Day of Remembrance

Today, February 19, 2021, is a very important day in our nation’s history.

It marks 79 years since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in 1942, sending 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans living on the West Coast, two thirds being U.S. citizens, to the ten U.S. military internment camps spread across America’s heartland. It was unjust, unconstitutional, without any regard of their civil rights, without any due process, and they were ordered to leave their homes and businesses, under armed military supervision. Families could only take what they could carry to the buses and trains not knowing what the future held. People sold their worldly possessions, cars, furniture, household goods, for maybe ten cents on the dollar. Most lost everything they had.

Our communities across the country, commemorate this day, February 19th, as our DAY OF REMEMBRANCE, so we never forget and we never allow it to happen again, to anyone else.

Established in 1929, the JACL was the witnesses of that dark period, battled the racism and discrimination that our immigrant grandparents and great grandparents faced. The JACL is now the oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organization in the U.S., and they continue the fight, to stand up for all diverse communities, for all minorities.

The JACL has chosen me to tell their story in the first educational documentary film to chronicle their 90 plus year history, “OUR LEAGUE OF DREAMS”.

Please take a look at our short promo: https://youtu.be/R0Yn2vm3fpM And here’s a short Sneak Preview of what’s to come: https://youtu.be/oXjuaN-b0kc PLEASE – consider helping us with a donation, of any amount, and go to our GoFundMe page at: https://bit.ly/OURLEAGUEI will make sure your name is highlighted in the end credits of the film.

Since the Covid 19 pandemic broke, there have been over 2,800 hundred physical and verbal attacks against Asian Americans in our country. The JACL has been actively raising the alarm to the White House and they have finally responded.

Help me educate our country about our national voice. Help me document the story of the JACL for generations to come.

I greatly appreciate whatever you can give.

Thank you so much for your support.

Mahalo and Aloha, Lane.

Hope You and Yours are Safe and Well

We have been through one of the toughest years we’ve ever faced.

I am reminded of my grandparents and parents who lived through World War I, the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918, the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, earthquakes, typhoons, 12 major recessions, but always put on a brave face and rose above it all.

They rose above the Asian Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Johnson-Reed Act of 1924 limiting their chances of crossing the Pacific Ocean in search of a dream, a new life. They rose above the horrible contract labor conditions that attracted thousands of immigrant workers to the sugar cane plantations in Hawaii, to the transcontinental railroad in Utah, and to the central valley farmlands of California, in the late 1800s. They rose above the racism and prejudice that kept them from owning land, starting a business, and naturalization, during the early 1900s.

They rose above the consternation and anxiety as they watched their home being bombarded on December 7, 1941. They rose above the dismay and disillusionment as Executive Order 9066 was signed on February 19, 1942, sending them to the military concentration camp in Rohwer, Arkansas. They rose above the suspicions and hatred to volunteer for the U.S. Army, to fight the Nazis in Europe, to prove their loyalty, and strive for a better life for their loved ones.

They rose in a country that did not welcome them, that constantly made their lives oppressive, and even denounced their civil and human rights. They lost everything but rose, to start over, time and time again.

I am reminded of their strength and determination to make our world better and give us greater freedoms and opportunities. I see that strength and determination in their children and the generations who have followed. I see it in all my Hawaii family and my California family. Let us rise. Let’s never forget.

Wishing you all a better 2021.

Update

I hope this finds everyone out there well and safe during this Covid 19 pandemic. Our last screenings were up in the Northwest in Seattle and Puyallup Valley. Thank you to all the organizations who hosted the events. Since then, I had nine cities postpone OUR LOST YEARS screenings until we get a better idea of how we’re going to hold them. A good part of our audience are older Nisei, the WWII generation, and we got to be careful. I’ll keep everyone informed once we start up the tour. In the meantime, in honor of Memorial Day, I thought I’d share with you a film clip of an earlier documentary I did, NEVER FORGET, based on the few remaining San Diego Japanese American WWII veterans and their families. David Ono from ABC News Los Angeles is the host. Also, the trailer from my dramatic feature film, ONLY THE BRAVE. I had seven uncles and my dad, who served with the 100th Battalion, the 442nd Regiment and the Military Intelligence Service during the war. Let’s all take a moment and remember all those who fought to give us a better life, with greater opportunities and greater freedoms.

NEVER FORGET https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6bwBlyrPtI&feature=youtu.be

ONLY THE BRAVE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4Qhj0lxCh0&feature=youtu.be