At a time when disease runs rampant throughout most of the country without any clear plan for curtailing the current COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. has seemingly vacated its status as world leader. It is in this unique moment that we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and 9, 1945, respectively. As Japanese Americans we must interrogate the extraordinary cruelty and blatant disregard for human life that the atomic bombings represent if we are to guarantee that they are never again used in war.

In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, each of the annual pilgrimages to sites of wartime Japanese American incarceration were canceled. These pilgrimages provide important educational and community-building opportunities for incarceration survivors, their descendants, the Japanese American community as a whole and the public at large.

Recognizing the ongoing significance of these pilgrimages, a broad coalition of Japanese American Confinement Sites and community organizations across the country came together under the leadership of Japanese American Memorial Pilgrimages to host “Tadaima! A Community Virtual Pilgrimage,’ which ran for 9 weeks of consecutive daily programming throughout the summer of 2020.

Conversations about race and racism in the United States tend to focus on anti-Blackness and white supremacy. At times, this binary has obscured anti-Asian racism from public view. However, in the early months of the pandemic, coronavirus-related hate crimes against Asian Americans spiked dramatically nationwide. This article summarizes some of the many hate incidents experienced locally in Philadelphia during that time.

Born and raised in Fallsington, Pennsylvania, Dr. Tod Mikuriya’s lifelong research laid the foundation upon which all medical marijuana legislation is based. This extended format article explores the history of his life’s work to get medical marijuana restored in the American pharmacopoeia.

JACL Philadelphia hosted its annual Day of Remembrance on Feb. 22 at Philadelphia City Hall at a time when Japanese American communities across the country were coming together. The events of last month seem distant in the wake of the growing COVID-19 pandemic that is sweeping our nation, and it is difficult to accept this may be the last time for a long while that we will experience community in such great numbers.

Nearing the end of his term as a commissioner on the Advisory Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs, Buscher speaks to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf about key issues facing the AAPI community.

JACL Philadelphia chapter members visit the iconic Nakashima Woodworkers Studio, where some of America’s greatest wooden furniture pieces have been designed and made.

JACL National Convention attendees visit the former site of the Topaz Relocation Center and Topaz Museum, a testament to all that has been overcome in the years since the incarceration era.

I looked around the packed theater of about 300 attendees at the Philadelphia Film Center to find another Asian American. I could not identify any other people in the audience who were visibly of Asian descent. Fortunately, the folks at A24 have done a much better job reaching out to communities in advance of the film’s theatrical release, but here’s my underlying question: who really benefits from a film like this entering the mainstream market?

I don’t remember the first time my mother told me about the relatives we lost in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. It was such an important part of our family’s history that I feel like I always knew about it. My reflections on Japanese voices being overshadowed by the white gaze in the upcoming film One Thousand Paper Cranes.

In the 2017 Holiday Issue of the Pacific Citizen, I wrote an extensive history of the Issei and Nisei communities who settled in the Philadelphia region before and after World War II. Through my research, I became acquainted with the incredible group of leaders who built a community from the ground up in a region with relatively few Japanese. The following is an extended history further exploring the conditions that led to the settlement of Issei and Nisei communities in Philadelphia, told largely through the words of people who lived it.

Presented at Twelve Gates Arts in November 2018, “American Peril: Imagining the Foreign Threat” featured more than 60 printed materials and other original artifacts. The collection spanned nearly 150 years — from the Chinese Exclusion era to World War II-era anti-Japanese propaganda, and even contemporary anti-Muslim propaganda. Following are insights on the collection process and how casual antiquing turned into an exhibit that explores the history of anti-Asian racial propaganda.

Witnessing firsthand the trauma of incarceration while in Wyoming, the writer reveals closure to feelings of guilt and gains new insight for the JA community moving forward.

PAAFF is one of over 100 organizations and individuals that bought out theaters nationwide as part of #GoldOpen, a grassroots campaign started by friends of the filmmakers to ensure a successful opening weekend. In addition to contributing toward the film’s bottom line, these screenings also create a buzz within the Asian-American/Pacific Islander community, which has made this opening weekend a true cinematic event (think Star Wars for Asians).

When Warner Brothers released the trailer for Crazy Rich Asians in late April, many Asian Americans were elated. The long-awaited adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s bestselling 2013 novel marks the first film with an all-Asian cast produced by a major Hollywood studio (Warner Brothers) in 25 years.

However, there has also been much speculation about whether this is actually a win for Asian Americans. Will it further perpetuate stereotypes such as the “model minority” myth?

There are few occasions that showcase the wide-ranging spectrum of Japanese culture as effectively as the American cherry blossom festival, but as more contemporary pop culture seeps into these celebrations, are the traditional elements at risk of being lost?

The internet is abuzz with think pieces about Wes Anderson’s new feature-length animation Isle of Dogs. Set in Japan, it stars a mostly white, American-led vocal cast. Is the film an homage to Japanese culture or downright appropriation? As expected, much of the critical condemnation comes from writers of color, while Anderson apologists tend to be cinephiles of European descent.

After just two weekends in theaters, Ryan Coogler’s superhero film Black Panther has already done more to advance African American media representation than any major Hollywood film in the past decade. That’s a remarkable achievement. But it’s also important to recognize and reconcile with the idea that in our own fight for representation, an Asian American victory will look very different.

As a critic, it is important to speak your truth, but if you cannot relate to this particular play, chances are it wasn’t written for you.

Following the conclusion of WWII, many Japanese Americans re-established roots in Philadelphia, helping to grow the community into a vibrant and thriving city that continues to celebrate that history today.