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| After the California Supreme Court's historic
decision last Thursday, my wife remarked, "It's a
great victory for them." I replied, "It's a
great victory for all of us." I believe that
the landmark ruling is a great victory for all of us
who believe deeply in promoting equality and civil
liberties. It's a great victory for all of us who
desperately want America to fulfill her promise in
defending liberty and justice for all and in
eradicating discrimination, intolerance and
homophobia from our communities.
Yet, I also
believe that many people will view this ruling as a
victory that is exclusively for them or as a
despicable act that was made against the will and
morals of the people and must be overturned.
Many
people have already referred to this ruling as an
act of "judicial activism" (by the same
standards, one could apply the same label to the
Court's 1948 decision to strike down California's
ban on interracial marriage or to the U.S. Supreme
Court's historic Brown v. Board of Education
decision on segregation). Opponents are currently
mobilizing to place a measure on the November ballot
that could write discrimination into our state
Constitution and the outcome may very well be in
their favor. |
| Only eight years ago, the Defense of
Marriage Act (Proposition 22) passed with 61% of
the vote. Another large turnout by social
conservatives could overturn this latest
decision and similarly to the 2004 election,
their numbers will jeopardize candidates and
issues that they feel run counter to their
philosophies. |
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Hate in our backyard: Los
Altos, CA in 2006 |
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The Times They Are A-Changin', but
they can't change on their own. We have to
make it happen.
Support organizations
that will fight against
this initiative. If your school, church, employer,
health-care plan, or city doesn't have an
anti-discriminatory policy, make it happen. Work in
your communities to fight bigotry and intolerance.
Obtain the resources
you need to achieve LGBT equality today.
NOC believes that LGBT rights are basic human
rights and since we are the recipients of redress (the
U.S. government's apology for internment), that we
must defend all people on issues of equality and
justice. Last year, we co-presented the film, "In
God's House: Asian American Gay & Lesbian Families
in the Church," and we helped promote
a hate crime bill that would include "sexual
orientation" and "gender identity" into existing
provisions (the bill was ultimately defeated). NOC
will continue to bring these important issues to the
community. We hope that you will join us in our
efforts to fight against homophobia and intolerance
in our community and we hope to see you at this year's
San Jose
Pride celebration. “Human progress is neither
automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the
goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and
struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate
concern of dedicated individuals.” - Martin Luther
King, Jr. Will Kaku
NOC Vice-Chair
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Sake San Jose 2008
Thursday, May 22
5:30 pm-8:30 pm
San Jose Japantown
A Sake Tasting Walk though San Jose
Japantown benefiting Yu Ai Kai Senior Services. |
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| For more info:
http://www.sakesanjose.com/ |
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A Gathering of Friends
Sunday, June 8, 2008
11:30-2:30pm
The Chai House, San Jose, CA
Shared stories between
Holocaust Survivors and Japanese American Internees
The Japanese American Museum of
San Jose (JAMsj) is looking for former internees or their
descendents to share their stories at this event that is co-hosted
by the Silicon Valley Holocaust Survivors. Contact JAMsj at
408-294-3139 or
mail@jamsj.org. |
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NOC Summer Picnic
June 22, 2008
11am-3pm
Kelley Park, San Jose
Event is free and all are welcome |
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The NOC Summer Picnic is a time to see old friends
and to meet new ones.
There will
also be several of us at the picnic who have
been on the Tule Lake Pilgrimage so if you have
questions about the Pilgrimage, you can ask us! |
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RSVP preferred but not necessary
Contact:
Gary Jio (408-374-2722) or
Will Kaku (408-505-1186)
Click
here for more info. |
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2008 Tule Lake
Pilgrimage
The Segregation Center
July 3-6, 2008
Please register
by May 31, 2008
More Info:
http://www.tulelake.org
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| Photographs courtesy of
Gary Jio |
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The Tule Lake
Pilgrimage is a four-day journey to the former site of
the Tule Lake Segregation Center, located near the
California-Oregon border. The program includes:
- A bus tour of the former camp site location.
- An evening of cultural performances.
- Panel discussions with former internees and
community activists.
- A memorial service.
- Intergenerational discussion groups.
- Many community-building activities to learn the
history of Tule Lake and its relevance to the present
day.
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Essay Contest
Commemorating Redress and
The 20th Anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act
Sponsored by the JACL, San Jose Chapter
Entry deadline: All entries must be postmarked by
July 4, 2008.
In honor of the 20th
anniversary of the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, the Japanese
American Citizens League (JACL), San Jose Chapter is sponsoring an essay
contest for high school and college students. Submitted essays should
address the significance of this landmark legislation or the state of civil
liberties today. Information on the contest guidelines and awards can be
downloaded
here.
For more information, please contact Kenzo Kimura at
kenzo.kimura@yahoo.com
or at 408-476-2166
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San Jose Nihonmachi
Outreach Committee (NOC)
P.O. Box 2293, San Jose, CA 95109
E-Mail:
info@sjnoc.org
Website:
www.sjnoc.org
"In the End, we will remember not the words of our
enemies, but the silence of our friends."
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. |
