In July, JANM hosted a national conference themed, Speaking Up! Democracy, Justice, Dignity in Seattle. And now, we are pleased to announce that conference audio and video files are now available online!
You can see the breadth of audio and video offerings here, as well as here.
We hope that these offerings will help those who were at the conference—as well as those who weren’t able to make it—continue to learn, grow, and be inspired to speak up for democracy, justice, and dignity!
Thank you to everybody who attended, supported, and remotely cheered us on at the 2013 National Conference that JANM hosted in Seattle this past July!
Since the conclusion of the conference, we have been receiving a steady stream of really nice comments from people who attended, letting us know more about the experiences they had. We have also been posting conference articles, conference photos and videos, and conference reflections. You can access it all via our brand new Conference Highlights page!
And thank you to all who have supported us at the past conferences, including museum friends in Los Angeles, Little Rock, and Denver. It’s through projects like this that we have a real chance to work closely with JANM members and supporters from around the nation.
For that, we are truly grateful!
Photos courtesy of Tracy Kumono Photography.
More photos from our 2013 National Conference in Seattle!
Our guests at the National Conference got to learn about Japanese American history both in and out of the Sheraton through two tours of Seattle! Tour-goers explored prominent landmarks, including the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience and the Panama Hotel.
In the International District bus tour, we were able to visit where the pioneers of the neighborhood lived and learned about the lives of the area’s first Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino immigrants and laborers. The second tour, of Seattle’s Nihonmachi, walked through the historic sites of Seattle’s Japantown. The tour introduced early life in Japantown and includes visits to the Panama Hotel, Kobo at Higo Store, Nippon Kan Theater, and Kobe Terrace Park. Both ended at the Wing Luke Museum.
Check out more photos from the Conference in our previous blog posts or on our Facebook page.
Tim Asamen wrote about his participation at the conference, including the International District bus tour. Read it on our Discover Nikkei site: Climbing Out of the Well: My Impressions of the JANM 2013 National Conference in Seattle
Photos by: Bob Moriguchi, June Aoki, Midori Uyeda, and Richard Murakami.
We’ve already posted photos from the Bainbridge Island bus tour at the conference, but wanted to also share this blog post from our partner: Only What We Can Carry Project Helps Host National Tour of Historic Suyematsu Farm
A big thank you to everyone who came to Seattle for the 2013 National Conference over the 4th of July weekend! We had a great time and learned a ton, and we hoped you did too.
One big hit from the Conference was the tour of Bainbridge Island. The first generation of Japanese Americans came to the island in 1883 and settled down, opening businesses (including the Suyematsu farm, the oldest continually working farm on the island) and starting families. They remained on Bainbridge until the Japanese American forced removal and incarceration during World War II. In 1942, Bainbridge residents were among the first to be taken to the concentration camps. Today, the island is the home of the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial, which opened in 2011.
Read more about one Japanese American family’s history on Bainbridge Island in Wayne Nakata’s Discover Nikkei article, Honoring my Issei and Nisei Ancestors. Nakata shared his story at the tour’s Sonoji Sakai Intermediate School luncheon.
Here are some photos from the bus tour of five key Island landmarks—the Exclusion Memorial, Bainbridge Gardens, Suyematsu Farm, Woodward Middle School, and Sonoji Sakai Intermediate School. Find more photos on our Facebook page.
See if you can spot yourself or a friend!
Photos by: Tracy Kumono, Bob Moriguchi, June Aoki, Midori Uyeda & Richard Murakami
Gift of Norman Y. Mineta, Japanese American National Museum (96.370.16A)
There is a lot happening at JANM today, but we first wanted to take some time to remember that August 10, 1988 is the day that President Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act. This Act offered an apology and granted redress and reparations to the over 110,000 people of Japanese descent who were incarcerated during World War II.
The signing of the Civil Liberties Act was the result of a lot of hard work from many, many individuals and groups around the nation. The government’s formal acknowledgement of the unjust incarceration remains a major milestone in the history of not just the Japanese American community, but within the history of the United States.
To reflect upon this event, last month JANM hosted a national conference in Seattle themed, Speaking Up! Democracy, Justice, Dignity. A modified version of one of the panel sessions that took place in Seattle will also be happening today in Little Tokyo! If you have a chance, please drop by the DISKovery Center this afternoon to see selected video clips related to the Civil Liberties Act, including the powerful testimonials from the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Interment of Civilians (CWRIC) hearings that took place in Los Angeles. These free screenings are being put together by Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress and a full schedule is available here.
Hope that you’re able to take a moment today to reflect on the Civil Liberties Act and the impact that it (and World War II) had on the lives of so many. And thank you to all of those who—in ways big and small—worked to ensure that the United States is taking steps to becoming “a more perfect union.”
P.S. We are slowly making our way through the many photos from the conference and will be sharing more online soon!
Thank you to the over 500 people who joined us at our fourth National Conference, Speaking Up! Democracy, Justice, Dignity, held July 4–7 in Seattle, Washington.
Participants came from around the nation, as well as from Canada and Japan to participate in a jam-packed program commemorating the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Liberties Act. [See below for a video of Secretary Norman Mineta’s keynote address at the dinner banquet on July 6.]
We are now going through the photos, video footage, and audio recordings of the conference so that we can make them available on the Web. But for now, because we are so excited about all of the media, wanted to preview just a few of the photos and to say THANK YOU for helping make the conference unforgettable! And a special THANK YOU to the folks in Seattle for sharing the history of their wonderful city with us.
(Photos by Tracy Kumono)
We are so excited that it is finally 2013… because our fourth national conference is just 6 months away! We hope that you and your family will join us.
Register before January 31 to receive the early bird rate for JANM’s 2013 National Conference, “Speaking Up! Democracy, Justice, and Dignity.” If you register now, you will not only save money, but there are still spaces available for the trips to Bainbridge Island (bus tour) and/or the International District (bus tour and/or walking tour).
Here are some handy links:
– Schedule of events and speakers
– Booking a room at the Sheraton Seattle at the lower, JANM rate
And a special shout out to our partners: Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington and University of Washington, Department of American Ethnic Studies. We couldn’t do any of this without them.
See you and your family in Seattle in July!
We are hosting a national conference next year in Seattle, Washington! It will be from July 4-7, 2013 at the Sheraton Seattle and the theme is “Speaking Up! Democracy, Justice, Dignity.” Go on-line for the latest information about the program of events, our speaker line-up, and to register.
But in case you need even more reasons to gather your family to join us in Seattle at the conference, how about these…
Seattle was the setting of the TBS Japanese drama, 99 Years of Love (2010) and John Okada’s book, No-No Boy (1979). Readers of No-No Boy will recognize this sign:
Some of the best food I’ve ever eaten has been at the vegetarian & vegan Plum Bistro in Capitol Hill. And if it’s raining, you can slurp down a hot bowl of nabeyaki udon at Hiroshi’s Restaurant in Eastlake. Meanwhile near the International District, the Cheeky Cafe serves up eclectic food in these very generous portions.
(Bonus: sharing a meal at the Cheeky Cafe with JANM Board of Governor, Tom Ikeda of Densho.)
And what says more about a city than its independent book store? Elliott Bay Book Company will be coming to our conference with lots of books!
The early bird registration closes on January 31! Click here for more info about JANM’s National Conference.
Join us…
July 4-7, 2013 at the Seattle Sheraton Hotel Speaking Up! Democracy, Justice, Dignity Our expanded Web site has launched and we’re so excited! Check out the sessions and activities being planned for JANM’s fourth national conference. A multigenerational, multicultural audience of over 1,000 attendees is expected for this not-to-be-missed community gathering. And, save time and money with our NEW online registration—JANM members save up to 35% with our Early Bird registration. Be sure to share the newswith your family and friends. See you in Seattle!
Join us for another exciting National Conference…
July 4-7, 2013 at the Sheraton Seattle
Speaking Up! Democracy, Justice, and Dignity
Don’t miss another life-changing experience for you and your family at JANM’s fourth national conference! Attendees of all ages will hear from a mixture of first-person and scholarly voices, learn more about the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, make new friends, and catch-up with old ones. We have been busy planning the conference with organizations such as the University of Washington, Department of American Ethnic Studies and the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington. Plus, the Wing Luke Asian Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community, and the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial are helping organize exciting field trips and tours!
Registration details will be available in September 2012, but starting immediately you can reserve your room at Sheraton Seattle at the preferred room rates. (The conference rates are quite a deal!)
We’ll post updates on our conference Web site, so please stay tuned.
P.S. Check out the speaker bios, panel descriptions, and photos from our 2008 National Conference in Denver to get a sense of what’s in store for Seattle.
