A Century of Union

A Century of Union

What has changed, stayed the same, shifted during the 100 years of Union? In what ways does Union Church reflect an emblematic and necessary history of Little Tokyo? How can we investigate history through site-specific storytelling? Celebrate 101 Years of Union as we share the history behind this infamous building.

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First Street North: Open

First Street North: Open

Our growing collective collection of personal stories, oral histories, and documentary footage capture the necessity of Little Tokyo’s First Street North as a site of cultural, familial, and political importance. They detail how the diverse, multicultural communities represented in the area lived their lives amidst a backdrop of change and attempted redevelopment, and how their daily activities manifested concerning these attempts.

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Speak Out for Justice: Little Tokyo Towers Evening Session

Speak Out for Justice: Little Tokyo Towers Evening Session

On the evening of August 4, 1981, NCRR arranged a special evening session at the Little Tokyo Towers in Los Angeles, so that people who worked during the day could attend and participate in the CWRIC hearings. While the testimony footage for this session is incomplete and disjointed, the testifiers provide their heartbreaking experiences of personal loss, trauma, and discrimination.

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Speak Out for Justice: August 6, 1981

Speak Out for Justice: August 6, 1981

August 6th, 1981 was the third and final day of the CWRIC Los Angeles hearings, consisting of testimonies from the issei (first-generation Japanese Americans) who chose to testify in Japanese, along with first-hand accounts of internees from Terminal Island. Mental health professionals, educators, and members from various organizations also share the impact that internment has on intergenerational trauma, and demand constitutional remedy through redress and reparations.

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Speak Out for Justice: August 5, 1981

Speak Out for Justice: August 5, 1981

August 5th, 1981 was the second day of the CWRIC Los Angeles hearings, consisting of testimonies from Japanese American veterans, many of whom were drafted for World War II as a way of avoiding internment. Other testifiers experienced economic loss, psychological trauma, and discrimination in schools. This violation of basic civil and human rights due to Executive Order 9066 fueled the growing demand for Redress and Reparations.

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Speak Out for Justice: August 4, 1981

Speak Out for Justice: August 4, 1981

August 4th, 1981 was the first day of the CWRIC Los Angeles hearings, consisting of testimonies that cover the personal accounts of Japanese American internees, their children, and the wide range of effects stemming from camp experiences due to Executive Order 9066. Testifiers experienced business and property loss, being forced from their homes, feeling exploited, and then being sent home with nothing to come back to. Internees also shared their post-camp trauma and feelings of shame for being Japanese American.

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VC Connect #21: Kith and Kin

VC Connect #21: Kith and Kin

Whether it be a nuclear family or individuals banded together to memorialize the good times, the need for “family” is strong within the Asian American & Pacific Islander community. So it is in this set of intimate portraits of people whose bonds are unshakeable, created by our Armed With a Camera and Digital Histories filmmakers.

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Visual Communications Receives Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Funding

Visual Communications Receives Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Funding

Visual Communications is proud to announce that we have received a prestigious community-based archives grant from New York-based Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which will enable VC to complete “Making Memories Matter Again,” a years-long process to digitize, preserve, and activate the “born-on-film” component of its Asian Pacific American Photographic Archive.

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VC Connect #20: The Stories Behind the Picture

VC Connect #20: The Stories Behind the Picture

In anticipation of Visual Communications’ 50th anniversary celebration, we are pleased to bring back a series of documentaries built around the vast holdings of the VC Archives, compiled, lensed, and edited by VC co-founders Duane Kubo and Eddie Wong. Accompanied by revealing interviews with many of the subjects who were captured in their younger days by VC founders and core staffers, these short films provide a glimpse into the spirit and vitality of the burgeoning Asian American Movement in all its forms. Join us for a special Monday Nite VC conversation on Monday, November 16, 2020 at 5pm PT featuring special guests as they discuss the VC Archives and its ongoing legacy.

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Join us for a virtual VC Archives "Tagging Party"!

Join us for a virtual VC Archives "Tagging Party"!

Sign up for one of Visual Communications’ “tagging parties" to help us add historical info to images in our VC Archives! If you have knowledge of some (or even many) of the people, places, and/or events that took place over VC's nearly 50-year history, we need your help! All sessions will take place via Zoom.

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A Festival in Flux: VC and its Film Festival 1999 - 2003

A Festival in Flux: VC and its Film Festival 1999 - 2003

The years 1998 through 2003 were game-changing years for Visual Communications, as the organization shifted from a creation based organization to a talent incubator with a focus on developing programs like the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. Take a look at some photos from the VC Archives that were selected by our 2020 Winter Quarter Program Associates from UCLA.

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