SF Visual Art Committee Selects Final Design for San Francisco's Comfort Women Memorial
San Francisco Visual Art Committee in the Arts Commission selected the final design for the San Francisco 'Comfort Women' memorial. The design was among the 30+ applications that were submitted for the Call for Artists. The three girls on top of a cylindrical pedestal represent the victims from different parts of the world, and the grandma figure represents the survivors who are continuing their struggle for justice and dignity. The memorial will be accompanied by a plaque that explains the 'Comfort Women' history and its meaning today.
The San Francisco Visual Art Committee in the Arts Commission selected the final design for the San Francisco 'Comfort Women' memorial. The design was among the 30+ applications that were submitted for the Call for Artists.
This memorial will be installed in the St. Mary's Square park annexation (500 Pine St.) in the heart of San Francisco. For more information, please visit CWJC's website: RememberComfortWomen.org
The selected design "Women's Column of Strength" is by renowned sculptor Steven Whyte.
The three girls on top of a cylindrical pedestal represent the victims from different parts of the world, and the grandma figure represents the survivors who are continuing their struggle for justice and dignity.
The memorial will be accompanied by a plaque that explains the 'Comfort Women' history and its meaning today.
VICTORY! President Obama Signs WWII Filipino Veterans Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015
After years of waiting, Fil-Am WWII veterans will finally be recognized for their dedicated service. On December 14, President Obama signed into law Senate Bill No. 1555 (S.1555), the "Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015," which provides the Congressional gold medal of appropriate design on behalf of the U.S. Congress, to the Filipino Veterans of WWII.
Fil-Am WWII Veteran Jesse Baltazar meets President Barack Obama at the White House on veterans Day 2013. Image courtesy of American Coalition of Filipino Veterans via NBCNews.com
On December 14, President Obama signed into law Senate Bill No. 1555 (S.1555), the "Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015," which provides for the award of a single Congressional gold medal of appropriate design on behalf of the Congress, to the Filipino Veterans of World War II in recognition of the dedicated service of the veterans during World War II. S. 1555 passed the US Congress unanimously after the House of Representatives approved it on 30 November 2016.
The Senate version (S.1555) was sponsored by Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Dean Heller (R-NV), Harry Reid (D-NV), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Brian Schatz (D-HI). The House version (H.R.2737) was sponsored by Representatives Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Joseph Heck (R-NV), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Mark Takai (D-HI), and Jackie Speier (D-CA). Both bills were introduced on 11 June 2015.
The Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. is pleased that President Obama has recognized the service of the Filipino Veterans of World War II.
“We welcome this terrific news and extend our appreciation anew to all the advocates and supporters of the bill at the US House of Representatives and the Senate. This gold medal is a fitting tribute to our veterans’ sacrifice, courage, and strength. From ordinary civilians to defenders of free nations, these men and women deserve our deepest respect and gratitude,” said Minister Patrick Chuasoto, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Philippine Embassy, in a statement.
“This could not have been done without the commitment and support of the Philippine Consulates General and Filipino communities across the United States, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), and the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FILVETREP) in the success of this joint campaign. We look forward to having our veterans seeing the actual gold medal as soon as it is minted,” Minister Chuasoto added.
The Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015 will award a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions in the United States, collectively, to 260,000 Filipino veterans in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.
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Source:
Public Diplomacy Section, EMBASSY OF THE PHILIPPINES, Washington, D.C.
Birthdays in the Cemetery by Katinka Floro Rodriguez, A Memoir of a Filipina Woman’s World War II Childhood
Just after Pearl Harbor Day, a motherless six-year-old girl awakens when a bomb falls a block from her home, the beginning of years of shattering deprivation.
In World War II Manila, Katinka suffers starvation, illness, and cruelty and loses family in the infamous Bataan Death March. She survives the Japanese occupation and the Battle of Manila. By the end of the war, Manila is destroyed and a million Filipinos are dead, but Katinka has endured the worst and now experiences the American liberation and reconstruction.
Available now on Alford Marr Press.
Before the war, Katinka Floro is a lively six-year-old girl living peacefully in Manila. Her life with her large extended family is simple and carefree. Then one morning just after Pearl Harbor Day, Katinka awakens abruptly when a bomb falls a block from her home. As the war goes on, Katinka and her family endure the loss of her brother, suffer deprivation and illness, and witness the cruelty of the Japanese soldiers. After the war ends, her life continues, but her experiences of living through the war remain in her soul’s depths.
Rodriguez writes about her childhood on the war-torn streets of Manila with a sincere and vivid voice, bringing to life the often-neglected story of World War II in the Philippines, a time and a culture that many Americans and Filipinos know little about.
Birthdays in the Cemetery from Alford Marr Press takes a different point of view from many familiar stories of the war by showing how people’s minds and hearts came together in unity during a time of struggle. This memoir is also rich in details about Filipino culture, and it includes historical maps, original photographs, and an illustrated Tagalog glossary.
About the Author:
Katinka Floro Rodriguez was born in Manila and came to the United States in her late teens. She was an award-winning photographer who lived in Indiana and California. Her story will touch you with her gentle humor and generous spirit.
Alford Marr Press is based in Seattle, Washington.
DENOUNCED: Japan and South Korea Agreement to Reconcile Dispute Over Comfort Women During WWII
Healing at last? More than 70 years after the end of World War II, South Korea and Japan reached a landmark agreement last Monday to resolve their dispute over Korean women who were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japan’s Imperial Army. Recently, hundreds of South Korean protesters joined two surviving comfort women to denounce the agreement. The remaining survivors were not consulted by South Korean officials as they brokered an agreement with Japan. It is still unclear whether the comfort women will actually receive the compensation money. The 70 former comfort women in the Philippines, China, Indonesia, and North Korea, have yet to receive any financial compensation nor a formal apology from the Japanese government. News story from New York Times.
Image courtesy of New York Times.
Editors' Note: Read Official statement of the COMFORT WOMEN JUSTICE COALITION, a multi-ethnic human rights collaboration:
Recently, hundreds of South Korean protesters joined two surviving comfort women to denounce the agreement. The remaining survivors were not consulted by South Korean officials as they brokered an agreement with Japan. It is still unclear whether the comfort women will actually receive the compensation money. Read more here and here
More than 70 years after the end of World War II, South Korea and Japan reached a landmark agreement to resolve their dispute over Korean women who were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japan’s Imperial Army.
The agreement, in which Japan made an apology and promised an $8.3 million payment, was intended to remove one of the most intractable logjams in relations between South Korea and Japan, both crucial allies to the United States. The so-called comfort women have been the most painful legacy of Japan’s colonial rule of Korea, which lasted from 1910 until Japan’s World War II defeat in 1945.
The Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers, announcing the agreement in Seoul, said each side considered it a “final and irrevocable resolution” of the issue. The deal won praise from the governing party of President Park Geun-hye of South Korea but was immediately criticized as insufficient by some of the surviving former sex slaves as well as opposition politicians in South Korea, where anti-Japanese sentiments run deep.
Some critics are apprehensive about this new agreement since it calls for South Korea to remove a tribute statue commemorating the comfort women in front of the Japanese embassy. Critics hold that the comfort women should be remembered and sealed in Japanese history for genuine healing to occur. The 70 former comfort women in the Philippines, China, Indonesia, and North Korea, have yet to receive any financial compensation nor a formal apology from the Japanese government.
Read the whole story here.
News story from The New York Times.
Op Ed from The Seattle Times
News story from Reuters
The Eye Holds the Truth: Comfort Women Stories by Kazuko Yokoi
The Eye Holds the Truth: "Comfort Women" stories presented by Kazuko Yokoi of Imagine 21 from Japan is coming to the Bay Area from Aug 27 to Aug 29, 2015.
The Eye Holds the Truth: "Comfort Women" stories presented by Kazuko Yokoi of Imagine 21 from Japan is coming to the Bay Area from Aug 27 to Aug 29, 2015.
The actress interviewed and researched comfort women from all over Asia and will perform a dramatic presentation of their painful experiences.
Thursday, August 27, 2015 at 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Koret Auditorium, San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA
Free Admission but RSVP required.
Register for the free event here.
Friday, August 28, 2015 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Korean Presbyterian Church
635 Adrian Way, San Rafael, CA
Free Admission
Saturday, August 29, 2015 at 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Visual & Performing Arts Center, De Anza College
21250 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino, CA
Donation $10