First redress payments to fired Nisei state workers, and the 1983 JACL scholarship winners

Vol. 97, No. 9, August 26, 1983. 12 pages. View this issue

The first payments to former California state employees fired in 1942 because of their Japanese ancestry made the front page. Six recipients celebrated the first of four installments under Assemblyman Patrick Johnston’s AB 2710, which provides $5,000 to each worker. The paper also reported that the family of slain Vietnamese student Thong Hy Huynh filed a $1 million claim against the Davis school district, and that Rep. Norman Mineta had a cancerous tumor removed from his lung. Page 8 lists the 27 students who received more than $40,000 through the 1983 JACL National Scholarship Program.

Inside are the NCRR fundraiser for the coram nobis appeals of Fred Korematsu, Gordon Hirabayashi and Minoru Yasui, and the Go for Broke/Yankee Samurai exhibit at Moscone Center. Bill Marutani, Ron Wakabayashi, Chuck Kubokawa and Harry Honda wrote columns and travel reports, and page 7 has photos from the 43rd Nisei Week.

What’s in this issue

National

• Vietnamese Family to Sue Davis School District for Negligence, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The family of slain Vietnamese high school student Thong Hy Huynh filed a $1 million claim against the Davis Joint Unified School District, alleging negligence for failing to prevent his fatal stabbing. Attorney Henry Rodriguez contends school officials knew the attacker had a history of violence and threats toward Vietnamese refugee students.
• Mineta Has Cancer Surgery, Doctors Remove Tumor From Lung, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Norman Mineta had a cancerous tumor removed from his left lung during surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose after a routine X-ray revealed a spot during a planned hernia operation. Doctors reported his prognosis as excellent and expected him to recuperate before returning to Congress in September.
• Initiative Filed in San Francisco to Use English-Only Ballots, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Backers of a San Francisco ballot initiative submitted over 14,000 signatures seeking to allow English-only election ballots and urging Congress to amend the Voting Rights Act. Critics including Henry Der of Chinese for Affirmative Action called the measure a misguided campaign against language minorities.
• Takahashi Petitions Supreme Court for Review of Dismissal, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mitsue Takahashi, the first California teacher dismissed for incompetence, petitioned the state Supreme Court to overturn an appellate court ruling that upheld her firing. Her attorney Dale Minami argued the school district failed to establish required evaluation standards, rendering the dismissal unjust despite her 21 years of strong student performance results.
• Heritage Dictionary Plans to Drop Offensive Abbreviation, by Raymond Okamura, page 6. The American Heritage Dictionary agreed to eliminate ‘Jap.’ as an abbreviation for Japan/Japanese in its next printing, following correspondence from Raymond Okamura. Merriam-Webster’s Ninth Edition recently made the same change, while two other dictionaries still retain the abbreviation.
• World Council of Churches Anti-Nuke Statement, by P.C. Staff, page 9. The World Council of Churches, meeting in Vancouver, rejected the concept of nuclear deterrence as morally unacceptable and condemned nuclear weapons production. The statement was viewed as a significant step by the global church community against the arms race.

Incarceration & Redress

• Nisei State Employees Fired in ’42 Receive First Checks, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Six former California state employees who were fired in 1942 due to their Japanese ancestry celebrated at a dinner marking the first of four payments under Assemblyman Patrick Johnston’s AB 2710. The law provides $5,000 in installments to compensate state workers terminated because of their race during World War II.
• NCRR Raising Funds for Coram Nobis Plea, by P.C. Staff, page 9. The National Coalition for Redress/Reparations held a fundraiser in Sacramento to help cover court costs for the coram nobis appeals of Fred Korematsu, Gordon Hirabayashi, and Minoru Yasui. The three were convicted during WWII for defying military curfew and evacuation orders based on what was later found to be misinformation presented to courts.

JACL

• JACLers to ‘March’ Again in Washington, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A JACL contingent of about 100 people planned to gather for the second March on Washington, culminating at the Lincoln Memorial. Pat Okura, who participated in the original 1963 march, was set to again lead the group alongside newly-elected EDC governor Mike Suzuki.
• Wakiji Named Chair of MHFP Advisory Board, by P.C. Staff, page 5. George M. Wakiji of Arlington, Va. was elected chairperson of the national advisory committee of Asian and Pacific Islanders, part of the Minorities Health Fair Program. Other members include Patrick Okura and Nilda Yadao, MD.
• ‘Select Life’ Insurance Plan OK’d as NC-WNPDC Pilot, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The JACL National Board approved a pilot charitable life insurance program called Select Life, issued through Cal-Western Life, in the NCWNP district. The program allows donors to make larger charitable gifts to JACL through annual premiums while receiving a tax deduction.
• CACA Guests at PSW Aug. 28 Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Chinese American Citizens Alliance and Judge Ernest M. Hiroshige were to be honored guests at the Pacific Southwest District Council’s third quarterly meeting. The meeting aimed to explore increased interaction between CACA and JACL on areas of mutual concern.
• 1983 JACL Scholarship Winners Announced, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Twenty-seven students received over $40,000 in scholarship awards through the National JACL Scholarship Program, which began in 1946, including freshman, undergraduate, graduate, performing arts, and creative arts awards. Winners included students headed to schools like Stanford, UCLA, Yale, and the University of Chicago, recognized for strong academic and extracurricular achievements.

Community

• San Joaquin County Supervisor Yoshikawa Plans to Retire in ’84, by P.C. Staff, page 2. San Joaquin County Supervisor Richard Yoshikawa announced he will not seek re-election in 1984, becoming the first Nisei county supervisor when appointed by Gov. Reagan in 1974. He endorsed his former administrative aide Tom Nicolas to succeed him.
• Avian Scientist Appointed Chair of UC Graduate Program, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Richard Yamamoto, a UC-Davis professor, was appointed to chair a graduate program; he earned degrees from the University of Washington and UC Davis in microbiology. He is married with five daughters and has authored books and textbook chapters.
• Jenny Kao’s Slayer Gets Life Sentence, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Daniel Ray Barrera, 20, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder and molestation of 9-year-old Jenny Kao in Pasadena. The sentencing came despite an emotional plea from the girl’s mother that he be executed.
• 35th Year Reunion, by John Saito, page 6. John Saito recounts a nostalgic weekend reunion at the Presidio of Monterey, where former language school students gathered 35 years after their service, including instructors Akira Oshida, Goro Yamamoto, and Shig Kihara. He notes a discussion about a potential bicentennial theme highlighting the Japanese American experience.
• Selanoco Gears for Orange Food Fair, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Selanoco JACL’s major fundraiser, the annual International Food Fair in Orange, California, is set for the Labor Day weekend and contributed over $4,000 to the chapter treasury last year. The chapter’s concession is located in the Ginza Section on Glassell Street.
• Japan Fair Date in Las Vegas Uncertain, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Plans for a Japan Fair at the Las Vegas Convention Center, originally scheduled for September 1983 with Las Vegas JACL’s cooperation, were reportedly postponed to February 1984. Chapter president Tom Watanabe said the Convention Center never followed up after the initial request for help, leaving the date uncertain.
• Priscilla Ouchida Appreciation Fete Sept. 7, by P.C. Staff, page 9. An appreciation dinner was planned in Sacramento honoring Priscilla Ouchida for her role in passing AB 2710, the state measure compensating fired Nisei state employees. Assemblyman Pat Johnston and Sen. Ralph Dills, co-authors of the bill, were also set to be recognized.
• Canadian Nikkei Set for Redress Confab, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Members of the Japanese Canadian community planned to meet in Toronto to discuss reparations and redress issues. Details were available through Kathy Uyeyama at the National Redress Conference office.

In-Depth

• Retired Journalism Teacher Reflects on Discrimination, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ted J. Tajima, who taught journalism at Alhambra High School from 1948 until his retirement at 60, reflected on the discrimination Japanese Americans faced after Pearl Harbor and the forced evacuation. He discussed how the student body’s racial makeup changed dramatically over his career and how economic interests drove the internment.
• ‘Soroche’ Worse Headache Than Peru ‘State of Emergency’, by Chuck Kubokawa, page 10. Chuck Kubokawa continues his report on the PANA-2 conference in Lima, discussing resolutions passed including support for JACL’s redress effort and Keiro-no-Hi, plus the formal acceptance of the PANA constitution. He highlights the treasury’s financial needs and tributes to various delegates who contributed to the conference’s success, including Ambassador Armando Yoshida Vaca of Bolivia.
• Land of the Incas, Inflation and Inemuri, by Harry Honda, page 12. Harry Honda concludes his coverage of the PANA-2 conference in Lima with detailed descriptions of Peruvian cuisine experienced during the trip, including ceviche, anticuchos, Inca-Kola, and various fruits and dishes shared at delegate homes. He also describes the entertainment at a Lima Sheraton reception featuring Peruvian folk dancers and notes encounters with trilingual community figures like Fr. Luis Martinez and Consul General Masaru Ito.

Obituaries

• Elaine Kashiki, Carl Mirikitani, Hajime Uyeyama, Rev. Yoshimasa Shigekawa Deaths, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Elaine Kashiki, 35, administrative director at the Los Angeles Inner City Cultural Center, died of a cerebral hemorrhage; Carl Mirikitani, 35, a Honolulu attorney and former Hawaii JACL chairman, died of an aneurysm. Also noted were the deaths of longtime Berkeley physician Hajime Uyeyama, MD, 79, and the Rev. Yoshimasa Shigekawa, 100, a naturalized citizen born in Ehime-ken.

Commentary

• South Bay Redress Editorial; Readers Reply, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This piece reprints a Palos Verdes Peninsula News editorial questioning redress payments to interned Japanese Americans while comparing their treatment to POW camps, followed by multiple reader letters offering pro and con perspectives on redress. Letter writers included George Ogawa, John C. Mead, and John T. Kane, each presenting differing arguments about guilt, precedent, and justice.
• On a Summer Afternoon, by Bill Marutani, page 4. In this East Wind column, Bill Marutani recounts a visit to a Chinese restaurant in Philadelphia where a fellow patron assumed he was a doctor based on his race. He reflects on the discomfort of being racially categorized, even when the assumption seems benign, due to the implicit power dynamics involved.
• Redress ‘Comments’, page 4. A letter writer responds to a Stanford professor’s comments on redress compensation published in an earlier issue, arguing that compensation is not about survival but about righting an injustice. The writer also questions the $80 million ‘boondoggle’ claim and discusses psychological factors like envy and enryo affecting opinions on redress.
• Retirement: Just the Beginning, page 5. A Denver, Colo. writer responds to Bill Marutani’s column about retirement, describing his own busy schedule of writing columns, articles, and book reviews despite being retired. He reflects on how retirement has been more a change of pace than activity, and shares his brother’s observation that the hardest part of retirement is an ego blow.
• Letters: Psychological Impact, 1980 Commitment, The Other Cheek, Arizona Memorial, Uncapitalized Words, by Miki Himeno, Violet K. de Cristoforo, et al., page 5. Several letters address varied topics: the psychological impact of World War II evacuation discussed at a Pacific Southwest JACL panel; the Salinas JACL redress committee’s concerns about chapters failing to meet 1980 redress fundraising quotas; and debates over religious interpretation, the USS Arizona memorial, and dictionary capitalization issues. Writers included Miki Himeno, Violet K. de Cristoforo and the Salinas JACL Redress Committee, Mary Tani, and Chiyeko Hedani.
• Sanka Moyu, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 5. In this Musubi column, Ron Wakabayashi discusses NHK’s planned 53-week drama ‘Sanka Moyu’ starring Toshiro Mifune, based on a novel about Japanese American history including wartime incarceration and the 100th/442nd. He connects this cultural moment to growing interest in Japanese Americans as a labor pool amid globalizing business interests.

Arts & Entertainment

• Nisei Week 43rd Annual in Action, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Photo coverage of the 43rd Annual Nisei Week festival includes Toshiro Mifune donating samurai armor to the JACCC, the coronation of Queen Tracy Isawa, and a pioneer luncheon honoring six Issei at the New Otani Hotel. Other highlights included the Nisei Week parade led by the Bando Mitsuhiro dance group and the 100th/442nd color guard.

Military & Veterans

• Go for Broke/MIS Exhibit Draws Thousands, by P.C. Staff, page 9. The Go for Broke/Yankee Samurai exhibit presented by the Presidio Army Museum attracted large crowds at Moscone Center over four days. Publicist Chet Tanaka noted most visitors were unaware that Japanese Americans had fought on both the European and Pacific fronts during World War II.

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