Happy Thursday! Katie here, back with your top Race and Culture stories.
We are continuing to recognize our Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi American, as well as Jewish American communities in honor of AANHPI/APIDA Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month.
As the month wraps up, our team is committed to bringing you stories reflecting all of our diverse communities year-round. Let us know what you would like to see next! Email our team at raceandculture@abc10.com or you can reach me directly at kkim@abc10.com.
Incarcerated Japanese Americans during WWII
Every year, members of the Florin Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League make a pilgrimage from Sacramento to an internment camp where Japanese Americans were incarcerated.
Manzanar, located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, is one of 10 internment camps where more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were forcibly incarcerated for three years following the attacks on Pearl Harbor. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the forced removal of Japanese Americans, who were deemed threats to the national security of the U.S.
Today, Manzanar remains one of the most preserved internment camps that honor and preserve the memory of the more than 10,000 Japanese Americans who spent all or part of WWII there. You can hear stories about former incarcerees at Manzanar HERE.
Local congregation shares historic roots during Jewish American Heritage Month
Long before Jewish American Heritage Month was nationally recognized during the month of May, historic foundations of Jewish heritage took root in California during the Gold Rush era, specifically in Stockton. It's evident in Temple Israel, one of the oldest Jewish congregations in the western region of the U.S. dating back to 1851, according to the Jewish Museum of the American West. You can read more about how Temple Israel has become an epicenter for Jewish life in Stockton HERE.
#ICYMI (In case you missed it)
Changes after discrimination lawsuit settlement
The Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) is making changes after settling a lawsuit on race and disability discrimination between the school district, students and the Black Parallel School Board (BPSB), a Black-led community organization.
Three students, along with BPSB, first filed the lawsuit against SCUSD back in 2019. The district is accused of segregating students with disabilities — particularly Black students — from their peers without disabilities. The settlement now requires an "independent monitor" to review existing data on SCUSD's special education and school discipline practices. You can read the school district's full statement HERE.
Recognizing work in the community, by the community
Because we are spending a lot of time in diverse communities, we constantly meet remarkable people who are serving and doing great work for their communities. We want to highlight these community leaders and organizations so you also get to know them as well!
The Laban Group, a Filipino ethnic media collaborative, presented its new anti-Asian hate awareness campaign to the public at the start of the year. This month, their issue is focused on honoring Filipino American Service and Bravery! You can see the campaign ad below (if you can't see the image, make sure you're allowing blocked content from this email)!
The Laban Group aims to promote awareness in the Filipino American community and the broader public about anti-Asian hate incidents and crimes, and related topics. That includes reducing stigma surrounding the reporting of hate incidents and hate crimes, enhancing understanding of resources for victims and survivors, and promoting community healing and cross-cultural and cross-racial collaboration.
The collaborative was also part of a recent panel with the Social Justice PolitiCorps for Sacramento County (SJPC) to discuss anti-Asian hate education and awareness. You can watch the panel here, where speakers discuss the history and nuances of anti-Asian hate rhetoric, as well as how victims and survivors of hate incidences can access resources and support.
Get to know us!
Community-driven storytelling isn't possible without the dedication of all of our ABC10 journalists and staff. That's why in every newsletter, I will introduce different members of our team so you know the amazing faces and names behind our content. Let's meet Tyler!
My name is Tyler Horst and I have been a photojournalist with our ABC10 Originals team since 2019. Most of the time I'm working on our Fire - Power - Money, Price of Care, and Bartell's Backroads series.
I love that we're able to look deeply into all of our stories and try to give the fullest picture possible of issues that impact people. The most rewarding stories are ones that help create change.
While I'm not working, I perform improv with my team 'Pitch, Please!' at the Sacramento Comedy Spot. Come see me sometime!
What's happening in your community that you want us to know about? Send your suggestions and feedback to raceandculture@abc10.com.
