I’m delighted to announce this quarter’s grant in support of the educational programming offered by the Nichi Bei Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping the Japanese American community connected, informed, and empowered.

In their own words, here’s a taste of some of the educational programming previously launched by the Foundation:

  • Films of Remembrance, a day-long showcase of films presented by the Nichi Bei Foundation in conjunction with the Day of Remembrance commemoration, sheds light on the forced removal and incarceration of more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent — most of whom were American citizens — into American concentration camps. More than 750 attended mostly sold-out screenings in February of 2017.
  • Nikkei Angel Island Pilgrimage. The Nichi Bei Foundation has led more than 1,300 people on the Nikkei Angel Island Pilgrimage, reconnecting the community to our forgotten legacy at the former Immigration Station, where some 85,000 persons of Japanese descent were detained between 1910 and 1940. In addition to reconnecting participants to their family legacies with the help of partners like the California Genealogical Society, the Nikkei Angel Island Pilgrimage honored those who rediscovered the forgotten Immigration Station barracks in the 1970s, as well as those who took up the preservation efforts shortly thereafter. Held in partnership with the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, the National Japanese American Historical Society, and in collaboration with the California Parks Service, California Genealogical Society, San Francisco State University Asian American Studies Program, San Francisco Japanese American Citizens League and J-Sei.

During past pilgrimages, volunteer genealogists helped Japanese Americans get started in finding their roots. The photo above shows some of the volunteers from the California Genealogical Society who provided such support.

The Nichi Bei Foundation hopes to increase the genealogy programming for Japanese Americans so that they can learn more about their families, including obtaining immigration and internment camp records. Toward this end, a bi-monthly genealogy column is run in their newspaper, Nichi Bei Weekly.

You can apply for a Seton Shields grant here. Don’t miss checking out the cool projects I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to over the years, plus an article that will give you a behind-the-scenes peek into my grants program (and might help you increase your odds of being selected when you apply)!

Photo courtesy of the Nichi Bei Foundation.