by Lorene Oikawa
The weather is getting warmer and starting to feel like summer… in some parts of Canada. In BC, our luscious strawberry crops which are usually available at the beginning of June made a brief late June appearance.
More events are returning to in-person gatherings including those with our member organizations. Please check the member organization’s websites https://najc.ca/member-organizations/ for more information or contact them directly as not all event information was available at the time of writing. Some highlights below.
July 23 3-5 pm | Japan Fest Victoria Nikkei Cultural Centre (VNCS)
Live event features Uminari Taiko, Furusato Dancers and Japanese Cuisine by Fudo Japanese Restaurant. https://www.vncs.ca
July 23 to 24 | Japanese / Japanese Canadian Pavilion at Surrey Fusion Festival 2022 National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC) is organizing the pavilion with materials/volunteers from GVJCCA, NNMCC, Tonari Gumi, and Consul General of Japan, Vancouver. Participants will learn about the arts, culture & food of Japan, travelling in Japan, the history of Japanese Canadians, and participate in origami, Japanese paper folding. https://najc.ca/
July 30 to 31 | Powell Street Festival Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens Association (GVJCCA) will have a booth at the festival. https://powellstreetfestival.com
July 31 to August 6 | Japanese Pavilion at Folklorama 2022 Japanese Cultural Association of Manitoba (JCAM).
The Japanese Pavilion offers the splendours of Japan’s unique culture, music and tastes including nightly shows and martials arts demos. https://www.jcamwpg.ca/2022-folklorama/
August 13 at 10am | 12th annual Calgary Japanese Festival “Omatsuri” Calgary Japanese Canadian Association (CJCA).
CJCA will be back with their in-person annual one day summer festival on Saturday, August 13 starting at 10am.
August 14 1-5pm | NAJC/CJCC Summer Festival Canadian Japanese Cultural
Centre of Hamilton (CJCC) NAJC Hamilton Chapter. https://www.hamiltoncjcc.ca
Hamilton also performed as part of the 53rd It’s Your Festival on July 1st Suzuran Odori Group of the Canadian Japanese Cultural Centre Hamilton (CJCC) were one of the entertainers at the Multicultural and Heritage Celebration celebrating Hamilton’s Diverse Musical Community. The recording is available at https://itsyourfestival.ca/stream-
online-2022/
September 3 to 4 | Nikkei Matsuri Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (NNMCC)
https://nikkeimatsuri.nikkeiplace.org/
Upcoming Deadlines for July
The deadline for the NAJC Dr. Gordon Hirabayashi Human Rights Award is on July 31. If you know of an individual or an organization who exemplifies the courage and leadership and the principles of human rights as demonstrated by Dr. Hirabayashi,
consider nominating them. Earlier this year, the Edmonton Japanese Community Association and University of Alberta presented Hold These Truths, a play about Gordon Hirabayashi. Dr. Hirabayashi challenged the curfew imposed on Japanese Americans when he was a student in 1942. He lost his appeal to the Supreme Court and ended up serving 90 days in prison. Later, after completing his education including a PhD in sociology, he became a Canadian citizen and was a professor at the University of Alberta. He was actively involved in the Edmonton Japanese Community Association and was an active member of the NAJC Council during the 1980s. His influence helped shape the NAJC redress principles and laid the groundwork for future
settlements with other groups. For more information about the eligibility and nomination process please see the NAJC website https://najc.ca/funds-and-awards/dr-gordon-hirabayashi-human-rights-award/
July 31, 2022 is also the deadline for the NAJC Community Development Fund 2022. This year the CD fund will support projects or events that help commemorate the 80th anniversary of the start of Internment in 1942, the 75th anniversary of the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC) or the achievement of BC Redress on May 21, 2022. Alternatively, funding can be used to offset the costs of attending the 75th Anniversary Human Rights Symposium, to be held October 28-30 in Toronto.
We continue to highlight facts and Japanese Canadian stories from 1942. Our next family story is from Joanne Nakamura Rollins. Share a brief story about your family in 1942 and/or your family involvement in some of the NAJC activities and events since 1947. Email your ideas, family stories and photos to national@najc.ca
The National Executive Board continues to be busy with the ongoing business of the organization.
Since the BC government announcement, the NEB has met with the membership and is proceeding on setting up a process for next steps. There are also processes with the BC Government to follow through. Updates will be provided at https://najc.ca/
The Anglican Healing Fund for Japanese Canadians held an information and outreach session last month. Available healing support includes counselling and education. For more information please go to https://najc.ca/
The National Executive Board wishes you a safe, healthy summer. Keep in touch with NAJC news & events by signing up to the NAJC e-news at https://najc.ca/subscribe/
