About Japanese American Citizens League The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) is the nation's oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organization, is a membership-based organization whose mission is to secure and maintain the human and civil rights of Americans of Japanese ancestry and others victimized by injustice. The JACL has 113 chapters nationwide and eight regional districts with over 24,000 members found in twenty-three states. For the complete history of the JACL: History of the JACL from the National JACL Japanese American Citizens League New England Chapter The New England Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (NEJACL) was founded in 1948 to support civil rights initiatives related to the claims of incarcerated Japanese Americans. After a hiatus, the chapter was reactivated in 1979 to respond to the unique needs of a widespread Japanese American community in New England. Today, the NEJACL holds regular events related to Asian American civil rights activism and the sustaining of Japanese American culture in the region. For the complete history of the NEJACL: History of the New England JACL The archives of the New England JACL are housed at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Click here for more about those archives and click here for a link to their digital archive oral histories of Japanese American students. Current Board Members Miye Jacques Mieko Kamii Mieko Kuramoto Genevieve Laforet Chris Martell Erin Hashimoto Martell James McIlwain Kota Mizutani Steve Nishino Ken Oye (Co-President) Christine Pilcavage Sarah Purdy May Takayanagi Margie Yamamoto (Co-President) Past NEJACL Presidents (in order) David Sakura Kei Kaneda May Takayanagi Robert Maeda Gary Glenn Margie Yamamoto Steve Nishino