February 8, 2020 seems like a lifetime ago – it was the date of our last in-person event! We were fortunate to feature noted genealogist Linda Harms Okazaki in a sold-out seminar at the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library. We know everyone could use some good news now, so we are happy to share information [...]
Artwork by Kalaya’an Mendoza Sakura Foundation stands with the Black community and raises its voice in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. We collectively grieve the loss of life, hardship and discrimination that has been occurring disproportionately in the Black community for centuries. We know all too well the damage that is done when history and [...]
Born and raised here in Colorado, I identify as Hapa and my Japanese roots run on my mother’s side. We have a deep familial connection to this place and these ties allowed my Grandfather and his family to voluntarily migrate from California to the San Luis Valley during the mass incarcerations of WWII when he [...]
The Mirai Generations Leadership Program has wrapped up another successful year with the intelligent, compassionate and personable 2020 participants: Eric Berve, Jessica Harville, Sachi Ishida and Alex Monson. Despite meeting via Zoom instead of in person and having to delay our final celebration with the community, the program thrived as a result of the flexibility [...]
Asians* in Focus is an initiative by the National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association (NAAPIMHA) to create a space dedicated to the sole purpose of telling Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian (AAPINH) stories. Using the full range of artistic expression, Asians* in Focus recognizes that mental health takes many forms. NAAPIMHA [...]
Each eNewsletter will feature a profile on an alumni from Sakura Foundation’s Mirai Generations Leadership Program. This edition will acquaint you with Courtney Ozaki. I am a third- and fourth-generation Japanese American (JA) born and raised in Colorado. My family relocated to Denver following the closing of WWII’s incarceration camps. As a taiko player and [...]
On June 13th, the recipients of the Sakura Foundation Community Scholarship and Sakura Foundation / Tri-State/Denver Buddhist Temple Scholarships were announced at the 65th Annual Japanese American Community Graduation Program (JACGP) Virtual Banquet. Each year JACGP honors eligible graduating high school seniors with scholarships to further their educational pursuits. Sakura Foundation sends its support and [...]
As many of you know, Sakura Foundation is the sole owner of Sakura Square LLC. As such, employees of the LLC also work to carry out the mission of Sakura Foundation. We are pleased to introduce you to the LLC’s new Operations Coordinator, Juri Levchuk. The LLC and Foundation offices have been closed since mid-March [...]
We have enhanced CherryBlossomDenver.org so you can conveniently experience a Virtual Cherry Blossom Festival on your smartphone, tablet or PC in the comfort of your home! Avoid the crowds and 90 degree weather! We welcome you to stroll the website. You'll find all the things that make the Cherry Blossom Festival at Sakura Square unique [...]
I AM DENVER is a unique storytelling project whose mission is to tell the stories of Denver's history, culture and vision. “Through an open, encouraging and collaborative process, we give voice to residents who are traditionally missing from our history. We record and archive those stories in video, audio and photo to inform, inspire and [...]
