Remodeling the Model Minority: Japanese Americans & Black Liberation

The National Youth/Student Council of the Japanese American Citizens League will be holding a youth summit in conjunction with the Midwest District Council district meeting from on October 15th at the Livonia Detroit Marriott.  This event requires pre-registration but is offered for free, and we have limited housing available for out of town attendees.

Given the long history of Japanese Americans in the United States and our new, national conversation on race and racism, we will be exploring the role of Japanese Americans in these dialogues. We will begin our day discussing the history of the Japanese American participation in model minority mythologies. We will hear about the local history of AAPI and Black communities in Detroit and critically examine this social landscape and host a multi-generational conversation with youth and community elders. Finally, we will discuss legacies of Japanese American anti-blackness and what we can learn from past examples of Nikkei allyship.

While this conference is hosted by the Japanese American Citizens League, this conference is open to all interested young persons. We recognize the diversity of the JA community, and of this conversation, and invite anyone interested in joining our conversation.