Please join Tsuru for Solidarity and fellow community members on Sunday, October 18, for a Liberation Obon and Solidarity Pilgrimage honoring Asian communities targeted by ICE.
Grounded in Buddhist teachings on interbeing and interdependence, we will co-create a space to honor our ancestors and grieve the lives lost to the unjust and inhumane immigration system, paying special tribute to the stories of Asian ancestors. Through altar building, Buddhist ceremony, walking meditation, and bon odori dancing, we will remember and console the spirits of all those who have been killed by ICE this year.
Our neighbors, friends, and communities face increasing arrests and deportations, with California seeing the highest rates of Asian arrests in the US. The conditions of ICE enforcement and detention are inhumane and deadly; since 2025, 80 people, including 14 people from Asian communities, have died at the hands of ICE.
We must keep showing up. Interdependence means that we are not free, until we are all free. As we move toward the November elections, building our capacity for mass nonviolent resistance will be essential to upholding our democracy and keeping our communities safe. Let’s rise together to meet this moment with fierce compassion and solidarity.
ENDORSING ORGS:
- ASATA
- California Coalition for Women Prisoners
- Chinese for Affirmative Action
- Free Families
- Japanese American Families for Justice
- Kehilla Synagogue Immigration Committee
- New Light Wellness
- Stop AAPI Hate
- Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club
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WHAT: Liberation Obon & Solidarity Pilgrimage–altar building, Buddhist ceremony, walking meditation, music, and bon odori (obon dance)
DATE: Sunday, Oct 18 from 1-5pm
WHO: Open to all!
REGISTER: Register in advance
SCHEDULE/LOCATIONS:
1-1:30pm: Procession through Japantown, starting at KOHO (1675 Post St)
1:30-2:15pm: Altar building & Hatsubon Service @ Kinmon Gakuen (2031 Bush St)
2:15-3:30pm: Walking Pilgrimage from Kinmon Gakuen to ICE Office (~2 mile walk)
3:30-4:30pm: Vigil, Bon Odori, & Cultural Offerings outside ICE Office (630 Sansome St)