The keynote speaker, Michel Shehadeh, the Western Regional Director of the American-Arab Anti-discrimination Committee (ADC), spoke out against the rounding up of individuals in his and the Muslim communities.  He noted that the process was parallel to that used to incarcerate Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 by the Japanese and the signing of Executive Order 90066.  The ADC is a civil rights organization committed to defending the rights of people of Arab descent and promoting their cultural heritage and humanizing the image of the Arab people.

The NCRR Fighting Spirit award was presented to Art Shibayama who was selected for his activism and fighting spirit in seeking justice for Japanese Latin Americans and for his ongoing struggle to receive reparations from the US government through his lawsuit, Shibayama vs Reno (USA).  Casey Peeks screened his video story of Art Shibayama.  The JACL Community Achievement Award was presented to the Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates, a progressive organization who fought for Korean Americans and Latino workers in Koreatown.  They demanded inclusion of workers in the relief fund established after the 1992 civil unrest in Los Angeles.

Eight Japanese Americans who were willing to sue the US government for reparations and one redress advocate who helped countless applicants receive redress were honored for their struggles.  The individual honorees included Carol Higashi, Wendy Hirota, Kay Kato, Robert Murakami, the Ogura Family, Henry Shima, Carole Song and Jane Yano.  Also honored was Janet Saisho who worked tirelessly on behalf of redress applicants at the San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center.

Entertainment was provided by Shida Pegahi, a dancer, choreographer and faculty member of the Westside Academy of Dance.  Zero 3, consisting of members, Kennedy Kasabares, Traci Kato-Kiriyama, and Edren Sumagaysay provided a spoken word piece.  Award winning Denise Uyehara who has performed in the US, London, Vancouver, Helsinki, Tokyo and Hariou, China, performed her piece “Big Head” which explored racial profiling of Japanese American, Arab Americans and Muslims during times of crisis.

American-Arab Anti-discrimination Committee (ADC)..., Website:
www.adc.org