Sonoma County JACL

05/06/2026

02/06/2026

February 2026 Hall of Heroes Induction Ceremony
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Hall of Heroes Induction Ceremony – Honoring Peter Masuoka
By Janet Tajii

Please join us for the Sonoma County Hall of Heroes Induction Ceremony honoring local veterans including Peter Masuoka, brother of Margarette Murakami, who was killed in action as a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in World War II. The Memorial Hall on the grounds of the Enmanji Buddhist Temple was dedicated to Pete, in addition to Leo Kikuchi and Joe Yasuda, all local Japanese Americans killed in action while in the 442nd.

📍Location: Petaluma Veterans Memorial Building, 1094 Petaluma Blvd S, Petaluma
🗓 Date & Time: Saturday, February 7th at 5:00 PM
🔗RSVP: https://evite.me/WCQbxdn4gp

The following veterans will be inducted and recognized for their service:

Peter Masuoka, World War II
Rose Nowak, Women’s Aux Corps
Richard Penry, Vietnam
Duane Wilson, Vietnam + GWOT
Bob Hockenberger, Cold War
Peter Hughes - GWOT

Major Andrew LeMarQuand, U.S. Army Retired states, "A special emphasis of this ceremony will be the honoring of Peter Masuoka, a World War II Veteran and member of the renowned 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Plans are underway to develop a unique exhibit honoring local 442nd Veterans and their families, while also spotlighting the important role of the Sonoma County Japanese American Citizens League (JACL)." LeMarQuand is Commander of VFW Post 1929 in Petaluma, Commander of the Sonoma County United Veterans Council comprised of ~25 Sonoma County Congressionally Chartered Veteran Service Organizations, and currently serves on the Sonoma County JACL Board of Directors.

11/10/2025

And so it starts! Open World delegates present Sebastopol with a sign made by Ukrainian children.

10/14/2025

Check out this 🚨 opportunity 🚨 for any high school, university or adult Japanese language learners to test your language skills!

The Komaru-Koutsu Foundation, Fukuyama City University and Sonoma State University are partnering to present the 3rd Japanese Language Speech Contest. The contest will be held on Tuesday, October 28th from 3:00 to 5:00 PM at the Sonoma State University Student Center.
This event is free and open to the public. Up to four selected contestants traveling more than 50 miles to compete in this event may be eligible to receive a travel stipend to assist with travel costs.

Check out more details and how to register here: https://academicaffairs.sonoma.edu/japanese-language-speech-contest

10/12/2025

We hope you will join us for a special gathering later this month to commemorate the installation of two profound symbols of peace on the SSU campus grounds: a Rotary Peace Pole and the Hiroshima Peace Trees.

The Sonoma State University Peace Ceremony will take place at 12pm on Tuesday, October 28th in the Main Quad, the spacious lawn located between Salazar Hall, Stevenson Hall, and the Wine Spectator Learning Center.

The Hiroshima Peace Trees, brought to SSU through a partnership with The Peace Crane Project, have been grown from seeds descended from a gingko (Gingko biloba) tree that survived the Hiroshima bombing in 1945 that were then tended to at the Sonoma Botanical Garden.

The Peace Pole is brought to campus through a collaboration with the Rotaract Club and Veterans for Peace and will feature the message ”May Peace Prevail on Earth”, written on the 8-foot pole in eight languages: English, Spanish, Pomo, Chinese, Tagalog, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Russian.

Sonoma State is honored to be the recipient of such powerful symbols of peace and unity and is deeply grateful to the community organizations who have partnered with us in these endeavors. We look forward to commemorating these impactful initiatives at the event on October 28th, and hope you will join us.

Parking is available in Lot G, next to the Gymnasium. Parking permits are required at all times. If you are an off-campus guest planning to attend the event and need a permit for the day, please email [email protected] for information on how to receive a complimentary pass for the event.

09/16/2025

WAKU WAKU - Japanese Culture Workshop for Children

Sonoma County JACL and Sebastopol World Friends are sponsoring a Children’s Japanese Culture Workshop. This workshop is modelled after a highly successful summer program the JACL ran 20 years ago. The class is scheduled for October 25, 2025, 10 AM - 1 PM at the Enmanji Memorial Hall. The target age for this class is Grades 2-6. The class will be limited to 24 children, each child is to have a parent/Responsible partner. To register use this link (Waku Waku Registration). Any questions or if you like to help at this workshop, please call Ron Tajii @ 707 327 8251.

09/15/2025

JACL National joins our Chicago chapter in denouncing the ongoing immigration raids in the Chicagoland area and the possible threat of National Guard deployment to the city.

Read the full statement for more information and for resources from JACL Chicago and other local organizations: jacl.org/statements/joint-response-from-jacl-national-and-jacl-chicago-chapter-regarding-immigration-raids-and-possible-national-guard-deployment