San Francisco’s Kinmon Gakuen school receives $4.5 million investment for community renovation
San Francisco, California – A famous Japanese language school in the middle of San Francisco’s Japantown has received a large investment for its future growth. This is a big step toward preserving culture and improving the community. Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), California, announced that the state budget will provide $4.5 million to turn Kinmon Gakuen’s auditorium into a top community place.
A historic place in the Japantown neighborhood
Since its opening with 133 students in 1911, Kinmon Gakuen has been an important part of the Japantown neighborhood. Its goal is still going strong today, teaching Japanese to kids ages 5 to 18. Throughout its history, the school has been both a place to learn and a safe place for Japanese children in the city when they were being treated unfairly because of their race. In 1942, it became famous for being a place where Japanese Americans were processed.
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The funding plan is seen as a way to help the Japantown community and its people heal from past wrongs and make things right. Assemblymember Ting stressed how important it is to invest in the community so that people can get to know each other and learn about the area’s rich past. It looks like the renovation of Kinmon Gakuen’s auditorium will make a big difference in the cultural history and vitality of Japantown.
As the Executive Director of Kinmon Gakuen and a past student, Paul Osaki thanked Ting for getting the much-needed money. He said that Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities don’t have a lot of access to public resources. He also praised Ting’s leadership in pushing for money to help groups and communities across the state.
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London Breed, the mayor of San Francisco, also spoke out strongly in favor of the idea, citing her personal ties to the Japantown community. Mayor Breed talked about how the community is still getting over the racism it has faced and how the investment will help protect and celebrate the cultural history and achievements of America’s oldest Japantown and its Japanese American community.
The improvements are set to start in a month, and the project is a sign of hope and progress for Japantown.
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It shows how important it is to recognize and fix wrongs done in the past while also hoping for a better future where community and cultural spaces are valued and honored.
