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Featured / Story Archive
City of Vancouver to Apologize
by John Endo Greenaway · September 1, 2013
UPDATE: The vote on the apology motion will take place at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, September 25th 2013. The vote was moved forward to the first item on the agenda to accommodate our seniors.
by Tosh Kitagawa
On September 24th of this year, the City of Vancouver will introduce a motion to apologize for the racist motion that was passed in Vancouver City Council in 1942 by Alderman Halford Wilson and seconded by Alderman George Price. This motion was intended to remove all Japanese Canadians from the Pacific Coast to central parts of Canada. It was also designed to instill fear in the hearts of the general public that all Japanese Canadians were a threat to the security of BC and removal was desirable and essential. It will be voted on Sept. 25th and we will have three members of our community speak to the motion. Upon passing (we have every reason to believe that it will), Ken Noma, President of NAJC will accept on behalf of the community.
The following excerpts from the original motion illustrate the venom and hatred that Alderman Halford Wilson and Alderman George Price had for the Japanese Canadian people.
……WHEREAS the concentration of approximately 25,000 residents of Japanese racial origin on Canada's Pacific Coast constitutes a potential reservoir of volunteer aid to our enemy, Japan, in event of raids or an invasion by the armed forces of that nation;
…..And Whereas, citizens of Canada's Pacific Coast look upon this enemy alien population as a potential menace and feel that in the interest of National security, their removal to central parts of Canada is desirable, where a just and reasonable care for their livelihood be provided by the Federal Government.
The new motion by the City of Vancouver will formally apologize for its complicity, its inaction, and for failing to protect her residents of Japanese ancestry. The motion will be introduced by Mayor Gregor Robertson and seconded by Councilor Kerry Jang Sept. 24th and voted on September 25th. We anticipate this motion will pass as it has the complete support of the mayor and his council.
In the last issue of The Bulletin, I erroneously mentioned that you could reserve a seat in the Vancouver City Council chambers to witness this memorable event. I have been informed that this is not possible and spectators will be seated on a first come basis. Since council chambers can only accommodate around 75 people, it is recommended that you arrive early to be seated. Additional seating will be available in the main reception area where television monitors will be installed for viewing of the proceedings.
We will provide additional information regarding the specific time that the motion will be introduced on Sept. 24th and the voting on the motion on Sept. 25th. Reception at the Japanese Language School will follow at the conclusion of the meeting on September 25th. We will have a short program and provide refreshments. Additional information will be posted as soon as we are apprised of specific times. The Vancouver City Council will inform us about the particulars of the agenda for the meetings in mid-September which leaves us very little time to inform the public. We will post new information on the JCCA and NAJC website as events unfold. Since many of our seniors do not have access to computers and are unfamiliar with the internet, we are asking their children, relatives or friends to keep them informed.
If you require additional information, contact me at: 604.943.3195 or malaka2@telus.net
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The lowly goat has achieved a lofty place, indeed.
Pictures of goats (like the one above) started flooding my kids' Facebook feeds a while back. I wondered with some amusement what it was all about, but never understood until it was explained to me by my nephew, who was then a high school senior.
You see, "goat" is not just a name of a familiar barnyard animal. No, "GOAT" is also an acronym, for "Greatest of All Time." Coincidentally, I had this great goat picture from our just-completed vacation (details below), and I was looking for a way to share it.
Again, thanks to Facebook for providing the connection.
If you've followed my blog for very long, you know that kids with disabilities (especially Down Syndrome) have a special place in my heart. In fact, my very first blog post almost four years ago was about my now-27-year-old son with Down Syndrome and his love for his Grandmother's cupcakes.
So when this video hit the Internet this week, there was no way I wasn't going to talk about it. It's a video of two brothers, an older non-disabled brother named Griffin, and his younger brother Turner, who has Down Syndrome. Turner clearly adores his older brother. And Griffin thinks his little brother's pretty cool, too.
This video hit home with us, because we've seen it happen first hand. Our oldest with Down Syndrome, Stephen, and our 2nd son, Garrett, have exactly the same relationship. To Stephen, the sun rises and sets on Garrett. The times Garrett comes over to visit are without question the highlights of Stephen's week. And Garrett, just 24 and only two years into married life, still comes over to hang with his older brother, just because he loves to.
In the video, Griffin is clearly Turner's GOAT. Just like Garrett is Stephen's GOAT. And vice versa, I might add.
You know what's really cool? We can all be someone's GOAT. That's because we all have relationships. If you're a dad, you can be the "greatest dad of all time." (Would that be a GDOAT? Let's not start going there.) You can easily be the greatest friend of all time. Or boss. Or pastor. Or whatever role you play in someone's life.
Is it hard to be a GOAT? For the goats in the barnyard, no, not really. And the answer is the same for you and me. Being someone's GOAT is not about skill, proficiency or even competence. It's about showing those you have a relationship with that you care.
Do that, and you just might find your name associated with the picture above. And that will be a good thing.
Maybe even the greatest of all time.
And now for the travelogue portion of this post. The goat pictured above is one of several that Sugar's Ribs, a barbecue restaurant in Chattanooga, TN keeps on its grounds. Sugar's is on the hill overlooking I-24 just east of downtown. The food is fantastic, the goats and some unbelievably adorable kittens were a fun post-meal diversion even for my now 20-something kids. We were also treated to an awesome early July sunset over the north Georgia mountains. Great way to start a vacation.
Great acronym and thoughts … "It's about showing you care." Perfect!


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