![Grassroots Profile: Jason Chang](https://fresnoalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/201010-Jason-Chang.jpg)
Jason Chang is the young president of the local chapter of the Japanese-American Citizens League (JACL). And, he tells me, he is the newly elected vice president of planning and development for the groupās national Board. Jason appears to be every inch the attractive, energetic professional youād expect in such positions, but he also brings unmistakable sincerity and passion for the JACL mission, This, he explains, has been twofold: āFirst, weāve wanted to preserve the history and culture of our parents and grandparents who came here in the 20th century and, second, weāve wanted to demonstrate our commitment to this country, to being Americans.ā
Typifying these goals, the local JACL has, on one hand, established a memorial where the Pinedale Internment Center was and, on the other, sponsors an annual 5K race, the Shinzen Run, which raises charitable funds for maintaining the Shinzen Garden at Woodward Park and for scholarships. (Jason reports that the JACL gives about $7,000 in scholarships yearly, with any current memberāof Japanese ancestry or notāeligible.)
The history of the JACL, though, is a bit more complex than many comparable service organizations. It was born during the dark years of the WWII-era internment camps, mostly to provide young people with the social events and entertainment they were accustomed to (dances and such) while living in the bleak camps. It was part of the same impetus that produced the famous Japanese-American Regiment 442, which fought heroically against the Axis Powers and which Jasonās grandfather joined.
The drive by many internees to prove how American they were was, however, countered by a more subterranean response of anger and bitterness toward the unspeakable treatment at the hands of the U.S. government, an internal schism that has only recently begun to be aired and confronted. (It is well-depicted in the film American Pastime, an accessible drama available on DVD.)
But, Jason reflects, the pain and trauma of the JACLās early years were not visible to him growing up. As with many others of the postwar generation, for him the humiliation and losses of internment were hidden by his eldersā stoicism: Their energy was devoted to rebuilding a viable family life and producing children whoād succeed in Americaākids with no accent and no historical baggage. Thus, Jason grew up in Parlier and attended first Sanger High, where there were only three other Japanese-American kids, and then San Joaquin Memorial, where he was the only one. His family also left Buddhism behind, attending a Baptist church, and the household had few visible remembrances of their Asian heritage.
It wasnāt until he was college-age that Jason began to look more closely at the family history. āI was reading about the internment in a textbook and realized, āThis is my mother and her parents here and I know nothing about it.ā His maternal grandfather was gradually coaxed into breaking the silence and began to share stories. (By the way, if you are curious like I was, the āChangā part of Jasonās name is Koreanāoften spelled Jang. Both Jason and his wife are half-Japanese, half-Korean.) His grandfather told him, for instance, of having been given one day to pack whatever they could in two suitcases, leaving everything else behind, as they were sent to internment.
Eventually, his grandfather became eager to share this history, taking Jason to Imperial Valley to see where heād grown up and to Davis where heād gone to college. (He was just two months from graduation at the time of internment. Recently, he was granted an honorary degree to recognize the injustice.) Learning of such stories, Jason says, āI almost wanted to cry. I thought of my grandmotherāso small and sweet-natured, you couldnāt even imagine her raising her voice. How could she be considered an alien threat?ā
Jason was moved from personal interest to activism by his fatherās good friend Floyd Mori, who was director of the national JACL. āFloyd came to lunch one time and challenged me to find out about the issues and get involved with our peopleās rights.ā
Early on, the JACL focused on airing the history of the internments and on winning compensation. (In 1984, Congress did issue an apology and awarded each person interned $24,000.) They have also worked with the Nissei Foundation to help elders whose work lives were interrupted by internment such that they had insufficient retirement funds and, in establishing Vintage Gardens, a retirement facility that provides cultural and dietary familiarity.
More recently, the JACL has realized the necessity of expanding its vision beyond purely Japanese-American issues. At the national level, they have partnered with the Organization of Chinese-Americans to help voice the concerns of Hmong and Vietnamese refugees. They also stepped out as a prominent supporter of the Muslim-American community after 9/11.
Environmental issues have also entered the agenda. A lot of Asian fishermen had settled in the Louisiana Gulf area after Katrina, and theyāve been hard hit by the recent oil spill. The JACL has helped represent their interests. Locally, a large group of Asian farmers was involved in the Kettleman City cleft-palate syndrome investigations, and the JACL has been there assisting. It has also taken vociferous stands against the Arizona immigration laws, Californiaās Prop 8 and the controversy over the rewriting of history books in Texas.
Local issues on Jasonās mind are the paucity of Asian studies at Fresno State and the difficulty of involving sansei and yonsei (third- and fourth-generation Japanese-Americans, following the issei and the nissei). āOne problem is the success of our assimilation, at the expense of our traditions and history. The JACL tries to attract young people with social events like saki tasting and a golf tournament, but these donāt really forward our mission.ā
I also asked about Hiroshima Day, and Jason made a wry face. āThatās tricky for us. People with closer ties to Japanese nationals, especially those who were directly affected, feel differently from those who identify more closely as American.ā
And again that disjunction between ābeing Americanā and standing up for human rightsāwhich most of us have to confront in some formāarises in this uniquely Japanese-American aspect. I was touched that Jason doesnāt evade, but sits sadly amid the paradox. Meanwhile, there is work that can be done to try prevent future tragedies due to ignorance and prejudice, and Jason is there to do his share.
IDENTITY BOX
Name:Ā Ā Ā Jason Chang
Birthplace:Ā Ā Ā Raised in Parlier
Ethnic Identity:Ā Ā Ā Japanese- and Korean-American
Religion:Ā Ā Ā Presbyterian but interested in Buddhism
Political identity:Ā Ā Ā Conservative
Frequented places:Ā Ā Ā Sakanaya Restaurant (āI met my wife thereā), Visalia (where he now lives)
Inspirations:Ā Ā Ā Maternal grandfather John Kashiki and father Rodney Chang
Motto:Ā Ā Ā (for the moment) āLifeās greatest change agent is death,ā Steve Jobs
Other involvements:Ā Ā Ā American College of Healthcare Executives
Unlikely pleasures:Ā Ā Ā āFatherhood. We have a five-month old daughter, the first girl in the extended family, and Iām ecstatic. No more 14-hour workdays for me.ā