» AsianWeek Market Report
» Subaru of America Inc. Sponsors Fourth Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration
» Kimochi Home 25th Anniversary Celebration Kicks Off
» Jon Osaki to be Honored at Juvenile Justice Summit
» The First Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival
» New England States Doing More to Lure Chinese Tourists
» NASA Astronaut Dan Tani to Keynote JACL Convention in Salt Lake City
» Minidoka Bill Signed by President Bush
Appearing soon …
BAY:
Subaru Sponsors Fourth Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration
SAN FRANCISCO — Subaru of America Inc., who began its entrance into the Asian market in the San Francisco Bay Area over four years ago when it introduced the in-language and in-culture advertising to the community, is a proud sponsor of the fourth annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration.
“It’s important for us to be a good community partner, and this event is a perfect way for us to become more involved locally,” said Tim Mahoney, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Subaru of America Inc.
“Subaru has won the Asian American Diversity Advertisement Print Ad Award for three years in a row from the Urban Wheel Awards, because it knows the Asian market and is committed to the Asian American community,” said Ted Fang of the AsianWeek Foundation, producer of the event. “Fairgoers will be excited to be able to see and touch Subaru’s newest models in person at AHSC!”
The Celebration is the largest gathering of Asians in America, with an expected attendance of 90,000 people.
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Kimochi Home 25th Anniversary Celebration Kicks Off
SAN FRANCISCO — Kimochi Home, which provides 24-hour supervised, non-medical care for up to 20 ambulatory seniors in single or shared rooms, will hold its 25th anniversary celebration on May 18.
All funds raised will go directly to the Kimochi Home Improvement Capital Campaign to raise funds to replace and update the furnishings and carpeting in the residential rooms and two lounge areas, plus upgrade two large bathrooms.
While services focus on the Japanese American and Japanese-speaking community, Kimochi provides a continuum of culturally sensitive programs and services to all Bay Area seniors and their families, regardless of ethnicity, to preserve their dignity and independence.
“Kimochi Home is the ‘Home of Healthy Attitudes,’ which provides seniors with a place to age with pride, support and friendship. With the help of the community and corporate support for the Capital Campaign, we will continue to have a safe, comfortable Kimochi Home where seniors can thrive and age with dignity,” said Kimochi executive director Steve Nakajo.
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Jon Osaki to be Honored at Juvenile Justice Summit
SAN FRANCISCO – Jon Osaki, executive director of the Japanese Community Youth Council, which provides services for children and youth throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, will be honored at this year’s Juvenile Justice Summit, hosted by the Office of the San Francisco Public Defender. Osaki will receive the 2008 Hero Award for his excellent work supporting youth in San Francisco.
The event will commence with an introduction by Public Defender Jeff Adachi. Dr. Francisco Reveles will follow by delivering the keynote address. Dr. Reveles is professor of educational leadership and policy studies at California State University, Sacramento, and has worked extensively with gang-involved youth.
In addition, the event will feature various local officials and representatives from community organizations, who will participate in morning and afternoon panel discussion sessions on guns and violence in the schools and community.
NATION:
New England States Doing More to Lure Chinese Tourists
NEWPORT, R.I. – As China’s economy booms, its emerging middle class is venturing abroad. Sensing a market worth billions of dollars, New England tourism officials from Newport to Boston to Vermont are trying to tap into it, making attractions accessible to Chinese-speaking visitors, offering cruises that cater to Chinese tourists and marketing themselves in China.
This month, Trudy Coxe, CEO of The Preservation Society of Newport County, signed an agreement with Bryant University at a ceremony inside Belmont’s teahouse in which students at Bryant will translate the tour scripts for several of the city’s mansions into Mandarin, the common language of China.
Eliminating language barriers created a new niche market for Massachusetts Bay Lines, which runs harbor cruises and whale watches. Two years ago, the company began running cruises focusing on the history of Boston Harbor for a handful of Chinese-language bus operators, said Debbie Hazell, the line’s office manager.
– Associated Press
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NASA Astronaut Dan Tani to Keynote JACL Convention in Salt Lake City
WASHINGTON – NASA astronaut Daniel M. Tani, a third-generation Japanese American, who is also a longtime JACL member, is slated to be the keynote speaker at the 2008 Japanese American Citizens League National Convention’s Sayonara Banquet.
Tani will keynote the Sayonara Banquet using his experience as a Japanese American and an astronaut to explore this year’s theme, “Legacy of Leadership.” He has received much recognition, including the NASA Spaceflight Medal in 2001, and was honored as the “Japanese American of the Biennium for Science and Technology” at the 2002 JACL National Convention in Las Vegas.
“Legacy of Leadership” will highlight the accomplishments and history of the JACL in the pursuit of justice and equality. The organization will also commemorate the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, with special activities and events highlighting the JACL campaign for redress following the unjust incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.
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Minidoka Bill Signed by President Bush
WASHINGTON – President Bush has signed the Minidoka Bill, a bill that includes expansion of the Minidoka Internment Camp in Idaho, one of the camps used to house Japanese Americans during World War II. The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), along with other groups, has been working to have this bill passed.
Wording within the bill states: “Adjusts the boundary of the Minidoka National Monument to include the Nidoto Nai Yoni Memorial commemorating the Japanese Americans of Bainbridge Island, Wash., who were the first to be forcibly removed from their homes and relocated to internment camps during World War II.”
The JACL commends all those who worked on passage of this bill. Floyd Mori, national executive director of the JACL, and Larry Oda, national JACL president, expressed appreciation for the members of Congress who were instrumental in its passage, with particular note of the efforts of Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and Larry Craig, Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson and many others.
ARTS:
The First Annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival
PHILADELPHIA — The first Asian American film festival in Philadelphia history, the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival (PAAFF) is announcing its inaugural launch this October 24-30, 2008, at The Bridge: Cinema de Lux.
PAAFF will be a venue for the voices of Asian Americans through a wide spectrum of films and programs open to all, Asian and non-Asian, and will primarily be in the English language.
PAAFF will take place in some of the premier venues in Philadelphia and will feature many of the top movies directed and produced by and starring Asian Americans. In addition to the films, there will be panel discussions, Q&A’s with filmmakers, afterparties, and live performances from some of the top Asian American musical artists.
In its inaugural year, PAAFF’s theme is “indiependence”; tying in elements of Philadelphia’s great history, along with the significance of Asian Americans breaking through in film.
Compiled by Irene Aranya