Bamboo Heritage
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Annual Hoosier Chapter Picnic, 1:00 pm
Eagle Creek Park, Shelter D, Indianapolis (see map)
July 16-20, 2008
JACL National Convention
Salt Lake City, Utah
It's time for our annual Hoosier Chapter picnic, so come on down! The date is Sunday, July 27, at our familiar picnic site, Eagle Creek Park, Shelter D (see map). Let's meet at 1:00 pm for delicious food, fun games, and a chance to chat and relax in a park setting. As usual, you are asked to bring a covered dish to share (salad, rice, vegetable, meat, or dessert) with server. Cold drinks and table goods will be provided. Please invite friends and family to this popular annual event.
Purdue University Gets Asian American Studies
Purdue University's College of Liberal Arts will begin offering an undergraduate minor in Asian American Studies. The minor focuses on classes that explore Asian-American culture and history, as well as social issues such as stereotyping and prejudice. The first course (An Introduction to Asian American Studies) was offered last semester and will be offered again this fall. Lisa Hanasono is scheduled to teach this course. A second course (An Advanced Seminar in Asian American Studies) should be offered in the near future.
Chapter Fundraiser by Yas Matsumoto
"An Afternoon Recital" was a wonderful success for our chapter fundraiser held on March 9 at the home of Marianne and Randy Tobias. The most entertaining musical program featured our president, Dinah Montgomery on violin, member Jerry Montgomery on horn, and friend, Marianne Tobias on piano. The chapter raised over $4000 due to the generosity of our members, friends, and the kindness of Marianne and Randy Tobias.
It was a most satisfying and gratifying chapter project as so many of our members pitched in to help set up, cook and clean up. We did receive many compliments on the food. We wish to send our appreciation to all the members and friends who participated in this event. Your gift of self and time are greatly valued.
Ken and Yas Matsumoto, fundraising committee
Turner Classic Movies to Feature Asian Images in Film During June
If you are a movie buff, this may interest you. Cable movie channel, Turner Classic Movies, TCM, has a series that will look at Hollywood's portrayal of Asians on the screen in a 35-film retrospective. Hosted by Robert Osbourne and film historian Dr. Peter Feng, the movies will be shown every Tuesday and Thursday in June.
For more information go to http://www.tcm.com/2008/aifi.index.jsp.
Hoosier JACL Shinnenkai Pitch-in, January 2008
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| Toshi Ogawa gives history of the Year of the Rat at JACL Shinnenkai Pitch-In |
(l to r) Kate Ase, Tae Carter, Nobuko Suzuki |
The future of JACL will depend on the leadership and commitment of our youth. A major fundraiser for the National Youth/Student Council is a Silent Auction which will be held at the JACL National Convention in Utah this July. Please consider making a donation by downloading and completing this form.
Dear Friends,
Today is the first day of May. San Francisco is beautiful (despite my hay-fever), and a quick check of the weather informs me that, except for some unfortunate winter weather in the Mountain West, the rest of the country seems to be enjoying a pleasant spring as well. I love the springtime. The first day of May is also the first day of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. It is interesting to note that the designation of this national celebration came in part to the efforts of two prominent JACL members.
In June of 1977, Rep. Norman Mineta (D-CA) and Rep. Frank Horton (R-NY) introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives calling for the first ten days of May to be designated as AsianlPacific Heritage Week. In July of 1977, Senators Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) and Spark Matsunaga (D-HI) introduced a sister bill in the Senate. Then, in October of 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the resolution officially recognizing the first week of May as a national celebration of Asian Pacific America. One president later, George H. W. Bush extended the celebration in 1990 to include the whole month of May. The legislators who originally chose the month of May did so in honor of the first Japanese immigration to the United States in May 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869.
We are blessed to be part of such a legacy. It is a legacy of struggle, but not of defeat. Thus, I believe it to be appropriate as beneficiaries and contributors to the victories that we have achieved that we celebrate and look forward in celebration. We have much to be grateful for.
I am grateful for great-grandparents who took a chance to come to this great nation. I am grateful for their dedication in raising my grandparents in a foreign and often hostile environment. I am grateful for their patience and strength in dealing with opposition. I am grateful for great-grandparents and grandparents who endured three and a half long years behind barbed wire. I am grateful for their humility and faith, which allowed them to continue to endure hardship after returning home from camp. I am grateful for the family that they raised. I am grateful that my dad was able to marry whom he wanted without legal repercussions. I am grateful for his hard work, honoring the sacrifices of his parents. I am grateful for the stories that I have been told, and the name that I have been given. And, I am grateful that the nation wants to honor what I am grateful for.
Take some time to think about our common legacy and heritage. I look up to many of you and am grateful for your contributions to the community. Together, I know that we can continue to make our community a better place.
Have a great month of celebration!
[Webmaster's Note: The Smithsonian Institution and the National Park Service provide Asian Pacific American Heritage Month resources for educators and other interested persons.]
Hoosier Chapter Board Members for 2008
| President | Dinah Montgomery |
| Vice President | George Hanasono |
| Secretary | Yoshie Nahmens |
| Treasurer | Ron Campbell |
| Membership | Jean Umemura |
| Ways & Means | Yas and Ken Matsumoto |
| Program | Toshi and Yukie Ogawa |
| At-Large | Tanya Krukemeier & Mari Langowski |
| Newsletter | Elinor Hanasono |
