June 16th, 2026

The Chicago Cultural Alliance’s June archives crawl was hosted by Core Member, the Japanese American Service Committee (JASC). Founded in 1946, JASC was formed to serve the needs of Japanese immigrants and their American-born children coming to Chicago after leaving the World War II incarceration camps. Originally called the Chicago Resettlers Committee, the organization assisted with housing, jobs, and the re-forming of a community.⁠
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JASC works to archive the history of the Japanese American experience in Chicago for both scholars and the community with the JASC Legacy Center while continuing to provide social services and cultural programs for the greater Chicago area.⁠
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We were joined by a group of Core and Partner Members for this visit who enjoyed a tour of the JASC’s new building. A major highlight of the day for this group of archivists and collections managers was the visit to the JASC Legacy Center which holds the largest community-based collection on the Japanese American experience in the Midwest.⁠
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Many thanks to Tricia Soo, Ayako Yoshimura, and Ken Oba for sharing so much about the incredible work taking place at JASC and hosting this month’s program.⁠