[BCMA] It's Asian Heritage Month 2016! 

Tue May 3 09:12:15 PDT 2016

explorAsian May 2016 Newsletter
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IT'S ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH!!
We are so excited to be celebrating Asian Heritage Month with you in this year's explorASIAN 2016! It is explorASIAN's 20th Anniversary, so we hope you will come celebrate with us!

This year, we celebrate the Japanese-Canadian community and legacy. The tradition of highlighting a specific Pan Asian community during explorASIAN, beginning with the Filipino and Persian communities, grew out of the "First Families" project launched four years ago. By highlighting specific communities we hope to develop a deeper understanding of diverse Pan Asian communities and their identity, integration, and desire to share their culture with others.

Now, we focus on the Japanese-Canadian community, a celebration that is long overdue. This community has deep historical roots in Canada, yet little is known of their history. The Japanese in this country have experienced major injustices, especially during the Second World War, and we appreciate the opportunity to get their story out to the wider public.

This year we also celebrate explorASIAN's 20th Anniversary with the launch of our "Following the Silk Routes and Beyond in Vancouver" project, a photographic exhibition that portrays visual examples of spaces and  commercial networks in Asia, and the impact that these trading paths had on world culture and perspectives in modern life.

The exhibition runs from April 17th to May 31st at the Chinese Cultural Centre (555 Columbia Street) (http://explorasian.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ef4814393ece270f4ef2e54a4&id=f6d67a26c0&e=f48c35feb9) . For more on this project, see here (http://explorasian.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ef4814393ece270f4ef2e54a4&id=e6b8515be7&e=f48c35feb9) .

In this issue you will find:
- A Letter from our President, Ken McAteer (#Letter from Our President)
-Opening Ceremony of explorASIAN 2016 (#Opening Ceremony)
- Recognition Gala Tickets and Call for Donations (#Recognition Gala)
- Words from Our Prize Sponsor Cathay Pacific Airlines (#Cathay Pacific)
- Honouring Grace Eiko Thomson (#Honouring Grace)
- Honouring Tosh and Mary Kitagawa (#Honouring Tosh and Mary)
- Honouring the Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens' Association (#Greater Vancouver JCCA)
- Additional Info (#More) from the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society (#More)
For the full schedule of Asian Heritage Month 2016, see here. (http://explorasian.us11.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=ef4814393ece270f4ef2e54a4&id=92887e9f45&e=f48c35feb9)

** A Letter from our President
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** Ken McAteer
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Dear Friends,

After a very successful Opening Ceremony at the SFU Vancouver World Art Centre on April 16, and the many Festival events that we’ve enjoyed so far, we look forward to the upcoming events and our Recognition Gala on June 11 at Nikkei Place.  The Gala will be a great event that features buffet Japanese cuisine and tables of ten for seating.  Other aspects of the Gala are covered in this Newsletter.  We acknowledge our twelve generous Sponsors, Funders and Donors whose logos are printed below in this Newsletter.  Thanks also to our capable and dedicated volunteers who give us their time and talents to produce wonderful things.

Happy Asian Heritage Month in Vancouver!

Ken McAteer, President

** Opening Ceremony
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On April 16th, explorASIAN 2016 hosted the Opening Ceremony of Asian Heritage Month at SFU Woodwards.

The ceremony opened and closed with wonderful musical and dance performances. On display, there were pieces from the "Following the Silk Routes and Beyond in Vancouver" exhibition, curated by Leticia Sanchez, and "Teaser 2016" original paintings by Generation One artists, coordinated by Esmie Gayo McLaren. Bob Sung, Advisor for VAHMS, and Margaret Gallagher of CBC were the MC's for the ceremony.

Thank you to speakers Hon. Dr. Hedy Fry, MLA Sam Sullivan, Acting Mayor Raymond Louie, GVJCCA President Lorene Oikawa, Dr. Laurie Anderson, and Dr. Paul Crowe for taking time out of your busy schedules to honour the Opening of Asian Heritage Month.

It was a wonderful start to Asian Heritage Month 2016. Thank you to all for coming out to celebrate Asian arts, cultures, and contributions, shared and celebrated as part of the harmonious diversity of Canada.

To view a photo gallery of the event, see here (http://explorasian.us11.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=ef4814393ece270f4ef2e54a4&id=a42979e867&e=f48c35feb9) . Photo credit goes to Owen Wong.
Recognition Gala & Call for Donations
Every year, explorASIAN concludes with a Recognition Gala, to complete Asian Heritage Month and honour a highlighted Pan-Asian community. Our Recognition Gala is explorASIAN's sole fundraising opportunity every year.

This year, our Recognition Gala will be taking place on June 11th, 5:30pm at the Nikkei Museum and Cultural Centre (6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby (http://explorasian.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ef4814393ece270f4ef2e54a4&id=cd391dd95a&e=f48c35feb9) ), and will honour outstanding Japanese-Canadian leaders and the Japanese-Canadian community. The Gala will mark explorASIAN's 20th Anniversary, so we hope you will come out to celebrate with us!

Featured also at the Gala will be a delicious dinner, a wine and beer cash bar, a raffle and silent auction, a display of the "Following the Silk Routes and Beyond" exhibition, and entertainment by Pan-Asian artists. The delicious buffet at the Gala will feature Japanese food where guests will sit down at tables of ten and choose food from a wide assortment at buffet tables.

Tickets
If you would like to buy a ticket, prices are $70 per ticket or $650 per table of ten. Fee for new membership of VAHMS will be included in the price of the ticket.

Contact for tickets:
* Ken McAteer (778-870-1276) kdmcateer at telus.net
* Beverly Nann (604-566-2449) b.nann at telus.net
* Eleanor Munk office.vahms at gmail.com

Prizes

Your assistance requested in acquiring donations for the Raffle and Silent Auction at our sole fundraising event.

Suggestions: Wine, Hotel Retreats, Airline Tickets, Theatre Tickets, Area Rugs, Yoga, Lithographs, Teas, Books, Gift Baskets, Restaurant Meals, Prints, Coffees, Pan-Asian items, Entertainment tickets, Tours, Electronics, Food Hampers, Gift Certificates

Special thanks to Cathay Pacific for their generous donation of two return tickets to Hong Kong that will be the top prize in the Raffle at the Recognition Gala.

Words From Our Prize Sponsor Cathay Pacific
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We believe that travelling well is an important part of living well.

That’s why we continually strive to enhance the overall travel experience. To be more personable in our service. More considered in our design. More intuitive in anticipating your needs. Helping make your journey more pleasurable.

Because when you travel well, your trip can become more memorable, more meaningful, more rewarding. This philosophy has been at the heart of everything we do for almost 70 years. And it’s something that drives our people to deliver a better experience for you.

Cathay Pacific – Life Well Travelled

** Honouring Grace Eiko Thomson
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Grace Eiko Thomson, on the left above, is a second generation Canadian of Japanese ancestry, curator, cultural historian, educator, and consultant.

Grace has a BFA (Hons.) degree in Studio Art and Western Art History from the University of Manitoba, graduate studies in Asian Art History at UBC, and a Masters degree in Social History of Art from the University of Leeds, UK.

She is a former Director Curator of the Japanese Canadian National Museum (1999-2002). Over the years, Grace has curated many exhibits including three important Japanese Canadian history exhibits: Re-shaping Memory; Shashin; and Levelling the Playing Field. She also played a key role in getting the Vancouver Asahi baseball team recognized at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Grace has served on the executive board of the National Association of Japanese Canadians and is a former president. She was also the co-founder of the Asian Heritage Month Society.

In 1942, she and her family along with 22,000 Japanese Canadians were forcibly removed from the west coast and were sent from Vancouver to internment camps in the interior of British Columbia, and then to rural Manitoba in 1945, and after 1949 when restrictions were lifted they settled in Winnipeg.

** Honouring Tosh and Mary Kitagawa
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Tosh and Mary Kitagawa, on the left above, are best known for their work to achieve justice for the former 1942 UBC students who were expelled because of their Japanese ancestry, but both are human rights activists and have been involved in the GVJCCA Human Rights committee for many years.

Tosh, a retired businessman, and Mary, a retired school teacher, were both born in British Columbia, but being Canadian-born didn't stop their expulsion along with 22,000 other Japanese Canadians from the West Coast.

Tosh was interned on a sugar beet farm in Diamond City, Alberta. Mary was born on Salt Spring Island and she and her family were moved to about ten different places during the forced dispersal during and after the Second World War.

** Honouring the Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens' Association (GVJCCA)
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The Greater Vancouver Japanese Canadian Citizens' Association (GVJCCA) is a non-profit organization that builds communities, and advocates for social justice primarily for people in Canada of Japanese heritage, and their families.

The GVJCCA is the publisher of The Bulletin/Geppo, a journal of Japanese Canadian community, history & culture. The GVJCCA was formed in 1952 to support the rebuilding of the Japanese Canadian community and was instrumental in the community movement for redress for Japanese Canadians.
More from Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society
Do you have any other questions about Vancouver Asian Heritage Month? Contact Coordinator Eleanor Munk at for additional questions or concerns.

Have a wonderful May and enjoy celebrating Asian Heritage Month: many languages, many cultures, one celebration!
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Thanks to our Sponsors: the City of Vancouver, Cathay Pacific Airlines, the Vancouver Courier, Bao Down, the Government of British Columbia, the Government of Canada, Granville Island Brewing, Iven K.S. Tse, the Nikkei Museum and Cultural Centre, Simon Fraser University, the David Lam Centre, and the UBC Learning Exchange.
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Our mailing address is:
Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society
612 Main St, Vancouver, BC
Vancouver, BC V6A 2V3
Canada
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