Online programs presented by the Japanese American National Museum include the following:
Saturday, June 20: COVID-19 Community Heroes: Taiji Terasaki and Kristin Fukushima, 2 to 3 p.m.
Artist Terasaki will speak from his studio in Hawaii to discuss his latest project, “Transcendients: COVID-19 Community Heroes,” in which he is highlighting unsung heroes who are working tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fukushima, managing director of the Little Tokyo Community Council, will be participating in the program from Little Tokyo.
Fukushima helped found Community Feeding Community, an initiative to purchase meals from Little Tokyo restaurants and distribute them to workers in Little Tokyo impacted by COVID-19. She was highlighted in Terasaki’s project alongside James Choi and Nancy Yap, co-founders of Community Feeding Community. This program will explore what being a “hero” means in times of crisis and what we can do to support and uplift our heroes.
Terasaki is the artist behind JANM’s most recent exhibition, “Transcendients: Heroes at Borders,” which looks at the consequences of prejudice, fear, and misuse of power and the “heroes” who confront and challenge borders, both visible and invisible. Visit janm.org/transcendients to learn more about the exhibition.
This program is free, but RSVPs are required using the ticket link. You will be emailed links and instructions in order to join the conversation on Zoom. Confirm that the email that you register with is the best way to reach you. Contact publicprograms@janm.org if you have any additional questions or specific access concerns. Note you only need to register once per each device.
Tuesday, June 23: “1956 Dodgers’ Tour of Japan: Setting the State for Nomo” from 6 to 7 p.m.
Join Dodgers historian Mark Langill as he shares about the 1956 tour of Japan by the Brooklyn Dodgers, which set the stage for many significant moments in baseball history that connected Japan and Los Angeles baseball, culminating in the signing of Hideo Nomo.
Learn how the 1956 tour paved the way for visits by Tokyo Giants players in the following years to Dodgers’ Spring Training and by the Dodgers to Japan in the ’60s and ’90s, how dugout seats in the Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo influenced the original dugout seats in Dodger Stadium, and the Japanese lantern at Dodger Stadium.
There will also be time for a Q&A with Langill and moderator Chris Komai.
The program is free but RSVPs are required. Visit JANM’s Facebook page or website (www.janm.org) for the RSVP link.
Friday, June 26: JANM Digital Film Festival: “Madame Fujima Kansuma” Q&A
The third film in JANM’s Digital Film Festival series is “Madame Fujima Kansuma,” which shares the life of the celebrated Japanese American kabuki dancer and teacher with a career beginning in the early 1940s and spanning decades and was produced for the Fujima Kansuma: 100th Birthday Celebration in 2018.
The film is available on JANM’s YouTube channel starting June 19.
Join filmmaker Yuka Murakami for a discussion around the legacy of Madame Kansuma with her daughter, Miyako Tachibana, and longtime student, June Berk, who are both featured in the film. The Q&A will explore her extensive career and the impact of her work today. It will be streamed live on JANM’s YouTube channel on June 26 from 6 to 7 p.m. (PDT).
The event is free. To submit questions in advance, visit JANM’s Facebook page or website (www.janm.org) for the link to the form. Participants will be able to chat and ask additional questions live. You will need to be logged in to YouTube to participate in the chat.
Presented in partnership with Tadaima! A Community Virtual Pilgrimage by Japanese American Memorial Pilgrimages.