Community & Culture

Community building, cultural preservation, and the continuation of Japanese Canadian identity from one generation to the next, together form an essential pillar of BC Redress. Following the loss of identity that occurred as a result of the forced uprooting, internment, dispossession and dispersal of Japanese Canadians, rebuilding community and culture requires investments in physical, social, and institutional infrastructure to ensure the sustainable restoration of the Japanese Canadian community within BC and Canada.

The BC Redress Culture & Community Building pillar is about looking forward and making good decisions today that will renew and sustain the community for generations to come. It is about creating new opportunities for younger Japanese Canadians, including by supporting intergenerational spaces and programming that foster the restoration of strong and vibrant Japanese Canadian identity. 

The Community and Culture meeting was held on September 2nd, 2021. The meeting was co-chaired by Susanne Tabata, and included presentations by Lynn Deutscher Kobayashi, VP, NAJC & President, Toronto NAJC; Kelvin Higo, Steveston; Ramses Miki-Hanson, Young Leaders, NAJC; and Dr. Kirsten McAllister, SFU. It was concluded with remarks by Lorene Oikawa, NAJC President, and Paul Kariya, BC Redress Advisor.

Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives Rachna Singh was joined by Hon. Anne Kang, Minister of Advanced Education & Skills Training, Hon. Honourable Melanie Mark, Tourism, Arts, Culture & Sport, along with key staff and officials.

Our Request

We have requested $20 million to create an independent Japanese Canadian Community Fund that would support programming, infrastructure, scholarships, training, arts, and the creation of community spaces for all Japanese Canadians.

Japanese Canadian Community Fund 

1. Community-led programming ($4m) and activities that create opportunities for Japanese Canadians to reconnect with our culture and rebuild a strong community identity:

2. Community infrastructure ($3m) including capacity building for Japanese Canadian organizations, as well as the revitalization of community spaces, such as accessibility upgrades for Japanese Canadian community centres;

3. Academic scholarships ($3m), and especially graduate level research focused on Japanese Canadian history and cultural experience–if allocated towards endowment, could provide approximate annual funding of $150,000 in perpetuity;

4. Skills & training funding ($3m) for younger Japanese Canadians, including grants and bursaries to support vocational training in trades, technology, and business development programs–if allocated towards endowment, could provide approximate annual funding of $150,000 in perpetuity;

5. Arts funding ($3m) to support Japanese Canadian artists in reclaiming community and cultural identity through artistic practice–if allocated towards endowment, could provide approximate annual funding of $150,000 in perpetuity;

6. Community space in historic area of Vancouver ($1m): to support the community-led process to create an inclusive community space in an historic area of Vancouver.

NAJC Core Capacity-building Funding ($3m)

• Independent of Community Fund, funding would be allocated directly to the NAJC to support organizational strengthening, capacity building and staffing.