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FRED KOREMATSU DAY PASADENA PHOTOS - 1/31/15 - Pasadena High School
Contact: Wendy Anderson, WOW! Productions wowproductions2@earthlink.net 626-683-8243
FRED KOREMATSU DAY PASADENA 2015
Annual Fred Korematsu Day Pasadena as proclaimed by City of Pasadena, Pasadena Unified School District and Pasadena City College.
Saturday – Jan. 31, 2015 – 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm
Pasadena High School, 2925 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107
Free Admission
FREE PARKING: For auditorium drop off, pull into the front lot from Sierra Madre Blvd. The Farmers Market is held in the parking lot in front of the auditorium every Saturday, so parking may be limited. Additional parking is available in the back lot by entering through the gates from Washington Blvd (east side of PHS); walk back toward the large building (south) through the campus to reach the auditorium.
SPECIAL GUESTS: Pasadena Mayor William Bogaard - US Congresswoman Judy Chu - PUSD Superintendent Dr. Brian McDonald - PCC Interim President Dr. Robert Miller - Adam Carter representing CA Senator Carol Liu - Pasadena High School Principal Gilbert Barraza, Jr. & Pasadena High School Assistant Principal Andrew King-
Fred Korematsu Day Pasadena 2015 includes: Opening Welcome by Pasadena Mayor William Bogaard; “Camp Stories”; “Six Weddings & A Dress” Documentary, Exhibits, Kids Craft and performances by Kodama Taiko, and Kathy Bee sings her original song: “I’m An American”.
8:00 am - Registration, Exhibits and Kids Craft
9:00 am - Kodama Taiko Performs & Photo Journey of "Camp Days 1942-1945" by Chizuko Judy Sugita of Poston, Arizona
9:15 am - Program begins with Welcome by Pasadena Mayor William Bogaard
* “Six Weddings & A Dress” Documentary - filmmaker Steve Nagano’s 8 minute documentary tells the story of Chiyomi’s Wedding Dress that was worn by six women who were all incarcerated at Manzanar during WWII and upon their release relocated to Pasadena to marry and bring up their families. The original and only surviving bride, Chiyomi will be here from 8 am to 10am.
CAMP STORIES – hear World War II stories of families of Pasadena. The stories provide a unique look at history in a compelling and heartfelt glimpse of what life was like for Americans of Japanese descent who were labeled as enemies of the United States.
Steve Nagano narrates the story of CHIYOMI & KAZ OGAWA (residents of Altadena/Pasadena) and their three children who attended Pasadena High School. As told by Chiyomi, her family was in Japan as Chiyomi was sent there for high school and it was her graduation when the war broke out and they were desperate to leave Japan, the ‘enemy’ country to come back to America. Hear the story of how she got back to the USA, how she met her husband and married while in the Manzanar Camp.
Pasadena artist and M*A*S*H* TV co-star Kellye Nakahara Wallett shares the story of her grandfather BUNTARO NAKAHARA. Buntaro, a fisherman, was arrested when the US government thought he was providing fuel to submarines at Pokai Bay Wainae. He was sent to the Santa Fe New Mexico Detention Camp, where he died. The family still does not know where he is buried. Find out the unusual circumstances of this camp and his death.
Altadena resident Ellen Snortland shares the experience of a most unusual find in her rental home, a photo album which belonged to a Japanese American family that included photos from one of the camps. Find out how legendary columnist “Dear Abby” was instrumental in Ellen’s search to find the family.
Pasadena resident Wendy Fujihara Anderson tells the story of her parents, TADASHI & HARUMI FUJIHARA, who were both incarcerated at Manzanar but did not know each other until after the war ended. Haru attended Manzanar High School where she was Homecoming Queen and graduated the year the war ended. Tad was an artist who helped carve the now-infamous Manzanar Sign that was posted at the entrance to the camp. After both their families relocated to Pasadena, Tad and Haru met and married, with Haru wearing “Chiyomi’s Wedding Dress”. Find out which Pasadena museum has a glimpse of their life at the “Mystery History” Exhibit.
Soji Kashiwagi, Pasadena resident, journalist, playwrite, producer and Executive Producer of the Grateful Crane Ensemble shares the courage of his father HIROSHI KASHIWAGI who was incarcerated at Tule Lake after taking a stand as a “No-No Boy”. Find out what caused someone to be labeled a “No-No Boy” and the personal freedom it cost.
Pasadena resident and attorney Patricia Kinaga tells the story of her father, THOMAS KINAGA who was interned in Heart Mountain, Wyoming when army recruiters asked for volunteers to join the segregated 442 Regimental Combat Team. He was one of the first to step forward, and became a seasoned soldier in the battlefields. Find out how his 442nd service shaped his life.
EXHIBITS: Six Weddings & A Dress Exhibit – meet the original bride Chiyomi who will be at the exhibit from 8 am to 10 am; Exhibit of “Internment Camp Photos 1942-1944” by Stone Ishimaru, educator, photographer and Poston Camp inmate; Exhibit of the Akabeko Project (red cow) benefiting children with disabilities in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan by father and daughter Bryan & Lauren Takeda; Pasadena Japanese Cultural Center, and Kid’s Craft creating a KOI KITE out of paper, crayons and chopsticks.
· “Six Weddings & A Dress” documentary by Stephen Nagano has been featured at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, San Diego Asian American Film Festival and will be at the Seattle Asian American Film Festival in February.
SPONSORS: Pasadena Unified School District, Dr. Brian McDonald, Superintendent
Pasadena High School: Gilbert Barraza Jr., Principal & Andrew John King, Assistant. Principal.
Pasadena City College, Dr. Robert Miller, Interim President
VOLUNTEER PRODUCTION TEAM: PRODUCER: Wendy Anderson, WOW! Event Productions; ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS: Dr. Stephanie King, Dedicated to Health, Pasadena & La Quetta Shamblee, MAD Catfish Blues Festival; PERFORMERS: Kodama Taiko, Pasadena Japanese Cultural Institute & Kathy Bee. PHS Students in ROTC & the Asian Pacific Islander Club.
PHOTO: Of Chiyomi & Kaz’s wedding superimposed with the barbed wire and Guard Tower of Manzanar. Graphic design by Pixel Graphic Design.
FRED KOREMATSU DAY PASADENA 2015
Annual Fred Korematsu Day Pasadena as proclaimed by City of Pasadena, Pasadena Unified School District and Pasadena City College.
Saturday – Jan. 31, 2015 – 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm
Pasadena High School, 2925 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107
Free Admission
FREE PARKING: For auditorium drop off, pull into the front lot from Sierra Madre Blvd. The Farmers Market is held in the parking lot in front of the auditorium every Saturday, so parking may be limited. Additional parking is available in the back lot by entering through the gates from Washington Blvd (east side of PHS); walk back toward the large building (south) through the campus to reach the auditorium.
SPECIAL GUESTS: Pasadena Mayor William Bogaard - US Congresswoman Judy Chu - PUSD Superintendent Dr. Brian McDonald - PCC Interim President Dr. Robert Miller - Adam Carter representing CA Senator Carol Liu - Pasadena High School Principal Gilbert Barraza, Jr. & Pasadena High School Assistant Principal Andrew King-
Fred Korematsu Day Pasadena 2015 includes: Opening Welcome by Pasadena Mayor William Bogaard; “Camp Stories”; “Six Weddings & A Dress” Documentary, Exhibits, Kids Craft and performances by Kodama Taiko, and Kathy Bee sings her original song: “I’m An American”.
8:00 am - Registration, Exhibits and Kids Craft
9:00 am - Kodama Taiko Performs & Photo Journey of "Camp Days 1942-1945" by Chizuko Judy Sugita of Poston, Arizona
9:15 am - Program begins with Welcome by Pasadena Mayor William Bogaard
* “Six Weddings & A Dress” Documentary - filmmaker Steve Nagano’s 8 minute documentary tells the story of Chiyomi’s Wedding Dress that was worn by six women who were all incarcerated at Manzanar during WWII and upon their release relocated to Pasadena to marry and bring up their families. The original and only surviving bride, Chiyomi will be here from 8 am to 10am.
CAMP STORIES – hear World War II stories of families of Pasadena. The stories provide a unique look at history in a compelling and heartfelt glimpse of what life was like for Americans of Japanese descent who were labeled as enemies of the United States.
Steve Nagano narrates the story of CHIYOMI & KAZ OGAWA (residents of Altadena/Pasadena) and their three children who attended Pasadena High School. As told by Chiyomi, her family was in Japan as Chiyomi was sent there for high school and it was her graduation when the war broke out and they were desperate to leave Japan, the ‘enemy’ country to come back to America. Hear the story of how she got back to the USA, how she met her husband and married while in the Manzanar Camp.
Pasadena artist and M*A*S*H* TV co-star Kellye Nakahara Wallett shares the story of her grandfather BUNTARO NAKAHARA. Buntaro, a fisherman, was arrested when the US government thought he was providing fuel to submarines at Pokai Bay Wainae. He was sent to the Santa Fe New Mexico Detention Camp, where he died. The family still does not know where he is buried. Find out the unusual circumstances of this camp and his death.
Altadena resident Ellen Snortland shares the experience of a most unusual find in her rental home, a photo album which belonged to a Japanese American family that included photos from one of the camps. Find out how legendary columnist “Dear Abby” was instrumental in Ellen’s search to find the family.
Pasadena resident Wendy Fujihara Anderson tells the story of her parents, TADASHI & HARUMI FUJIHARA, who were both incarcerated at Manzanar but did not know each other until after the war ended. Haru attended Manzanar High School where she was Homecoming Queen and graduated the year the war ended. Tad was an artist who helped carve the now-infamous Manzanar Sign that was posted at the entrance to the camp. After both their families relocated to Pasadena, Tad and Haru met and married, with Haru wearing “Chiyomi’s Wedding Dress”. Find out which Pasadena museum has a glimpse of their life at the “Mystery History” Exhibit.
Soji Kashiwagi, Pasadena resident, journalist, playwrite, producer and Executive Producer of the Grateful Crane Ensemble shares the courage of his father HIROSHI KASHIWAGI who was incarcerated at Tule Lake after taking a stand as a “No-No Boy”. Find out what caused someone to be labeled a “No-No Boy” and the personal freedom it cost.
Pasadena resident and attorney Patricia Kinaga tells the story of her father, THOMAS KINAGA who was interned in Heart Mountain, Wyoming when army recruiters asked for volunteers to join the segregated 442 Regimental Combat Team. He was one of the first to step forward, and became a seasoned soldier in the battlefields. Find out how his 442nd service shaped his life.
EXHIBITS: Six Weddings & A Dress Exhibit – meet the original bride Chiyomi who will be at the exhibit from 8 am to 10 am; Exhibit of “Internment Camp Photos 1942-1944” by Stone Ishimaru, educator, photographer and Poston Camp inmate; Exhibit of the Akabeko Project (red cow) benefiting children with disabilities in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan by father and daughter Bryan & Lauren Takeda; Pasadena Japanese Cultural Center, and Kid’s Craft creating a KOI KITE out of paper, crayons and chopsticks.
· “Six Weddings & A Dress” documentary by Stephen Nagano has been featured at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, San Diego Asian American Film Festival and will be at the Seattle Asian American Film Festival in February.
SPONSORS: Pasadena Unified School District, Dr. Brian McDonald, Superintendent
Pasadena High School: Gilbert Barraza Jr., Principal & Andrew John King, Assistant. Principal.
Pasadena City College, Dr. Robert Miller, Interim President
VOLUNTEER PRODUCTION TEAM: PRODUCER: Wendy Anderson, WOW! Event Productions; ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS: Dr. Stephanie King, Dedicated to Health, Pasadena & La Quetta Shamblee, MAD Catfish Blues Festival; PERFORMERS: Kodama Taiko, Pasadena Japanese Cultural Institute & Kathy Bee. PHS Students in ROTC & the Asian Pacific Islander Club.
PHOTO: Of Chiyomi & Kaz’s wedding superimposed with the barbed wire and Guard Tower of Manzanar. Graphic design by Pixel Graphic Design.
FRED KOREMATSU DAY PASADENA HISTORY:
When the State of California passed the Fred Korematsu Bill in 2010, he became the first Asian American in the US to have a day named in his honor. The City of Pasadena was the first city in Southern California to pass an annual Fred Korematsu Day to be recognized on January 30th, the date of his birth. The resolution was passed by the Pasadena City Council on February 28, 2011 followed by a Resolution from the Pasadena Unified School District and Pasadena City College.
FRED T. KOREMATSU BIO: Fred T. Korematsu was a national civil rights hero. In 1942, at the age of 23, he refused to go to the government’s incarceration camps for Japanese Americans. After he was arrested and convicted of defying the government’s order, he appealed his case all the way to the Supreme Court. In 1944, the Supreme Court ruled against him, arguing that the incarceration was justified due to military necessity.
In 1983, Prof. Peter Irons, a legal historian, together with researcher Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga, discovered key documents that government intelligence agencies had hidden from the Supreme Court in 1944. The documents consistently showed that Japanese Americans had committed no acts of treason to justify mass incarceration. With this new evidence, a pro-bono legal team that included the Asian Law Caucus re-opened Korematsu’s 40-year-old case on the basis of government misconduct. On November 10, 1983, Korematsu’s conviction was overturned in a federal court in San Francisco. It was a pivotal moment in civil rights history.
Korematsu remained an activist throughout his life. In 1998, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Bill Clinton. In 2010, the CA legislature passed a bill to recognize January 30th in his honor. Korematsu’s growing legacy continues to inspire people of all backgrounds and demonstrates the importance of speaking up to fight injustice.
When the State of California passed the Fred Korematsu Bill in 2010, he became the first Asian American in the US to have a day named in his honor. The City of Pasadena was the first city in Southern California to pass an annual Fred Korematsu Day to be recognized on January 30th, the date of his birth. The resolution was passed by the Pasadena City Council on February 28, 2011 followed by a Resolution from the Pasadena Unified School District and Pasadena City College.
FRED T. KOREMATSU BIO: Fred T. Korematsu was a national civil rights hero. In 1942, at the age of 23, he refused to go to the government’s incarceration camps for Japanese Americans. After he was arrested and convicted of defying the government’s order, he appealed his case all the way to the Supreme Court. In 1944, the Supreme Court ruled against him, arguing that the incarceration was justified due to military necessity.
In 1983, Prof. Peter Irons, a legal historian, together with researcher Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga, discovered key documents that government intelligence agencies had hidden from the Supreme Court in 1944. The documents consistently showed that Japanese Americans had committed no acts of treason to justify mass incarceration. With this new evidence, a pro-bono legal team that included the Asian Law Caucus re-opened Korematsu’s 40-year-old case on the basis of government misconduct. On November 10, 1983, Korematsu’s conviction was overturned in a federal court in San Francisco. It was a pivotal moment in civil rights history.
Korematsu remained an activist throughout his life. In 1998, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, from President Bill Clinton. In 2010, the CA legislature passed a bill to recognize January 30th in his honor. Korematsu’s growing legacy continues to inspire people of all backgrounds and demonstrates the importance of speaking up to fight injustice.
