"Art and Activism:" Communications Year in Review 2021
In honor of Day of Remembrance 2021, we were thrilled to announce this limited edition print by best-selling cartoonist and illustrator Adrian Tomine. Each print was signed and numbered by the artist, and we raised over $45,000 from this fundraiser.
In 1942, Dorothea Lange took a photo of my grandmother right before she and my grandfather were incarcerated for four years in U.S. government segregation camps. My mom (Tsuru for Solidarity co-founder Satsuki Ina) was born and spent the first two years of her life in these camps. In honor of Day of Remembrance, I’ve created an illustration based on Lange’s iconic photo–an image of fear, strength, and dignity that has meant so much to my family over the years. I’m proud to offer this drawing as a limited edition, signed and numbered print in support of Tsuru for Solidarity. – Adrian Tomine
My mother, Shizuko Ina, was 25 years old and pregnant when EO 9066 was signed by Franklin Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. In honor of all who suffered this grave injustice, we must remember, and we must speak out for others. – Satsuki Ina
Following the print sale, the art was acquired and archived at the Library of Congress.
Tsuru for Solidarity’s Satsuki Ina was featured in a mural in honor of Immigrant Day of Resilience on April 15, 2021, alongside Edder and Joella, organized by United We Dream.
On Immigrant Day of Resilience, we will show up with love in our hearts and a fierce determination to win concrete changes for our communities: from reunification of families, to taking funding away from the deportation force, to a pathway to citizenship. Visit this webpage to learn more about this project including information about the community mural unveiling on April 15th! Follow us on social media for updates and videos from the day.
Above all else, we will be there to take care of each other. As history has shown us, liberation doesn’t start and end with citizenship. Liberation requires racial solidarity, collective care, and collective action.
I believe that we will win!
With our ancestors by our side,
Satsuki Ina
Our second print fundraiser this year, involved a community call for art which brought in many pieces of original art in various mediums – print, sculpture, photography, painting, textiles and more. As a result, we created a print sale fundraiser of beautiful pieces of original work by artists Christine Hikido, Lauren Iida and Sayaka Suzuki. We also created a sticker pack and a direct action origami kit (coming soon!).
In addition to this work, we added some new merch (sticker pack) to our shop with plans for more early in the new year.
It has been another year of growth and change for the Communications and Art Committees of Tsuru for Solidarity. In addition to amplifying the work of the organization and its many dynamic and incredible committees, through emails, newsletters, original graphics, social media posts, and strategy, we’ve worked hard to reflect on our capacity and vision for the future. We are excited to announce new initiatives in 2022!
We hope you will continue to support Tsuru’s work with a tax-deductible year-end donation. Communications and Art Committee: Tsuya Yee, Lauren Sumida, Emily Akpan, Linda Morris, Erin Shigaki.
