Community Kitchen 24 One Nikkei Voice 27 Toronto NAJC Update

HUMAN RIGHTS SYMPOSIUM

The Toronto NAJC is excited to tell you about the Human Rights Symposium to celebrate the 75th Anniversary NAJC/ NJCCA, founded in Toronto in 1947. The Toronto NAJC is the Symposium Host and Funder and is working in partnership with the NAJC Human Rights Committee to develop the Symposium programming. Capacity is limited to 100 participants. A soft launch took place at the NAJC Members Meeting in June and we are now at 40% capacity. To receive email updates, reserve your spot and get information on the NAJC, block booking at the Chelsea Hotel in downtown Toronto go to: www.torontonajc.ca/75th-anniversary-human-rights-symposium Friday, October 28th (welcome only at Chelsea Hotel) Saturday, October 29th (Momijj Healthcare Society) Sunday, October 30th, 2022 (Royal Ontario Museum) Programming will focus on aspects of human rights within and beyond our community. The Symposium theme An Inheritance of Activism reflects our aim of learning from our community’s history of activism. As well, we will develop strategies for working in solidarity with other communities for justice and healing for all. A note about Registration Fees The fee structure is not yet confirmed but our goal is to keep the fee under $200 with markedly lower fees for Survivors and Youth. About 80-85% of the Symposium costs will be funded by the Toronto NAJC with the balance covered by Registration Fees. We are grateful for grants from the Community Support, Multiculturalism, and Anti-Racism Initiatives Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Ontario Anti-Racism Directorate, Anti-Racism Anti-Hate Program and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation for their sponsorship and support. The following topics with a list of confirmed presenters has been thoughtfully developed by the Symposium Committee. Truth and Reconciliation, Putting words into action Anti-Asian Racism Judy Hanazawa and others to be confirmed Building Solidarities, Moderator - Dr. Pamela Sugiman, Dean of Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) National Housing Crisis, Local Issues and Initiatives Kathy Shimizu, Activist, Organiser, Downtown EastSide, Vancouver Intergenerational Trauma & Mental Health Dr. Leanne Toshiko Simpson, Dr. Jim Sugiyama Peace Movement, Anti-Nuclear Weapons Ban Dr. Setsuko Thurlow

Creating a safe space for LGBTQ+2S JCs Pauline Kajiura, Matt Miwa, Jun Cura-Bongolon Online Hate & Anti-Black, Islamaphobia, Anti-Semitism Symposium Co-Chairs: Lynn Deutscher Kobayashi, Toronto NAJC President (Sansei) Kristen Kiyomi Perry, NAJC Human Rights Committee (Yonsei)

Sachie Matsushita, left, Marie Murase, right)

RECONNECTING AFTER 70 YEARS THANKS TO THE JC WELLNESS FUND A quick note of thanks to the JC Wellness Fund Grant Program for enabling a launch event for the the Lincoln County Museum and Cultural Centre project Exiles in our Own Country, Japanese Canadians in Niagara this past June 29. ThIs Digital Museum project was based on the book of the same name by Addie Kobayashi. We were thrilled to have Marie Murase reconnect with Sachie Matsushita for the first time in 70 years. They were in grade school together. Many others reconnected and pieced together important family histories from time spent in the Niagara region. A full report will be available next month and a video of the event will be available at www.torontonajc. ca as well.

Community Update

487 Alexander Street, Vancouver, BC, V6A 1C6 Tel: 604.254.2551 Email: info@vjls-jh.com

VJLS AND CHILDREN’S WORLD GRADUATION

After an exciting year of in-person learning, we had the honour of celebrating 13 students as they graduated from their respective levels. Seven were from Elementary, one from Junior High, and five from Senior High. Each performed a terrific speech that was witnessed by hundreds of students, parents, and honoured guests including Consul General Hatori Takashi and former Principal Honma sensei. We are excited for many of these graduates, and their fellow students, to return for another year of language and cultural studies in September. We are also excited to see our most senior graduates taking all that they’ve learned into the future and we hope that they keep a close connection to VJLS-JH and remain a part of our diverse community. We also celebrated the graduations of many of our Children’s World students as they finished our preschool programs and prepared to move into Kindergarten for September. It was wonderful to be able to celebrate with them and to hear words of welcome from our VJLS Principal Kiyoko Fujii. We look forward to seeing them and their families in the Fall and taking part in more community events and activities. VJLS 2022 – 2023 Registration – Don’t Miss Out on Next Year’s Classes! Registration are being accepted for next year’s Japanese Language courses and classes are beginning to fill up. All current and former students are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible to reserve their spot. We look forward to offering another fun-filled year with in-person lessons, activities, and extracurriculars and would like to encourage everyone to register early so that they can confirm their spot in their class. Registration for all Heritage, Fundamental, Adult, and High school classes can be done on our website at www. vjls-jh.com/register. If you have any questions about what will be offered next year, or what course may be right for you or your child, please contact info@vjls-jh. com for more information. Powell Street Festival VJLS-JH is excited to be back in person for the 2022 Powell Street Festival and will be operating its familiar food and information booths. We encourage everyone to come out and support this event and enjoy the delicious Yakitori, Okonomiyaki, and refreshing Kakigori in many different flavours! We are looking for additional volunteers to help us with this event and would encourage anyone interested in joining us for a fun day of community, food, and fun to sign up at www.vjls-jh.com/support-us/volunteer/ We are Hiring! VJLS-JH is looking for bilingual Early Childhood Educators for our culturally enriched Japanese Preschool program in September. For more information on these and other roles we’re currently hiring for, please visit https://vjls-jh.com/support-us/employment-opportunities