Welcome to the Twin Cities Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL). JACL is a national membership organization whose mission is to secure and maintain the human and civil rights of Americans victimized by injustice.
JACL derives its effectiveness through its strategically located regional offices, which serve the needs of the organization’s members and help maintain the well-being of all Americans.
In addition to its national headquarters in San Francisco, the JACL has regional offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington D.C.
The Pacific Citizen, publishing news and information for and about the Asian American community since 1929, is a production of the JACL Los Angeles office.
2023 – A Year In Review
JACL National Convention 2023
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Posted @withregram • @paperlanternproject As Minnesota has moved to codify Roe and become a trans refuge state, have you seen yourself represented in the narrative? So often the stories shared lack AAPI lived experiences. Join our new movement as we seek to radicalize and expand what abortion access, trans rights, and liberation can look like! We’re looking for AAPI people to join our cohort as we create a safe space to share our stories, strengthen our voices, and collecting our lived experiences in a zine so we can expand what Gender & Reproductive Justice mean not only in our AAPI community, but the Minnesota community as a whole! Let’s work together to create a place where community-based care is centered all while becoming a part of a new movement! @paperlanternproject
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BREAKING! After a long grassroots campaign by members and other, National JACL has issued an official statement.![]()
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Posted @withregram • @jacl_national JACL National has issued the following statement calling for a ceasefire, as well as emphasizing the need for healing, rebuilding, and addressing the numerous injustices resulting from the conflict.![]()
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Please read the statement in its entirety at the link in bio. @jacl_national
www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15254861?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2Tc8y3iY5T6tN_7vI3nEd0EWjjHFFEOlYG...
www.asahi.com
Little Tokyo in Los Angeles has been named as one of “America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places” by the National Trust Historic Preservation, a U.S. nonprofit organization.
www.facebook.com/historycoolkids/posts/pfbid02aPRmYP5KHJ2GcbCahn21zWPmuiFZP4svV1MKXv4gLrHZxg4XKHU...Considering how poorly Asian men are portrayed in Hollywood, I was genuinely surprised to learn about Sessue Hayakawa, a Japanese actor who became one of the biggest stars during the American silent era of the 1910s.![]()
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He became one of Hollywood’s first sex symbols after starring in the film, The Cheat (1915) in which he plays a cruel villain (there’s a scene in which he literally brands a woman). Despite his portrayal, Hayakawa became extremely popular with American women for his “broodingly handsome” good looks. At one point, he was the highest paid actor in Hollywood (making over $3,500 a week), and his fame was on par with that of Charlie Chaplin.![]()
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Although, Hayakawa was highly sought after during the 1910s and early 1920s, he became disillusioned by constantly being typecast for the same roles. He decided to start his own production company to fight Asian stereotypes and ended up producing 23 films in a span of three years. However, he had to scrap his company after getting into an argument with a distributor who called him a racial slur.![]()
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By the 1930s, Hollywood had set strict moral guidelines called the Hays Code which prohibited interracial love to be portrayed on screen. As a result, Hayakawa continued to be cast as either a villain or a “forbidden lover” since most of his costars were white women.![]()
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In 1937, Hayakawa went to France to star in a French film, but ended up being trapped in the country when World War 2 broke out. He sold watercolor paintings to financially support himself and joined the French resistance to help fight the Germans.![]()
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In 1949, Hayakawa—upon reflecting on his career—mentioned, "My one ambition is to play a hero".![]()
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He never really got that chance but did end up being nominated for best supporting actor for his role in The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) in which he plays an “honorable villain” in charge of a Japanese prison camp in Thailand. ![]()
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Upon retirement, Hayakawa became a Zen master and dedicated his life to Zen Buddhism. He died at the age of 87 in 1973.![]()
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#AAPI![]()
#AAPIHeritageMonth
www.facebook.com/SmithsonianAPA/posts/pfbid0364Msn2BtXZPZvVDocYr3fNw8ZFJwoc28QzGHmsKJ7CZctuEuSk5b...🌟Today’s #AANHPI Spotlight: Soichi Sakamoto (1906-1997) ![]()
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🏊 Great American swimming coach Soichi Sakamoto spearheaded Pacific Islander integration into the sport of swimming and pioneered techniques like interval training. He is best known for founding the Three-Year Swim Club for children on Maui’s sugar plantation, with the eventual goal of competing in the Olympic Games. In only three years, Sakamoto’s swimmers began competing nationally. He went on to coach swimming at the University of Hawai’i for twenty-one years and trained many athletes throughout his career as a coach, including those who went on to compete in the Olympics! He was also an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic Swim Team from 1952-1956.🏅 #SmithsonianAANHPI #AANHPIHeritageMonth ![]()
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Photo credit: ![]()
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Soichi Sakamoto Family