Dear Members and Friends of JASH,

 

In both the U.S. and Japan, spring brings new beginnings. In these early months in the Northern Hemisphere, plants and animals have started emerging their winter slumber. Daily life in Japan mirrors this fresh start, with the school year and fiscal year kicking off in the springtime. In Hawaii, the seasonal changes are perhaps more discrete, marked by shifts in the tides and winds rather than the melting of snow. Although people throughout the globe experience spring in varying ways, none of these experiences is greater or less than any other; they are simply Different Perspectives.

 

The Japan-America Society of Hawaii renews our commitment in standing against hate. Too often are we reminded that even now, there are some who use differences to invalidate people based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and more. Racial and gendered violence, misogyny, and xenophobia are not just lines in our history books. We at the Japan-America Society of Hawaii join the Asian, AAPI, Black, and other minority communities in solidarity to condemn all forms of discrimination.

 

It is our mission to unite people across the Pacific and beyond, a goal best illustrated by our educational program’s focus on acknowledging, accepting, and encouraging Different Perspectives. In all aspects of our organization, the Japan-America Society of Hawaii will continue building bridges, bringing together people of varying cultures and backgrounds, and fostering equity and justice.

 

Spring brings warmth, vitality, and color back into the world. Just like the myriad of spring flowers, it is diversity that makes the world such a beautiful place to be.