NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 15, 2006
YUFA Awards $1,000 Challenge Grant to Save Historic Joy Kogawa House
The York University Faculty Association is issuing a challenge to other Faculty Associations across the country to match their $1,000 pledge to the Historic Joy Kogawa House campaign. This $1.25 million fundraising drive, spearheaded by The Land Conservancy of British Columbia, will provide the funds to save the childhood home of poet and novelist Joy Kogawa in Vancouver from demolition, do historical renovations and provide an endowment to offset the costs of a major writers-in-residence program.
The West 64th Avenue house became a symbol of lost hope and happiness after Kogawa, then six years old, and her family were removed from their home in 1942 as part of the forced evacuations and internment of over 21,000 Japanese-Canadians during World War II. The house is the central image in Kogawa’s award-winning novel Obasan, one of Canada’s best-loved works of fiction that is taught in schools and universities throughout Canada, its sequel about the redress movement, Emily Kato, and the children’s story Naomi’s Road, which is now touring as a Vancouver Opera production to 140 schools and community centres throughout B.C.
The writers-in-residence program at the Joy Kogawa House will enable new writing about human rights and Canada’s evolving multicultural and intercultural society that may be unique in the world.
In announcing the $1,000 contribution, Dr. Joseph Levy, YUFA VP External, stated that universities are one of the primary means through which our history is passed on to succeeding generations. “The strongest response to saving the Joy Kogawa House has come from professors who have taught Obasan and seen its effect on their students. The Joy Kogawa Writers-in-Residence Centre will continue this creative stimulation by assisting Canadian writers to observe and write first hand about our multi- and inter-cultural society and how different values and traditions can peacefully interact.” Levy added, “We are challenging other faculty associations to match our contribution.”
Kogawa has been awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Toronto, Queen’s, Ryerson, Guelph, Waterloo, Lethbridge, the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.
“The York University Faculty Association, under its mandate of social justice, has contributed $1,000 to the Joy Kogawa Fund and a challenge to other faculty associations across the country to do the same,” Kym Bird, also a member of the YUFA Executive, stated. “In my view, saving Joy Kogawa’s house is an enormously worthy cause and Canadian Universities across the country, as guardians of history and as places where our common past and our communal stories are told and cherished, have a vested interest in preventing its demolition.”
The Land Conservancy of British Columbia is a non-profit, charitable land trust working to protect BC’s natural and cultural heritage. Since 1997, TLC has protected almost 100,000 acres of sensitive and threatened land in BC, involving more than 100 projects. Donations to the Joy Kogawa House campaign can be made through the TLC website at www.conservancy.bc.ca or by calling (604) 733-2313.
Contacts:
York University Faculty Association: Dr. Joseph Levy, 416-736 2100 Ext. 33898
TLC The Land Conservancy: Tamsin Baker (604) 733-2313
Save Joy Kogawa House Committee: Ann-Marie Metten (604) 263-6586; Todd Wong (604) 240-7090; Anton Wagner (416) 863-1209 www.kogawahouse.com
For photographs and interviews with Joy Kogawa, contact:
Save Joy Kogawa House Committee: Anton Wagner (416) 863-1209; awagner@yorku.ca
TLC – The Land Conservancy: Heather Skydt (604) 733-2313; HSkydt@conservancy.bc.ca