JACL resolution acknowledges the civil rights violation of Japanese Canadians during and after World War II by the Government of Canada
At its National Convention in Las Vegas on July 12, 2016, the Japanese American Citizens League National Council passed the Philadelphia Chapter resolution acknowledging “the Civil Rights violations forcefully imposed on Canadian citizens of Japanese descent during and in the years following the end of World War II by the Canadian Government.” The resolution reads as follows:
“NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the National Council of the Japanese American Citizens League that ACL recognizes the parallel experiences of the Japanese Canadians during and after World War II; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that JACL shall encourage the retelling of the wartime plight of the Japanese Canadians through teaching initiatives along with its own history in the context of a global stage.”
The NAJC is deeply appreciative of the leadership of Scott Nakamura, President, Philadelphia Chapter and his Board in putting forward this resolution that recognizes the racist incarceration of 22,000 Japanese Canadians during World War II and the violation of their civil rights even after the cessation of hostilities.
The signing of the American Redress Bill on August 10,1988 by the late President Reagan was an important catalyst in pushing the government of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney to begin earnest discussions with the NAJC; resulting in the Redress Settlement on September 22, 1988. We owe a great debt of gratitude to the JACL for launching their redress campaign in 1978 that inspired Japanese Canadians to unite and demand redress for our survivors. We also acknowledge the support of the late Mike Masaoka and Gordon Hirabayashi who were great mentors to our campaign.
NAJC Annual General Meeting and Conference, September 9-11, 2016
The Calgary Japanese Community Association and the CJCA Seniors Foundation will be hosting this year’s NAJC annual general meeting in the beautiful City of Calgary We invite the general public to attend the Saturday conference. The one-day Conference will feature three streams of sessions: Heritage, Human Rights and Business Networking. The day will be capped by a Banquet commemorating the 100th anniversary of Japanese Canadian volunteers in World War I. In addition, a community trade show and vendor marketplace will be running all day, accessible during breaks/lunch hour and throughout the banquet. For fees and further information, please visit: https://najc.ca/2016-najc-annual-general-meeting-and-national-conference/
Heritage BC
Heritage BC recently announced that they were seeking community input on sites of historic importance to the Japanese Canadian community. The deadline for nomination of such sites is September 9, 2016.
The nomination should include information about the site, supporting documents and historic and contemporary pictures. For more information, please go to the link: http://www.heritagebc.ca/japanese-historic-places
Or contact the NAJC: k.noma@najc.ca or national@najc.ca
