November 21, 2017

This Week's Digest

A s we go into the Thanksgiving holiday, there is much to be thankful for. We hope that JACL and the voice we provide in Washington, DC and at the national level is one of the things for which you are thankful.

I have been grateful for the extremely dedicated staff that serves the organization and has helped my transition. Without their work, none of the work we do as an organization would be possible whether it is making sure our bills get paid on time or working with our members and chapters one on one on a local issue.

In the few months I have been in this role, I have had the opportunity to meet many of you locally, but still have many more meetings to go. We are an organization of stories and it is our jo b to ensure that those stories continue to be told so that the mistakes of the past are never repeated.

I hope that you will take a moment this season to support JACL. Please click HERE to make a direct contribution now through our website.

We will also be participating in Facebook's Giving Tuesday event next week as Facebook waives its processing fees for one day and the Gates Foundation will match the first $2 million given after 8:00am EST. So please make a tax deductible donation through Facebook right at 8:00am on Tuesday. For more information on #GivingTuesday with Facebook, please see below.

Finally, if you are doing your holiday shopping at Amazon, please be sure to shop through Amazon Smile (click here) and select JACL as your charity. JACL will then receive a small percentage of your purchases on Amazon whenever you go to smile.amazon.com for your online shopping.

We thank you for your support both through your generous donations and responses to our calls for action. Best wishes as we begin this holiday season.

Sincerely,

David Inoue

Executive Director

#GivingTuesday is a global giving movement built by individuals and communities in the US and in countries around the world. On #GivingTuesday, millions of people come together to support and champion the causes they believe in by donating and fundraising on their behalf.

This year #GivingTuesday falls on November 28th. In celebration, Facebook and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are partnering once again on a national campaign to support nonprofits.

Match

On #GivingTuesday, Facebook and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will be matching up to $2 million of funds raised on Facebook for US nonprofits. Facebook is also waiving its fees for donations made to nonprofits on Facebook this #GivingTuesday.

Donations to nonprofits made through Facebook's charitable giving tools on November 28th will be matched up to $50,000 per nonprofit or $1,000 per fundraiser or donate button, until the $2 million in matching funds run out. The match will begin at 8AM EST (5AM PST).

Fees

Facebook fees on donations to U.S.-based nonprofits will be waived from 12:00am EST on November 28, 2017 to 11:59pm HST on November 28, 2017.

Washington, D.C. - On November 16, 2017 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted on a proposal that would hurt the Lifeline Program. This program provides low-income individuals with discounted rates and access to phone and internet resources. JACL signed-on and issued a response with OCA, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies.  To see the full statement please click here. 

Washington, D.C. - Walmart moved quickly to remove products that depicted Japanese American concentration camps.  After the story initially broke, JACL reached out through social media and directly to the companies involved. The posters were quickly removed from sale but a response from Walmart was unavailable as of last week's digest.  The company has been in contact with the National JACL and their formal apology appeared in an article on the Huffington Post on Wednesday, November 15.  We are working with Walmart to prevent this from happening again and call on other retailers such as Amazon and Ebay to assess how they are preventing similar product sales from appearing in their marketplaces.

San Francisco, CA - The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) announces its National Scholarship and Awards Program for the 2018 academic year. The JACL annually offers approximately 30 college scholarships for students who are incoming college freshmen, undergraduates and graduates, and those specializing in law and the creative/performing arts. There are also student aid scholarships for those in need of financial assistance in this era of rising tuition costs.

Scholarship Program information, instructions and applications can be found on the JACL website, here. 

Freshman applications must be submitted directly by the applicant to his/her local JACL chapter, with a postmark no later than March 1, 2018. Freshman applicants may obtain the mailing address of his/her chapter by contacting Membership Assistant Tomiko Ismail at tismail@jacl.org or by calling the Membership Department at (415) 921-5225, extension 26.

Chapters will then have one month to evaluate their freshman applications and are to forward ONLY the most outstanding ones to the National JACL Freshman Scholarship Committee, c/o JACL NCWNP District, 3566 Barley Court, San Jose, CA 95127, postmarked no later than April 2, 2018.

Applications for the "other" scholarship categories (undergraduate, graduate, law, creative/performing arts, and student aid) are to be sent directly by the applicant to the National JACL Scholarship Committee, c/o Central California District Council, with a postmark no later than April 2, 2018. The mailing address for this committee can be found on the application itself.

All those applying to the National JACL Scholarship Program must be a student member or individual member of the JACL.

For more information on the National JACL Scholarship Program, contact Regional Director Patty Wada at pwada@jacl.org or National JACL Vice President for Planning & Development Matthew Farrells at mfarrells@jacl.org.

New York City, NY - The Fred T. Korematsu Day (of Civil Liberties and the Constitution) Resolution is up for a final vote of approval by the New York City Council on November 30. The resolution would establish January 30th as Fred T. Korematsu Day. 

To show support and stay up to date with possible events go like and share their Facebook Page. 

To see the hearing that took place at City Hall on Oct. 25, 2017 click here. 

 

Click here to learn more about the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies' Congressional Fellowship.