As communities age, the values and needs that each generation requires begins to differ. For the Japanese American community, this point could not be more true. The story of America’s Japanese population is one marked with resilience and scarred by internment. It is a community that has been fluidly redefining every generation that comes along. One organization in Chicago that is dedicated to helping ease that transition is JASC.
The Japanese American Service Committee has been serving the Chicago area for 72 years. Throughout that time, their work has taken on many different roles. After getting its start as a service to help Japanese American citizens resettle after internment, JASC evolved into focusing on senior care in the 60s, 70s and 80s, before moving more towards cultural engagement with today’s younger generations.
One of the most impressive initiatives that JASC has undertaken has been the cultural preservation and archival documentation of community history. Anna Takada is the Oral History Project Coordinator for JASC. She has been working on having elderly members of the Japanese American community retell their stories in a studio, so that they might be preserved through audio format. “It’s something that benefits every member of the community,” she said.
The archival process, as well as the digitization of older audio files is, to Takada, a huge and important project. “This work is for the next generation,” she emphasized. “We are making sure that we have all of this history recorded and to benefit those who are coming after.”
And the work does not stop there. JASC also provides day services and home support for seniors, facilitates activities that bring seniors out of their homes and into the community, counseling and clinic services, driver safety courses and an affordable lunch service for seniors.
The population of Japanese Americans who live in the metropolitan area of Chicago is smaller than the suburb population. Most of the metropolitan community is scattered across these five neighborhoods.
For the younger generations, there are more culturally-based programs. “For really young kids, like toddlers, we have a program called Tampopo Kai,” said Takada. “It hones languages skills and helps kids stay connected to the culture of their parents.” Baby Tampopo is a program dedicated toward infants and their parents. And Donguri Kai is for older children, outside of Tampopo Kai ages, who wish to continue their Japanese language skills and dive deeper into the culture. The organization also has a number of health and wellness programs, including flu shots and screenings. Additionally, JASC offers a number of annual scholarships for deserving high school and college students.
In order to help provide the best possible services towards its community, JASC sends out a community needs assessment every couple of years. It is used to survey the number of people in the community, find out what kind of needs are present and locate where extra support is necessary.
So where does JASC see itself evolving today?
“Because of its roots in the war and Japanese American resettlement, there has never really been an established Little Tokyo or community area in Chicago,” noted Takada. In her work with the oral history project, she has spoken to many elderly members of the community who tell her they only see their friends at memorial services.
She notes that one central and simple role that JASC has begun to play is as a central meeting point for the community. “It’s something that might often get taken for granted. But with this community, when you have people not in any central location and the community is so scattered, I think JASC might just play in important role by just being a hub where people can come to for counseling, social services, to explore the archives, or for community programs.”
The work JASC has done in Chicago has been extensive and inclusive. And they do not intend on stopping anytime soon.
Note: This article has been previously published on the author’s personal class blog