The Japanese American Citizens League https://jacl.org hosted their annual convention in Las Vegas July 30-August 1. I launched the new book, Windows of Light, an anthology of stories written by Nikkei Write Now!, a group I have been writing with since Covid. I also featured Between Two Freedoms, a story about Love and the incarceration of Japanese in America during WW2, and several other books by New Mexican authors.

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) was established in 1929. Its mission has been “to secure and safeguard the civil and human rights of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans who are affected by injustice and bigotry. The leaders and members of the JACL also work to promote and preserve the heritage and legacy of the Japanese American Community” (from JACL.org website).

Through most of my youth and working life, I minimized my Japanese-ness. My goal was to “fit in,” and “be accepted.” It has only been in the last ten years that I have become active in the JACL community, and explored my roots in more depth. Researching and writing Between Two Freedoms gave me a perspective of what being Nikkei (of Japanese descent not living in Japan) was like for my parents and grandparents. It was a historical point of view.

Working with the women of Nikkei Write Now! whose contributions make up Windows of Light (click here to order) gives me a contemporary perspective of being Nikkei. The members of Nikkei Write Now! are my age; a few are younger. Our writing reflects growing up in the 50s, 60, 70s. Most of us are the children of the generation that were put into prisons during WW2. There are a couple of millennials, whose perspective is slightly different.

JACL was a conduit for Japanese voices during WW2. At that time, their stand was to show how loyal Japanese Americans were. Today, especially for younger Nikkei, the social justice arm of JACL is more actively speaking out against breaches of civil liberties.

I have never known a time when JACL wasn’t a part of my life. My parents were active in the Montana/Wyoming JACL chapters before I was born. As a family, we went to JACL picnics. As I got older, the Montana and Wyoming JACL groups became less active, but the organization’s newsletter, Pacific Citizen, kept us in touch with the community. One of the stories I contributed to Windows of Light is about how the Pacific Citizen impacted me.

The greatest benefit I came left the convention with was a multitude of new acquaintances and contacts in the community where I am focusing my writing. As I work to document the experiences of my family the attendees at this convention continue to be one of the primary audiences for my work. I’ll see you around!!