• 1212 South King Street, Seattle, WA 98144
  • (206) 322-1122
  • info@nvcfoundation.org

Asian Pacific Directors Coalition – Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration 
Saturday, May 3, 11am-5pm 
Armory Food & Event Hall, Seattle Center

The festival is part of the Seattle Center Festál series. It is free and open to the public.

For event schedule and list of participating vendors, see website: https://seattlecenter.com/events/featured-events/festal/aanhpi-heritage-month-celebration

Tsuru for Solidarity – Japanese American Community Call to Stop Repeating History!

Saturday, May 3, 2025, 2pm – 4pm
Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church, 3001 24th Ave S, Seattle

Tsuru for Solidarity joins with Densho, Minidoka Pilgrimage Planning Committee, Nikkei Student Union, and Seattle Chapter JACL in calling for a community meeting to discuss disturbing moves by the federal government that echo the treatment of Japanese Americans during WWII.  In the past few months, the federal government has invoked the WWII experience of Japanese Americans as an example, even a blueprint, for how and why they can round up immigrants, detain them without hearing or charge, and hold them indefinitely in mass detention sites. The media have commented on the similarities to JA incarceration during WWII, and those caught in the immigrant roundup have cited the Supreme Court decisions in the Korematsu and Endo cases as examples of the dangers to civil liberties and the right of all to freedom under the law and Constitution of the United States. This community meeting will kick off a much-needed discussion on how the Seattle JA community can and should respond. Registration link: https://actionnetwork.org/events/gathering-of-the-seattle-japanese-american-community?source=direct_link&

 JCCCW – Kodomo no Hi 2025 (Children’s Day 2025)
Sunday, May 4, 11am – 5 pm
JCCCW 1414 S Weller St, Seattle

Mark your calendars and get ready to delve into the mysteries of yokai at Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day) at the JCCCW! Yokai are supernatural beings from Japanese folklore – some are said to inhabit everyday objects, some are mimics, and some even more closely resemble humans! From the kappa to tengu, there are hundreds of different yokai – each with their own unique quirks and appearances. Come discover the most famous yokai and make some fun yokai-themed crafts! Translator and yokai specialist Zack Davisson will be giving a fun-filled presentation all about these mysterious beings. This FREE all-ages event will also feature live martial arts demonstrations, taiko drumming, tea ceremony demonstrations, and local food vendors. You won’t want to miss it!

More information: https://www.jcccw.org/kodomo-no-hi/

 Seattle Rep – New Play Reading: No No Boy
Thursday, May 8, 7:30pm
Poncho Forum at Seattle Rep

Join Seattle Rep for a public new play reading of No-No Boy, adapted by Frank Abe from the classic 1957 novel by John Okada. No-No Boy tells the story of Ichiro Yamada as he returns to Seattle after two years in a Japanese American incarceration camp and two years in prison for refusing conscription into the U.S. Army during World War II. Ichiro searches for answers and a sense of justice in the face of hostility from his family and community. Adapted by Frank Abe from the novel by John Okada. Directed by Leslie Ishii. Tickets: $15.

Information and tickets: https://www.seattlerep.org/events/special-events/new-play-reading-no-no-boy

Friends of Mukai – Day of Exile Ceremony: Memorial Sculpture Design Unveiling
Sunday, May 18, 10am – 11am
Ober Park, 17130 Vashon Hwy SW, Vashon

Friends of Mukai on Vashon Island is honored to announce they have received a $45,000 grant from the T-Mobile Hometown Grant Program to construct a memorial sculpture at Ober Park to honor the legacy of the 111 Vashon residents of Japanese descent who were expelled from their homes on Vashon Island on May 16, 1942, in response of Executive Order 9066.  That Executive Order, signed by President Franklin Roosevelt on two months earlier, directed the expulsion of 120,00 persons of Japanese descent living in the Westcoast “Zone of Exclusion” into inland concentration camps. 

An unveiling event for the design of the statue will be held at Ober Park at 10:00AM on May 18 at Vashon’s annual Day of Exile ceremony. The public is invited to attend the ceremony! Construction of the installation is planned for completion this year.  

For more information: https://mukaifarmandgarden.org/events/vashons-annual-day-of-exile-ceremony-memorial-sculpture-unveiling/