The National JACL has announced the start of fundraising for the JACL Centennial Education Fund to help fulfill its mission by providing critically important education programs, tools, and resources towards the next 100 years of civil rights. Former Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta and his wife Deni are chairing the Honorary Committee. Please go to the link below to get more information about this objective.
St. Louis JACL Board Member Robin Hattori will speak virtually on Zoom on July 22, 2021 at 6:30 pm Central Daylight Time as part of the Missouri History Museum series on St. Louis. “How the Hattoris Became St. Louisans: One Family’s Incarceration during WWII” will detail the story of a Japanese American family that endured a forced removal from California to an incarceration camp in Arkansas. The Zoom link for this virtual presentation is available below through the Missouri History Museum website.
Former St. Louis JACL Board of Directors member, Joe Yokota, passed away July 10, 2021 at age 94. Mr. Yokota was a longtime McDonnell Douglas engineer and resident of Hazelwood, Missouri. For many years Joe was the chairperson for the annual Japanese Festival setup and teardown committee at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Visitation and memorial service will be held on July 17, 2021 at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, 808 N. Mason Road, beginning at 10:00 am.
The St. Louis JACL mourns the loss of Rosalyn Borg who passed away June 27, 2021. Ms. Borg served as St. Louis area director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) from 1988-2001. In 1987 Ms. Borg led the AJC’s advocacy for the redress legislation for incarcerated Japanese American and was recognized by Congressman Robert Matsui of California for her efforts to help the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. During her tenure at the AJC, Ms. Borg worked with the St. Louis JACL on several joint programs and was a frequent attendee of JACL Inaugural Dinner events.
The St. Louis JACL congratulates two 2021 St. Louis JACL Scholarship recipients. The St. Louis JACL Scholarship Fund is made possible by the Yamamoto and Tanaka families and generous fundraising and gifts by JACL members and friends.
Robert Dahlberg-Sears, of St. Peters, Missouri, has a B.A. in Japanese language and a B.A./M.A. in history. As an undergraduate at University of Missouri – St. Louis, he was president of the Japan-America Student Association and volunteered for ten years at the Japanese Festival. At Ohio State University, he served on the Council of Graduate Students Ad Hoc Committee on Equality & Racial Justice and founded the Japan Graduate Studies Organization. Mr. Dahlberg-Sears will soon move to Tokyo, Japan, to complete his PhD in musicology, specializing in ethnomusicology and folklore.
Kennedy Grimmett, of Florissant, Missouri, just graduated from Rosati-Kain High School where she was involved in the yearbook, Diversity Club, and Asian Pop Culture Club. She volunteered with many organizations, including the St. Louis Urban League, Ronald McDonald House, and Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition. She is most concerned with how minorities are represented in the media and is interested in pursuing a career in the legal field or public relations. Ms. Grimmett will attend Howard University in Washington, D.C. to begin her graduate studies this fall.
St. Louis JACL President Ronald Sakai was interviewed as part of a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article written by Aisha Sultan that ran April 12, 2021.
Japan America Society of St. Louis is presenting the Red Lantern Night Market at Mad Art Gallery on 2727 S. 12th Street (near Anheuser-Busch), from 7pm – 12 midnight on June 11-12, 2021. This event will provide adults 21+ with a night market experience featuring street food, beer and beverages, unique retail, Japanese cultural experiences, music, and entertainment. $15 in advance, $20 at the door (per night). Event parking is free and located across 12th Street in the Anheuser-Busch Tour parking lot. St. Louis JACL will have an informational booth at this event. Click on the link below for more details.
The Annual St. Louis JACL July 4th Picnic at Vlasis Park, Ballwin, Missouri is canceled for 2021, however, Vlasis Park Pavilion #2 (West side of park, nearest to the Police Station) is still available for St. Louis JACL members and the friends of St. Louis JACL to use on July 4, 2021 to socialize between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm. No typical picnic events will be conducted by the St. Louis JACL. Please bring your own food and only share food with family members. Please continue to abide by current CDC guidelines when using this venue. Unvaccinated persons should continue to wear masks and try to social distance when not eating.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays/small-gatherings.html
Dr. Chikako Usui, chairman of the board of the Japan America Society (JAS) of St. Louis and associate professor of sociology at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, will provide an overview of Japanese Americans’ settlement of St. Louis. This virtual presentation is presented free-of-charge at 11:00 am on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 and is sponsored by Missouri History Museum, as part of its series Stories of Home, and Japan American Society of St. Louis.
Each year 100-200 participants are selected to participate in the JACL Kakehashi Program and travel to Japan in the spirit of cross country and cultural exchange. This program is coordinated by the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and the Japan International Cooperation Center (JICC) and supported by funding from Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Application deadline is June 13, 2021.
