global action day & #comesitwithher

  • What is Global Action Day?
  • The History
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The Global Action Day for Justice for “Comfort Women” is an international act of solidarity calling for justice for “comfort women” survivors. ​
August 14th is the day on which Grandmother Kim Hak-Sun (1924-1997) became the first survivor to speak publicly of her ordeal at the age of 74. She in turn inspired many other women to break their silence, including Grandmother Maria Rosa Henson in the Philippines in 1992, who all helped bring the Japanese military’s sexual slavery issue into the spotlight on a global scale as a human rights issue. However, the Japanese government has ignored redressive demands by the survivors and international community and continues to avoid legal responsibility on war crimes. Therefore, the international community and human rights organizations declared Global Action Day on August 14th to join and work together for justice.

2023 Global Action Day 

  • Event Photos
  • Summary
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Thank you to all who came to be a part of our 11th Annual Global Action Day, joining us in our call for justice and apology on behalf of "comfort women" survivors. Thank you to our emcee, ELEVATE youth leader Olivia Lee, our performer Woori Sori, and all the volunteers, co-sponsors, and staff who made Global Action Day possible.

You can check out the livestream of Global Action Day 2023 here. 

2022 Global Action Day 

  • Event Photos
  • Summary
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From all of us at KAN-WIN, thank you so much for this year's Global Action Day! It was a truly empowering and moving experience to see our community show up and make survivors' and our voices heard in the center of Chicago, and show up virtually via livestream. It was so moving to see through GAD that the "comfort women" justice movement is growing strong in the Chicagoland area, and we are excited for what the future holds for this movement!

Special thanks goes out to our emcee, Emily Lim, volunteers and the Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago for its performance. And last but not least, our sponsors! 
Global Action Day was also featured in the Chicago Sun-Times!

2021 Global Action Day

  • Event Video/Photos
  • Summary
  • Co-Sponsors
  • Volunteer
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On August 11, 2021 at 12PM, we gathered in downtown Chicago in front of the Wrigley Building for a rally and performances in honor of the "comfort women" survivors. This year was special because it is the 30th anniversary of Kim Hak-Sun's testimony in 1991, which broke the silence of the "comfort women" survivors for the first time. We will recognize the significance of her voice by reading parts of her testimony at the rally. Attendees had the opportunity to practice their individual form of embodying justice by sitting with the Statue of Peace or Sonyeosang.

Following the rally, we marched through the streets of Chicago to the Consulate-General of Japan.
Co-Sponsors:
Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago (AAAJC), Apna Ghar, Awakenings, Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC), HANA Center, Healing to Action, Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), Nikkei Uprising, The Network, and Vietnamese Association of Illinois (VAI).
Call for Volunteers!
The following roles are needed at Global Action Day:
  • Marshal
  • Police Liaison**
  • Photographer
  • Chant Leaders
  • Korean Press Point Person
  • Statue Supervisor
  • Handout flyers and supplies

Does one of these roles sound like you?
Please email prosales@kanwin.org for more information or to sign up!

**Allies/co-conspirators step up. 
That means if you have the privilege of not fearing interactions with police, we are inviting you specifically to get involved with this role!

2020 Global Action Day Performance

  • Event Photos
  • Summary
  • ​Watch Webinar
  • Social Media Toolkit
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The 2020 Global Action Day performance held in Chicago outside of the Consulate-General of Japan was pre-recorded for online viewing, with various ways for supporters to participate digitally! Through a Zoom webinar which was also posted onto YouTube, audience members joined us from home for a performance of the Sonyeosang, or Statue of Peace, and to hear from "comfort women" justice advocates, our partners, and our community members.
Thanks to our "comfort women" advocacy team; Ji-Hye Kim, Denise Huang, Jessica Wang, Hyeyoon Chung, Dr. Elizabeth Son, Hana Rafee, and Erykah Nava.
Special thanks to Studio Soo for the videography and Min A Kim for the downtown rally narration.
Sponsors: Hana Center, Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline, Apna Ghar, Awakenings Gallery, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Chicago, The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, VAI or Vietnamese Association for Illinois, CBCAC or Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community, Healing to Action, NAPAWF Chicago, The Korean Churches Federation of Greater Chicago, The Network, KA Voice, and GABRIELA Chicago
For Action Week, we have provided a "Social Media Toolkit," which includes links to articles, videos, books, petitions, donation sites, and more for people to check out and share online! There are also graphics and texts available for people to post onto their social media to educate their peers and call to action for the justice for "comfort women" survivors and victims.

2019 Global Action Day Performance

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  • Summary
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In 2019, we held a rally during which various partner organizations spoke in support of “comfort women” survivors followed by the #ComeSitWithHer performance, during which we had more people than ever before, even passersby, take a seat with the Sonyeo. We then marched down the streets of Chicago to the Consulate-General of Japan with close to 70+ supporters.
Co-Sponsors:
Dr. Bonnie Oh, Professor Elizabeth Son, 3A Project Team, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago (AAAJC), Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community (CBCAC), GABRIELA Chicago, HANA Center, K.A. Butterfly Team, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum Chicago (NAPAWF), Resilience, and The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence)

2018 Global Action Day Performance

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This was our third year performing the #ComeSitWithHer performance in front of the Wrigley Building. It was accompanied by speeches from allies and partner organizations and a musical performance by supporters. The person who sat as the Sonyeo this year reflects on this experience as a day of collective consolation and a communal feeling of aching for survivors.

2017 Global Action Day Performance

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For Global Action Day, KAN-WIN and the Triple A Project Team, a group of Korean students biking across the U.S. to raise awareness about “comfort women,” held a rally in downtown Chicago at the northeast corner of Chicago & Michigan Avenue.

2016 Global Action Day Performance

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We organized our very first #ComeSitWithHer performance in 2016 for the Global Action Day in front of Chicago’s iconic Wrigley Building. Joined by around 30 allies and supporters, KAN-WIN held a rally and then invited the public to come sit with the Sonyeo to remember and honor “comfort women” survivors.