As the nation’s oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organization, founded in 1929, the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) strives to uphold the civil rights of all Americans and to promote diversity through respecting values of fairness, equality, and social justice.

Please support the JACL Honolulu Chapter by joining us to recognize our honorees who have dedicated their lifetimes to the service of justice.

US Senator Mazie Hirono, who will be accepting her award remotely, has championed civil rights since her days as a Young Democrat while a student at the University of Hawai'i, through her service in the state legislature, as Lt. Governor, in the US House of Representatives and in the US Senate. She is the first US senator born in Japan and the nation’s first Buddhist senator. Hirono’s autobiography, Heart of Fire: An Immigrant Daughter’s Story, chronicles her journey as a young girl to a new country where she has become a tireless advocate for those whose voices are rarely heard, as demonstrated by her support of marriage equality, fighting to fund the Japanese American Confinement Sites Program, and her outspoken support of labor rights and access to healthcare.

Dr. Franklin Odo (1939-2022) whose son, David Odo, will be accepting the award on his father’s behalf, was a renowned scholar, teacher, mentor, and activist who advanced ethnic studies and social justice throughout his career. A Kaimuki High School alum, Dr. Odo received his academic degrees from Princeton University and Harvard University. He served as the Director of the University of Hawai'i Ethnic Studies Program and was the first Director of Asian Pacific American Programs at the Smithsonian Institution. Dr. Odo was a founding member of the JACL Honolulu Chapter and led a delegation to testify before the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians memorializing the Hawai'i Japanese American internment experience during World War II.

The survival of JACL, depends on membership. Please consider joining today: https://jacl.org/member

2023 JACL Honolulu Chapter Distingushed Service Awards and Annual General Membership Meeting

By Japanese American Citizens League

2023 JACL Honolulu Chapter Distingushed Service Awards and Annual General Membership Meeting

Team Members