Gratitude & Action:
9 Days Left to
Support the Lone Fir Apology and Memorial Funding
Your Voices Are Making a Difference —
Let’s Finish Strong by June 12
Thank you to everyone who has submitted written testimony or presented testimony at the public budget hearings in May!
We are making progress: community testimonies—both written and spoken—have helped move County Commissioners to propose three budget amendments advancing us toward the full $2.5 million requested in the draft apology resolution.
Here's what’s happened so far:
May 21 – Commissioners Brim-Edwards and Moyer co-sponsored an amendment adding $500,000 to support the memorial at Lone Fir Cemetery in Southeast Portland.
May 28 – Commissioner Moyer proposed an additional amendment adding another $1 million and called for funding for perpetual care. (Watch it here »)
June 3 – Commissioner Jones-Dixon proposed an amendment to close the remaining funding gap. (Watch it here »)
Now is the time to build on this momentum. Thank the Commissioners for the proposed amendments, and urge the County Commission to approve:
The full $2.5 million in funding for the memorial construction
Commissioner Moyer’s amendment for perpetual care
Learn more about Multnomah County's role in the site's history
Download updated testimony template
Submit your written testimony here
Why It Matters
Block 14 at Lone Fir Cemetery holds deep cultural and spiritual significance for Portland’s Chinese American community. Nearly 3,000 ancestors were erased from public memory, and many graves were desecrated as a result of County actions. Honoring ancestors is a core cultural practice, making these harms especially painful.
The Memorial will restore dignity, preserve heritage, and honor the untold stories of early Chinese immigrants. It will be a place of healing, remembrance, and education—ensuring visibility and inclusion for communities long left out of our shared history.
Act Now—Your Voice Matters!
Written testimonies will be accepted until June 12, the date of the final budget adoption. Submit yours today and help ensure this historic project receives the funding it deserves.
Together, we can urge Multnomah County to acknowledge the past wrongs and take meaningful steps toward healing.
Submit your testimony today!
C.A.C.A. joins over 60 Organizations File Amicus Urging Courts to Heed Lessons of Japanese American Incarceration
For Immediate Release: June 3, 2025
Media Contacts:
Asian Law Caucus, media@asianlawcaucus.org
Japanese American Citizens League, policy@jacl.org
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, aflores@advancingjustice-aajc.org
Over 60 Organizations File Amicus Urging Courts to Heed Lessons of Japanese American Incarceration
Centering the Stories of Japanese American Families Targeted by the Alien Enemies Act, Brief Argues Courts Must Be Independent Checks on Executive Overreach – Or Risk Grave Injustice
SAN FRANCISCO – In March, President Trump issued an executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime law, against any Venezuelan national as young as 14 who the administration claims is a member of the Tren de Aragua gang. In the months since, every judge except one in cases challenging the executive order has found the Trump administration's use of the Act to deport individuals without due process to be illegal. When the United States last used the Act in World War II, it began an escalation that culminated in the highest court choosing to blindly defer to unsubstantiated claims from the executive branch. Everyday people paid the price, losing their families, jobs, homes, and fundamental freedoms.
As the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit considers the case against Trump’s executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act, the Asian Law Caucus, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC (Advancing Justice – AAJC), and Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality have filed an amicus brief asking the court to fulfill its role and duty as an arbiter of constitutional law and ensure robust judicial review of executive actions and orders. The brief is filed on behalf of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and more than 60 Japanese American and Asian American organizations who are committed to sharing this history of the sweeping incarceration of Japanese American communities in order to prevent grave injustices today.
