Join the Democracy Center at JANM and meet the thinkers, artists, organizers, and civic leaders confronting authoritarianism today. This day-long symposium challenges us to imagine how we can build a democracy that endures by recognizing the threats before us, learning from communities resisting them, and envisioning new civic spaces and shared legacies for the future. The symposium also includes tours of the timely exhibition Monuments at MOCA and a mobile “banned bookmobile” presented by Bloom Wild Bookshop. 

Image: Glenn Kaino, In the Light of a Shadow (detail), 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.

Come celebrate Oshogatsu by making mochi with the JACL NCWNP Youth Board! Learn how to pound and shape fresh mochi, then enjoy it with all the classic fixings. There is a $5 per person fee (children 12 and under are free) to help cover materials and support future events, payable via Venmo, Zelle (5593026757), or at the door.

Go For Broke National Education Center and the Boise Valley JACL invite you and a guest to a special presentation of

Restoring America’s Promise: The  Fight For Justice

Featuring Dr. Mitchell T. Maki, President & CEO of Go For Broke National Education Center, and Lead Author of Achieving the Impossible Dream: How Japanese Americans Obtained Redress

Sunday, January 25, 2026

1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M.  

Wassmuth Center for Human Rights

777 S. 8th Street, Boise, ID 83702

Event is FREE; registration is required by Friday, January 16.

To register, go to: https://bit.ly/GoForBroke_January25_rsvp.

For more information, email Gina Nieto at gina@goforbroke.org. Due to limited adjacent availability, please allow additional time to park.

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Join us for a truly impactful and interactive presentation that delves into the poignant history of the Japanese American WWII experience. Nationally recognized redress movement scholar, Dr. Mitch Maki, will guide you through this critical chapter in American history, exploring the challenges of incarceration and military service, and culminating with the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.

Through the blending of historical facts with compelling community anecdotes and audience perspectives, Dr. Maki fosters a dynamic dialogue that connects this history to today's crucial issues of social justice and the enduring strength of democracy.

This is more than a presentation; it is a moving and inspirational opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the unwavering Go For Broke spirit of the Japanese American soldiers and the ongoing relevance of their fight for the freedoms and liberties we all cherish. This is a chance to explore how their legacy impacts us and future generations.

Please join us as we celebrate 2026 and the installation of our SELANOCO-OC JACL officers! We are excited to announce that our guest speaker will be Al Muratsuchi, Assemblymember (District 66). He will be speaking with us about his life and career.

Date: Saturday, January 31, 2016

Check-in Time: 9:30 am (Program starts at 10:00 am)

Location: Norma Hertzog Community Center - Costa Mesa Room (1845 Park Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92627)

Parking: Free onsite

Cost: $35 per person

If you are not able to attend, but would like to sponsor a UCI Tomo No Kai or Chapman NSU student, please consider donating $35 per student!

This is the first event being hosted by our newly-formed Intermountain District Council Youth Board, and we’re so excited to meet some of you! Come meet others in the community, knock down some pins, and learn how to get involved!

Come to…
* Meet JACL youth
* Learn about membership
* Build community 🤝
* Have fun!

This event will be free for those who sign up. Though, please note that this event is catered those who are interested in joining and/or being more involved in JACL!

* RSVP by Sunday, January 29th if possible!
* If after January 29th, reach out to us and we can see if we have space!

Northern California Time of Remembrance (NCTOR) 2026

Presented by Florin, Lodi, Placer County and Sacramento JACL Chapters

Preserving History

Saturday, February 14, 2026, 1:00-3:00 P.M.
California Museum: 1020 O St. Sacramento, CA 95814

During a time when our country questions the value of history, what supports a country’s democracy is not only its accomplishments and achievements, but its willingness to acknowledge, apologize, and correct its mistakes both current and past. Please join us to learn and be inspired by the work of Densho and the Ireichō Project to preserve history.

Naomi Ostwald Kawamura is the Executive Director of Densho [www.densho.org], a Seattle-based nonprofit and digital archive that preserves and shares the history of Japanese American wartime incarceration to promote equity and justice today. She holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of British Columbia, where she teaches a course in museum practice. Her work with Japanese American and Japanese Canadian communities brings a comparative perspective to remembrance, redress, and reconciliation. Her current work examines how digital preservation and storytelling can confront historical erasure and strengthen democratic participation in an age of misinformation.

Duncan Ryuken Williams is the founder of the Ireichō Project [https://www.janm.org/exhibits/ireicho], the Alton Brooks Professor of Religion, and Director of the Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture at the University of Southern California. He has been ordained since 1993 as a Buddhist priest in the Soto Zen tradition. He served as the Buddhist chaplain at Harvard University where he received his Ph.D. His most recent project is the building of the Irei Names Monument, a memorial to honor those of Japanese ancestry who were incarcerated in America’s internment and concentration camps during WWII.

Admission Prices

$15 General admission

Free admission for college students

Free for children 18 and under

Join us at the National Museum of American History for a screening and panel discussion on the 2026 Day of Remembrance.

Film and Conversation: Removed by Force: Day of Remembrance 2026

Thursday, February 19, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.

1 Center: Warner Bros. Theater

Join us at the National Museum of American History for a screening and panel discussion on the 2026 Day of Remembrance. Removed by Force: The Eviction of Hawaiʻi’s Japanese Americans During World War II sheds light on the relatively unknown experiences of the 1,500 Americans of Japanese ancestry (AJA) from 23 geographic areas in Hawaiʻi who were evicted, but not interned, during World War II.

February 19, 2026, marks the 84th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt that led to the wrongful incarceration of 125,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.

After the screening, join us for a panel discussion featuring:

William Kaneko, former president, Honolulu Japanese American Citizens League; co-executive producer, Removed by Force. Kaneko coordinated the legal cases for the Hawaiʻi AJAs evicted from their homes.

Ryan Kawamoto, director and co-executive producer, Removed by Force. Kawamoto is an award-winning film director who has created several documentaries on the Hawaiʻi AJA incarceration experience.

Robert Bratt, former head of Redress, United States Department of Justice. Bratt was the lead DOJ administrator in charge of the Japanese American redress program.

Moderator: Lisa Sasaki, Deputy Under Secretary for Special Projects, Smithsonian Institution.

The National Museum of American History welcomes visitors of all ages and abilities. This event is wheelchair accessible. Captioning and assistive listening devices will be provided. Additional accommodations are available upon request; please email nmahprograms@si.edu. Two weeks’ notice is preferred.

Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. Seating will be opened first to Eventbrite-registered attendees and then to walk-in visitors. When we reach maximum capacity, the event will be closed to the public.

The Puyallup Valley JACL’s Day of Remembrance event is Saturday, Feb 21st at the Expo Hall on the Washington State Fairgrounds from 10am – 12pm with doors opening at 9:45am.

The Day of Remembrance is a way to acknowledge and honor the over 125,000 people of Japanese descent who were incarcerated during World War II.

Event Details

• Time - Doors open at 9:45am, Program Starts at 10:00am and ends around 12:00pm.

• Parking – Free parking is available in the Washington State Fair’s Gold Parking Lot, 350 7th Ave SE, Puyallup

• Free admission is at the Gold Gate, corner of S. Meridian & 9th Ave SW. Volunteers will guide you from the Gold parking lot through the Gold Gate entrance into the Expo Hall.

Program

This year’s program will include five sessions, featuring a fireside chat with survivors Hana Konishi and Paul Tomita; a reading by author Tamiko Nimura from her new book, A Place for What We Lose: A Daughter’s Return To Tule Lake; a display of paintings by artist Chris Hopkins that explore the incarceration experience; and updates from Tsuru for Solidarity by Stan Shikuma and his team on actions needed to support immigrant and refugee communities currently being targeted; guests will also be able to visit the Remembrance Gallery, led by Gallery docents.

The annual Los Angeles Day of Remembrance commemorates the signing of Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Executive Order 9066 authorized the US military to remove persons of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast and set into motion their incarceration in concentration camps during World War II.

This year’s theme, “The Power of Action: Silence Today, Injustice Tomorrow,” highlights the current climate where our history, not only as Japanese Americans but as all communities of color, are under threat of erasure or censorship. The program will focus on taking collective action today to secure a better future for future generations and highlight the work that our community is doing and the work many of our partners are doing to support each other.

The 2026 Los Angeles Day of Remembrance is organized by: Go For Broke National Education Center, Japanese American Citizens League - Pacific Southwest District, Japanese American National Museum, Little Tokyo Service Center, Manzanar Committee, Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress, Nikkei Progressives, OCA - Greater Los Angeles

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.

The program invites attendees to think with the panel about what “enough” looks like when it comes to justice: How do we honor the labor of those who fought for Redress while recognizing what remains unfinished? How can we speak with urgency about current harms without losing sight of the slow work of healing across generations? A guided discussion will offer space for reflection, questions, and shared commitments to ongoing community care.

This program is free and open to the public. Due to limited seating, advanced registration is highly encouraged.

This event is sponsored by Full Spectrum Features, Chicago Japanese American Council, Japanese American Citizens League – Chicago Chapter,  Chicago Japanese American Historical Society, Japanese Mutual Aid Society of Chicago, and Japanese American Service Committee.

The Utah Museum of Fine Arts in honored to collaborate with the Japanese American Citizens League’s Mt. Olympus Chapter, and Plan-B Theatre, to commemorate Day of Remembrance, which recognizes the signing of Executive Order 9066 by President Franklin D Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. This order led to the unjust mass incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. The day serves as a remembrance of this historical injustice and acts as a call to action to protect civil liberties today. 

Gather in the Dumke Auditorium at the UMFA for a reading of Plan-B Theatre’s KILO-WAT by Aaron Asano Swenson, (featuring Bryan Kido from the 2025 production), followed by a post-performance discussion featuring Hank Misaka & Nancy Umemura, the children of the central figure in KILO-WAT, Wat Misaka. Following the event, attendees are encouraged to explore the UMFA galleries and enjoy the art on view.  This event is free, and all are welcome to attend.

Call for Participants In-person KAKEHASHI alumni event
We are pleased to announce our in-person event in Los Angeles! Join us on Saturday, February 28th to interact with other alumni members for networking. You will be invited to Japan House Los Angeles.

Registration is required and the spots are limited. Every alumnus/alumna is welcome!
* Please note that travel expenses to the venue will not be covered by us.

In-person KAKEHASHI alumni event
Time | Saturday, February 28th. 2pm-4pm (Doors open approximately 15-30 minutes prior)
Venue | Japan House Los Angeles, USA (Hollywood & Highland 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, 2F and 5F Los Angeles, CA)
Parking | Parking is NOT available on the premises. We recommend you use public transportation or rideshare.
Fee | Free
Language | English
Program | Icebreaker Session, Presentations from alumni representatives, and Networking (TBD)

*Please make sure that you can receive emails from JICE (@jice.org)
**Please register by Sunday, February 15th. Registration is on a first come, first served basis.

Freshman applications must be submitted directly by the applicant to National JACL through the online form no later than Monday, March 2, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (HST).  

Applications for the non-freshman scholarship categories (undergraduate, graduate, law, creative/performing arts, and financial aid) are also to be sent directly by the applicant to National JACL through the online form no later than Friday, April 3, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (HST).  

All those applying to the National JACL Scholarship Program must be a youth/student or individual member of the JACL; a couple/family membership held by a parent does NOT meet this requirement. Applicants must be enrolled in school in Fall 2025 to be eligible for a scholarship. If a student has received two National scholarship awards previously, they are no longer eligible to apply, as the limit is two national awards per person.

RSVP using this link by 11:59pm March 3rd: https://bit.ly/IntergenConvosRSVP

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. 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 

28th Annual Freedom Walk

Saturday, March 28, 2026

Check-in: 9:00 AM | Opening Ceremony: 10:00 AM

National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II, Washington, DC

Keynote Speaker: Tak Furumoto, Vietnam Veteran

SPONSORS: National Japanese American Memorial Foundation, Japanese American Veterans Association, DC Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League & Ekoji Buddhist Temple

Freshman applications must be submitted directly by the applicant to National JACL through the online form no later than Monday, March 2, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (HST).  

Applications for the non-freshman scholarship categories (undergraduate, graduate, law, creative/performing arts, and financial aid) are also to be sent directly by the applicant to National JACL through the online form no later than Friday, April 3, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (HST).  

All those applying to the National JACL Scholarship Program must be a youth/student or individual member of the JACL; a couple/family membership held by a parent does NOT meet this requirement. Applicants must be enrolled in school in Fall 2025 to be eligible for a scholarship. If a student has received two National scholarship awards previously, they are no longer eligible to apply, as the limit is two national awards per person.