The Fred T. Korematsu Institute

This afternoon KI kicks off the Piedmont Center for the Arts three-part series, "NEVER AGAIN!: An exploration of life, music, & art in the Camps" at 4 PM with "My Dad, the Activist" featuring Dr. Karen Korematsu. This year we are honoring the 80th year of Fred Korematsu's case and Dr. Korematsu will tell her father's story and reveal the life he and his family experienced in the incarceration camps. The series has two more nights, on November 2 with "Remembering, 80 Years Later" and November 23 featuring a screening of ALTERNATIVE FACTS: The Lies of Executive Order 9066. Learn more and get your tickets here: https://bpt.me/6449591

"One of the journalists from Poston noted that 'the Japanese community considered the newspaper as necessary.' By April 11, 1942, less than a month after the first Exclusion Order, the Manzanar Free Press began publication at the Manzanar Relocation Center in Inyo County, California." October 6 to 12 is #NationalNewspaperWeek. During the Japanese American Incarceration, camp residents sent from the West Coast to camps across the country needed to reconstruct many facets of everyday life from schools to gardens to libraries to newspapers. The Library of Congress has 29 newspaper titles from seven states in their "Japanese-American Internment Camp Newspapers, 1942 to 1946" collection with over 30,000 pages with articles and essays from Manzanar, Poston, and Topaz printed in English, Japanese, or both here: https://lnkd.in/gTWtq7hy

According to the CDC, Influenza and RSV seasons generally begin in October, although they can vary in timing and burden. Many respiratory viruses, like influenza (flu), COVID-19, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), circulate year-round, typically with more infections in fall and winter (from October to March). So get vaccinated and get boosted! And there are additional actions you can take to help #stopthespread to protect yourself and others in your family and community. If you notice symptoms, stay home, get tested, and seek treatment if necessary. Get vaccinated to stay safe during this 2024-2025 Respiratory Virus Season! Find the most recent updates on respiratory viruses on the CDC website: https://lnkd.in/d7YFF58z

Piedmont Center for the Arts has a three-part series, "NEVER AGAIN!: An exploration of life, music, & art in the Camps" kicking off on Sunday, October 13 at 4 PM with "My Dad, the Activist" featuring Dr. Karen Korematsu. This year we are honoring the 80th year of Fred Korematsu's case and Dr. Korematsu will tell her father's story and reveal the life he and his family experienced in the incarceration camps. The series has two more nights, on November 2 with "Remembering, 80 Years Later" and November 23 featuring a screening of ALTERNATIVE FACTS: The Lies of Executive Order 9066. Learn more and get your tickets here: https://bpt.me/6449591

Libraries are a vital part of our communities. And voting is one of the greatest privileges and responsibilities of citizenship in our country. However, turnout in national elections (this year on Tuesday, November 5) is often lower than two-thirds of eligible voters turning up at the polls. How can libraries support voters in this mega-election year? Every day, around the country, through providing voter registration forms, locations for public candidate forums and civic education programs, and much more. Learn more from the American Library Association here: https://lnkd.in/gwANrfY3

“The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democracy.” — John Lewis in a 2019 CommonWealth Interview 2024 is a mega-election year with 2 billion people voting worldwide. This is a big election year! When it comes to civic responsibility, a vote will help you shape the country you want to live in. According to U.S. Census data from 2020, as many as 1 in 4 eligible Americans are not registered to vote. #OTD in 1963 aka Freedom Day, hundreds of black Selma residents attempting to register to vote were bloocked by state and local officials who used intimidation tactics and arrests to deny them that right and violence against supporters attempting to give them food and water as they waited in line. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/g3RMmXVi

“Thanks to him (K.W. Lee) and the hands of so so many, we were able to excavate this lost history which we assert is not just part of Asian American history but American history, human history so that it can move and inspire today just as it did almost 50 years ago.” What does it mean to be an American? Are some of us more American than others because of the languages we speak among family, the traditions practiced in our homes, or the origins of our grandparents? No. Of course not. The racist murder of Vincent Chin in 1982 is often cited as a spark that lit the pan-Asian American movement in the United States. However, the wrongful conviction of Chol Soo Lee, a Korean American immigrant in San Francisco, in 1973 brought together a community. And the documentary, Free Chol Soo Lee, just won the Emmy for best historical documentary. #RepresentationMatters Read more here: https://lnkd.in/g9BJMAZb or at the link in our bio. You can watch the documentary on PBS: https://lnkd.in/gjH7uDXQ

“We have invested in a lasting legacy for our future generations to promote a more inclusive and culturally aware society. Now, my children, and countless others, will not feel left out of U.S. history.” Asian American history IS American history. At KI, we support an ethnic studies curriculum in schools because everyone's story is important. From two ports of entry, Ellis Island and Angel Island, we have thousands of traditions, dances, folktales, recipes, and histories that all have woven together to become an integral part of the fabric of our American story. No group is better than the other, no group is worse. We are all Americans. Last week, Delaware approved a K-12 curriculum and established a new AAPI commission signed into law by Governor John Carney. This is about ALL of us.

Happy Filipino American History Month (FAHM)! FAHM is celebrated annually in October to mark the anniversary of the first recorded evidence of Filipinos' arrival in the continental U.S. (in California) on October 18, 1587. According to the last U.S. Census, Filipino Americans make up 17% of Asian Americans in the United States. Since 2009, the U.S. Congress has recognized October as #FilipinoAmericanHistoryMonth and the state of California now recognizes October 25 as Larry Itliong Day to honor the Filipino labor organizer and lifelong civil rights activist. As the second-largest Asian American community in the U.S., the month highlights the contributions and role Filipinos have played as part of the American story. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dqk28CZ

October is National #BullyingPreventionMonth. Having zero tolerance for bullying can help students and their families feel safe. Bullying can start with a simple message or harsh word and quickly spiral out of control into hate speech or even violence. It can happen anywhere at any time. Addressing and preventing bullying and cyberbullying is something that everyone can do, every day. Learn more about how students, friends, parents, educators, and even bullies can stop the cycle of bullying: https://lnkd.in/eWbC4PS