Day: September 13, 2011

I have in my possession my maternal Grandfather’s ‘mon-tsuki ‘ - a kimono bearing the ‘maru no tachibana’ family crest of a single orange blossom within a circle. The black silk kimono is quite worn and bears the faint pencil marks made by a relative who, at one time, was thinking of cutting it up to make silk handkerchiefs. Luckily it was rescued in time by my parents! I believe that this inanimate object possess a ‘mana’ or life energy and is a tangible ‘footprint’ of my grandfather’s existence on earth. It is a permanent bridge to my childhood in Kagoshima. We all leave behind such residual spiritual traces of our short time on this earth. Continue reading

On June 14th, all NAJC chapters were sent communication from the NAJC Membership Committee Chair, David Iwaasa, requesting that they forward to the National office copies of their 2010 and 2011 annual general meeting (AGM) minutes in compliance with the NAJC Membership Bylaws, 4.1.1.2. All chapters must be incorporated or registered either provincially or federally and are bound by specific annual reporting guidelines set out by respective governments. The collection of AGM minutes allows us, as a national organization, to ensure that chapter members are being given the opportunity to meet annually with their local executive to: receive reports of past activities; review financial statements; solicit volunteers; approve new programmes; raise concerns and issues unique to their locale. More importantly, an annual general meeting renews the mandate of the local executive thus giving it the legitimate authority to speak on behalf of the chapter membership for the coming year. We cannot be an organization that advocates for human rights and justice, if we do not practice good governance ourselves. August 31st is the deadline for the filing of the requested minutes and I will report back to you on this matter in the fall. If you have any concerns as a local member, please do not hesitate to contact your chapter executive, myself or David Iwaasa at: [email protected] 70th Anniversary of Internment (1942-2012)Continue reading