NATIONAL COORDINATOR:

Gerald H. Yamada

P.O. Box 65175

Washington, DC 20035-5175

(703) 402-1927

(703) 938-0940 (fax)

JAPANESE AMERICAN

NATIONAL HERITAGE COALITION

MEMBERS:

Asian American Justice Center

Go For Broke National Educational Center

Go For Broke National Veterans Association

Japanese American Citizens League

Japanese American National Museum

Japanese American Veterans Association

National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

National Japanese American Historical Society

National Japanese American Memorial Foundation

National Japanese  American Veterans Council

Organization of Chinese Americans

Amache Preservation Society

Center for Oral and Public History, CA State University

Committee to Change “Jap” Road, TX

Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project

Denver Central Optimists

Colorado River Indian Tribes

Friends of CA Civil Liberties Public Education Program

Gila Reunion Committee

Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation

Japanese American Historical Society, San Diego, CA

Japanese American Historical Society, Southern CA

Japanese American Living Legacy, CA

Japanese American Service Committee, Chicago, IL

Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i

Life Interrupted Program (Arkansas Camps)

Little Tokyo Historical Society

Nisei Farmers League, CA

Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center

Pinedale Assemble Center Memorial Project Committee

Poston Restoration Project

Topaz Museum Board, UT

Tule Lake Preservation Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 12, 2009

Presidents Signs Funding Bill for Confinement Sites Program

Washington, DC – The Omnibus Appropriations Act that President

Obama signed into law on March 11, 2009, included $1 million

for the Confinement Sites Preservation Program.  These funds will be available immediately.

     This new program was authorized in December 2006 (Public Law 109-441), but funding has been delayed until now.  The Japanese American National Heritage Coalition worked with Members of Congress on shaping this legislative initiative and has been working to secure funding over the past two years.  Gerald Yamada, Heritage Coalition’s National Coordinator, said that “this funding will start preserving World War II confinement sites so that they will serve as teaching venues about the hardships and contributions made by persons of Japanese ancestry who were imprisoned in America’s concentration camps.”    

     Yamada added that securing initial funding for this federal grant program was difficult since President Bush never included funding

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for this program in his last two annual budget requests to Congress although he signed the law creating the program.  Yamada credits Congressman Norman Dicks, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, for his support.  Chairman Dicks included the funding in the Omnibus Appropriations for the Confinement Sites Grant Program in response to the funding request led by Congresswoman Doris Matsui and 22 other House Members.  Yamada also acknowledges the help given by Congressman Mike Honda, who is a member of the full House Appropriations Committee, and Senator Daniel Inouye, who is Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. 

    With this initial funding, Yamada cautions that “the burden is now on the 33 organizations making up the Heritage Coalition to accelerate developing their preservation projects.  We need to keep the pipeline full with worthy projects so that the full $38 million authorized for this program will be made available to them.”

     For more information, contact Gerald Yamada at (703) 402-1927 or gyamada@goingforwardstrategies.com

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