TorontoNAJC February Update

FREEDOM DAY 2019 – a 70^th Anniversary On April 1, 1986 a celebration of “Freedom Day” was held at Toronto City Hall.  This evening commemorated April 1, 1949, the day Canadian citizens of Japanese Ancestry attained the right to vote and the freedom to live anywhere in Canada. While Redress had not yet been achieved this celebration marked a new phase of heightened awareness of the Redress issue in the mainstream and increased optimism that Redress could be achieved. Those on hand that evening included the Honorable Tom Berger, Justice Maryka Omatsu, Kay and Hide Shimizu, Terry Watada and Alderman Fred Beavis and Co-sponsors, the Toronto NAJC and the Ad Hoc Committee for Japanese Canadian Redress (organized by Cyril Powles).

The Toronto NAJC would like to begin marking this important milestone with a small celebration on April 1^st, or sometime close to that date. A committee of three Board members has been [. . . ] formed to organize this. Please email Lynn Deutscher Kobayashi    freedomdaycommittee@gmail.com if you would like to help us organize the celebration.

ROM EXHIBIT – Being Japanese Canadian, Reflections on a Broken World. Members and Board members of the Toronto NAJC and many from the Toronto JC community took part in sessions last winter to ensure community consultation for this exhibit. Subsequent to that, Bryce Kanbara and Katherine Yamashita were brought on to assist with curation and address the feedback of those consultations. The exhibit runs from February 2^nd to August 5^th.

THE TASHME PROJECT – The Toronto NAJC reception to follow the February 3^rd matinee performance of The Tashme Project quickly reached capacity. We apologize that we were not able to use the bigger hall as it was not an accessible space. The chapter has purchased tickets for Tashme survivors.

CAMPBELL HOUSE MUSEUM – Mr. Harold Kawasoe was relocated to Toronto and lived in the attic of what is now Campbell House Museum. In 2019, Campbell House Museum will explore Mr. Kawasoe’s story in an attempt to address the resettlement of Japanese Canadians in Toronto and the Toronto area. This exhibit with the working title “Redefining Home” will examine the resettlement of Japanese Canadian families in Toronto and how systemic racism and internment affected the new lives and identities of Japanese Canadians in Toronto.   Location: Campbell House Museum, 160 Queen Street, Toronto Dates: March 1st, 2019 – April 1st, 2019. Bryce Kanbara is a consultant to this project. The Toronto NAJC applauds his ongoing commitment to the JC Community. In 2017 he received the NAJC Lifetime Achievement Award.