Volunteers still needed at the Garden of the Phoenix this Wednesday!

We could still use some more volunteers to help us clean up the Garden of the Phoenix in Jackson Park on Wednesday, August 23rd from 9 am-12 pm CST!

We will meet at the Garden at 9 AM with an orientation and then likely participate in the some shoreline work (moving some rocks) and planting items in the garden.

There will be a waiver form that we will email attendees to fill out and email before or bring with them the day of the event, as well as further instructions on where to meet.

Please consider bringing items like water, gloves, hat, and sunscreen.

Thank you for your support of this wonderful resource in Chicago and one of the most important symbols of the relationship between the United States and Japan!

Sign up here!

See more information about the Garden of the Phoenix below.

Garden of the Phoenix.pdf

Download PDF • 347KB

Appreciation vs Appropriation: A nuanced discussion on cultural ownership from Twin Cities JACL

The following event has been shared with us. See details below!

We're excited to kick off our first discussion of the series on Saturday, August 12th at 7pm US Central Time (8pm Eastern, 6pm Mountain, 5pm Pacific) with Yuki Kokubo 小久保由紀 (she/her)!

Yuki is the creator behind Made by Yuki, a clothing line that utilizes Kimonos and other vintage Japanese textiles. By focusing on the history and craftsmanship of traditional textiles, Yuki creates opportunities for everyone to appreciate Japanese culture without overstepping the boundaries of appropriation.

Find out more about her work at madebyyuki.com or by following @made.by.yuki on Instagram. You can register for Yuki’s discussion and the others in our series using the button below. Questions for Yuki can be emailed to advocacy@tcjacl.org up to one werk prior to the event.

“Appreciation vs Appropriation: A nuanced discussion on cultural ownership” is an exciting collaboration between the @twincitiesjacl Social Justice Committee and @made.by.yuki. Funding is provided by Karen and Les Suzukamo and graphic design by @kuniko.creates.

Appreciation vs Appropriation is a continuous conversation on cultural ownership that attempts to explore this complex topic in a nuanced way. This conversation will be structured as a series of one-on-one interviews with artists, subject matter experts, and community members speaking from their own perspectives rather than attempting to speak for entire communities or cultures.

We do not expect all messaging to be consistent, nor do we expect a consensus to be reached on where the line falls between appropriation and appreciation. Rather, we hope to spark further conversations on the topic. All conversations will be streamed live, and recordings will be made available when interviewees grant their permission for us to do so.

Register here.

Volunteer Day at the Garden of the Phoenix

We invite our alumni to participate in a volunteer day at the Garden of the Phoenix in Jackson Park lead by the Chicago Park District and the Japanese Culture Center on Wednesday, August 23rd from 9 am-12 pm CST!

We will meet at the Garden at 9 AM with an orientation and then likely participate in the some shoreline work (moving some rocks) and planting items in the garden.

There will be a waiver form that we will email attendees to fill out and email before or bring with them the day of the event, as well as further instructions on where to meet.

Please consider bringing items like water, gloves, hat, and sunscreen.

Thank you for your support of this wonderful resource in Chicago and one of the most important symbols of the relationship between the United States and Japan!

Sign up here!

See more information about the Garden of the Phoenix below.

Garden of the Phoenix.pdf

Download PDF • 347KB