The JACL Pacific Southwest District will be celebrating the 90th anniversary of the JACL at the “Honoring Our History and Forging Our Future” Annual Awards Benefit Luncheon on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 11:30 a.m. at the Torrance Marriott Redondo Beach Hotel, 3635 Fashion Way, Torrance.
This years’ JACL Service Awardees are Marissa Kitazawa, documentary filmmaker; Mario Reyes, photographer for The Rafu Shimpo; Japanese American Cultural & Community Center; and Orange County Supervisor Lisa A. Bartlett.
Kitazawa is filmmaker who integrates art with community activism. She has worked extensively to develop several youth empowerment programs in Los Angeles that converge community storytelling, coalition building, and intergenerational dialogue. She was the JACL Henry & Chiyo Kuwahara Scholar in 2012 and one of her research interests is the World War II Japanese American incarceration.
Reyes has been the photo editor for The Rafu Shimpo for the past 30 years, chronicling important events and issues impacting the Japanese American community. His life’s work was featured in the Steve Nagano documentary “More Than 1,000 Words.”
Bartlett serves as the supervisor for Orange County’s 5th District and is the first Japanese American to serve on the OC Board of Supervisors. Her district is the county’s second-largest and home to more than 650,000 residents. It includes Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, and the unincorporated areas of Coto de Caza and Ladera Ranch.
PSWD chapter honorees are Ken Nakano, Ventura County; Marcia Mahoney, San Fernando Valley; and Patti Hirahara, SELANOCO (Southeast Los Angeles/North Orange County).
For additional information and reservations, visit www.jaclpsw.org, call (310) 266-3398 or email ayonemoto@yahoo.com.