News and Events

News and Events

2025 - JACL DC Summer News Notes

Summer Co-Presidents Note

Dear JACL DC Members and Friends,

As summer begins, we want to take a moment to thank all of you for your continued engagement and support of our chapter. The first half of the year has been filled with meaningful events, community building, and opportunities to reflect, learn, and celebrate our shared heritage and mission.

We were honored to observe Memorial Day with solemn gratitude, remembering the sacrifices of Japanese American veterans and their enduring legacy. In that same spirit of reflection and recognition, our community gathered at the Smithsonian American Art Museum for a special event featuring Congressman Mark Takano of California. Congressman Takano shared his insights and personal stories of his ties to Mine Okubo, one of the Japanese American artists featured in the Pictures of Belonging exhibition.

Our spring programming also included the powerful graphic novel event, Living History, at the Japan Information & Culture Center (JICC), which highlighted storytelling as a tool for preserving our history and engaging new generations. It was deeply moving to see how art, memory, and identity intersect in this creative format.

In May, the JACL DC Young Professionals co-organized a successful and fun-filled AANHPI Trivia Night, drawing participants across the DMV area. The energy and enthusiasm of our younger members give us great optimism for the future.

Recently, we held our Annual Summer Picnic, always a favorite occasion for family, food, and community connection.

Looking ahead, we are excited about several upcoming events. The annual JACL National Convention will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this July—a chance for chapters across the country to connect, learn, and reaffirm our shared mission.

Please mark your calendars for our Keiro Kai celebration, taking place this year on Sunday, September 14. We’ll be sharing more details soon, but we promise it will be a heartfelt tribute to our elders and a joyful gathering for all.

As always, thank you for being part of the JACL DC family. We’re proud of all we’ve accomplished together, and even more excited about what lies ahead.

Warm regards,

Edson Mori, Co-President

John Tobe, Co-President

Nicholas Kikuta began the Mike M. Masaoka fellowship with JACL in October 2024, and is currently working as the health policy fellow in Senator Hirono's office. He graduated from UCSB in 2023 with a degree in Pharmacology and is currently in his gap years prior to medical school. Before moving to DC, Nicholas was a research scholar and program administrator with the Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education, where he conducted research supporting data disaggregation for Asian Americans.

Growing up, Nicholas was heavily involved in the JA community in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he played Asian League basketball and participated in Jr. YBA. In college, Nicholas joined UCSB's Nikkei Student Union, where he served terms on board as the External Vice President and President. In his senior year of college, he was elected president of the Intercollegiate Nikkei Council and worked to foster bonds between the Nikkei Student Unions across Southern California and the JA community.

77th Annual Memorial Day Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery

On Sunday, May 25, JACL DC Chapter, along with the Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA), the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation (NJAMF), JACL National, and the Kobayashi family, held the 77th annual Memorial Day Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery’s (ANC) Columbarium. This is the longest, continuous ceremony held at ANC, which the cemetery does not organize.

Almost a hundred attendees gathered to remember the Japanese American veterans and family members who are interred at ANC. In 1948, Key Kobayashi and the local JACL DC Chapter started this tradition to honor those who had sacrificed for their country. What began as three sites has grown to 133 sites honoring 195 individuals.

This year’s theme was Honoring Our Veterans, Celebrating Freedom. The keynote speaker was Lt. General Thomas Bostick, USA (retired), who previously served as the head of the US Army Corps of Engineers. General Bostick spoke of the sacrifices and heroism of those who served during WW2, and how we all owe them our appreciation for laying the foundation for all those who have followed.

The student speaker was Mr. Hunter Pauley, a fifth grader from Spark Matsunaga Elementary School, who spoke about his appreciation for military service, given his family’s multigenerational military service.

Lt. Colonel Robert Vokac, USA (retired), spoke about his grandfather, Colonel Virgil Miller, USA (retired), who was the commanding officer of the 442nd RCT. Lt. Colonel Vokac traveled from Canada (where he resides) to share personal stories of Colonel Miller and how Colonel Miller’s leadership of his troops was not based on appearance or background but on character. Lt. Colonel Vokac spoke about the respect that Colonel Miller had for his troops, especially knowing that many of their family members were incarcerated in camps.

A special speaker was Mr. Terry Shima, a former 442nd RCT member. Shima recounted a few stories about having served under Colonel Miller. Shima also mentioned that Colonel Miller turned down a promotion to continue to serve as commanding officer of the 442nd RCT.

The program closed with JACL DC Board Member Michelle Amano reciting the Japanese American Creed, which was drafted by her grandfather, Mike Masaoka. All veterans present were acknowledged, a bugler played taps, and the attendees then disbursed to the various sections of ANC to place red, white, and blue floral bouquets at the gravesites and to thank the deceased for their service and sacrifice.

Living History: An Evening of Reflection and Storytelling

by Aileen Ma

A powerful evening of remembrance, storytelling, and learning took place on May 13, 2025, at the Japan Information & Culture Center in the heart of the nation’s capital. Entitled “Living History”, the event—co-sponsored by the Embassy of Japan, the JACL DC Chapter, the Japanese American Veterans Association, and the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation—drew a full room of invited guests to celebrate the legacy and voices of the Japanese American community.

Kicking off the events of the night, Minister Sato Masaru, the Head of Chancery at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC welcomed guests and affirmed the importance of telling stories in the U.S. and Japan about Japanese American incarceration during World War II.

The evening's programming began with a screening of Uprooted, an animated short film by Becca Yasuda Jackson, a Yonsei animator and filmmaker based in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Her short film offered a fresh lens on Japanese American incarceration during World War II through the eyes of a young girl, Hanako, who witnesses the harsh realities of discrimination after Pearl Harbor and ultimately experiences incarceration. Becca shared that she created the film to honor the memory of her grandmother, Hisako Kido Yasuda. She expressed hope that the film would spark empathy, encourage reflection, and inspire viewers to ensure this chapter of history is never forgotten so history does not repeat itself.

Following the screening of Uprooted, JACL DC Chapter Co-President John Tobe introduced Linda Sato Adams, Janice Nakano Faden, and Stephanie Miyeko Rowe, who co-authored But, Where Are You REALLY From?, a graphic novel published by the JACL DC Chapter. The graphic novel is a fictional story that explores the Japanese American experience, focusing on themes of immigration, incarceration during World War II, and the ongoing fight against anti-Asian hate by following elementary school student Emi Kobayashi when she gets an assignment that asks her to investigate her family background.

Linda, Janice and Stephanie shared how the idea for the graphic novel came from a conversation with the Supervisor of Social Studies in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), who wanted advice on resources to help 5th graders at MCPS learn about this important history. Now, not only is the graphic novel being used by MCPS as part of its Grade 5 curriculum on U.S. history, Linda, Janice and Stephanie will also be presenting it at the National Council for Social Studies Conference coming up this December. The graphic novel is also being translated into several languages, including Chinese, French, and Spanish - languages that are part of MCPS’ immersion programs - as well as Japanese, which will further broaden its reach to audiences in the U.S. and beyond. Linda, Janice and Stephanie shared how the narrative storytelling of the novel also fosters healthy dispositions such as critical thinking, relationship skills, self-awareness, social awareness, and responsible decision-making. Often called social and emotional skills, these skills are key for students’ lifelong learning and development and also crucial in helping readers take the lessons of Japanese incarceration and apply it to their own lives, including what they can do as community members to ensure history does not repeat itself. Finally, Linda, Janice and Stephanie also shared that work is currently underway to create an online museum based on the graphic novel, which folks can visit virtually in order to learn more about this important history.

Last but not least, the evening closed with a panel featuring three cherished Nisei elders whom the authors of But, Where Are You REALLY From? interviewed while writing the graphic novel: Terry Shima, a veteran of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and longtime advocate for JA veterans; Mary Murakami, a beloved speaker and former incarceree of Topaz; and Alice Takemoto, a community leader who continues to educate younger generations about wartime incarceration and its aftermath. As Terry, Mary and Alice shared their stories about their lived experiences during and after WWII, a hush fell over the room as everyone who gathered listened with intent. It was particularly moving when, at one point Alice ran out of breath to speak, but handed the mic on to her son, Paul, to continue sharing her story. Later, several attendees said they could have listened to Terry, Mary and Alice speak for even longer.

The evening was a testament to the enduring strength of community, the necessity of sharing our stories, and the responsibility to continue to pass them on. In a time when civil liberties are at risk in our nation once again, Living History served as both a celebration and a call to action: to know our history, to honor our elders, and to ensure that history never repeats itself again.

For more information on the book But, Where Are You REALLY From? please visit https://www.jacl-dc.org/graphic-novel

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But, Where Are You REALLY From?

The JACL DC Chapter has completed the graphic novel, But Where Are You REALLY From? , a fictional story that will be used in the...