CASE STUDY
MEDIA RELATIONS & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: NATIONAL JAPANESE AMERICAN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION
The Challenge
The National Japanese American Memorial (NJAMF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing public awareness of the unjust internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. More than 45 years after the internment was initiated, Congress and President Ronald Reagan enacted the unprecedented Civil Liberties Act of 1988, granting reparations to survivors as well as an official admission of the government’s wrongdoing.
In 1992, an official memorial to commemorate the experience of American citizens of Japanese ancestry and their military service was constructed. Today, NJAMF manages programming across the country to remind Americans about the importance of guarding our constitutional rights. The TASC Group was hired to secure national and regional media coverage for NJAMF’s grassroots events and programs and spotlight the 10th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act, emphasizing its poignant implications on our nation’s history.
The Challenge
The National Japanese American Memorial (NJAMF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing public awareness of the unjust internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. More than 45 years after the internment was initiated, Congress and President Ronald Reagan enacted the unprecedented Civil Liberties Act of 1988, granting reparations to survivors as well as an official admission of the government’s wrongdoing.
In 1992, an official memorial to commemorate the experience of American citizens of Japanese ancestry and their military service was constructed. Today, NJAMF manages programming across the country to remind Americans about the importance of guarding our constitutional rights. The TASC Group was hired to secure national and regional media coverage for NJAMF’s grassroots events and programs and spotlight the 10th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act, emphasizing its poignant implications on our nation’s history.
The Strategy
TASC routinely cultivated relationships with relevant members of the media to highlight NJAMF as well as the 10th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act. TASC developed a strategic plan to amplify NJAMF’s mission of educating the public on the significance of the Act while honoring the stories of Japanese Americans who endured egregious discrimination and the 30,000-plus Japanese veterans who fought overseas during World War II despite many of their families remaining imprisoned in the States.
TASC worked to identify and uplift individual Japanese American veterans who served during World War II to help ensure comprehension and humanization of their stories and sacrifices. To shed light on generational trauma that resulted from these discriminatory practices, TASC also illuminated the descendant voices of formerly interned Japanese Americans.
The Results
TASC secured over 250 media placements for the National Japanese American Memorial. TASC acquired coverage for NJAMF’s events and educational initiatives and delivered significant local and national media coverage for the organization, including coverage in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Associated Press, NBC News, CNN, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, POLITICO, MSNBC and C-SPAN.
As a tactic, the team successfully arranged a rare interview with the Associated Press and the late Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens who spoke at length about the parallels between the Islamophobic narratives around the “Ground Zero Mosque” story in NYC and the violence against Japanese Americans during World War II.
Additionally, TASC promoted and generated media coverage for NJAMF’s Annual Gala that recognized former Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
MEDIA COVERAGE
