Education Website Launches
In early BC Redress consultations across the country, ‘education’ was identified by most community members as a key priority, critical to honouring and preserving the legacy of Japanese Canadians in BC. Education became one the key legacy pillars upon which JC Legacies was built. This includes public education through heritage projects, the Monument Park in Victoria honouring Japanese Canadians, and K – 12 education.
JapaneseCanadianHistory.com is a new online resource for teachers and students from kindergarten to Grade 12. The foundation of the site was created over three years by a team of BC-based K–12 teachers with an advisory made up of now retired teachers. JC Legacies staff are taking a lead role in the ongoing development of the website and its dissemination, including strategic outreach to educators and stakeholders in Canada, with the mandatory focus to begin in BC.
Public Launch
Following a rough preview at the 2025 Powell Street Festival, the website was officially launched on October 24 at three major teacher conferences. Thank you to the teachers who attended the conferences, sharing the new site with their peers, and widening the reach of this important new resource.
MyPITA fall conference in Mission
Teachers Makiko Johnston and Larissa Kondo were at the MyPITA (Provincial Intermediate and Middle Years Teachers’ Association) fall conference. Copies of the book Full Mooon Lagoon, by Cortes Island author Monica Nawrocki, were handed out to appreciative teachers.
BC Teacher-Librarians’ Association Conference in Vancouver
Teacher-librarians Carole Wilson and Janis Bridger, and retired educator Connie Kadota attended the annual conference hosted by the British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’ Association at Gladstone Secondary School. Copies of Obaasan’s Boots, co-written by Janis and her cousin Lara Okihiro, were given out and signed by Janis. Renowned author and illustrator Jeff Chiba Stearns shared a neighbouring booth and will be helping to amplify the website resource over the coming year.
BC Social Studies Teachers’ Association Conference in Burnaby
Master educator Mike Perry-Whittingham and Richmond-based teacher Kaitlin Minato attended the BC Social Studies Teachers’ Association Conference at Simon Fraser University Burnaby campus.
Community Launch
A community launch of the Education website was held Sunday, November 23 at Nikkei Place. Dr. Aki Horii and Masako Fukawa, both of whom were unable to attend, were honoured for their longstanding commitment to ensuring this history is not forgotten, as were Mary and Tosh Kitagawa, a formidable team who have done tireless work over countless years in the realm of education and advocacy.
Masako’s fellow advisory members on the Teacher Website, Vivian Wakabayashi Rygnestad, Greg Miyanaga, and Connie Kadota, were acknowledged for their incredible dedication to the teaching of Japanese Canadian history and their guidance in the development of the new site. The teacher team that created the foundation of the new resource, many of whom were in attendance, were acknowledged for their work. Tami Nicholson, Janis Bridger, Kaitlin Minato, and Larissa Kondo offered reflections on the Education website development and the impact it has had on them both personally and professionally.
Survivors in attendance, elders like Howard Shimokura, Jim Tanaka, Mary Hirano, and Chuck Tasaka, all of whom have worked for decades keeping alive the history of Japanese Canadians, were acknowledged by name and given gifts. Guests were given a quick run-through of the new site, including the new teacher education course. Jeff Chiba Stearns was announced as a new amplifier of the teacher course in alignment with his ongoing work in the schools.
As a bonus, Ryan Ellan of the Sunshine Valley Tashme Museum shared photos of the attic of the former Tashme butcher shop that has been converted into living quarters for visiting researchers.
Work continues on the Education website by a team comprised of Kaitlin Findlay, Raymond Nakamura, John Endo Greenaway, Susanne Tabata, and Mike Perry-Whittingham. In addition, new lesson plans for high school students are being developed to match the relevant material in the teacher course.
Outreach across the country to share this new resource will begin in the New Year.
