PRESS ANNOUNCEMENTFor Immediate Release
Contact:
Naomi Funahashi, Symposium Coordinator,nfunahashi@jcccnc.org
Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California
1840 Sutter Street z San Francisco, CA 94115
415.567.5505 z www.jcccnc.org

Preserving Japantowns Reception to Celebrate the Past, Presentand Future of California’s Japantowns
SAN FRANCISCO (June 5, 2006) – Celebrating Our Japantowns, a reception at the Miyako Hotelin San Francisco’s Japantown, will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 9, 2006. This reception isthe culminating event of the Preserving California’s Japantowns Symposium, which will bring
together experts, practitioners and community members to discuss the historic and culturalpreservation of Japantowns across California.

The Celebrating Our Japantowns reception is anoccasion to celebrate the past, present and futureof California’s Japantown communities throughmusic, food and other festivities. The discussions
andoutcomesoftheone-day

Preserving

California’s Japantowns Symposium will shape
future directives and priorities for cultural andhistoricpreservation

efforts

ofCalifornia'sJapantowns. Anyone interested in learning aboutthe unique history, opportunities and challenges
of preserving the history and culture of ourPost and Laguna Streets Intersection
Photo credit:
Generations: A Japanese American Community Portrait

Japantown communities and how the latest inpreservation tools and techniques can be applied to Japantowns, is encouraged to attend thesymposium and reception.

The reception will take place from 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. in Imperial Ballroom B at the Miyako
Hotel in San Francisco’s Japantown (1625 Post Street, between Laguna and Buchanan Streets).
A buffet reception and entertainment will be provided by a quartet led by Dr. Anthony Brown, aninternationally acclaimed percussionist, composer and ethnomusicologist.

A San Francisco

native of Japanese and African/Native American descent, Dr. Brown brings with him extensive
experience as artistic director of the Asian American Jazz Orchestra, a federally-funded national
educational touring project about the Japanese American internment experience.

This symposium will address the following goals:•Learn about the unique history, opportunities and challenges of preserving the history
and culture of California’s Japantown communities•

Networkwith2004-2005

CCLPEP

preservation

grant

recipients

andotherpreservationists from across California•Advance your own work and ideas by connecting with others who have faced similarpreservation issues and concerns, and get a “heads up” on how you can respond whenchallenges and opportunities come your way•

Collaborate in panel discussions and interactive breakout sessions on the latest inpreservation tools and techniques

Sponsored by the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program (CCLPEP) and theCalifornia State Library, this event will also offer 2004-2005 CCLPEP preservation grantrecipients an opportunity to present the current progress and outcomes of their cultural andhistoric preservation work.

The Preserving California’s Japantowns Symposium is organized by the Japanese Cultural andCommunity Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) in partnership with the California JapaneseAmerican Community Leadership Council (CJACLC) and the support of the California Cultural &Historical Endowment, California Preservation Foundation, the National Trust for HistoricPreservation, and the Nichi Bei Times.

Join us in engaging our communities to learn about the cultural and historic preservation of ourJapantowns. Symposium fees are $40 general registration, and $10 student/senior registration.
Registration fees include a continental breakfast, box lunch, and the buffet reception as describedabove.

For general information or questions, contact Naomi Funahashi at nfunahashi@jcccnc.org or(415) 567-5505. For registration, call JCCCNC at (415) 567-5505 or visit
www.californiajapantowns.org.

About JCCCNC
Envisioned by the Japanese American community, JCCCNC will be an everlasting foundation of
our Japanese American ancestry, cultural heritage, histories and traditions. The JCCCNC strives
to meet the evolving needs of the Japanese American community through programs, affordable

services and administrative support and facilities for other local service organizations. The
JCCCNC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community center based in San Francisco.

About CCLPEPThe California Civil Liberties Public Education Program (CCLPEP) was created in 1999 as theresult of the passage of the California Civil Liberties Public Education Act (AB1914 and AB1915)
sponsored by Assemblymember Mike Honda. The legislation creates the California Civil Liberties
Public Education Program, CCLPEP. Its purpose is to provide competitive grants for public
educational activities and the development of educational materials to ensure that the events
surrounding the exclusion, forced removal and incarceration of civilians and permanent resident
aliens of Japanese ancestry will be remembered and so that causes and circumstances of thisand similar events may be illuminated and understood. The CCLPEP has funded $5.5 million
over the past six years in more than 160 projects. For more information about the CCLPEP, visit
www.library.ca.gov/cclpep.
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