Present at the 2026 JACL Chapter Awards Luncheon to celebrate recipients Calvin Kobayashi and the Washington, D.C., chapter are (from left) Larry Oda, Nancy Takayama, Helen Crane (who accepted Kobayashi’s award on his behalf), D.C. Chapter Co-Presidents Aileen Ma and John Tobe, Paul Uyehara and Lilly Simmering. (Photos: Courtesy of Darrell Miho)
JACL fetes Calvin Kobayashi and the
Washington, D.C., chapter at its National Convention Awards Luncheon.
By Allison Haramoto, P.C. Executive Editor
Dedicated service. Numerous contributions. Leadership. Superior involvement. Individual and chapter excellence. These are just a few of the many terms that describe this year’s JACL award winners — Calvin Kobayashi and the Washington, D.C., chapter — who were feted during the organization’s Awards Luncheon at the Paris Hotel & Casino on July 31.
Kobayashi was recognized with the JACLer of the Biennium Award, one of the organization’s highest honors, and the Washington, D.C., chapter was awarded the George Inagaki Chapter Citizenship Award for exemplifying all-around excellence.
JACL Chapter Awards Luncheon emcees Robbie Yoshikawa (left) and Sebastian Carbajal
The luncheon, which took place during JACL’s National Convention, began with welcome acknowledgments by emcees Robbie Yoshikawa and Sebastian Carbajal.
“Today is one of the highlights of our convention as we pause to recognize the incredible individuals and chapters whose leadership, service and commitment continue to strengthen the Japanese American Citizens League and our communities across the country,” said Carbajal.
Yoshikawa then took a few moments to acknowledge distinguished guests and organizations whose support helped make convention possible, including State Farm, Comcast, AARP, Verizon, US Bank, Caesars Entertainment, National JACL Credit Union and the Japanese Embassy.
JACL recognized its valued partners during the ceremony, including AARP, represented by Scott Tanaka.
Representing AARP was Scott Tanaka, a former co-president of the D.C. chapter, who praised JACL’s commitment to communities nationwide.
“There is such a strong national and local chapter structure in JACL,” he said. “We’d (AARP) love to continue partnering with you, and I want to congratulate today’s chapter honorees. Your mission is important, and so I want to thank you for all the work that you do, both at the national and local level and for your continued partnership.”
Carbajal then welcomed Pacific Southwest District Gov. Nancy Takayama to the stage to announce the 2024-2026 JACLer of the Biennium Award winner, which recognizes an “individual whose outstanding leadership, service and dedication have made a significant impact on JACL during the past two years. This honor celebrates someone whose commitment exemplifies our organization’s mission and values.”
Takayama first gave a brief history on the award, which is presented in memory of Randolph M. Sakada, a former JACL national president from 1950-52, to honor his service. The award was then presented to the New Mexico chapter’s Calvin Kobayashi.
As president of his chapter, Kobayashi was instrumental in bringing the Japanese Cultural Center of New Mexico to life, in addition to his years of service to JACL, working to strengthen the organization and preserve and celebrate its history and Japanese American culture.
Unfortunately, Kobayashi was unable to attend the luncheon; the New Mexico chapter’s Helen Crane accepted the award on his behalf.
Carbajal then welcomed to the stage EDC Gov. Paul Uyehara to present the George Inagaki Chapter Citizenship Award, which “recognizes the collective efforts of a chapter whose work has demonstrated outstanding citizenship, community leadership and commitment to advancing the mission of JACL.”
The award was established by the Venice-West L.A. chapter in 1968 to honor Inagaki, one of JACL’s founding leaders and a former national president. Uyehara triumphantly announced this year’s honoree as the Washington, D.C., chapter.
Over the past two years, the chapter has, said Uyehara, “Distinguished itself through impactful educational programming, advocacy and community-building. Whether welcoming new members, engaging young professionals, commemorating our shared history or serving as a bridge between the local community and JACL’s national advocacy efforts, the D.C. chapter has shown what it means to be an active, engaged and forward-thinking chapter.”
Recently, the chapter was recognized with the Albert B. Corey Award for its graphic educational novel “But Where Are You REALLY From? Teaching the Next Generation About Japanese American History (see July 17-Aug. 6, 2026, issue of the Pacific Citizen).
Accepting the George Inagaki Chapter Citizenship Award was D.C. chapter co-presidents Aileen Ma and John Tobe.
Tobe acknowledged Uyehara, as well as the JACL national board and those before them, whose leadership paved the way for the chapter to be recognized. He also thanked JACL’s generous sponsors and its members, who are the core of the organization’s mission.
“As the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, we have a responsibility to lead and fight for what is right. We are fighting on behalf of all to safeguard democracy . . . and to do that we must tap into our shared strength and resiliency to reinvigorate JACL,” he said. “Let’s continue working together to ensure that JACL’s legacy continues and its impact grows. Let’s continue to work together and keep up the fight.”
In a statement to the Pacific Citizen, Ma shared, “This award belongs to our entire chapter and would not be possible without our incredible members, volunteers and partners. Being recognized for our citizenship work feels especially meaningful right now, as who gets to belong and who gets to speak up is being questioned in our country. As the D.C. chapter celebrates our 80th anniversary, we are thankful for this recognition and look forward to the work ahead.”
Concurred Tobe, “We are very grateful for this honor and will continue to do our best to live up to the ideals and goals of this award.”
And in a statement to the P.C. following the luncheon, Uyehara said, “The D.C. chapter is a powerhouse that does everything well — recruiting and serving its large membership, building leadership, advocating and providing valued input at the district and national levels. They deserved the recognition, and I loved being able to present the award to them.”
Before announcing the conclusion of the luncheon, Yoshikawa thanked the chair of the Awards and Recognitions Committee, David Kawamoto, and its members, Cecilia Shimizu Arao, Amy Danford, Maki Jackson, Simon Kutz, Janice McCormick, Travis Nishi, Suzanne Regan and Vinicius Taguchi.
Members of the Washington, D.C., chapter with their JACL George Inagaki Chapter Citizenship Award along with (from left) JACL Executive Director Lilly Simmering, National President Larry Oda and (far right) EDC Gov. Paul Uyehara.