The Community Council is pleased to welcome Terry Watada to our group. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Terry has been actively involved with the Japanese-Canadian community across Canada since the 1970s. He is a theatre performer, musician, speaker, and human rights activist. Terry has written extensively about the JC community’s experiences and people in the forms of poetry, fiction and non-fiction novels, and edited anthologies. For his efforts and dedication Terry has won many awards including the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the National Association of Japanese Canadians (NAJC) Merit award for volunteering. He was also the recipient of the Dr. Gordon Hirabayashi Human Rights Award at the 2015 NAJC AGM. We look forward to working with Terry and know that he will be a valuable member of the Community Council.
We thank the cluster leaders for keeping us informed via emails and Skype. This helps us in continuing to provide support and guidance when needed, as well as being a strong voice to and from the JC community.
I thank Landscapes of Injustice for the opportunity to attend the NAJC AGM in September in Calgary where I had an opportunity to highlight the work and importance of the Community Council to the Landscapes project. In addition there were many conversations with the attendees about the project that often uncovered interesting stories. It was an excellent opportunity to meet and to inform delegates about the research being conducted into JC history. – Vivian Rygnestad, Community Council Chair