Carolyn Classen The estimate of the huge Women’s March in Tucson crowd that gathered this morning at Armory Park on S. 6th Avenue and marched to Jacome Plaza (in front of the Joel D. Valdez library) was about 15,000. Lots of very creative signs went by, carried by people of all ages, children, elderly, even people with crutches and walkers…gay, straight, multi-racial, many with dogs, wagons, etc. Every few blocks people were chanting “This is what Democracy looks like”. Here’s some photos of today’s crowd.
Although it was almost 75 years ago when on Feb. 19, 1942 President Franklin Roosevelt signed E.O. 9066, which was neutral on its face, but applied only to rounding up & interning nearly 120,000 Japanese American civilians (2/3 were U.S. Citizens) into relocation camps across America — there is still interest today in the injustice done by these camps and relocation of innocent people. My father Francis Sueo Sugiyama was one of those who fled Los Angeles for Chicago in 1942, before the camp round up. (He had just been expelled from USC’s Dental School due to his race).
Event coming up Friday at the Tucson Jewish History Museum (564 S. Stone Ave.), see flyer below: Gallery Chat with poet Brandon Shimoda. “A researcher on this subject and a direct descendant of this history’s victims, Brandon will facilitate a discussion on the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans in Arizona.”
Coming up Sunday Jan. 22 at the Tucson Desert Art Museum (7000 E. Tanque Verde Rd.) is a talk entitled “Baseball Behind Barbed Wire”.
January 22, 2017 1:30 pm
Baseball was immensely important to the Japanese Americans in concentration camps. Bill Staples, author of “Kenichi Zenimura: Japanese American Baseball Pioneer”, will share how baseball helped raise the spirits of those in the camps and also helped with outside prejudice as the camps invited outside teams to play in matches. This event is free in the auditorium. Museum admission rates apply for entrance to the exhibit.”
Speakers:
Bill Staples – author of “Kenichi Zenimura: Japanese American Baseball Pioneer”
Kerry Yo Nakagawa – author and baseball historian, expert in Japanese American baseball
Tets Furukawa – former player/pitcher with the 1945 Gila River Eagles
Kenso Zenimura – followed in his father’s footsteps as a talented player, coach, and mentor, as well as an ambassador for international baseball
Tucson Japanese Festival (new name) was held on January 14, 2017 at PCC Downtown, 1255 N. Stone Ave. to celebrate the New Year.
For the 4th year, Southern Arizona Japanese Cultural Coalition (SAJCC) sponsored a New Year’s festival featuring numerous performances and once again, mochi pounding (from rice). Odaiko Sonora taiko drummers and Yume Japanese Gardens of Tucson were festival co-sponsors.
Origami paper folding was taught and Go, fukuwarai and kendama games were played upstairs in the campus center building. Also on display were ikebana flower arrangements, bonsai from the Tucson Bonsai Club, and calligraphy. Photos below courtesy of freelance photographer James Tokishi, except for last 4 photos by M. Fumie Craig.
Celebrate the memory of slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at UA Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. on Sunday January 15, 2017.
FREE and OPEN TO ALL!
“Celebrate Dr. King and his work towards social justice with a free concert organized by UA Presents at Centennial Hall. The stirring program will feature artists from the UA School of Theatre, Film and Televison, UA Poetry Center, an MLK Choir arranged by Southwest Soul Circuit and a special opening performance from the children of Ocotillo Early Learning Center.
This event is made possible with the support of the College of Fine Arts,
UA Presents, University of Arizona College of Humanities and the College of Humanities Africana Studies.”
A Commemorative Day of Unity! Connect with your community, make nutritious food choices, move your body, and spend quality time outdoors! Sign up today to reserve your spot at any of the 16 fantastic health and fitness events happening across Pima County on Saturday, Jan. 14th, 2017. You can register here: www.beyond-tucson.org Many events to choose from: http://www.beyond-tucson.org/events/. … Read more