2025 Day of Remembrance
Jon Osaki’s Not Your Model Minority
By Shannon Reagan, FoM Project Manager
The annual Day of Remembrance commemorates the signing of Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, which led to the exclusion, forced removal, and unjust incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during WWII.
“These are difficult issues. But I think films can help contextualize these issues to where it’s a little bit easier to talk about and think about some of these things, and try to imagine what can be done. You know, how can I, as an individual, weigh into this issue and maybe move the needle a little bit?”
For the 2025 Day of Remembrance, Friends of Minidoka screened Jon Osaki’s documentary Not Your Model Minority in three different locations: Idaho Falls, Ontario, and the College of Idaho campus in Caldwell. Following each screening, a panel of local residents joined Osaki to discuss the model minority myth and its harmful effects.
“These are difficult issues,” Osaki stated during the discussion at College of Idaho. “But I think films can help contextualize these issues to where it’s a little bit easier to talk about and think about some of these things, and try to imagine what can be done. You know, how can I, as an individual, weigh into this issue and maybe move the needle a little bit?”
At the Museum of Idaho in Idaho Falls, Spyder King and JACL members Tim Morishita and Jon Ochi sat alongside Osaki on the panel. Morishita and Ochi have been involved with the Idaho Falls JACL for many years, while King is a student and activist; their insights on the generational impacts of the model minority myth deeply resonated with the audience. Ontario’s panel at the Four Rivers Cultural Center included Cathy Yasuda, Executive Director of the Treasure Valley Community College Foundation, and Daniel Liera-Huchim, Director of Equity and Student Relations at Treasure Valley Community College. This discussion centered on the shared experiences of the Latinx and Japanese American communities in the Ontario area and how both communities can align to reach shared goals. In Caldwell, students Kahealani and Enrique from the College of Idaho facilitated an informative and meaningful Q and A discussion with Jon Osaki, focused on the history of Japanese American incarceration and its ties to the model minority myth.
We received thoughtful feedback from the audience at the screenings. The following are a few anonymous comments from each event:
I hadn’t fully understood how a “positive” stereotype of a group of people could have such resounding effects over that specific group as well as a broader group. Very informative session with outstanding panel at the end. Thank you.
Being Hispanic, I felt the effects of racism and, having been exposed to that my whole life, I’ve gotten to the point of being sick and tired of talking about race. This has really reignited my passion to fight back against racism.
My great grandparents were murdered in a concentration camp during the Holocaust. I was extremely distressed years ago when I learned that America had their own version of concentration camps. I am grateful for events like this to help bring attention to some of the failures of the past so that we can be better in the future.
Friends of Minidoka is grateful to those who attended and assisted with this year’s Day of Remembrance events. Special thanks go to Roger Haga, Tim Morishita, Jon Ochi, Spyder King, and Lora King with Idaho Falls JACL; Cathy Yasuda and Daniel Liera-Huchim with Treasure Valley Community College; Dr. Rachel Miller and students with the College of Idaho; Chloe Doucette, Rod Hansen, and Jeff Carr with the Museum of Idaho; Janet Komoto and Mike Iseri with Snake River JACL; and Kami Hart and staff with the Four Rivers Cultural Center.
