Nichi Bei "Films of Remembrance," February 22 & 23

https://www.filmsofremembrance.org/

In the Japanese American community, February 19 is an annual "Day of Remembrance," marking the date in 1942 when President Franklin Roosevelt isssued Executive Order 9066, clearing the way for approximately 112,000 men, women, and children of Japanese ancestry to be evicted from their homes on the West Coast and held in American concentration camps and other confinement sites across the country. This weekend, the Nichi Bei Foundation hosts its 9th annual "Films of Remembrance," showcases of films commemorating the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans. On Saturday, the festival screens in San Francisco's Japantown; the program repeats in San Jose on Sunday.

The San Francisco Chronicle offers an overview of the film festival. It includes 11 short films, discussion with filmmakers, local news personalities, a multimedia concert, and more.

The full schedule of events can be seen here.

Copyright © 2020 by California Genealogical Society

Nikkei Pilgrimage to Angel Island October 13

Approaching Angel Island by ferry

Taiko drummers greeted visitors at a previous year's Nikkei Pilgrimage

On October 13, please join us for the annual Nikkei Pilgrimage to Angel Island! The all-day outing is focused on the Japanese-American experience at this immigration station, which many Asian immigrants passed through—or were delayed in—on their way to a new life in America. There will be visual exhibits about the Japanese and Japanese American experience on Angel Island; a dance performance honoring the ancestors; and more. The schedule is designed to allow a free flow of activity during the day. Participants can explore history exhibits at the Immigration Station, get help with genealogy research, learn about community history and local organizations, and just enjoy time with family, friends and colleagues.

Entrance to the barracks

While Angel Island is notorious for the poor treatment of many Chinese immigrants detained there, approximately 85,000 people of Japanese descent also were detained on Angel Island between 1910 and 1940, making them the second largest ethnic group to pass through this point of entry. Before 1920, the immigration station also saw a large influx of “picture brides”—Japanese women who came to America through an arranged marriage with Japanese men already in the U.S. The station was closed after a fire in 1940, but the barracks were used during the Second World War to hold Japanese prisoners of war and Nikkei detainees from Hawaii and the Pacific Coast. All of this history makes for a rich experience

Grant Din, Judy Russell, interpreter Casey Lee, and Kim Cotton at last year's event

This is the fifth year in a row that the Nichi Bei Foundation has hosted the pilgrimage, and the fifth year that CGS has participated. Keynote speaker will be Sonoma State University president Judy Sakaki. Other speakers will include CGS past president Linda Harms Okazaki and Grant Din of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation. CGS volunteers will be on hand to offer personal genealogy consultations, and participants are enrolled in a raffle of 100 DNA kits generously donated by Ancestry.com.

Day trip packages include ferry departure from either Tiburon or Pier 39. Tickets for the outing are $25 (discounts for seniors and children), with the option to pre-purchase a bento lunch. To purchase tickets and for complete details on activities and transportation, visit the Nichi Bei Foundation’s website:  
https://www.nichibei.org/angel-island-pilgrimage/

Copyright © 2018 by California Genealogical Society

Journey back to understand the Japanese experience

On Saturday, 2016 Saturday, October 1, 2016 from 11am to 3pm is the 3^rd annual Nikkei Angel Island Pilgrimage presented by the Nichi Bei Foundation.  Just be sure to catch the 9:45am San Francisco ferry or the 10 am ferry from Tiburon to make the opening ceremony.

This year’s theme is "Family Reunion" and will focus on honoring the immigrant ancestors and rediscovering the history of the Japanese and Japanese American legacy at Angel Island. From 1910 to 1940, a total of  85,000 people of Japanese descent passed through here before being allowed to set foot in the U.S.

CGS Volunteers from the 2015 Pilgrimage

A group of volunteers from the California Genealogical Society (CGS), led by President Linda Okazaki, will be there to help people begin tracing their family history.

“Most people are curious about their family history. They want to know how to unveil the mystery of the past and understand the lives of their ancestors,” says Linda.

Linda has researched her husband’s Japanese ancestry and this journey has led her to discover everything from Immigration Records to Evacuee Case Files to DNA --- with many more intriguing bits in between.

Who’s involved with this effort?

The Nichi Bei Foundation also partnered with the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation & National Japanese American Historical Society along with support from the California State Parks, California Genealogical Society, San Francisco State University Asian American Studies, San Francisco chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, and J-Sei.

What will be on display?

Historical exhibits specific to the Japanese and Japanese American experience on Angel Island, including those sent there from Hawai‘i during World War II

Who will be recognized?

• Professor Charles Egan, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, San Francisco State University who translated poems published in the Nichi Bei Shimbun written by Issei between 1910 and 1924.
• The Hokoda family, whose descendants wrote the oldest known writing found in the Immigration Station barracks, who are from Hiroshima Prefecture. They were discovered by Professor Egan and visited the Immigration Station for the first time last year.

What else is happening?

• Talk on "Nikkei at Angel Island" by San Francisco State University Asian American Studies Professor Christen Sasaki, Ph.D.
• Musical performances by Berkeley Genyukai and Friends, along with Cal Raijin Taiko of UC Berkeley
• Storytelling vignettes
• Children’s activities

With so much to see and do, this a wonderful way to relive the Japanese immigrant experience to America.  It’s also just a wonderful way to spend some time on San Francisco Bay enjoying your family and friends.

Stop by and say hello to Linda and the volunteers if you attend.

Domo Arrigato!

Photos courtesy of Linda Okazaki

Copyright © 2016 by California Genealogical Society

Nikkei Pilgrimage to Angel Island

It was a beautiful day for a pilgrimage. 

Angel Island Immigration Station 

On 3 October 2015, the Nichi Bei Foundation hosted the second annual Nikkei Pilgrimage to Angel Island, in honor of the Japanese immigrants who arrived there between 1910 and 1940. An emphasis was placed on the women who immigrated, specifically the picture brides. There were over 300 attendees who journeyed by ferry to enjoy the music, dramatic presentation, speeches, bento lunches, and family history stations.

Kenji Taguma, Nichi Bei Foundation

Picture Bride, Produced by Judy Hamaguchi, SF JACL

Linda Harms Okazaki and Karen Korematsu

Learning about Picture Brides inside the Immigration Station 

There were honored guests and special speakers, including Karen Korematsu, who is perhaps best known as the daughter of civil rights activist, Fred Korematsu. On this day, however, she spoke about her grandmother, Kotsui Aoki, who arrived on Angel Island on January 12, 1914 as a picture bride. Karen addressed the importance a discovering family roots and understanding the experiences of our immigrant ancestors.

Following the formal program, volunteers from the California Genealogical Society provided research consultations, including Todd Armstrong, Grant Din (also of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation), Linda Okazaki, Jim Russell, and Adelle Treakle. By far the most frequent question among the consults was "Did my ancestor come through Angel Island?"

Though most of the participants were of Japanese ancestry, there was a definite mix of ethnic groups represented. Guests had ancestors from Korea, China, Latin America, Canada and Europe. The genealogists were rewarded every time someone "found" an ancestor on an immigration record or census document. Those asking questions ranged in age, as well. One woman was 97 and had been incarcerated in an internment camp. Another young man was eight years old and very interested in family history. His parents listened intently as he asked questions about his great grandmother, who was born in Mexico and was currently living in California. It was a teachable moment when he discovered the importance of interviewing the eldest living relatives. He is most definitely the "NextGen" in genealogy.

 

Copyright © 2015 by California Genealogical Society

A Perfect Pilgrimage: Angel Island

By Linda Harms Okazaki

Linda Harms Okazaki, Katherine Yamada, SCGS genealogist and Grant Din, CGS member & Community Relations Director, Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation. Photo: Glenn Yamada

Angel Island is beautiful place for a picnic, a picture-perfect location for tourists, hikers, and locals alike. But the real beauty lies in its history. I am a fourth-generation San Franciscan who grew up in Marin County, but it wasn’t until I was an adult, with children of my own, and began my own genealogy that I understood my personal connection to this gem.

You see, from 1910 to 1940, the U.S. Government operated an immigration station on Angel Island where thousands of individuals first set foot in the United States.

My English immigrant and great grandfather, William Ambrose, worked as a night watchman in the Quarantine Station for 11 years. It was during this time period that my husband’s Japanese family members, the Okazakis, were “processed” through the Immigration Station. My children are doubly connected to the island.

Linda Harms Okazaki's Father in law, Terumi Okazaki with Ted Okazaki at Angel Island. Photo: Sharon Harms

On October 4, 2014, the Nichi Bei Foundation, a non-profit media organization serving the Japanese American community, hosted a Japanese American Pilgrimage to Angel Island to honor the 85,000+ Japanese who immigrated through this location, as well as those Japanese ancestors who were detained there during World War II.

Hiroshi Kashiwagi and his wife Sadako with Diana Edwards. Hiroshi is a playwright, author, poet, actor who read a poem about his mother's experience on Angel Island.

The California Genealogical Society, along with several other community organizations, was honored to participate in the planning and execution of this historic event. More than 600 “pilgrims” came by ferry, to the sound of Taiko drums. A handful arrived by boat and kayak. It was wonderful to see old friends reconnect and new friendships made. The event included speeches, entertainment, poetry, community awards, and a Bento (Japanese-style) lunch. I presented to the crowd the family story of the trials and tribulations of the Okazakis’ immigration journey.

L-R: CGS genealogists: Todd Armstrong, Linda Harms Okazaki, Diana Edwards, Eva Goodwin, Adelle Treakle.
Photo: Jiro Yamamura  

In addition to the formal presentation, the informal activities created a real sense of excitement and discovery for the visitors: exhibits in the original Mess Hall visually displayed a historical overview of the conditions at the Immigration Stations; the Japanese American Museum of San José provided a kids’ corner where participants played games, made buttons, and drew their family trees; and five seasoned CGS genealogists—Todd Armstrong, Diana Edwards, Eva Goodwin, Adelle Treakle, and I—provided complimentary family history consultations throughout the day to eager and inquisitive attendees. Families learned how to get started on their own research, about understanding census and vital records, as well as exploring records dealing with immigration—such as passenger lists and border crossings—and naturalization. Looking at Internment Camp newspapers from the early 1940s was rewarding for many as it brought to life those harrowing times.

View from barred window inside the Immigration Station. Photo: Melinda Crawford

Thanks to spectacular weather, enthusiastic attendees, and engaged participants, it was truly a moving pilgrimage for all involved. 

Video of the Nikkei Angel Island Pilgrimage: 
http://bit.ly/1xjTQK9

Immigrant Voices: Former Park Ranger Andrew Weiss
http://www.aiisf.org/stories-by-author/913-alexander-weiss



Copyright © 2014 by Ellen Fernandez-Sacco, California Genealogical Society and Library.