In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the JACL will bring together a panel of speakers who will unravel the rich history of baseball, and consider its significance for those who were wrongfully incarcerated during WWII. The extraordinary lessons that resulted from that time will be examined in order to understand how diversity within the sport can be better fostered today. Speakers, ranging from historians to advocates, will highlight the contributions of Japanese-American players and celebrate the mark that they left on the American Pastime.
Moderator
BILL STAPLES, JR. is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) in Arizona with a passion for researching and telling the untold stories of the “international pastime.” His areas of expertise include Japanese American and Negro Leagues baseball history as a context for exploring the themes of civil rights, cross-cultural relations and globalization.
He is a board member for both the Nisei Baseball Research Project and Japanese American Citizens League-Arizona Chapter, chairman of the SABR Asian Baseball Committee, and research contributor to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.
Bill lives in Chandler, Arizona, with his wife and two children, where he proudly served on the City of Chandler Parks & Recreation Board. In 2006 his proposal to name Nozomi Park was approved by the Chandler City Council. “Nozomi” is the Japanese word for “hope” and was selected to honor Japanese Americans interned in Arizona during WWII and the role baseball played in helping to create a sense of normalcy behind barbed wire.
At the state-wide level, he secured two proclamations from the Arizona Governor’s Office (Kenichi Zenimura Day, 2005; Spirit of Sportsmanship Day, 2006), while his Zenimura biography was named an official Arizona Centennial Legacy Project by the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission in 2012. This accolade designates Zenimura's time at the Gila River internment camp during WWII as one of the most significant events of Arizona history in the past 100 years.
Staples holds an MBA from Arizona State University, a BA in advertising/journalism from the University of North Texas, and is a marketing and communications professional with over 20 years of experience with non-profit and for-profit companies in the healthcare, health and fitness, education and information technology industries.
Keynote Speaker
Saki Mori has over 15 years of experience in the New York City nonprofit sector. Her career has developed within New York City's youth development and workforce development programs which includes direct service, program management, fundraising, organizational operations, and executive management. Currently, she serves as the Vice President of Membership for the National Board of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and the Interim President of the JACL-New York chapter. She also serves on the Alumnae Board and Alumnae Council on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging for Convent of Sacred Heart in New York City.
Although Saki resides in Queens, NY, her loyalties are to the Yankees. She is a graduate of Trinity College (Hartford, CT) with a dual degree in Political Science (International Relations) and French Language & Literature. She is also an alumna of Columbia Business School's Executive Education - Developing Leaders Program for nonprofit professionals.
Speakers
Brandon Zenimura is the great-grandson of Kenichi Zenimura and a teacher of 12 years in Fresno, California. He played collegiately at Fresno City College and Sonoma State University, coached at the high school level, and now plays dad for his two young children.
Don Wakamatsu (born February 22, 1963) a Japanese-American former professional baseball player, scout, coach, and manager. Wakamatsu was drafted in the 11th round of the 1985 Major League Baseball draft by the Cincinnati Reds. His career spanned a total of 36 years in professional baseball with 15 different Major League Organizations as both a player and coach. Wakamatsu has the sole distinction of being the first Asian American to be named manager of a major league club when hired prior to the 2009 season.
Wakamatsu distinguished career highlights include being named to coach in three American League All-Star Games (2009, 2015, 2016) and winning two World Series Championships with the Los Angeles Angels (2002) and the Kansas City Royals (2015).
Kerry Yo Nakagawa: author, filmmaker, and historian
Kerry is the author of ’Through a Diamond,100 Years of Japanese American Baseball’ and ‘ A History of Japanese American Baseball in California.’ He is the project director of the non-profit Nisei Baseball Research Project, ( NBRP ), founding curator of ‘Diamonds in the Rough’ international exhibit, and produced curriculums with SPICE at Stanford University. He also produced/directed ‘Diamonds in the Rough’ documentary with his Godpapa Noriyuki ‘Pat’ Morita and multiple documentaries. He produced the dramatic narrative award-winning film ‘American Pastime.’ He was a consultant to the NBHF exhibit ‘Baseball As America’ with Buck O’Neil and the ‘Chasing Dreams’ exhibit with the National Museum of American Jewish History.