UPCOMING EVENTS
Special Exhibit: America’s Last WWII Concentration Camp: Crystal City @ JASC
Friday, October 16, through Friday, November 20, 2026
Japanese American Service Committee (5700 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago IL 60659)
Crystal City: America’s Last WWII Concentration Camp tells the story of the only U.S. internment camp created to reunite families during World War II. Created as a family reunification center for immigrants arrested under the Alien Enemies Act in 1942, Crystal City remained open until 1948, long after WWII ended. The Crystal City Family Internment Camp, administered by the Department of Justice, held thousands of Japanese, Germans, and Italians individuals and families. Crystal City was also used as a detention facility for Latin American residents awaiting deportation in a prisoner of war exchange with Axis countries.
The Crystal City Pilgrimage Committee’s national traveling exhibit will be on display at JASC October 16 – November 20, 2026 in the newly renovated Legacy Center Library & Reading Room. Learn more and plan your visit here.
Are you a survivor or descendant of Crystal City?
Please complete this contact form for an invitation to a survivors gathering.
Interested in volunteering at the exhibit? Sign up for a docent shift here!
Kansha Project 15th Anniversary: Go Go Go Kansha! Celebration
Sunday October 18, 2026, 1PM-4PM | Kamehachi Northbrook (1320 Shermer Rd, Northbrook IL 60062)
Join us in celebrating 15 years of Kansha at our Go Go Go Kansha! fundraiser! Kansha alumni, family, friends, and supporters are invited to gather for a fun afternoon at Kamehachi to reconnect, share memories, celebrate the community we’ve built, and support the future of the Kansha Project. We’ll also be honoring Kansha visionaries Bill Yoshino and Pat Harada for their lasting impact. We hope you’ll join us for this special milestone celebration! Click here to RSVP.
Interested in sponsoring this event? We are offering tiered sponsorship opportunities to help support this invaluable program. Click here to learn more and sponsor!
Panel Discussion: “Gardens of Resilience”
Thursday, August 27, 2026, 6PM-7PM | Hybrid: on Zoom or at Ruggles Hall, Newberry Library (60 W Walton, Chicago IL 60610)
Exploring themes of resilience, agency, and hope, this conversation will amplify temporary exhibitions currently on view at the Newberry Library (Conceived in Liberty: Cartoons, Caricatures, and Illustrations in the Wartime US, 1812-1918) and the Chicago Botanic Garden (America Grows: 250 Years of Garden Stories). A roundtable discussion featuring artist and storyteller Camille Billie, researcher and curator Lisa Doi, and landscape architecture professor Kenneth Helphand will be moderated by DePaul University history professor Margaret Storey. Learn more and register for online or in-person participation here.
KAN-WIN 2026 Global Action Day
Wednesday, August 12, 12PM Start | 400 N Michigan Ave, Chicago IL
Join KAN-WIN’s 14th Annual Global Day of Action for Justice for “Comfort Women” Survivors this August in downtown Chicago. We will honor “comfort women” survivors through testimony, performance, and sitting in solidarity with the Statue of Peace, or sonyeosang. We invite you to be a part of this movement to build a world free from sexual violence for survivors everywhere. Will you #ComeSitWithHer?
Registration is required for this event. Click here to learn more and register.
Kansha Culmination: 15th Anniversary!
Saturday, June 27, 2:30-5:30PM | Midwest Buddhist Temple (435 West Menomonee Street Chicago, IL 60614)
We invite you to join us at Culmination to celebrate this year’s Kansha Project with the Kansha Alumni Leadership Board (ALB) and the 2026 program participants! Participants will share reflections of their experience of their trip to Little Tokyo, LA and Manzanar Historic Site and present their unique projects summarizing their experience to the community. We hope you’ll join us for this celebration of community, youth leadership, and legacy.
While this is a free event, we kindly ask you consider making a donation to help us continue this community-run program for future generations. Click here to RSVP. See you there!
Yuri & Malcolm’s Revolutionary Birthday Bash!
Saturday, May 23, 11AM-1PM @ Restoried Bookshop (4613 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago IL 60625)
Come to a children’s event hosted by JACL Chicago, Nikkei Uprising, and Restoried Bookstore to celebrate the birthday of two legendary birthday twins, BFFs, and civil rights icons! Children of all ages and their caregivers are welcome to stop in anytime to join for art building, storytime, and movement activities! Youth under 14 must be accompanied by a caregiver. We will have storytimes, arts and crafts, different stations with fun activities for kids, and cake! Click here to learn more and RSVP.
2026 Scholarship Luncheon
Sunday, May 17, 12PM-2PM | Barolo Room, Maggiano’s Little Italy Old Orchard (4999 Old Orchard Shopping Ctr, Skokie IL 60077)
Please RSVP HERE to celebrate our Scholarship recipients!
JACL Chicago’s scholarship program recognizes the accomplishments of students who have demonstrated a commitment to JACL’s mission of advancing social justice and promoting the legacy and cultural heritage of the Japanese American community.
Our annual JACL Chicago Scholarship Luncheon is an intergenerational community event that celebrates the accomplishments of our young scholarship winners, allows scholarship donors to honor the memory of their loved ones through their awards, and welcomes our new scholarship awardees to the JACL Chicago community.
Please join us to celebrate the achievements of our 2026 scholarship winners:
- Hyo Amano, DePaul University
- Gabby Matsushita, New Trier High School
- Addyson McGarry, Lane Technical High School
- Maya Ostermann, York Community High School
- Daniel Sanji, Northwestern University
- Emiko Tahara, The School of the Art Institute Chicago
- Emma Wilkinson, Northwestern University
- Ava Yatabe, Deerfield High School
- Thomas Yatabe, Deerfield High School
Funding for scholarships and the scholarship program is provided by generous donations from JACL Chicago members and individuals and organizations from the greater Chicago Japanese American community.
Please RSVP by May 13th. Questions? Contact Scholarship Chair, Christine Munteanu at scholarships@jaclchicago.org.
Kansha 2026: Nisei Lounge Fundraiser!
Thursday, May 14, 6PM-9PM | Nisei Lounge (3439 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago IL 60657)
Join the Kansha Alumni Leadership Board (ALB) as we bring back our favorite community bartending fundraiser at the Nisei Lounge in Wrigleyville! Friends, family, and all community members are welcome! Kansha Project alumni will be guest bartending throughout the night. Come on by to get some drinks and socialize with Kansha folks and the community.
All cash tips will go towards the Kansha Project program. The Kansha Project is a JACL Chicago program that connects self-identified Japanese Americans, ages 18-25, to the continuing legacy of the Japanese American community’s incarceration during World War II. The program centers around an educational trip to Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo neighborhood and Manzanar National Historic Site.
This event is 21+. Please bring a valid form of ID. Click here to RSVP!
March 2026: JACL Chicago & Nikkei Uprising @ No Kings
Saturday, March 28, 1PM | Downtown Chicago, meeting location TBA
JACL Chicago and Nikkei Uprising are organizing a contingency to attend the No Kings rally on Saturday, March 28 in downtown Chicago. If you are interested in joining our group, please sign up here! All are welcome to join (friends and family included).
Art Build & Chant Night: Wednesday, March 25, 5PM-8PM | 5415 N Clark St, Chicago IL 60640
Come join us at the JACL Chicago office the Wednesday before the rally to make signs and practice chants. Drop in anytime between 5PM and 8PM. Anyone is welcome, even if you can’t make the rally! If you’re planning to come by, please sign up here.
Vigil: 2026 Day of Remembrance
Thursday, February 19, 2026, 12PM @ Broadview ICE Facility (1930 Beach St, Broadview IL 60155)
Sign-Making Party: Wednesday, February 18, 5PM-8PM @ JACL Chicago (5415 N Clark St, Chicago IL 60640)
Each year, on February 19, the Japanese American community reflects upon the consequences of Executive Order 9066 across our generations. Join JACL Chicago and Nikkei Uprising as we stand vigil at the Broadview ICE Facility in solidarity with our neighbors detained and murdered. Never Again is Now! Click here to sign up–carpools from Chicago available.
Register here!
Intergenerational Conversations: Ripples of the Past
Midwest Buddhist Temple (435 W Menomonee, Chicago IL 60614)
Intergenerational Conversations: Ripples of the Past is a JACL Chicago and Nikkei Uprising program that brings Chicago-area Nikkei (people of Japanese ancestry) together to connect and process the trauma of WWII forced displacement and incarceration through personal story sharing. It was created to address the community’s need for spaces to reflect on, and heal from, the generational impact of mass incarceration.
RSVP using this link by 11:59pm March 3rd:
https://bit.ly/IntergenConvosRSVP
Facilitators Wanted! We are also looking for facilitators to help us lead small groups. Facilitators are required to attend one training and will receive a small stipend. If you are interested in facilitating, please fill out this form: https://bit.ly/IntergenConvoFacilitate
2026 Day of Remembrance
Chicago History Museum (1601 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60614)
Full Spectrum Features’ latest short docudrama, Enough, will be featured at Chicago’s Day of Remembrance 2026, an annual gathering that marks the signing of Executive Order 9066 and honors the many generations shaped by Japanese American incarceration. Rooted in the decades-long history of the Japanese American Redress Movement—from the lead-up to the 1981 Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) hearings through the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988—the film turns to community memory and testimony to ask what it takes to confront harm honestly and pursue repair over time.
Following the screening, a panel of community members and practitioners will reflect on how the legacies of Redress speak to present-day struggles around state violence, surveillance, and displacement. Panelists include Rebecca Ozaki (Yonsei, granddaughter of a CWRIC testifier), Mary Samson (Sansei, Redress organizer), Dr. Britt Dantley (family therapist and clinician), Brian Tee (director and actor), and Scott Sakiyama (attorney and anti-ICE advocate). Together, they will consider how practices of storytelling, accountability, and care can interrupt repeating patterns of removal and state violence—both within families and across communities.
Read more and RSVP at the Chicago Day of Remembrance website.
PAVE IL-09 Candidates Forum
Join the Pan-Asian Voter Empowerment Coalition to hear candidates respond to key issues affecting Asian American communities. This is an exciting opportunity to hear from candidates running for Illinois’ 9th Congressional District in advance of the primary election on March 17th. Live, simultaneous interpretation will be provided. Join us to hear candidate responses to key issues facing Asian American communities, such as immigration, language access, and affordability.
Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial demographic in Illinois, and 70,000 Asian Americans reside in the IL–09 district alone. IL–09 includes, but is not limited to, Chicago’s Rogers Park, Uptown, Buena Park, Edgewater, and West Ridge neighborhoods; Skokie; Niles; Morton Grove; Wilmette; Glenview; Northfield; Buffalo Grove; Hawthorn Woods; Cary; and Algonquin.
The PAVE Coalition consists of 19 Asian American direct service and advocacy organizations in the Chicagoland area. Founded in 2011, the PAVE Coalition focuses on increasing voter turnout and civic participation among Asian Americans and improving the lives of Asian Americans through advocacy and policy change.
Whistle Packing Night
Tuesday, November 18, 6PM-8PM | JACL Office (5415 N Clark St, Chicago IL 60640)
Sign Up Here!
JACL Chicago and Nikkei Uprising are gathering on Tuesday, November 18, 6-8PM, for a zine- and whistle-packing night at the JACL Chicago office in Andersonville, Chicago. Chicagoans have been using whistles to help protect each other from ICE during ICE sightings in their neighborhoods. Whistle kits will be distributed to community members.
Please sign up (using the QR code on the flyer, or the links above/below) to let us know you’re dropping by so we can order enough food! All are welcome to join.
Phone Banking for Public Health & Safety
Saturday, Nov 15, 5PM-8PM | JACL Office (5415 N Clark St, Chicago IL 60640)
Please REGISTER at bit.ly/nov15phonebank
Join Nikkei Uprising, JACL Chicago & friends to fight for a budget for public health, safety and the people, rather than for corporations and policing! We will do a short training – first time phone bankers are welcome. Please bring a fully charged phone or a battery pack, and headphones. Food will be provided!
If you can’t make it on the 15th, there are many other opportunities to canvass and phone bank for the budget with the Public Health and Safety Campaign: please check out bit.ly/fightforfunds.
Ireicho In Chicago: Opening and Closing Events
Please join JASC, the Chicago Japanese American Historical Society, JACL Chicago, and the Japanese Mutual Aid Society of Chicago for two very special evening programs while the Ireicho is in Chicago. Your RSVP is requested for both programs. We may not be able to accommodate those who do not RSVP. Please Note: registration is only for the evening programs, and is NOT an appointment to stamp the Ireicho.
Register for these events here: http://bit.ly/
We are also looking for volunteers in various roles. Sign up here to volunteer!
JACL Chicago’s 80th Anniversary
Saturday, December 6, 5PM-9PM | New Furama Restaurant (2828 S Wentworth Ave, Chicago IL 60616)
Eighty years ago, JACL Chicago was formed to support the civil rights and livelihoods of people of Japanese ancestry who moved to Chicago after the closing of the WWII incarceration camps. To honor this legacy and look towards the future, we invite you to join JACL Chicago to celebrate 80 years of community building, education, and advocacy!
All proceeds will support our chapter’s ongoing work and programs including our longest-running program, the Kansha Project, to our newer programs like Intergenerational Conversations: Ripples of the Past and Camp Daikon social justice youth camp.
We are delighted to celebrate the evening at the New Furama Chinatown. In addition to remarks from JACL Chicago leaders, this event will feature a sit-down family style dinner, open bar, silent auction of member-curated gift baskets, and fabulous entertainment!
All sales are final and considered a donation to the organization. We are also looking for individuals and businesses to sponsor the event at various levels. For additional information, contact rebecca@jaclchicago.org, or to learn more about our programs, visit our website at jaclchicago.org. We look forward to celebrating with you!
Purchase your ticket here: http://bit.ly/JACLChicago80th
No Kings Rally & Sign-Making Party
Saturday, October 18, 11:30AM | Downtown Chicago, meeting location TBA
JACL Chicago and Nikkei Uprising are organizing a contingency to attend the No Kings rally on Saturday, October 18 in downtown Chicago. If you are interested in joining our group, please sign up here! All are welcome to join (friends and family included).
Sign-Making Party: Wednesday, October 15, 4:30PM-7PM | 5415 N Clark St, Chicago IL 60640
Come join us at the JACL Chicago office the Wednesday before the rally to make signs and prepare. Drop in anytime between 4:30PM and 7PM. Anyone is welcome, even if you can’t make the rally! If you’re planning to come by, please sign up here.
Wadee Day 2025
Sunday, September 21, 2025, 10AM-12:30PM
Van Horn Woods East Playground
(17200 West Frontage Rd, Plainfield, IL)
JACL Chicago is honored to observe Wadee Day, a day of remembrance and action honoring the life of Wadee AlFayoumi, a 6-year-old Palestinian American Muslim boy whose murder, charged as a hate crime, highlighted the dangerous consequences of dehumanizing rhetoric. This day was formally established through the passage of the Wadee Resolution in the Illinois legislature in the spring of 2025.
Wadee Day aligns with the UN’s International Day of Peace for Children, honoring all children’s right to live in safety, peace, and dignity—especially those, like Palestinian children, who are too often denied that right. Join us to honor Wadee’s life, stand against hate and dehumanization, and promote peace, dignity, and justice for every child. Read more about Wadee Day from the Muslim Civic Coalition at this link.
Workshop: Detention Then & Now
Sunday, October 5, 2025 | 3pm–5pm
Christ Church of Chicago (6047 N Rockwell St, Chicago, IL 60659)
Join JACL Chicago and Nikkei Uprising to learn how you can take action against immigration detention through Rapid Response Networks. Get informed, get involved, and help protect immigrant communities. All are invited to attend.
Film Screening: Third Act
Sunday, September 7, 2025 | 2pm–4pm
Chicago History Museum (1601 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614)
Using the lessons Robert taught him, Tad deciphers the legacy of an aging man who was just a child when he survived America’s concentration camps, a successful photographer who gave it up to tell his own story, an activist at the dawn of a social movement—and a father whose struggles won his son freedoms that eluded Japanese Americans of his generation. Throughout the years they have made films together, with Robert always by Tad’s side. Third Act is most likely their last.
Join us at the Chicago History Museum for a screening of Third Act (2025) and discussion with filmmaker Tadashi Nakamura, researcher and curatorial assistant Dr. Lisa Doi, JACL Chicago program director Rebecca J. Ozaki, and community artist and organizer traci kato-kiriyama. Tickets are $10, free for CHM members, at
KAN-WIN Global Action Day 2025
Wednesday, August 13, 2025 | 12pm
Wrigley Building (400 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611)
You’re invited to KAN-WIN’s 13th Annual Global Day of Action for Justice on Wednesday, August 13th in downtown Chicago for a demonstration uplifting “comfort women” survivors and demanding justice for victims of sexual violence everywhere. We will honor survivors through testimony, performance, and sitting in solidarity with the Statue of Peace, or sonyeosang.
Together, we carry on the pursuit of justice and healing for all. Will you #ComeSitWithHer?
JACL Chicago is proud to co-sponsor of this event with Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago, Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community, HANA Center, the Korean Council, Malaya Chicago, Nikkei Uprising, and the UIC Asian American Resource & Cultural Center. Advance registration is required to attend.
Toro Nagashi Lantern Ceremony
Wednesday, August 6, 2025 | 7pm – 10pm
Osaka Garden (Garden of the Phoenix) | 6300 S Cornell Ave, Chicago IL
The ceremony of Toro Nagashi (literally, “floating lanterns”) is a Buddhist tradition held to celebrate the end of Obon season. Lanterns will be floated in the waters of the Osaka Garden pond, and can be placed throughout the Garden, Yoko Ono’s SKYLANDING, along with the sounds of shamisen courtesy of renowned musician Toyoaki Sanjuro of Asian Improv Arts Midwest will comfort guests throughout the evening.
This year coincides with the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan. To this day one of the largest Toro Nagashi ceremonies in Japan is held there to pay respect to the lives lost as a result of the bombing.
JACL Chicago will be speaking at this event. This event is currently waitlist-only. Sign up for the waitlist via Eventbrite.
Japanese Community Picnic
Saturday, August 2, 2025 | 11am – 5pm
LaBagh Woods Grove #1 (Entrance at N Cicero Ave, north of W Foster Ave, Chicago, IL 60630)
The entire Chicago Japanese community and Friends are invited to share in a day of games, food, sports, sunshine, good times and more food! Bring a dish that’s big enough for your family (plus a little more) to share with everyone at our community food table buffet. BYOB allowed (beer, wine, etc.) – but no glass containers. The non-stop fun begins at 11 a.m. and includes games for kids and adults, karaoke (until 4 p.m.), volleyball, kickball, and tug-of-war. This event is FREE!
Kansha Katsu Fundraiser
Thursday, July 24, 2025 | 3pm – 6pm
Katsu Shack | 3109 N Halsted St, Chicago IL
Want to support an amazing JACL Chicago program while enjoying some delicious katsu? Come by Katsu Shack on Thursday, July 24, for our Kansha Katsu Fundraiser!
All in-store and online orders through the Katsu Shack website on July 24 from 3-6PM will support the Kansha program.
Visit the Katsu Shack website at https://katsushack.com.
Japan Festival 2025
Saturday, July 19, 2025 | 11am – 6pm
Sports Park East | 3333 Oakton St, Skokie IL
The 2025 Japan Festival will be taking place on Saturday, July 19, at Sports Park East in Skokie, and the Chicago Japanese American Council (CJAC) would like to invite members of the community to join them in their efforts to prepare for this year’s event.
JACL Chicago Members can support Japan Fest by:
- Giving Japan Fest a like/follow on their official social media, on Facebook at Japan Festival Chicago, and on Instagram at @japanfestivalchicago
- Registering to attend the Festival on Eventbrite
- Contributing as a financial sponsor
- Signing up as a volunteer
- Becoming a food vendor
Japan Fest is a special opportunity to enjoy Japanese culture, food, and community, so we encourage all who are interested to get involved. As a CJAC member organization, JACL Chicago will be tabling at Japan Fest, so please stop by and say hi!
For further information about Japan Fest, please visit https://www.japanfest-chicago.org/
Camp Daikon 2025
Saturday, July 12 & Sunday, July 13, 2025 | 10am – 4pm both days
Japanese American Service Committee | 5700 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago IL
Light breakfast and lunch will be provided to participants.
Registration Link: bit.ly/campdaikon2025 Deadline 6/15 (Sun)
Calling all Japanese American & Nikkei Identifying young people (16-29) in the Chicagoland area interested in social justice! Join us for Camp Daikon, a 2 day retreat with workshops on activism and identity.
On day one, we’ll be talking about our unique personal identities and messages we’ve been given about what it means to be Japanese and American. On day two, we’ll explore the topics of incarceration/reparations, imperialism and immigration, through the lens of how the Japanese American community has been or can be a “wedge” or a “bridge” on these issues. Through stories, art, games, and community building activities, we’ll do a deep dive into the historical and cultural forces that impact our community and influence the world around us.
If you’re interested in discussing…
- Japanese imperialism and how it has manifested in Japan’s rise as a “soft power” and ally to the US
- Intergenerational impacts of Japanese-American incarceration during WWII, and how it connects us to struggles against mass incarceration today
- How to show Japanese-American solidarity with other marginalized communities, in theory and in action
…we hope you’ll consider joining us for Camp Daikon!
For questions, contact Jeannie Tomoda Harrell, JACL Program Coordinator at jeannie@jaclchicago.org, or call (773) 728-7171.
Kansha Project 2025 Culmination
Saturday, June 28 | 3:30 – 6:30pm
Midwest Buddhist Temple (435 W Menomonee St, Chicago, IL 60614)
The Kansha Project is a transformative program that provides young Japanese Americans the opportunity to learn about our community’s history, develop unique insights about our community’s legacy, and allows participants to explore their identity with other Japanese American young adults. In addition, the Kansha Project provides an entry point for community engagement and a pathway for youth leadership that is vital to the future of the Japanese American community at large. Over the past twelve years, the Kansha Project has grown from a mere idea into a flagship program of JACL Chicago, sending over 100 alumni across ten cohorts to Little Tokyo, Los Angeles and Manzanar National Historic Site. This year, the trip will take place from June 5-8 and celebrate the 2025 Kansha Project cohort with Culmination in Chicago on Saturday, June 28.
- Benjamin Barlow
- Darcy Combs
- Jacqueline Fowler
- Joshua Matsuura
- Christel Melingna Thompson
- Kayla Moy
- Emily Nishikimoto
- Sora Seals
- Katelin Teraoka Sasamoto-Kurisu
- Kendall Terashima
- Emily Mitose Umeda
We invite you to join us at Culmination to celebrate this year’s Kansha Project with the Kansha Alumni Leadership Board (ALB) and the 2025 program participants! Participants will share reflections of their experience of their trip to Little Tokyo, LA and Manzanar Historic Site and present their unique projects summarizing their experience to the community.
We hope you’ll join us for this celebration of community, youth leadership, and legacy.
Questions? Contact JACL Program Director, Rebecca Ozaki at kansha@jaclchicago.org. Learn more at https://jaclchicago.org/programs/kansha-project.
The Gate of Memory Community Gathering
Saturday, June 14, 2025 | 2-5pm
Haymarket House (800 W Buena Ave, Chicago IL)
RSVP here!
This gathering will feature poetry readings by contributors of The Gate of Memory (including Katherine Terumi Laubscher, Erica H. Isomura) and work by local Nikkei artists (including Conal Abatangelo, Mari Yamagiwa, Cori Nakamura Lin and Jami Nakamura Lin). The readings will be followed by discussion circles and a mini poetry/art making session, along with music by JJ Ueunten. With poetry, discussion, and art, we will reflect on the past, create visions of Nikkei futures, and explore how to tell and re-tell these histories in resistance to state violence, imperialism, and racial violence. The program is hosted by Anne Watanabe and Brynn Saito, and co-sponsored by Nikkei Uprising, a collective of Nikkei and Japanese folks in Chicago organizing against all forms of incarceration, imperialism and state violence with an abolitionist lens. RSVP is not required but strongly encouraged to assist with planning.
This event is made possible by generous funding from the Henry and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation, and also co-sponsored by Haymarket Books and JACL Chicago.
Stamp the Ireichō in Chicago, November 2025
November 8th & 9th, 2025
JASC (5700 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL 60659)
The Ireichō (“The Book of Names”) began its national tour on the Day of Remembrance in Washington DC and will be on its national tour during 2025 and 2026. The Ireichō is a book monument with the names of the individuals of Japanese ancestry incarcerated during WWII. Named after the Japanese term for “consoling the spirits,” the monument honors those who have gone before us as well as those who carry on the memories and legacies of forced removal, unjust incarceration, and family separation. Every visitor to the monument is invited to contribute to the creation of the monument by marking one or more names in the Ireichō with a blue hanko stamp. JASC will host the Chicago tour dates in partnership with JACL Chicago, Chicago Japanese American Historical Society, and Japanese Mutual Aid Society of Chicago.
Visit Ireizo’s website for more information on this project; register to stamp the Ireichō here.
Join the Kansha Alumni Leadership Board (ALB) as we bring back our favorite community bartending fundraiser at the Nisei Lounge in Wrigleyville! Friends, family, and all community members are welcome! Kansha Project alumni will be guest bartending throughout the night. Come on by to get some drinks and socialize with Kansha folks and the community.
All cash tips will go towards the Kansha Project program. The Kansha Project is a JACL Chicago program that connects self-identified Japanese Americans, ages 18-25, to the continuing legacy of the Japanese American community’s incarceration during World War II. The program centers around an educational trip to Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo neighborhood and Manzanar National Historic Site.
This event is 21+. Please bring a valid form of ID.
Can’t make the event? Donate to the Kansha Project at https://donorbox.org/2023-
2025 JACL Chicago Scholarship Luncheon
Sunday, May 18, 2025
12 – 2 PM
Maggiano’s – Old Orchard
Barolo Room
RSVP: https://bit.ly/JACLscholarshipluncheon2025
JACL Chicago’s scholarship program recognizes the accomplishments of students who have demonstrated a commitment to JACL’s mission of advancing social justice and promoting the legacy and cultural heritage of the Japanese American community.
Our annual JACL Chicago Scholarship Luncheon is an intergenerational community event that celebrates the accomplishments of our young scholarship winners, allows scholarship donors to honor the memory of their loved ones through their awards, and welcomes our new scholarship awardees to the JACL Chicago community.
Please join us to celebrate the achievements of our 2025 scholarship winners:
- Sanjay Ganesh, University of Illinois Chicago
- Sofia Ozaki, Niles West High School
- Jake Rohde, University of Illinois Chicago
- Sydney Terada, University of Illinois Chicago
Funding for scholarships and the scholarship program is provided by generous donations from JACL Chicago members and individuals and organizations from the greater Chicago Japanese American community.
Please RSVP by May 12th. Questions? Contact Scholarship Chair, Christine Munteanu at scholarships@jaclchicago.org.
Intergenerational Conversations: Ripples of the Past is a JACL Chicago program that brings Chicago-area Nikkei (people of Japanese ancestry) together to connect and process the trauma of WWII forced displacement and incarceration through personal story sharing. It was created to bridge the gap in programming for the community’s need for containers to reflect on and heal from the generational impact of incarceration.
The goals for this program include:
- expanding understanding and awareness of impacts of the WWII displacement and incarceration,
- creating a space where participants feel brave to explore difficult subjects and feelings with one another,
- encouraging community members to develop deeper connections with one another,
- catalyzing intergenerational processing and healing, and
- beginning to consider hopes and dreams for our community moving forward.
Questions? contact Program Director, Rebecca Ozaki at rebecca@jaclchicago.org.
Asian American Action Day 2025
April 30, 2025
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago and the Pan-Asian Voter Empowerment Coalition (PAVE)
Springfield, Illinois
On Wednesday, April 30th, 2025, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago and the Pan-Asian Voter Empowerment Coalition (PAVE) will host its 12th annual Asian American Action Day (AAA Day) in Springfield, Illinois. This year, our theme is “Sanctuary for All.” The PAVE Coalition consists of 19 Asian American advocacy and direct service organizations in the Chicagoland area including JACL Chicago. Founded in 2011, the PAVE Coalition focuses on increasing voter turnout and civic participation among Asian Americans and improving the lives of Asian Americans through advocacy and policy change. In 2012, PAVE held the first Asian American Advocacy Day and launched the Asian American Caucus in Springfield. Policy is passed through stories. AAA Day gives us the opportunity to share our personal stories with elected officials and bring our demands to the forefront! Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial demographic in Chicago and AAA Day is an important day to talk to state legislators about the 2025 PAVE Legislative Agenda, which includes: Fund Immigrant Services; Increase Access to Justice; Establish Cultural & Religious Calendar; Fund Inclusive History; Protect Sanctuary Cities.
Reach out to JACL Chicago Program Director Rebecca Ozaki (rebecca@jaclchicago.org) if you would like more information to attend with JACL Chicago. Please register by April 23rd: http://bit.ly/AAADay2025.
DOR 2025: Resilience in One Chicago Family
The power of tanka poetry in overcoming adversity and shaping identity
Doors open at 1:30 pm | Program runs 2-4 pm CST (Reception to follow) Registration required : tinyurl.com/chidor25 or call the museum to RSVP at (312) 642-4600
Note: A pop-up window will appear. If you are a museum member you can sign in but you do not need an account,a membership, or to sign in to register. Simply close the window with the small x in the upper righthand corner or click continue as guest.
Learn more at https://chicagodor.wordpress.com/
Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark Street
Chicago’s Day of Remembrance 2025 “Resilience in One Chicago Family” will take place on Sunday, February 23, 2025 at the Chicago History Museum from 2-4 pm. The program will feature a panel discussion on the tanka poetry of Issei (first-generation immigrant) poets Tomiko and Ryokuyō Matsumoto. The new book, By the Shore of Lake Michigan (UCLA Asian American Studies Center Press, 2024), presents a rare English translation of Issei tanka poetry, offering a perspective formerly only available in the Japanese language. Editor Nancy Matsumoto (granddaughter of Tomiko and Ryokuyō), translators Mariko Aratani and Kyoko Miyabe, and Japanese literature scholar Eri F. Yasuhara will present the family’s story, explain tanka poetry, and discuss the poems and their significance in both documenting the Matsumoto’s experiences and the evolution of their self-identity.
Signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 forced Mr. and Mrs. Matsumoto to join 120,000 other people of Japanese ancestry imprisoned in a U.S. government incarceration camp during WWII. Every year, the Japanese American community in Chicago comes together to commemorate E.O. 9066 as a reminder of the fragility of civil liberties in times of crisis and the importance of protecting the rights and freedoms of all.
Join JACL Chicago for our Annual Member meeting! In 2024, JACL Chicago led the “Healing Histories Across Generations” Day of Remembrance event with a new Kansha Culmination showcase, started a new program called “Intergenerational Conversations,” and after almost 10 years, relaunched Kansha, Too! We’re looking forward to gathering with community to celebrate the past year for the chapter and to look towards our bright future with some exciting announcements.
We are grateful for the support of our members and hope you can join us to end the year! Light dinner will be provided.
All are invited to the meeting. However, if you are not yet a JACL Chicago member we ask you strongly consider joining to support our chapter and help us continue our impactful programs! Become a member today : https://jacl.salsalabs.org/jaclnewmemberform/index.html
Contact Rebecca J. Ozaki at rebecca@jaclchicago.org for any questions.
Join JACL Chicago for our annual fundraiser supporting our chapter’s programs. We are delighted to celebrate the evening with delicious food by Margaret Pak (Thattu), Vinod Kalathil (Thattu), and Kelly Ijichi (Mom’s Chicago) bringing together South Indian and Japanese American flavors. This event will feature an exclusive menu and open bar as we uplift our intergenerational programs.
For additional questions, contact rebecca@jaclchicago.org or visit our website at jaclchicago.org to learn more about our programs.
Learn More Here: https://jaclchicago.org/programs/kansha-too/
Kansha, Too! is an adapted version of JACL Chicago’s Kansha Project. Kansha, Too! explores the history of the Japanese American WWII incarceration and its continued impact and ongoing legacy in the Japanese American community. The program consists of a trip to Los Angeles’ historic LIttle Tokyo neighborhood and a day-trip to Manzanar National Historic Site. This program is for everyone who’s asked, “Can I go on Kansha, too?”
Saturday, June 29th, 2024
3 – 5:30 PM
Midwest Buddhist Temple | 435 West Menomonee Street Chicago, IL 60614
A Kansha Alumni Reunion will start at 6pm at a nearby venue! More info coming soon.
Over the past eleven years, the Kansha Project has grown from a mere idea into a flagship program of JACL Chicago, sending over 100 alumni across ten cohorts to Little Tokyo, Los Angeles and Manzanar National Historic Site.
The Kansha Project is a transformative program that provides young Japanese Americans the opportunity to learn about our community’s history, develop unique insights about our community’s legacy, and allows participants to explore their identity with other Japanese American young adults. In addition, the Kansha Project provides an entry point for community engagement and a pathway for youth leadership that is vital to the future of the Japanese American community at large.
After a brief pause due to the pandemic, the Kansha Project took two cohorts of ten participants in 2022 and restarted the ALB with nine members. This year, the trip will take place from June 6-9 and celebrate the 2024 Kansha Project cohort with Culmination in Chicago on Saturday, June 29.
- Conal Abatangelo
- Emiko Akiyama Tahara
- Sai Clayton
- Mia Combs
- Amy Do
- Mariko Dowling
- Yukiko Nakano
- Sophia Saito
- Gabriela Senno
- Kei Smith
- Haruka Yukioka
We invite you to join us at Culmination to celebrate this year’s Kansha Project with the Kansha Alumni Leadership Board (ALB) and the 2024 program participants! Participants will share reflections of their experience of their trip to Little Tokyo, LA and Manzanar Historic Site and present their unique projects summarizing their experience to the community.
We hope you’ll join us for this celebration of community, youth leadership, and legacy.
Questions? Contact JACL Program Director, Rebecca Ozaki at kansha@jaclchicago.org.
Learn more at https://jaclchicago.org/programs/kansha-project/
2024 JACL Chicago Scholarship Luncheon
Sunday, May 19, 2024
12 – 2 PM
Maggiano’s – Old Orchard
Barolo Room
JACL Chicago’s scholarship program recognizes the accomplishments of students who have demonstrated a commitment to JACL’s mission of advancing social justice and promoting the legacy and cultural heritage of the Japanese American community.
Our annual JACL Chicago Scholarship Luncheon is an intergenerational community event that celebrates the accomplishments of our young scholarship winners, allows scholarship donors to honor the memory of their loved ones through their awards, and welcomes our new scholarship awardees to the JACL Chicago community.
Please join us to celebrate the achievements of our 2024 scholarship winners:
- Jaclyn Chiou
- Ryan Chiou
- Katie Hill
- Eli Nishimura
- Daniel Sanji
- Brandon Takahashi
Funding for scholarships and the scholarship program is provided by generous donations from JACL Chicago members and individuals and organizations from the greater Chicago Japanese American community.
Please RSVP by May 13th. Questions? Contact Scholarship Chair, Christine Munteanu at scholarships@jaclchicago.org.
Thursday, May 2 · 6:30 – 9pm CDT
Nisei Lounge | 3439 North Sheffield Avenue Chicago, IL 60657
RSVP at bit.ly/kanshafundraiser2024
Join the Kansha Alumni Leadership Board (ALB) as we bring back our favorite community bartending fundraiser at the Nisei Lounge in Wrigleyville! Friends, family, and all community members are welcome! Kansha Project alumni will be guest bartending throughout the night. Come on by to get some drinks and socialize with Kansha folks and the community.
All cash tips will go towards the Kansha Project program. The Kansha Project is a JACL Chicago program that connects self-identified Japanese Americans, ages 18-25, to the continuing legacy of the Japanese American community’s incarceration during World War II. The program centers around an educational trip to Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo neighborhood and Manzanar National Historic Site.
This event is 21+. Please bring a valid form of ID.
Can’t make the event? Donate to the Kansha Project at https://donorbox.org/2023-kansha-project
Are you a Kansha Alumni interested in bartending? Contact the Kansha Alumni Leadership Board at kansha@jaclchicago.org
Intergenerational Conversations: Ripples of the Past
Intergenerational Conversations: Ripples of the Past (Pt. 2)
Saturday, April 27th, 2024 | 2:30-4:30PM,
Location TBA
Add your name to get updates & sign up for the waiting list :
https://bit.ly/intergenconvoscontinued
As a continuation of the Day of Remembrance 2024 Chicago weekend, we will offer an additional Intergenerational Conversations: Ripples of the Past workshop. This will be a space for Japanese American and Nikkei people of all ages to dive deeper into the concept of intergenerational impact from incarceration through activities, reflection, and intergenerational conversations. Anyone who identifies as Nikkei (diasporic Japanese) or Japanese, including mixed race and folks Indigenous to what we call Japan is invited to join.
We’ll explore questions such as:
- How has the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II impacted you as a Nikkei person?
- How have these histories and legacies been passed down to you, and how do they show up for Sanseis, Yonseis, and Goseis (third, fourth and fifth generation Japanese Americans) or shin-Nikkei (Japanese Americans whose families immigrated after WWII) who were not directly incarcerated?
- How does it impact mental health, assimilation, Nikkei community building, how we ally ourselves with other marginalized communities facing racism, and our own relationship to our Nikkei culture, heritage and identity?
- What are our hopes and dreams for the Nikkei community?
We’ll strive to create a safe space for Nikkei people to connect their personal and present day experiences to community histories of incarceration, honoring that everyone has individual experiences but recognizing the collective impact. For non-Nikkei people, we kindly ask that you leave this space for those described above.
Manzanar Diverted Screening
Saturday, April 6th , 6-8pm
Christ Church of Chic0ago
6047 N Rockwell St. Chicago, IL 60659
You are invited to join the JACL Midwest District Council Youth Representative and the Kansha Alumni Board for a screening of the film Manzanar, Diverted: When Water Becomes Dust. The screening will be followed by a youth/young professionals mixer.
At the foot of the majestic snow-capped Sierras, Manzanar, the WWII concentration camp, becomes the confluence for memories of Payahuunadu, the now-parched “land of flowing water.” Intergenerational women from Native American, Japanese American and rancher communities form an unexpected alliance to defend their land and water from LA.
Chicago Day of Remembrance 2024
Japanese American Incarceration: Healing Across Generations
Sunday, February 18th, 2024 | 2-4PM,
Chicago History Museum (1601 N. Clark Street)
The program is free and open to the public. Advanced registration is required: https://7615a.blackbaudhosting.com/7615a/Day-of-Remembrance-18Feb2024
Chicago’s Day of Remembrance 2024 “Japanese American Incarceration; “Healing Histories Across Generations” will take place on Sunday, February 18th, 2024 at the Chicago History Museum from 2-4pm with a reception to follow. The main program will feature a conversation between Midwest based keynote speakers Jami Nakamura Lin, author of “The Night Parade: A Speculative Memoir,”and Dr. Donna Nagata, researcher of intergenerational impact from Japanese American incarceration.
More information can be found at the DOR Chicago website: https://chicagodor.wordpress.com
Chicago Day of Remembrance 2024
Intergenerational Conversations: Ripples of the Past
Saturday, February 17th, 2024 | 2:30-4:30PM,
Japanese American Service Committee (4427 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640)
Advanced registration required : https://bit.ly/dor2024intergenconvos (Deadline Feb 1st)
As part of the Day of Remembrance 2024 Chicago weekend, the workshop Intergenerational Conversations: Ripples of the Past will be a space for Japanese American and Nikkei people of all ages to dive deeper into the concept of intergenerational impact from incarceration through activities, reflection, and intergenerational conversations. Anyone who identifies as Nikkei (diasporic Japanese) or Japanese, including mixed race and folks Indigenous to what we call Japan is invited to join.
More information can be found at the DOR Chicago website: https://chicagodor.wordpress.com
NGN Year End Karaoke Celebration
Saturday, December 16th from 5-7pm @ Lincoln Karaoke
Join Next Gen Nikkei for an end of the year Karaoke celebration! Hear more about NGN, belt some tunes, and gather with our amazing community for the last event of the year.
RSVP by Friday, December 15th at noon on Eventbrite by clicking this link
Questions? Contact rebecca@jaclchicago.org
NGN Basket Weaving Workshop
Friday, December 1st from 6:30-8pm at JASC
Join JACL Chicago’s Next Gen Nikkei with Cori Nakamura Lin for an end of autumn basketweaving workshop!
We will have materials available. However, if you’re able to bring dried iris or lily leaves, please do! Dinner will be provided to participants.
There are only 15 spots available for this event! This is a FREE event but if you’d like to donate to the artist for her time and talent, Cori Nakamura Lin, you can add a donation to your ticket or at the event!
Please wear a mask during this event except when eating and drinking.
RSVP by Friday, December 1st at noon on Eventbrite by clicking this link
Questions? Contact rebecca@jaclchicago.org
JACL Chicago Annual Member Meeting 2023
Konbini and Kanpai | 1433 West Belmont Avenue Chicago, IL 60657
Join JACL Chicago for our Annual Member meeting at Konbini & Kanpai! We’re excited to gather with community; to reflect on the past year of wins for the chapter; and to look towards our bright future.
We are grateful for the support of our members and hope you can join us to end the year!
Konbini & Kanpai is a grab-n- go Japanese convenience store located in Lakeview Chicago. Light dinner will be provided by JACL Chicago and drinks will be available for purchase including craft beers, wines, sakes, and non-alcoholic beverages available for an on-site sip & chill. For more information on the venue visit https://www.konbiniandkanpai.com.
Learn more about JACL Chicago by visiting us at https://jaclchicago.org or contact Rebecca J. Ozaki at rebecca@jaclchicago.org for any questions.
RSVP on Eventbrite at bit.ly/jaclannualmeeting2023
Camp Daikon
Saturday, July 29 & Sunday, July 30th, 2023 | 10am – 4pm both days
Location : Japanese American Service Committee | 4427 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60640
Free with advance registration! | Registration closes at 11:59pm on Friday, June 30th
Participants will be notified in early July.
Light breakfast and lunch will be provided to participants.
Registration Link: https://bit.ly/campdaikon2023
Learn more about Camp Daikon here.
Camp Daikon was created in collaboration by JACL Chicago’s Next Gen Nikkei and Nikkei Uprising.
Kansha Alumni Reunion
Saturday, June 24, 2023; 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Alarmist Brewing
4055 W. Peterson Ave, Suite Rear
Chicago, IL 60646
Over the past eleven years, the Kansha Project has grown from a mere idea into a flagship program of JACL Chicago, sending over 100 alumni across ten cohorts to Little Tokyo, Los Angeles and Manzanar National Historic Site. Join us for this Kansha Alumni Reunion following 2023 culmination – 11 years in the making!
Questions? Contact the Kansha Alumni Leadership Board at kansha@jaclchicago.org.
2023 Kansha Culmination
Saturday, June 24, 2023; 2 – 5 PM
Church of Christ Presbyterian | 5846 N. Spaulding Avenue Chicago, IL 60659
We invite you to join us at Culmination to celebrate this year’s Kansha Project with the Kansha Alumni Leadership Board (ALB) and the 2023 program participants! Participants will share reflections of their experience of their trip to Little Tokyo, LA and Manzanar Historic Site and present their unique projects summarizing their experience to the community.
A Kansha Project Alumni event will follow the Culmination event from 5:30-7:30 at Alarmist Brewing!
RSVP: Eventbrite – https://kanshaculmination2023.eventbrite.com
Learn more about Kansha Culmination here.
4/6/23 Kansha Fundraiser
Thursday, April 6th, 2022 at 6:30-9:30PM
Nisei Lounge
3439 North Sheffield Avenue Chicago, IL 60657
Join the Kansha Alumni Leadership Board (ALB) as we bring back our favorite community bartending fundraiser at the Nisei Lounge in Wrigleyville! Friends, family, and all community members are welcome! Kansha Project alumni will be guest bartending throughout the night. Come on by to get some drinks and socialize with Kansha folks and the community.
All cash tips will go towards the Kansha Project program. The Kansha Project is a JACL Chicago program that connects self-identified Japanese Americans, ages 18-25, to the continuing legacy of the Japanese American community’s incarceration during World War II. The program centers around an educational trip to Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo neighborhood and Manzanar National Historic Site.
This event is 21+. Please bring a valid form of ID.
Can’t make the event? Donate to the Kansha Project at https://donorbox.org/2023-kansha-project
3/19/23 Before They Take Us Away (Asian Pop-Up Cinema)
Sunday, March 19th, 2022 at 2:30PM
AMC Evanston 12 (1715 Maple Ave. Evanston, IL 60201)
Film Critic, Mark Schilling from The Japan Times/Variety will moderate a Q+A with two of the film makers, Dr. Evelyn Nakano Glenn and Antonia Grace Glenn following the screening.
SYNOPSIS
This award-winning documentary film from Unwashed Masses Productions chronicles the untold stories of Japanese Americans who “voluntarily” evacuated from the West Coast in the wake of Executive Order 9066 and spent World War II living outside the concentration camps that held their friends and family members. While the “self-evacuees” had their freedom, they became refugees in their own country, on a forced migration into the unknown. Many faced isolation, poverty, and racial violence as they struggled to rebuild their lives. BEFORE THEY TAKE US AWAY is the second film from the creative team behind THE ITO SISTERS: AN AMERICAN STORY.
BEFORE THEY TAKE US AWAY powerfully chronicles the unique, largely unknown stories and voices of the self-evacuees, as well as their courage and persistence. The film also draws parallels between the Japanese American wartime experience and today’s anti-immigrant and anti-refugee political climate and the resurgence of Asian Hate and racial violence during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Winner of “Best Japanese American Award” at Japan Film Festival Los Angeles 2022; “Grand Festival Award Documentary” at Berkeley Video & Film Festival 2022; and“Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Documentary” at DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon 2022, and was one of the official selection of Mixed Asian Media (MAM) Festival 2022.
2/19/23 Day of Remembrance
Sunday, February 19th, 2022 from 1-3pm & Reception from 3-5pm
Chicago History Museum
Signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 led to the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans during WWII. Every year, the Japanese American community in Chicago comes together to commemorate E.O. 9066 as a reminder of the fragility of civil liberties in times of crisis and the importance of remaining vigilant in protecting the rights and freedoms of all.
After Japanese American incarceration came mandatory “resettlement.” What was it like to be forced to leave your home, deny your heritage, and start over? At Day of Remembrance 2023, we will host the world premiere of Full Spectrum Features’ Resettlement: Chicago Story, a short historical film and educational website that explores how people of Japanese ancestry beat the odds and remade their lives after their wrongful incarceration during WWII.
Resettlement: Chicago Story tells an intergenerational story of the Yamamoto family several years after camp, as they struggle to rebuild their lives and make ends meet through their family dry cleaning business. The film’s companion immersive learning website builds upon both the characters and historical events of incarceration and resettlement introduced in the film to create the “world” through which viewers can engage with facts, figures, and important social themes that extend from this history.
After the film and website premiere, Reina Higashitani (film director and professor at the New American Film School, Arizona State University) and Dr. Helen Cho (professor of Asian American Studies, Northwestern University) will discuss their engagement with Resettlement and how they approach this unique history as filmmaker, media scholar, and educators.
This year’s DOR event will also focus on accessibility. Audio Description, Open Captions, CART (Live) Captioning, and ASL Interpretation will be included throughout the program. The venue and bathrooms are wheelchair accessible with ramps, elevators and electronic doors throughout the building.
The event will be held from 1:30 – 3:00 pm at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St. It is free and open to the public. Masks are required. Register at bit.ly/DOR2023 Partner Code: DOR2023
Before the event, from 12:00 – 1:00 pm at the Chicago History Museum, Full Spectrum Features will host a workshop for teachers on the history of Japanese American incarceration and resettlement. An honorarium is available for teachers. Limited space available. Email ashley@fullspectrumfeatures.
Full Spectrum Features will host a premiere reception at the Chicago History Museum from 3:00 – 5:00 pm. Refreshments and appetizers will be included; potluck contributions are welcome.
Visit chicagodor.wordpress.com for more information. This event is sponsored by the Chicago Japanese American Council, Chicago Japanese American Historical Society, Japanese American Citizens League – Chicago Chapter, Japanese American Service Committee, and Japanese Mutual Aid Society of Chicago.
2/6/23 PAVE Mayoral Forum
Monday, February 6, 2023 from 6-8PM
Chicago History Museum, McCormick Theater
On Monday, February 6, 2023, from 6-8pm, JACL Chicago will join Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago and the Pan-Asian Voter Empowerment Coalition (PAVE) for the quad-annual nonpartisan Chicago Mayoral Candidate Forum at the Chicago History Museum, McCormick Theater.
The PAVE Coalition consists of 16 Asian American advocacy and direct service organizations in the Chicagoland area. Founded in 2011, the PAVE Coalition focuses on increasing voter turnout and civic participation among Asian Americans and improving the lives of Asian Americans through advocacy and policy change.
Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial demographic in Chicago and the PAVE Coalition’s Mayoral Candidate Forum is an exciting opportunity to learn about candidate responses to key issues affecting Asian American communities. PAVE’s Forum will cover:
- public safety,
- Immigration,
- language access,
- affordable housing,
- senior services, and
- Chicago Public Schools
1/31/23 Next Gen. Nikkei Open House
Tuesday, January 31st, 2023 from 6-7pm on Zoom
Next Gen Nikkei is hosting a virtual open house event on January 31st at 6pm! If you’ve wanted to plan an event for the JA community, this is your opportunity to plan with us to make it happen. Come ready with questions about past NGN events, previous members and more. We’re excited to shape NGN together this year! Hope to see you there! You can let Rebecca know at rebecca@jaclchicago.org or Ty at ty.yamamoto1@gmail.com, if you’re interested.
12/14/22 Annual Member Meeting
Wednesday, December 14th, 2022 from 6:30-8PM
Kobini & Kanpai (1433 W. Belmont Chicago, IL 60657)
Join JACL Chicago for our Annual Member meeting at Kobini & Kanpai! We’re excited to finally gather in community after a gap of in-person events; to reflect on the past year of wins for the chapter; and to look towards our bright future as we plan to re-launch chapter programming like Next Generation Nikki and Our Story in 2023!
We are grateful for the support of our members and hope you can join us to end the year!
Konbini & Kanpai is a grab-n- go Japanese convience store located in Lakeview Chicago. Light dinner from Piko Street Kitchen will be provided by JACL Chicago and drinks will be available for purchase including craft beers, wines, sakes, and non-alcoholic beverages available for an on-site sip & chill. For more information on the venue visit https://www.konbiniandkanpai.com.
Learn more about JACL Chicago by visiting us at https://jaclchicago.org or contact Rebecca J. Ozaki at rebecca@jaclchicago.org for any questions.
12/3/22 Kansha & Next Gen. Nikkei Kick-Off
Saturday, December 3rd, 2022 from 3-5PM
Kobini & Kanpai (1433 W. Belmont Chicago, IL 60657)
Calling all Kansha alum, Next Generation Nikkei’s, & JA young professionals! Join us to reconnect & learn more about JACL Chicago’s upcoming program plans for Kansha & Next Gen. in the new year. Snacks from Mom’s will be served during the event and drinks are available for purchase from Kanbini & Kanpai. See you there!