Volunteers Needed at Day of Remembrance - 2/21/10

For any of you interested and available, Nakayoshi has been asked to provide volunteers to serve as VIP escorts at the Bay Area Day of Remembrance this Sunday, February 21 at the Sundance Kabuki Theater in San Francisco Japantown from 11:00am to 4:00pm.

The following is information for the volunteer shift:

11:00am - Volunteer Orientation @ Sundance Kabuki Theater

11:30am - VIP's arrive for program rehearsal, volunteer shift begins

12:00pm - Program Rehearsal

1:30pm - Theater door open to general public

2:00pm - Day of Remembrance Program Begins

4:00pm - Program ends, candlelight procession to reception and refreshments at JCCCNC

4:45pm - (optional) Assist with cleanup of reception

Dress code for volunteers is business casual. If you have questions or would like to volunteer, please e-mail nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com by Friday, February 19, 2010. Thanks! Hope to see you guys there!

2010 Bay Area Day of Remembrance

BAY AREA DAY OF REMEMBRANCE 2010
Dreams Interrupted, Dreams Fulfilled

San Francisco, CA -- The annual Bay Area Day of Remembrance (DOR) commemoration will take place on Sunday, February 21, 2010, 2 p.m., in San Francisco Japantown at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, with reception to follow at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California.

This year's Day of Remembrance theme, "Dreams Interrupted, Dreams Fulfilled," recognizes the honorary degrees recently awarded to Japanese Americans whose educations were disrupted by the relocation and internment of the Japanese American community during WWII, and to the enduring value the community places on receiving an education. The 2010 Day of Remembrance will be MC’d by KTVU Channel 2 News reporter Jana Katsuyama, with a keynote by California State Assemblyman Warren Furutani, author of CA Assembly Bill 37, granting honorary degrees to the Nisei who were removed from their educational pursuits. This year's program will also feature the presentation of the 2010 Clifford Uyeda Peace and Humanitarian Award to distinguished human and civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama. Additionally, the Purple Moon Dance Project, choreographed by Jill Togawa, will perform excerpts of their work, "When Dreams are Interrupted,” revisiting the forced removal of the Berkeley Japanese community in 1942.

DOR has been an annual inspiring expression of the Japanese American community's vitality. Through cultural presentations, education and a candle lighting ceremony, the event commemorates the incarceration of over 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry during World War II. In post 9/11 years, as the nation has struggled through war abroad and other communities have been targeted as “the enemy,” DOR has also become a time for diverse communities to stand together to carry the light for justice and reaffirm a united commitment to civil and human rights today.

The traditional candle lighting ceremony will feature a diverse array of community volunteers and advocates, and include shakuhachi music by Masayuki Koga. The program will close with an Interfaith Gathering and Procession, led by the Japanese American Religious Federation from the theater to the Japanese Cultural and Community Center, where a reception will conclude the day.

The Bay Area Day of Remembrance program is organized annually by the Bay Area Day of Remembrance Consortium, with support from various Japanese American and Asian American community organizations throughout the Bay Area, including: Asian Improv aRts, Asian Law Caucus, API Legal Outreach, Japanese American Religious Federation, Japanese Community Youth Council, Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, Japanese Peruvian Oral History Project, Campaign for Justice – Redress Now for Japanese Latin Americans, Center for Asian American Media, Nakayoshi Young Professionals, National Coalition for Redress & Reparations, National Japanese American Historical Society, Tule Lake Committee, San Francisco JACL Chapter and the UC Berkeley Nikkei Student Union (partial list).

Tickets prices are $15 (door); $12 (advance); and group rates $10 (for 10 or more in advance). Call NJAHS for tickets at: (415) 921-5007.
Tickets can also be purchased online at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/99800

For more information, visit: http://www.dayofremembrance.org/

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Needed to Apply for California's New Redistricting Commission - Deadline Feb 12th

The East Bay Asian Voter Education Consortium (EBAVEC) is outreaching to the API community regarding the citizen's commission that will be in charge of redistricting in 2011.

As of now, the "California redistricting commission may have no people of color" warned an op-ed by Pete Carrillo of Silicon Valley Advisors and Orson Aguilar of the Greenlining Institute published Jan. 16 in the San Jose Mercury News.

An Associated Press article on Jan. 26 highlighted the low numbers:·

So far, fewer than a quarter of the applications ... are from minority candidates in a state where non-Hispanic whites make up less than half the population.

• "Hispanics make up fewer than 9 percent of the applicants, although they count for almost 37 percent of the state's population."


• "Barely over 4 percent of the applicants are Asians, who make up more than 12 percent of the state's population ..."


• "The proportion of tentatively eligible black applicants, about 7 percent, is roughly on par with that group's 6 percent share of the population ..."

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Please spread the word and encourage your family and friends to also apply. Check out http://wedrawthelines.ca.gov/ for more info

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Needed to Apply for California's New Redistricting Commission - Deadline to Apply Is February 12, 2010

Every ten years, we draw new district maps for Congress, the California legislature, county boards of supervisors, and city councils. When we redraw the maps every ten years, we change the boundaries so that each district contains the same number of people. This process is called redistricting.

The next time redistricting will happen is in 2011, and because California voters passed Proposition 11 in 2008, there will be a major change in who draws the maps. Proposition 11 creates a new commission made up of citizens. In 2011, the commission will draw new maps for the state legislature and Board of Equalization. Before Proposition 11, the state legislature drew these maps.

Why does this matter? In past redistrictings, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities have been fragmented by district boundaries. For example, in the 2001 redistricting, the San Jose neighborhood of Berryessa was split among four State Assembly districts, even though over half of Berryessa's population is AAPI.District boundaries that split AAPI communities like this weaken the political voice of AAPI communities. When AAPI communities are fragmented, they do not make up a significant portion of any one district. This diminishes their ability to get their elected representatives to address their needs.The commission will play an important role in determining whether AAPI communities are again fragmented unfairly in 2011, or instead kept whole. To make sure that the commission takes AAPI communities into account, we need the right people on the commission - individuals who are civic-minded, come from diverse backgrounds, and understand community needs.

Who will be on the commission? The commission will have 14 members who are selected from people who apply to be on the commission.
The application process is open to the public. Anyone can apply as long as they meet the minimum requirements to be on the commission, such as being a registered voter and having voted in at least two of the last three statewide general elections (November 2004, November 2006, and November 2008). There are also some rules that exclude some people from being eligible for commission if they have a so-called conflict of interest, as well as some restrictions on the future political activities of individuals once they are appointed to the commission.

What will the commission do? The commission will hold public meetings across California to listen to testimony from residents about their communities and neighborhoods. Based on data it gathers, the commission will draw new district maps for the State Assembly, State Senate, and the Board of Equalization (an elected state tax agency).The commissioners are paid $300 per day when doing commission business. The main period of activity for the commission will be from January 2011 to September 2011. The commissioners can expect to work between 10 to 40 hours per week.

The deadline to apply for the commission is February 12, 2010. You can find more information about the commission and the application process at http://www.wedrawthelines.ca.gov/.

What can you do to help? You may be the right person for the commission - or you may know someone who is. The East Bay Asian Voter Education Consortium (EBAVEC) can be a resource for you - they are working with a statewide network of AAPI organizations to help people learn more about the commission and how to apply.

Please check the website for eligibility: http://www.wedrawthelines.ca.gov/downloads/eligibility_requirements.pdf

Upcoming workshops include:

Date: Saturday February 6th, from 2:00-4:00pm
Location: East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC)2025 East 12th StreetOakland, CA 94606
Please RSVP to Jennifer Pae at jennpae@gmail.com.

To see a list of other workshops and learn more about the network, you can go to www.facebook.com/capafr2011.If you have suggestions for people who might be good applicants for the commission, please contact EBAVEC or APALC at redistricting@apalc.org.

Nakayoshi's 2nd Annual Ski Trip - Sign up Today!

The information and details for Nakayoshi's 2nd Annual Ski Trip is finally here!

If you're interested, hurry and reserve your spot today, we're capping this year's trip to 30 people! The trip dates are Friday, February 26th - Sunday, February 28th.

Our cabin is located in North Lake Tahoe and we'll be snowboarding/skiing again at Northstar.We'll be staying in a beautiful 5 bedroom/3 bathroom cabin. We provide Saturday night dinner and Sunday morning breakfast. Ski lift tickets are included (if you are paying for Option A - see below) and does not include ski/snowboarding equipment rentals.

We'll be arriving in Tahoe on Friday evening, spending most of the day in the snow on Saturday, activities will be organized for Saturday evening and we'll be leaving Sunday afternoon at 12:00pm (unless you'd like to stay on your own to ski/snowboard).

It should be a fun trip this year! If interested in attending, please let us know if you're available to be a driver and if you're available to carpool other people. Parking spaces are limited at the cabin.

Cost: There are two separate packages available for this year's trip. Option A for those who want to snowboard and ski, and Option B f those who want to hang out and have a great time bonding with Nakayoshi members.

Price includes the cabin for 2 nights, gas/carpool money group lift tickets, a Saturday night dinner and Sunday morning breakfast.

Option A- For those that want to snowboard and ski, cost includes lift ticket. TOTAL: $113.68

Option B- For those who don't want to snowboard/ski, but want to hang out. TOTAL: $66.68

*Please note: Rental equipment will be on a per person basis. They are not included in these packages.

For those interested in attending this year's ski trip, email nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com to reserve your spot.

Jan. 31st - 1st Quarterly Planning Meeting

It's Nakayoshi's 1st quarterly planning meeting of the new year!
So if it's not on your calendar yet, plug it in now!

Sunday, January 31st
1:00-4:00PM
SF Japantown
1765 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA

Our Nakayoshi Core group is an amazing group of people who love to plan events and programs that benefit both the community and our general membership.

If you're interested in planning events and programs, love volunteering and networking, and your new year's resolution was to do something more fullfilling in life, then Nakayoshi may be the perfect fit for you!

We welcome all new members interested in checking us out to come to our public meetings.

For more information feel free to contact us atmailto:atnakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com or feel free to contact Nakayoshi Chair Megumi Kaminaga at (916) 801-2104.

Nakayoshi Monthly Update - December 2009

Happy holidays from your friends at Nakayoshi!

As 2009 draws to a close, we'd like to thank everyone who has come out to all of our social and volunteer events this past year. Nakayoshi has grown tremendously in both number and capacity in just a year and a half since we held our first event. We could not have done it without your continued support and enthusiastic participation! We'd also like to thank our main sponsor, the NCWNP District of the Japanese American Citizens League, as well as our many community partners who we've had the pleasure of collaborating with, including the JCCCNC, AsianWeek Foundation, JCYC and Kearny Street Workshop, among others.

We hope to see some of you at our 2nd annual holiday party, and for the rest of you, we hope you can make it out to some of the great events we already have underway for 2010. We'll be volunteering in January at the JCCCNC's Oshogatsu (New Year's) Festival, and at the Bay Area Day of Remembrance in February. Make sure to save the date for our big social events coming up, including Golden State Warriors Asian American Heritage Night, and our annual Tahoe ski trip!

Again, have a safe and happy holiday, and if you can't make it to the holiday party, we'll see you in 2010!

In this update:
12/19/09 - Nakayoshi Core Holiday Party
1/9/10 - Volunteer at JCCCNC Oshogatsu Festival
1/22/10 - Golden State Warriors Asian American Heritage Night
2/21/10 - Bay Area Day of Remembrance
2/26/10-2/28/10 - Tahoe Ski Trip

Other community events:
12/19-20/09 - nihonmachiROOTS Japantown Friends and Family Shopping Weekend

Saturday, December 19, 2009: Nakayoshi Core Holiday Party

Nakayoshi Chair Megumi Kaminaga is once again graciously hosting our 2nd annual Nakayoshi Core Holiday Party! The party starts at 6pm on Saturday, December 19, and will include delicious potluck, white elephant gift exchange ($5 value maximum), gingerbread house decorating, games, and an overall fun night celebrating the holidays with the Nakayoshi crew! Everyone is welcome, but space is limited, so RSVP ASAP at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com to let us know you're coming.

What: Nakayoshi Core Holiday Party
When: Saturday, December 19, 2009
Time: Party starts at 6:00pm
Location: Location given upon RSVP
Bring: Potluck items/beverages/wrapped white elephant gift for exchange ($5 max)
RSVP : nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com

Saturday, January 9, 2010: Volunteering at JCCCNC's Oshogatsu Festival

Ring in the new year with Nakayoshi volunteers at the JCCCNC's annual Oshogatsu (New Year's) Festival. We'll be helping once again with arts and crafts activities for children, traditional mochitsuki (New Year's rice pounding) and take in the cultural performances and more! Volunteers are needed for setup, assistance at crafts tables for children and for cleanup. Setup begins at 9am, the event runs from 11am-3pm, with cleanup after. Please e-mail us at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com and let us know if you can help out, even if it's only for an hour or two!

What: Volunteering at JCCCNC's Oshogatsu Festival
When: Saturday, January 9, 2010
Time: 9:00am to 4:00pm (2 hour shifts)
Location: JCCCNC, 1840 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA
RSVP: nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com

Friday, January 22, 2010: Golden State Warriors Asian American Heritage Night

We know all you NBA basketball fans have been waiting a whole year for one of Nakayoshi's biggest social events/fundraisers: Asian American Heritage Night with the Golden State Warriors! Come out and cheer for your team take on Yi Jianlian and the New Jersey Nets in Nakayoshi's section!

We've worked out online ticket sales with the Warriors, so stop reading this and buy your tickets NOW!!! Tickets are $28, $6 of which goes directly back to support Nakayoshi, and an additional $2 supports the SF Hepatitis B Free Campaign! Free T-shirt with ticket purchase! Plus we'll be playing the hapless NJ Nets, so it's totally a win-win situation for everyone--you, Nakayoshi, SF Hep B Free, and of course, the Warriors!

Here's how to get your tickets:
1.) Click on https://www.gs-warriors.com/forms/secure/fct_asianamerican10.html

2.) Join us at the $28.00 level -- $6.00 of your ticket purchase will automatically go back to Nakayoshi, $2 to SF Hep B Free!

3.) Before you check out BE SURE TO WRITE "NAKAYOSHI" IN THE QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS BOX. This makes sure that you sit with us and your donation comes back to us.

That's it. Bring out your friends and family for a great time out with Nakayoshi and the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena! Go DUBS!!!

What: Golden State Warriors Asian American Heritage Night
When: Friday, January 22, 2010
Time: 7pm
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
Price: $28
Buy tickets online at: https://www.gs-warriors.com/forms/secure/fct_asianamerican10.html (make sure to write "Nakayoshi" in the questions and comments box!)

Weekend of February 26-28, 2010: Nakayoshi Tahoe Ski Trip

Time to start waxing your snowboard or skis! Our social committee is busy making arrangements for our annual winter trip to Tahoe. We'll be hitting the slopes of Northstar by day and relaxing and hanging out by night back at the cabin. More information and pricing to come, but spaces are already filling up (we're almost at 20 people already!), so be sure to reserve your spot and save the date now!

Check for more information on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=211107058728&index=1

What: Nakayoshi Tahoe Ski Trip
When: Weekend of February 26-28, 2010
Where: Northstar at Tahoe/Tahoe Cabin
Price: TBA
Updates/RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=211107058728&index=1

Other Community Events:
December 19-20, 2009: nihonmachiROOTS Japantown Friends and Family Shopping Weekend

nihonmachiROOTS is a newly formed group of progressive young adults (including several members of Nakayoshi) focusing on issues affecting San Francisco Japantown, including the redrafting of the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan.

Currently many Japantown businesses, especially those in the Japan Center mall, are experiencing rising operating expenses since the mall properties were sold in 2005. In order to help support local small businesses in Japantown, nihonmachiROOTS is putting together a Japantown Friends and Family Shopping Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, December 19 and 20 from 11-3pm. The Friends and Family Shopping Weekend will feature discounts from many participating Japantown businesses and restaurants, and a free entry in a raffle drawing for customers with receipts of purchases from 3 or more Japantown businesses during the weekend event.

Check for more event information and links to sale coupons at: http://www.japantownnow.com

What: nihonmachiROOTS Japantown Friends and Family Shopping Weekend
When: Saturday and Sunday, December 19-20
Time: 11-3pm
More info and coupons: http://www.japantownnow.com

February 21, 2009: Bay Area Day of Remembrance

As the Bay Area Day of Remembrance Consortium continues to prepare for the event on February 21, 2009, we are still welcoming additional volunteers and energetic new members to join the planning committee. Come be a part of next year's community-wide event honoring the history and legacy of the Japanese American experience in WWII and beyond.

What: 2010 Bay Area Day of Remembrance Planning Committee Meetings
When: Next meeting: Thursday, December 17, 2009
Time: 6:30-8:30pm
Where: JACL National Headquarters, 1765 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA
RSVP: bayareadayofremembrance@gmail.com

Stay warm everyone, and we'll see you soon!

All Nakayoshi events are free and open to anyone unless otherwise noted. Feel free to forward this message along to your friends or anyone interested. Not on the Nakayoshi e-mail list? Click here to subscribe. Have questions? Want to sign up or RSVP for an event? E-mail Nakayoshi at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com. For additional information and updates, be sure to check the Nakayoshi blog or find our group page on Facebook! Nakayoshi is a program sponsored by the Northern California Western Nevada Pacific District of the Japanese American Citizens League.

Join Nakayoshi at Asian American Heritage Night with the Warriors!

Come join Nakayoshi as we watch the Warriors take on the Nets (or the "Nyets," as I like to say) at Asian Heritage Night with the Golden State Warriors on January 22nd. We went last year and had tons of fun. For your ticket you receive:

• A commemorative Asian Heritage Night T-shirt by the winner of the T-Shirt Design Contest.
• Cultural performances throughout the night.
• A warm feeling knowing you've raised money to support Nakayoshi.
• The opportunity to hang out with really cool folks at the Warriors game.
  

Here's how to join us:

1. Click here to buy your tickets.
2. Purchase at the $28 level ($8 of your ticket will go back to Nakayoshi!)
3. Write "NAKAYOSHI" in the Questions and Comments Box*

* - This is key, both to make sure we receive your donation and that you sit with us at the game!

Invite your friends and your family! Email us at nakayoshi.ncwnp@gmail.com if you have any questions. See you at the game!

Go Dubs!