On Saturday, February 19, 2005, San Mateo JACL will commemorate Day of Remembrance and install its officers for the 2005 year. The program will be held at the San Mateo County History Museum in Redwood City. Tickets to the event will be $20 and include the program, a boxed lunch (obento), and admission to the museum’s exhibits.

The keynote speaker for this year is historian Michael Svanevik, professor at College of San Mateo and published author, along with Shirley Burgett, of nearly a dozen books of local history. Svanevik is an engaging presenter and San Mateo JACL is delighted that he will be joining us this year to tell us more about the history of Japanese Americans in San Mateo County and to offer his perspectives on Japanese Americans’ lived experiences and contributions to the community. The title of the keynote address is “Between Two Worlds.” Our membership should find the remarks insightful, as JACL negotiates its identity as a civil rights organization or one that preserves cultural roots to create a living history.

We will also be honoring as a Living Treasure the Asian American Curriculum Project, under the direction of Florence M. Hongo, President of the Board and General Manager. San Mateo JACL has honored individuals in the past but has renamed the recognition in tribute to the highest award that can be achieved in the Japanese arts. In Japan, Living Treasures are remarkable people who quietly keep the country's most precious creative traditions alive. It is in this spirit that San Mateo JACL recognizes AACP as a Living Treasure for its 35 years of service to San Mateo and the greater community.