Ko Uyeno; initiated program to sponsor Nikkei junior or senior high school students to attend Presidential Classroom for Young Americans seminar in Washington, D.C. 1976-77 President Chester Yamada 1978-79 President Cosma Sakamoto; celebrated 50th anniversary of the chapter founding, in conjunction with the Goodwill Dinner. Charter members and their wives were honored. Sponsored first Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week celebration at Newcastle Information Center with E. Ken Tokutomi and Hiroshi Matsuda co-chairmen. Charles Nitta, one of the oldest Japanese in Placer County, planted a flowering cherry tree donated during the celebration. 1980-81 President Al Nitta 1982-83 President Kay Miyamura; landscaped and re-aligned sprinkler pipes at the new Loomis Library with Al Nitta and Bob Makimoto in charge of the project. The chapter also planted two flowering Japanese cherry trees. Celebrated Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week at the Loomis Library, May 2 to 25, with Kazuko King as chair-person, assisted by Jim Kaneko. Varied program of display of {Pacific/Asian artifacts, bunkashishu (Japanese embroidery), Japanese flower arrangements, calligraphy and bonsai demonstrations. Tea ceremony by Placer Dokokai, Japanese dances and slide show on China and Japan. 1984-85 President E. Ken Tokutomi; observed Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week at the new Rocklin Library, with Kazuko King making arrangements, assisted by Jim Kaneko. Also donated two flowering Japanese cherry trees to the library. Completed a major remodel of the JACL office in Penryn. 1986 President Lee Kusumoto 1987-88 President Hike Yego;, after a ten year struggle by National JACL and with the help of many people our redress bill was signed by President Reagan thus reaffirming the principles of the constitution of the United States and rectifying a grave injustice perpetrated during the war years for all Japanese Americans. TODAY we are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Placer JACL. |
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About the Japanese American Citizens League (from JACL website) | |
Founded in 1929, the JACL is the oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organization in the United States. The JACL monitors and responds to issues that enhance or threaten the civil and human rights of all Americans and implements strategies to effect positive social change, particularly to the Asian Pacific American community. The JACL and the Japanese American community are continuously affected by changes in the political environment and in demographics. Our society continues to be impacted by the events of September 11, 2001, which created a worldwide climate of uncertainty and insecurity where we must reconcile the proper balance between issues of national security and our civil liberties. We are also affected by the changing demographics of race, ethnicity and age. Looking to our future, the JACL constantly assesses the effectiveness of its role in Japanese American, Asian Pacific American and civil rights communities, and what infrastructure is necessary to effectively support our mission and efficiently achieve our goals. Today, with inter-racial and multi-ethnic marriages changing the face of the Japanese American community, the JACL faces additional challenges in looking to its future and to the future of the Japanese American community. History of the Japanese American Citizens League (from JACL website) Through the decades, the JACL has advocated issues to benefit the progress of Japanese Americans and Asian Americans in combating prejudice and bigotry. Following is a chronology of important events and milestones in the history of the JACL and the Japanese American community. 1929: Nikkei Shimin, an organizational newspaper founded for the New Americans Citizens League, one of the founding chapters of the JACL. Japanese American groups form a national organization to foster good citizenship and civic participation, called the Japanese American Citizens League. 1930: First JACL National Convention is held on August 29 in Seattle, Washington. 1931: JACL advocates amendment of Cable Act and restores American citizenship to American women of Japanese ancestry married to Japanese nationals. Suma Sugi lobbies the bill on behalf of the JACL, which is signed into law on Girl’s Day by President Hoover. 1935: Tokutaro Slocum and the JACL help push through the Nye-Lea Bill, which provides citizenship for U.S. Army veterans of Asian ancestry is made into law. 1936: JACL Endowment Fund is established to provide a funding source for programs for Americans of Japanese Ancestry (AJA). 1941: Japanese bombing at Pearl Harbor triggers the entry of the United States into World War II. 1942: 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast are forcibly interned in 10 American concentration camps. An emergency wartime meeting of the JACL is convened in San Francisco. 1943: JACL joins with church groups and the War Relocation Authority to resettle Americans of Japanese ancestry in Eastern and Midwestern States. The volunteer, all Nisei 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team is formed on Jan. 28. It becomes the most highly decorated unit in American military history. JACL Credit Union is formed to provide loans for Japanese Americans for resettlement. JACL establishes a Midwest Office in Chicago to provide information and assistance to Japanese Americans relocating to the Midwest. 1944: JACL efforts result in a narrowly defeated Anti-Alien Land Law proposition in Colorado. JACL files an amicus legal brief in the Korematsu v. United States case before the United States Supreme Court, testing the constitutionality of the military orders calling for the removal of Japanese Americans from their West Coast homes. 1945: The California legislature budgets $200,000 to press escheat actions against land holding by Japanese based on the Alien Land Law. County governments were offered 50% of sales from escheat actions. Between 1944 and 1948 some 200 escheat actions were filed. JACL opens offices in Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles to assist Japanese Americans returning to the West Coast. 1946: The California Supreme Court upholds the escheat of the Oyama property, after the Oyamas were displaced and forced into internment camps during WWII. JACL campaigns against Proposition 15 in California to incorporate the Alien Land Law into the State Constitution. The proposition was defeated 1,143,780 to 797,067. First Post War National JACL Convention is held in Denver, Colorado. Adoption of a 14-point program of rebuilding which included Issei naturalization, reparations for discriminatory treatment during the war, re-examination of the constitutionality of the evacuation, stay of deportation on hardship cases involving Japanese nationals, a call for a national conference of minorities, elimination of racial discrimination in housing and employment, challenge of the alien land laws, creation of a research clearinghouse on the evacuation, and assistance of returning Nisei veterans. President Truman honors the 442nd Regimental Combat Team on their return from the European front. JACL Anti-Discrimination Committee opens an office in Washington, D.C. to promote a legislative campaign to promote Japanese American civil rights. JACL is victorious in a campaign to defeat California alien land laws which prevented the Issei from owning property. 1947: JACL succeeds in amending the Soldier Brides Act to admit Japanese wives of U.S. Servicemen to the United States. The language of the bill, “irregardless of race,” was a major breakthrough in racial attitudes in Congress and the nation at that time. President’s Committee on Civil Rights recommends passage of evacuation claims and naturalization legislation. JACL organizes efforts which successfully repeal the Alien Land Law in the State of Utah. 1948: JACL helps found the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, forming a coalition of the major civil rights organizations in the nation. JACL files amicus brief in the Oyama case. U.S. Supreme Court reverses the California Court’s decision in favor of Fred Oyama, stating that the application of the Alien Land Law in this case deprived him of his constitutional rights. The Evacuation Claims Act is passed by Congress to allow token compensation to Japanese Americans for losses suffered due to wartime internment. JACL is successful in urging passage of legislation to allow citizenship to aliens serving in the Armed Services during World War I and II. JACL backs a bill, signed by President Harry Truman, to prevent the deportation of “treaty merchants” who lost the right to reside in the United States at the outbreak of war. JACL is joined by a number of organizations, including the NAACP, in the Takahashi case, which rules that the California Fish and Game Commission’s denial of a commercial fishing license to Japanese is unconstitutional. 1949: A JACL supported bill to provide naturalization to alien residents in the United States was passed by the Congress, but vetoed by President Truman. Oregon’s Alien Land Law is eliminated in the Namba decision by the State Supreme Court. 1950: The American Bowling Congress agrees to drop “all-white” membership clause in their bylaws. 1952: California Supreme Court finds the Alien Land Law violation of the state and Federal Constitution. Passage Walter-McCarran Immigration and Nationality Act eliminated racial barrier to immigration and citizenship. Issei become eligible for American citizenship. In an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court in Brown vs. the Board of Education, the JACL joined the ACLU, the Anti-Defamation League and other organizations in urging that segregation in state-supported educational institutions violates the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. The legal brief was sent to the court one week before they heard oral arguments in five pooled cases attacking segregation laws in Kansas, Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia and the District of Columbia. 1953: Earl Warren names John Aiso to a Municipal Court Bench in Los Angeles. Previously, Aiso was the highest ranking Japanese American in WWII, serving as a Lieutenant Colonel. 1955: JACL advocates bill to allow Issei to become eligible for California old-age assistance. 1956: Proposition 13, launched by the JACL to remove the Alien Land Law from the statutes, passes with over 2.5 million votes and a margin of 2 to 1 margin. 1957: JACL launches a campaign to eliminate the use of the term “Jap” as a reference to persons of Japanese ancestry. A massive public education drive is carried out. 1959: Idaho’s anti-miscegenation law is repealed through JACL chapter efforts. Hawaii is admitted as the 50th state by Congress. 1960: JACL initiates the Issei History Project to document the history and contributions of the Issei to the United States. 1962: JACL establishes the Japanese American Research Project in collaboration with the University of California at Los Angeles to insure the collection and research of Japanese American history. JACL initiates campaign to remove anti-Japanese war movies from television. 1963: JACL joins the “March on Washington” with Dr. Martin Luther King to demonstrate its commitment to insuring full civil rights for all Americans. 1964: JACL initiates a campaign to repeal of anti-miscegenation laws and for the establishment of fair housing policies. JACL develops a health and medical insurance group plan for its membership. 1965: President Lyndon Johnson signs an amendment advocated by the JACL repealing the “Asia-Pacific Triangle” and racial immigration quotas, eliminating the discriminatory features of the 1952 Immigration Act. 1966: JACL National Youth Program is organized for Sansei leadership development. 1967: Cultural Heritage Fellowship Program is instituted to promote the study of Japanese American students in Japan. 1969: Centennial of Japanese American immigration to the United States is celebrated. JACL mints a commemorative coin. The Wakamatsu Colony, site where the first Japanese immigrants arrived, in Colma, California, is given historical landmark status. Nisei – The Quiet Americans by Bill Hosokawa is published through JACL’s Japanese American Research Project. 1970: The JACL Pacific Southwest District co-sponsors the construction of “Little Tokyo Towers,” a building for senior citizen housing and services. 1971: JACL campaign for the repeal of Title II of the Emergency Detention Act is successful. 1972: Manzanar Relocation Center in California is given historical status. JACL sponsors “Executive Order 9066,” a photographic exhibit on the World War II exclusion and internment with the California Historical Society. 1973: JACL Pacific Northwest District sponsors senior citizen housing project in Spokane, Washington. 1974: JACL forms Whales Committee to deal with racist impact of boycott of Japanese products led by American conservation groups. 1975: JACL conducts fundraising drive on behalf of Indochinese refugees. 1975: JACL dedicates its National Headquarters Building in San Francisco, California. 1976: JACL publishes The Experience of Japanese Americans in the United States – A Teacher’s Resource Material. Nisei Aging and Retirement Conference is held in San Francisco by the JACL, through a grant through the National Institute on Mental Health. In a public White House ceremony, President Ford officially rescinds Executive Order 9066, which resulted in the mass evacuation and internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Bamboo People – The Law and Japanese Americans by Frank Chuman is published through the JACL and Japanese American Research Project. 1977: President Ford grants a pardon to Iva Toguri, who was convicted in 1949 as the mythical “Tokyo Rose.” 1978: The JACL adopts a resolution at its Salt Lake City convention calling for redress payments of $25,000 per individual and an apology by Congress acknowledging the wrong. 1979: JACL advocates for the introduction and passage of legislation to establish a federal commission to investigate the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and to make recommendations to the Congress. Minidoka Relocation Center in Idaho is declared a National Historical Site. Tule Lake Detention Center in California is named a California Historical Landmark. 50th anniversary of the founding of the National Japanese American Citizens League. 1980: East to America – A History of Japanese In America, by Dr. Robert Wilson and Bill Hosokawa is published through the JACL and the Japanese American Research Project. President Carter signs the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment Act, which established a federal commission to review the facts and circumstances surrounding the 1942 internment of Americans of Japanese Ancestry. Those appointed include former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg and former Senator Edward Brooke. 1981: Nikkei from North and South America meet in Mexico City to discuss common concerns at the PANA Conference. The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians holds hearings in key cities in the United States and. The JACL provides assistance to witnesses in their preparation of testimony before the commission. 1982: The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians issues its report, Personal Justice Denied, finding that the wartime internment of Americans of Japanese was unwarranted, and that the causes of the internment were race prejudice, wartime hysteria and a failure of political leadership. AB 2262 is approved in California, compensating Japanese Americans who lost their jobs with the State of California based on their ancestry during World War II. The bill, actively supported by the JACL, becomes a model for adoption by other governments at municipal and state levels. 1983: The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians issues its report titled Personal Justice Denied. As remedies, the commission recommends an apology to Americans of Japanese ancestry, compensation for loss of liberty and the creation of an educational fund. Majority Leader Jim Wright, of the U.S. House of Representatives, along with 72 co-sponsors, introduces H.R. 4110, which seeks to implement the recommendations of the Commission of Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. Senator Spark M. Matsunaga introduces S. 2116, a companion bill to H.R. 4110, in the Senate. 1984: JACL produces videotape to facilitate development of planning for aging and retirement in the Nisei population. Congress holds subcommittee hearings on S. 2116 and H.R. 4110. In response to writ of error coram nobis, a federal court in San Francisco vacates Fred Korematsu’s wartime conviction. California State Legislature proclaims February 19 of each year to be recognized as “A Day of Remembrance” in commemoration of the signing of Executive Order 9066. JACL holds its first offshore National Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii. JACL submits an amicus curiae brief supporting the appeal of Hohri et al. v. United States, a class action suit for constitutional violations during the wartime internment. 1985: Manzanar Relocation Center designated a National Historical Landmark. Federal District Court in Portland, OR, vacates Minoru Yasui’s conviction of violating a World War II curfew order. Redress legislation reintroduced in Congress. 1986: Federal District Court in Seattle, WA, vacates Gordon Hirabayashi’s 1942 conviction for violation of wartime internment orders. JACL joins other civil rights organizations in calling for economic sanctions against South Africa in response to its apartheid policies. JACL supports restoration of independence to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. JACL approves a resolution opposing constitutional initiatives to make English the official language of the United States. JACL approves a resolution opposing forced removal of Najavos to Big Mountain. 1987: U.S. House of Representatives passes H.R. 442, the Civil Liberties Act on Sept. 17. 1988: June 21, JACL testifies before a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the Hate Crimes Statistics Act which is passed in 1990. Congress passes Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and on August 10, President Reagan signs the bill authorizing payment of $20,000 and apology to the estimated 60,000 former internees. JACL supports successful passage of the Civil Rights Restoration Act. JACL joins in an amicus brief in a challenge by the Americans Friends Service Committee that the Employer Sanctions Provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act are discriminatory and violate the First Amendment. 1989: JACL publishes and distributes Employment Practices Handbook to assist its chapters in responding to cases of employment discrimination. JACL files a motion in a Washington, D.C. federal court to intervene in the lawsuit of Jacobs v. Thomberg which seeks to enjoin the government from making redress payments. JACL recommends a number of proposed changes to redress regulations issued by the Office of Redress Administration. The ORA makes revisions to the regulations, including reducing the onerous documentation requirements to verify eligibility. President George H. Bush signs an appropriation bill on November 21 that contains redress payments as an entitlement program. 1990: JACL raises concern over the potential for acts of violence against the Arab Americans prior to the Persian Gulf War. JACL supports successful passage of Americans with Disability Act. JACL appointed to serve on the Executive Committee of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the premier civil rights coalition in the United States. JACL passes a resolution in support of Native American Treaty Rights. JACL opposes California Assembly Resolution 181 which would have required public schools to teach that there was some justification for the internment of Japanese Americans. The resolution is defeated on August 28. JACL appeals to the U.S. Commerce Department to proceed with an adjustment of the census to correct an undercount in the Asian American community. The initial letters of apology and redress checks signed by President George H. Bush are presented to oldest survivors of the internment at a Department of Justice ceremony. Honolulu chapter begins JACL’s involvement with the case of Bruce Yamashita who had been subjected to racial harassment and discriminatory treatment in Marine Corps Officer Candidate School. 1991: JACL conducts year-long education campaign to lessen potential negative backlash surrounding the 50th anniversary commemoration of Pearl Harbor. JACL publishes and distributes Walk With Pride: Taking Steps to Address Anti-Asian Violence. JACL supports successful passage of Civil Rights Act of 1991, but is unsuccessful in defeating an amendment by Senator Frank Murkowski to exclude a class action case involving Asian Pacific American cannery workers at the Wards Cove Packing Company. JACL testifies before the House Interior and Insular Affairs Subcommittee on May 21 to support legislation establishing Manzanar as a National Historic Site. JACL urges repeal of United Nations General Assembly Revolution 3379, which equates Zionism with racism. JACL testifies in support of the “Japanese American National Historic Landmark Theme Study Act,” to authorize a study to identify important sites and structures in Japanese American history during the period 1941-1946 for the purpose of their evaluation and nomination as national historic sites. JACL supports successful re-authorization of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. JACL joins in a Supreme Court amicus brief with the Anti-Defamation League in support of a hate crime statute being challenged in the case of R.A.V. v. St. Paul. 1992: Lillian Kimura is elected as the first woman national president at 32nd biennial convention in Denver, CO. JACL works for introduction of Justice for Wards Cove Workers Act. Passage of the 1992 Amendments to the Civil Liberties Act, which ensures sufficient money available for all those eligible for redress. JACL approves a resolution in support of reproductive choice. President Bush signs H.R. 5572, permanently designating the month of May as Asian Pacific Heritage Month. JACL helps lead Asian Pacific American community in expansion and re-authorization of the bilingual provisions of the Voting Rights Act. 1993: JACL supports the successful passage of the Family Emergency and Medical Leave Act. JACL and the Rohwer Reunion Committee work to repair the monuments at the site of the Rohwer internment camp and to gain National Historic Landmark status for the site. JACL supports successful passage of the National Voter Registration Act. JACL rebukes Cincinnati Reds baseball owner Marge Schott for her use of racist terminology. JACL organizes nationwide protest against the negative portrayal of Asians and women in the movie “Rising Sun.” Sacramento JACL office is firebombed on October 2 by an individual later identified as Richard Campos. Spokane JACL files a federal compliant against the Spokane Democratic Party, the Democratic Party of Washington State and individuals within the party for discriminatory actions against individuals based on their ethnicity. JACL supports successful passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. JACL approves a resolution in support of ending discrimination against gays and lesbians in the military and all other such employment discrimination. JACL joins other APA organization on a Supreme Court amicus brief in support of a hate crime penalty enhancement statute in Wisconsin v. Mitchell. 1994: JACL National Education Committee publishes and distributes The Japanese American Experience: A Lesson in American History, a curriculum and resource guide. Bruce Yamashita is commissioned as a captain in the Marine Reserves. JACL approves a resolution supporting equal marriage rights for all people. JACL leads successful effort in persuading Congress to pass $5 million in appropriations for redress education fund as called for by the Clinton Administration. JACL supports the Violence Against Women Act and the Hate Crimes Sentencing Enhancement Act which both pass in Congress as part of crime bill. Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee votes Justice for Wards Cove Workers Act out of committee. JACL passes resolution in support of comprehensive health care reform. The JACL’s 65th anniversary is commemorated in Los Angeles, CA. 1995: JACL supports affirmative action in university admissions. JACL opposes any legislation that changes the current immigration laws related to family reunification. JACL supports the establishment of Asian American Studies programs in universities. 1996: Manzanar Relocation Center becomes a National Historic Site. Japanese Latin Americans (JLA) file class action lawsuit demanding inclusion in Civil Liberties Act. 1997: Patsy Mink (D-HI) introduces H.R. 574, which would expedite the naturalization process for immigrants. JACL files amicus brief challenging California Proposition 209 that would eliminate affirmative action. JACL supports adopting a multiracial option on the 2000 Census. JACL supports the nomination of Chinese American Bill Lann Lee to Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Justice. 1998: Fred Korematsu receives Presidential Medal of Freedom. Japanese Latin Americans receive apology and $4.3 million redress payment from the U.S. government. Redress History Project wins JACL National Council approval. JACL files amicus brief in U.S. Dept. of Commerce v. U.S. House of Representatives over Census Bureau’s counting methodology. 1999: JACL and other civil rights organizations call for the Supreme Court to hire more minorities and women. “Go For Broke” monument erected honoring WWII Nisei soldiers. 2000: Census shows Asian Americans as the fastest growing minority in the U.S., with a 43 percent growth rate since 1990. Norman Mineta is confirmed and sworn in as the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. JACL approves a resolution to recognize and apologize to WWII resisters of conscience. Mike Honda (D-CA) wins a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. 2001: JACL adopts resolution urging federal government to appoint Bill Lann Lee as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. JACL adopts resolution urging investigation into the arrest and incarceration of physicist Dr. Wen Ho Lee. JACL opposes nomination of John Ashcroft as U.S. Attorney General. 2002: JACL sends letter to President George W. Bush protesting Department of Justice proposal to establish government detention camps for “enemy combatants.” 20th anniversary of the hate crime murder of Vincent Chin. JACL takes part in a national campaign to eliminate Abercrombie and Fitch’s offensive line of t-shirts adorned with racially insulting comments about Asian Americans. 2003: JACL joins ACLU lawsuit challenging provisions of the USA Patriot Act, claiming that it denies citizens their civil liberties. JACL joins 27 other APA organizations in an amicus brief supporting the University of Michigan affirmative action program. JACL protests the DOJ/INS special registration of predominantly Muslim men. 2004: The JACL’s 75th anniversary is celebrated at its convention in Honolulu, HI. JACL files amicus curiae with ACLU lawsuit defending same-sex marriage in Oregon. Japanese American WWII vets honored by French government on the 60th anniversary of the Liberation of France. JACL signs on to amicus brief in Donald Rumsfeld v. Jose Padilla, challenging the provisions of the Patriot Act. JACL backs the introduction of the Civil Liberties Restoration Act, which would restore the civil liberties taken away by the Patriot Act. 2005: Japantown Task Force publishes San Francisco’s Japantown, chronicling the history of Japanese Americans in the area. By action of the California legislature, former internees begin to receive graduation diplomas over 60 years after they were taken out of school and forced into internment camps during WWII. California Rep. Mike Honda becomes first Asian American Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee. 2006: Tule Lake Segregation Center and Granada/Amache Relocation Center named National Historical Landmarks. HR 1492 is passed, authorizing $38 million for the preservation of internment camps as historic sites. JACL releases new curriculum guide, The Journey from Gold Mountain: The Asian American Experience. 2007: JACL issues support for a fair trial for the Jena Six, a group of African American students charged with felonies. JACL opposes Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ challenge of habeas corpus. Gold Hill-Wakamatsu Colony, the first Japanese colony in North America, is purchased and restored by Japanese American groups and the American River Conservancy. JACL renews its support for the Filipino Veterans Equity Act, which would restore full benefits to Filipino-American soldiers who served in WWII. House of Representatives passes H.R. 1592, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. JACL passes resolution to support Lt. Ehren Watada, calling for a fair trial and the right to be protected from double jeopardy, after he was initially charged for refusing deployment in the Iraq War. |