Tour our ongoing exhibition Common Ground: The Heart of Community with experienced docents.

The first biography of Asian American activist and Black Panther Party member Richard Aoki

An iconic figure of the Asian American Movement, Richard Aoki (1938-2009) was also, as the most prominent non-black member of the Black Panther Party, a key architect of Afro-Asian solidarity in the 1960s and 70s. His life story exposes the personal side of political activism as it illuminates the history of ethnic nationalism and radical internationalism in America.

A reflection of this interconnection, Samurai among Panthers weaves together two narratives: Aoki’s dramatic first-person story and an interpretive history by a leading scholar of the Asian American Movement, Diane C. Fujino. Aoki’s candid account of himself takes us from his early years in Japanese American internment camps to his political education on the streets of Oakland to his emergence in the Black Panther Party. As his story unfolds, we see how his parents’ separation inside the camps and his father’s illegal activities shaped the development of Aoki’s politics. Fujino situates his life within the context of twentieth-century history—World War II, the Cold War, and the protests of the 1960s. She demonstrates how activism is both an accidental and an intentional endeavor, as well as how a militant activist practice can also promote participatory democracy and social service.

The result of these parallel voices and analysis in Samurai among Panthers is a complex—and sometimes contradictory—portrait of a singular extraordinary activist and an expansion and deepening of our understanding of the history he lived.

Diane C. Fujino is associate professor and chair of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her books about leading Asian American activists Yuri Kochiyama (Heartbeat of Struggle) and Fred Ho (Wicked Theory, Naked Practice) are published by the University of Minnesota Press.

FREE ADMISSION ALL DAY!

London will host the Summer Olympics but JANM will host the JA Olympics. Join us for fun Japanese American games for the whole family.

JA OLYMPIC COMPETITIONS:

Japanese Americans and basketball are like two peas in a pod! Make two out of three free throws and win a prize! 1 prize per person, while supplies last. (11 – 5 PM)

Calling all origami artists of all ages! Enter our origami design competition and leave your mark on the world of origami! (11 – 4 PM)

Think you know a lot of Japanese American trivia? Match your knowledge against others in JANM’s first ever JA trivia competition! FREE (1 PM).

Do you think you can win the 1st annual JANM Jan Ken Po (rock-papers-scissors) tournament? Find out if you can beat the best of the best! Youth and adult divisions, $5.00 entrance fee. (2-4 PM) (For more information: Please scroll down.)

Watch the first JA Olympics Medals ceremony (given to the winners of the Origami design contest, the Jan Ken Po Tournament and the JA Trivia Competition (4:30 PM)

ACTIVITIES:

Come enjoy our fun and cool Toddler Room (All Day)

Let HoopItUp teach you how to hula hoop your way to good health (All Day)

Are you brave enough to take on the origami scavenger hunt? Complete it and you’ll win a prize! (All Day)

Make some gold metal fruit kebabs with the Kidding Around the Kitchen (11 AM – 2 PM)

Smile! Be part of JANM’s first JA Olympics with a picture souvenir! (11AM-5 PM)

CRAFTS:

Build a fun trophy for yourself or for a friend using an assortment of materials. Try to make it as unique as possible!

Decorate an award “medal” and wear it to show off your creativity

Hip, hip, hooray! You’ll need a megaphone to project your cheers so come decorate one at the Museum

Make a summer festival hat to show your style. Our paper hats are becoming a summer time tradition here at JANM because we always have so much fun seeing the hats fashioned by our visitors!

Ruthie’s Origami Corner: Make an origami sports ball of your own

DATE & TIME: August 11, 11AM-4PM
LOCATION: Weingart Gallery Foyer
AGE DIVISIONS: Child (under 13) and Adult (13+)

This year’s Summer Festival will feature an Origami Design Contest for kids and adults! Contestants are welcome to use the origami paper provided by the National Museum to create their original origami designs. No materials other than what we provide can be used in the contest.

HOW TO ENTER: Sign up and enter on the day of the Festival.

JUDGES: The Jury will consist of Meher McArthur, curator of Folding Paper: the Infinite Possibilities of Origami, Eric Nakamura, co-founder of Giant Robot, and Seku Fujino-Harmachis, Origami Enthusiast.

Eight Winners!

Awards for Children (must be 13 and under):
Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be awarded to the best overall designs
There will also be one category award:
1 Original origami award

Awards for Adults:
Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals will be awarded to the best overall designs
There will also be one category award:
1 Original origami award

Contest Rules:
- No glue, staples, tape, or any other kind of adhesive may be used to hold the origami piece together
- Entries may not be cut or torn
- One entry per person
- Entries must be made out of a single sheet of origami paper provided by the National Museum
- Entries must fit onto a 6”x 4” entry card

Date & Time: August 11, 1-2pm
Location: Tateuchi Democracy Forum
On-Site Registration: 12:30-12:50pm

Participate in the JA Trivia Challenge—a game show-style competition where contestants will compete for prizes based on their knowledge of Japanese Americans in sports. Our Discover Nikkei team has put together a fast-paced and highly interactive game with lots of audience participation and prizes!

The game will begin with a Selection Round in which all teams participate in a single-elimination round. The top 3 teams advance to play the next round, followed by a bonus round. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins!

In addition to the main game, we will have trivia questions and prizes for anyone in the audience throughout the game!

HOW TO ENTER: Teams of 2 must check in between 12:30 – 12:50pm at the Tateuchi Democracy Forum.

The top teams will receive their gold, silver, and bronze medals and prizes at the JA Olympics Medals ceremony at 4:30pm.

PRIZES:
1st place team: $100 in gift certificates from the Museum Store
2nd place team: $50 in gift certificates from the Museum Store
3rd place team: $20 in gift certificates from the Museum Store

For more details, check our blog post >>

DATE & TIME: August 11, 2-4pm
LOCATION: Aratani Central Hall
ON-SITE REGISTRATION: 11:00am – 1:00pm

ENTRY FEE: $5.00. Courtyard Kids - free entry.

AGE DIVISIONS: 3 divisions: 5-8, 9-12, 13+

MATCH STYLE:
Age Division 5-8: Single Elimination

All Other Age Divisions: Modified Single Elimination Style – First round winners continue on in the Winners Bracket and play until eliminated. First round losers go in the Consolation Bracket and play until eliminated.
*Winner of Winners Bracket and winner of Consolation Bracket will play to determine First and Second Places for the age division.
*Third Place will be determined by a playoff between the losers from the final round of the Winners and Consolation Brackets.

MATCH: Best 2 out of 3 wins

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS PER DIVISION: 64 per division

BASIC PLAY
The game is played where the players substitute the three elements of Rock, Paper and Scissors with representative hand signals.
*Hand signals are delivered simultaneously by the players
*Outcome of play is determined by the following:
*Rock wins against Scissors
*Scissors wins against Paper
*Paper wins against Rock

JANM and NCPD hosts the Asian American Journalists Association, Los Angeles Chapter (AAJA-LA) V3 "Vision. Visibility. Voice." Digital Media Conference. AAJA-LA V3 is the only digital medial conference for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) mainstream journalists, digital media journalists, bloggers and those interested in social media. It is an opportunity for those communicating on numerous digital platforms including social media and blogs and their readers, to interact, engage in person and to encourage and inspire those who are interested in communicating online. Participants can initiate connections and create lasting global dialogues, which extend beyond the conference— both online and offline. JANM Members are invited to be a part of the stimulating discussions around the “who, what, where, when why, and how” for AAPI-centered blogging and digital media. Current JANM Members receive discounted registration.

More information at twww.V3con.com

Relive history and learn about present-day Little Tokyo with National Museum docents.

$9 Members; $14 non-members, includes Museum admission. Comfortable walking shoes and clothes recommended. Weather permitting.

Walkthrough of Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami with curator Meher McArthur.

Xploration Lab 2012 closes.

Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami closes.