TOPAZ, Utah — A set of solemn and respectful ceremonies permeated through the Central Utah breeze April 22 under dotted clouds over the former Topaz concentration camp and the Topaz Museum in Delta, Utah. They served as a contrast to the sudden and violent death of Japanese immigrant James Hatsuaki Wakasa 80 years ago, […]
Wakasa remembered in Utah, 80 years after fatal shot in concentration camp
May 11, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Odori ‘rock star’ Fujima Kansuma dies at 104
March 30, 2023 by Leave a Comment
LOS ANGELES — Fujima Kansuma, the legendary Japanese dancer who taught thousands of students in a career that spanned nearly eight decades, died on Feb. 22 at 104. Miyako Tachibana, Kansuma’s daughter, who took over her mother’s teaching duties, stated via e-mail that when her father died when Tachibana was 12 years old, “my mother […]
BACK IN THEATERS: 12th annual Films of Remembrance
March 30, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Following two years of online-only programming, the Nichi Bei Foundation held its 12th annual Films of Remembrance film series in person at the AMC Kabuki 8 in San Francisco’s Japantown Feb. 25 and the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin in San Jose’s Japantown Feb. 26. According to Kenji G. Taguma, president of the Nichi Bei […]
Japanese Americans protest a wind project near the Minidoka site
March 30, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Advocates say 400 turbines will threaten the sanctity of the historic Idaho location that served as an incarceration camp during WWII Mary Abo is in her 80s now, but can recite her childhood address on command: block six, barrack four, apartment C. Abo is a survivor of Minidoka, one of several camps that the U.S. […]
Day of Remembrance program looks to future while returning to roots
March 2, 2023 by Leave a Comment
After two years of virtual programming, the Bay Area Day of Remembrance Consortium returned to its roots hosting its annual event as an in-person event. Attendees packed the Christ United Presbyterian Church in San Francisco’s Japantown Feb. 19, with many more observing via an online stream for the 44th annual Bay Area Day of Remembrance. […]
Hayward, Calif. community holds dedication for Japanese American Memorial
March 2, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Dozens of Bay Area community members paid tribute to the 606 Japanese American residents of the Hayward, Calif. area who were forcibly removed from their homes in 1942, at a ceremony Feb. 4, dedicating a new public sculpture installed at the Hayward Heritage Plaza. The sculpture, designed by artist and historian Patricia Wakida, was commissioned […]
L.A. Day of Remembrance focuses on inter-community support
March 2, 2023 by Leave a Comment
LOS ANGELES — The 2023 Day of Remembrance, held Feb. 18 at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo, urged the Japanese American community and individuals to work together with other communities “to fight for a strong and democratic society.” Organizers dedicated the event, titled “Uniting Our Voices: Making Democracy Work for All,” to […]
Japanese Americans won redress, fight for Black reparations
March 2, 2023 by Leave a Comment
SAN FRANCISCO — When Miya Iwataki and other Japanese Americans fought in the 1980s for the U.S. government to apologize to the families it imprisoned during World War II, Black politicians and civil rights leaders were integral to the movement. Thirty-five years after they won that apology — and survivors of prison camps received $20,000 […]
Ordinary citizens’ extraordinary deeds come to life in ‘The Art of Activism’ program
February 17, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Ordinary citizens’ extraordinary deeds come to life in this year’s Films of Remembrance “The Art of Activism” program presented by the Nichi Bei Foundation. Here’s a preview of the short films: ‘Stamp Our Story’ (2022, 19 min.) by Kaia Rose and Robert M. Horsting Three Nisei women were on a mission, and they were not […]
Connect & Share