upcoming events Oregon Nikkei Endowment Annual Banquet Saturday, July 18, 5 pm Hilton Portland and Executive Tower 921 SW 6th Avenue, Portland Special remarks: Governor Kate Brown Fundraiser for O.N.E. $125/person Yosegaki Hinomaru: Volume 16 Souvenir, Heirloom or Art? summer 2015 | Issue 1 July 25–September 27, 2015 semiannual An exhibit on the Yosegaki Hinomaru or Good Luck Flags of Japan which were brought to the United States by returning veterans Augmented Reality in the from the battlefield of the Pacific Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center Theatre during World War II. —By guest author Professor Shawn Daley, Concordia University 25th Anniversary of the Japanese Students from Concordia University’s undergraduate and graduate American Historical Plaza and programs in education have been working steadily at the Oregon Bill of Rights Memorial Nikkei Endowment this year to “augment” the permanent exhibit with Sunday, August 2, 2015, 4–5 pm some 21st century technology. Working alongside Director of Collec- Japanese American Historical Plaza tions and Exhibits Todd Mayberry and Education Manager Kim Blair, Keynote Speaker: George Takei, students have been adding a digital layer of content to the exhibit. actor and activist Visitors can soon access this digital content by downloading a mobile Music by the Minidoka Swing Band app to their smartphone or tablet. Portland Spirit Celebratory Cruise with George Takei Since late September, these students have scoured both the local Board: 5:30, Cruise: 6–8:30 pm archive at O.N.E. as well as the Densho digital archive in order to find content that they could, through a program called Aurasma, connect Gambatte! Legacy of an to placards, photos, and artifacts in the exhibit. In this fashion, visitors to Enduring Spirit O.N.E. can go even deeper into the historical record, listening to oral October 17, 2015–January 17, 2016 histories of the incarceration, viewing documentaries about the Japa- In this all new traveling exhibit, nese in Hood River, and even taking an historic images shot in 1942 by War authentic loyalty quiz that Japanese Relocation Authority staff photogra- American soldiers were made to take phers Dorothea Lange, Tom Parker, before enlisting to fight in World War II. and others are juxtaposed with This technology, referred to as “aug- contemporary images taken by The mented reality,” is employed by many Sacramento Bee photojournalist international companies and has also Paul Kitagaki, Jr. been integrated into museums in Britain and France. Nihonmachi: The Place to Be The Concordia project is in its final Monday, November 9, 7 pm phase, which is essentially a quality Portland Center Stage control process. Students have been 128 NW 11th Avenue, Portland visiting the Legacy Center in May and A musical journey about a Photograph Courtesy of Jessica Bray June to hone the digital materials, which Japanese American family and life have been arranged into separate tours of the exhibits. This process will in their mochi shop through three also be detailed in an article in the summer edition of Oregon Historical generations of trials and triumphs. Quarterly, and should be online and ready for visitors by mid-summer. Tickets $40 ($35 if purchased before October 25) For more information, contact Professor Shawn Daley at [email protected] This year we how easily it can be taken away. World War II. These flags contain celebrate We continue our work and mission the signatures and messages yet another to share history not just as from parents, relatives, wives milestone in something set in stone in the past, and loved ones and were carried the history of but as echoing lessons and into battle by Japanese soldiers. Oregon reminders that lead us on a path This exhibit will help share the Nikkei to a better tomorrow. story of healing and reconciliation Endowment, for both veterans and families as the 25th Anniversary of Someone who devoted his life these meaningful artifacts are the Japanese American and work to ensure the future and being returned to Japanese Historical Plaza. Dedi- the guarantee of civil liberties and families. cated in August of 1990, social justice was Minoru Yasui this award winning (see article p. 5). We are honored On November 9th, O.N.E. will be memorial pays tribute to be the fiscal agent for the Min presenting Grateful Crane and recalls through artistic Yasui Tribute Project and a part of Ensemble’s musical production of and poetic gesture the the Min Yasui Tribute Committee Nihonmachi: The Place to Be at history of the Japanese that worked to submit his nomina- the Gerding Theater. In partnership American experience tion for the Presidential Medal of with the Consulate General of and the importance of Freedom earlier this year. The Japan, Portland, Partners in Diver- the U.S. Constitution and committee is hard at work now sity, Portland Center Stage and the Bill of Rights, hence its planning a traveling exhibit, title sponsor, Portland JACL, this other name, the Bill of symposium, and debut of his musical journey shares the Japa- Rights Memorial. documentary, Never Give Up, The nese American story in a powerful, Story of Minoru Yasui, all culminat- yet entertaining way. On Sunday, August 2nd, ing next year in 2016 when Min we will celebrate this would have turned 100 years old. The Plaza visits and revisits me. milestone with an event at We are inspired by his ideals and the Plaza featuring a accomplishments and are dedi- And so we continue carving this special guest, actor and cated to continue his work for civil legacy into the future, visiting and activist George Takei, rights and the protection of our revisiting the ideals and founda- followed by a cruise on civil liberties. tion upon which the organization the Portland Spirit. Mark was built. Please pay special your calendars so you The Plaza visits and revisits me. attention to our donors whose don’t miss the boat! names are listed in the center of And so we continue carving this our newsletter. We owe a debt of a message from o.n.e.’s executiveRobert director Murase, the legacy in new and exciting ways. gratitude to all of these people for landscape architect The Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center being pillars for our organization. whose dream and design will be the first museum in the They lift us up and enable us to do was brought to life with state to feature augmented reality the work that we do. civic leader and city in our exhibit gallery. New technol- visionary Bill Naito, shared ogy will enable our visitors to In closing, we hope that you will a poem in the epilogue experience the visual collision of join us on this journey. We invite of our beautiful book the real and the virtual, where you to visit Oregon Nikkei Legacy about the Plaza, Touching surrounding spaces will become Center and Japanese American the Stones. The words by the stage for additional layers of Historical Plaza—come touch poet K.O. Lee capture the information to enhance the the stones and help us reach essence of the Plaza, The visitor experience. the future! Plaza visits and revisits —Lynn Fuchigami Longfellow me. This beautiful plaza Our next exhibit, Yosegaki Hino- and its stones stand as a maru: Souvenir, Heirloom or Art?, reminder of the fragility of opens July 25, 2015. This powerful our freedom and civil exhibit shares Good Luck Flags, rights in the face of panic considered “battlefield souvenirs” and fear. We must that were brought to the United constantly visit and revisit States by American soldiers during Page 2 education news I’ve noticed an exciting trend happening at the Hiroko Stacey and Sachiko Nishikido to lead Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center. Student groups these travelers through the Legacy Center in continue to visit us during the school year, but their native Japanese language. For many of recently we’ve begun to see groups from the them, this is the first time they hear the story of greater community requesting tours and speakers. incarceration. Airbnb, www.airbnb.com, an online marketplace to From the greater community, senior citizens book or list unique accommodations around the from Lake Oswego Community Center and world, contacted us with an interest in learning Laurel Parc hopped on buses to visit the Legacy more about the history of the Old Town neighbor- Center, ably guided by Lynn Grannan and Amy hood which they now call home. Henry Sakamoto Peterson. John Nakada shared his story with 20 agreed to share his personal story and the greater visitors to the Sherwood Public Library. Etsu Osaki story of the Japanese Americans at a Fireside Chat was invited into the home of a member of the with over 200 employees at Airbnb in March. They Philanthropic Educational Organization to speak, were so moved by the story that they awarded us and Jean Matsumoto had a lunch time chat their very first grant of $1,000! with the Multnomah County Employees of Color. Lynn Grannan and I participated in a video chat We’ve had a with University of Oregon students. We discussed the hiking group, a book Treadmill, making connections for the U of O book club, and students with the history of the Japanese Americans the Curiosity in our community. This book is now out of print, but Club, visiting it’s a unique book as it was written during the time both the Legacy of incarceration when the events were fresh in the Center and the author’s mind. We enjoyed the book so much that Japanese we added it to the Legacy Center library. Willa- American mette University made a special trip to the Legacy Historical Plaza, Center on a Sunday in April to learn more about many of them public discourse and history with Valerie Otani.