January 14, 2013
2013 Day of Remembrance Taiko Festival
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Minidoka Pilgrimage 2013 Taiko Fundraiser
Seattle, WA – January 7, 2013 – In recognition of Japanese American Day of Remembrance and the 71st anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066, the Minidoka Pilgrimage Planning Committee and Seattle University are proud to present this year’s Day of Remembrance Taiko Festival 2013. It will take place at 1:00 p.m. Sunday, February 17th at the Pigott Building on the campus of Seattle University, 901 12th Avenue in Seattle, WA. Tickets are $20 general, $10 for students with ID and can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets, http://minidokataiko.brownpapertickets.com/. If attendees purchase tickets through Will Call, no actual tickets will be given, so please make sure to bring identification. For those unable to purchase tickets on-line, they will also be available at the JCCCW Office, 511 – 16th Ave. S., 206-568-7114 and at the Seattle University International Student Center.
A special free exhibit in the Paccar Atrium directly outside the auditorium will open at Noon and will feature the display “Ancestry is not a Crime: A Tribute to Gordon Hirabayashi” detailing his life and challenge of the incarceration and subsequent Coram Nobis case. Also featured will be original photographs in a collection called “My Minidoka” by Johnny Valdez y Uno. Raffle ticket sales and a general store will also be in the atrium to help support the work of the Minidoka Pilgrimage Planning Committee.
The taiko groups that are scheduled to perform are: Seattle Matsuri Taiko, Inochi Taiko, Kaze Daiko, Ringtaro Tateishi School of Taiko, Seattle Kokon Taiko, Northwest Taiko, One World Taiko, Okinawa Kenjinkai Taiko (OKK), Stadium High School Taiko Club and Tacoma Fuji Taiko. The program will conclude with a performance of all the groups together on stage.
The concert benefits the annual Minidoka Pilgrimage to Twin Falls, Idaho. This will be the 11th year of the Pilgrimage. As one of the ten original War Relocation Authority (WRA) camps, the Minidoka National Historic Site is currently a part of the National Park Service and continues to be developed as an educational site. Currently there is an original Mess Hall and Barrack at the site of Block 22, as well as an original Fire Station, Warehouse and Root Cellar. In addition, the Honor Roll listing the names of approximately 1,000 individuals that served in the army from Minidoka was dedicated in 2011.
The Day of Remembrance recognizes the date, February 19, 1942, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which forced 120,000 Japanese American citizens and legal residents into concentration camps during World War II solely based upon their Japanese descent.
Sponsors of this event include: The International Student Center and Office of the President, Seattle University and the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington. Parking at the Broadway Garage at Seattle University is being hosted by the Office of the President.
Contact:
Bif Brigman
bif@jcccw.org
Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Washington
206-568-7114
Dale Watanabe
watanad@seattleu.edu
Minidoka Pilgrimage Committee
206-296-6260
Minidoka Pilgrimage's Blog 