Anti-Asian violence and a refugee family’s ordeal

Vol. 100, No. 6, February 15, 1985. 12 pages. View this issue

Violence against Asian Americans ran through this issue. On the front page, Helen Y. Zia reported on the ordeal of Vietnamese refugee Kiet Tien and his family in Michigan, who faced racial harassment and then criminal charges. JACL National President Frank Sato wrote on the growing trend of anti-Asian violence, and James W. Shimoura spoke in Denver about the Vincent Chin case and the need for coalitions. The JACL national board met in San Francisco, accepted Seattle’s bid for the 1988 convention and passed a resolution condemning apartheid.

Also in these 12 pages: Bill Hosokawa on football in Japan, and a debate in the letters over the term Nikkei. George Takei spoke at a chapter installation, and Kim Miyori told San Fernando Valley JACLers about life on network TV. Pat Morita and Haing S. Ngor received Oscar nominations. Redress appeared in a Cambridge city council resolution and in J.K. Yamamoto’s column. JACL announced its 1985 scholarship deadline, and a Philadelphia exhibit would include Ansel Adams photos of Manzanar.

What’s in this issue

National

• Ordeal of Refugee Family Continues, by Helen Y. Zia, page 1. Vietnamese refugee Kiet Tien and his family continue to suffer from racial violence and harassment in Michigan, now compounded by criminal charges against Tien and his brother for a Christmas Day fight. Legal and medical costs mount as Tien’s premature baby was born after his wife testified in court, while Asian American civil rights groups monitor the situation amid fears of backlash.
• Airport Melee, House Arrest Greet Kim on Return to S. Korea, page 1. Opposition leader Kim Dae Jung was forcibly separated from his American escorts by South Korean police and placed under house arrest upon returning from exile. U.S. officials protested the violence, which injured two Korean Americans, while the State Dept. accused Seoul of reneging on assurances of an unimpeded return.
• Body of Orphan Found, page 2. The body of Jean Har-Kaw Fewel, 8, a Hong Kong native adopted by an American couple, was found hanging from a tree near the University of North Carolina. George Richard Fisher was arrested and charged with first degree murder, kidnapping and rape.
• JAL Buys 50th Boeing Jumbo Jet, by HKH, page 3. Japan Airlines took delivery of its 50th Boeing 747 jumbo jet in ceremonies in Everett, Washington, becoming the first airline to purchase 50 jumbo jets. Boeing presented a $50,000 check to JAL to fund Japanese culture studies at U.S. colleges, with longtime JACLers Peter and Rose Ohtaki among those attending.
• WW2 Slur Endures, page 3. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher referred to the Japanese as ‘Japs’ during a live television interview discussing economic policy. She made the comment while comparing British competitiveness to that of Germany and Japan.

JACL

• Board Tackles Apartheid, Other Issues, page 1. The JACL national board met Feb. 8-10 in San Francisco, accepting Seattle’s bid to host the 1988 convention, approving a report on Asian mail-order brides, and passing a resolution condemning apartheid and reviewing JACL investments. The board also announced research projects on redress precedents and plans for astronaut Ellison Onizuka to attend a Tri-District conference dinner.
• Randlett Named Midwest Youth Rep, page 8. Margie Randlett, a high school junior from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, was named Midwest District Council youth representative after serving as Milwaukee JAYs vice president and president. The Milwaukee JAYs collaborate with Chicago JAYs on joint events and assist with major JACL activities like the Holiday Folk Fair.
• Plans Jelling for Singles Event, page 8. The National Singles Concerns Committee announced the second national JACL singles convention will be held Labor Day weekend at the Hyatt San Jose, sponsored by San Jose, Sacramento and Greater Los Angeles Nikkei Singles groups. The committee is also working to form a national network of JACL singles groups in cities including New York, Denver, and Salt Lake City.
• JACL’s Most Important Resource, by Ronald K. Ikejiri, page 9. The author highlights volunteer contributions by B.J. Watanabe, Peter Suzuki, and Key Kobayashi, who worked in the JACL Washington Office during 1983-84 to support redress legislation efforts in Congress. Their unpaid dedication exemplifies the volunteer spirit that has driven JACL’s legislative successes over five decades.
• Scholarship Deadline Approaches, page 9. JACL announced that applications for 1985 scholarships, totaling more than $62,000 annually, are due March 15, with various named awards available for freshman, undergraduate and graduate students. A new award, the Rev. H. John Yamashita Memorial Scholarship, was established this year honoring the Oakland minister who founded a hostel for returning internees after WW2.

Community

• Pilipino Methodists Charge Bias, page 2. At a United Methodist Asian Americans caucus gathering in San Francisco, nearly 200 delegates called for an apology to Bishop Roy I. Sano and debated a new governing structure after Pilipino delegates charged the nominating committee with excluding Pilipino representation. The dispute arose over the composition of 13 at-large board seats, which went predominantly to Korean nominees.
• Capital Fund for Center Hits $1.5 Million, page 2. The Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California announced major gifts bringing its capital campaign total to nearly $1.5 million, including grants from the Jewett and BankAmerica Foundations and a pledge from Otagiri Mercantile Co. Campaign volunteers are seeking individual guarantees from directors to finalize the construction loan needed to begin building this month.
• ‘Unfinished Business’ Due in Orange County, page 2. Steve Okazaki’s film on the wartime Japanese American Supreme Court cases, ‘Unfinished Business,’ will screen Feb. 22 in Garden Grove as a benefit for UC-Irvine Tomo No Kai. Guest speakers will include Dr. Peter Irons, author of ‘Justice at War,’ and Minoru Yasui himself.
• Help Available for Discrimination Victims, page 3. The Asian Pacific American Legal Center and Asian Pacific American Legal Defense and Education Fund launched a joint project offering free counseling for Asian Pacific Americans facing employment discrimination in Los Angeles. Kent Wong was hired to direct the project, which is especially interested in pursuing class action cases.
• Calif. Senior Legislature Sessions Caught on Film, page 3. A new 12-minute program about the California Senior Legislature is available on video and film, showcasing committee hearings and interviews from the 1984 annual session. CSL senior assemblywoman Mabel Ota is running for re-election in the upcoming March election.
• Major Photo and Art Exhibit on Display Through Summer, page 3. JACL and the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies are preparing a Philadelphia exhibit titled ‘The Japanese American Experience,’ running June 10 through Sept. 14, featuring the ‘Go For Broke’ exhibit, Roger Shimomura paintings, and Ansel Adams photos of Manzanar. The exhibit will document immigration, internment, and postwar community life, with works by artists Mine Okubo and Henry Sugimoto.
• Immigrant Leaders to Be Honored, page 3. The International Institute of the East Bay announced an awards dinner on April 28 honoring immigrant leaders from various nationality groups who have contributed to Bay Area life. Nominations are being solicited for foreign-born residents who meet residency and community contribution criteria.
• Retirement Video Available, page 7. The JACL National Aging and Retirement Committee produced ‘A Tale of Nisei Retirement,’ a video featuring George Takei addressing retirement issues for Nisei and Sansei. The video, accompanied by a discussion booklet, has been presented at national gerontology conferences and is available to JACL chapters.
• ‘Trek’ Star Issues Challenge for 80s, by Kelleyanne Pearce (Ventura County Star Free Press), page 8. George Takei spoke at the Ventura County JACL installation dinner about lessons from ‘Star Trek’ regarding diversity and civil rights, connecting them to present-day issues like redress. He urged Japanese Americans to ensure such wrongs never happen again and expressed confidence in the community’s problem-solving abilities.
• 6 Chapters Hold Joint Installation, by HKH, page 8. Over 300 attended a joint installation dinner-dance at the Amfac Hotel for six JACL chapters including Marina, Orange County, Pasadena, Torrance, Venice-Culver and Wilshire. Fred Hoshiyama received the JACL sapphire pin for outstanding service, and the event featured a ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’ theme with music by The Music Company trio.
• Miyori Emphasizes Need for Letters, page 8. Actor Kim Miyori of ‘St. Elsewhere’ spoke at the San Fernando Valley JACL installation dinner, encouraging attendees to write television networks about positive portrayals of Asians and Pacific Islanders. Honorees included Bob Ogawa, who received the JACL silver pin, and redress supporters Betty and Don Yamaoka.
• Shimoura Speaks in Denver on Chin, page 9. James W. Shimoura spoke at the Mile-Hi JACL installation dinner about the Vincent Chin case and the need for Asian American coalitions to combat rising violence and discrimination. Tom T. Masamori was installed as 1985 Mile-Hi president, and a delegation of Chinese American representatives attended in reciprocation for Japanese American support in the Chin case.
• People, page 10. Brief items cover Dale Minami’s appointment to the California Bar’s judicial nominees commission, Grace Hane Yamakawa’s selection as top administrator for Santa Clara County Superior Court, and Sucheng Chan’s appointment as the first Asian American woman provost in the UC system at Oakes College. Also noted are Lance Izumi’s election as president of Japanese American Republicans and Miles Kubo’s move to direct the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum.
• Caucus Backs Sano, Redress, by United Methodist News Service, page 12. The United Methodist Asian American caucus passed resolutions affirming redress for Japanese Americans, commemorating the 40th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, and demanding an apology to Bishop Roy I. Sano from the Good News caucus. Rev. Sivaji Subramaniam was named new board chair, succeeding Rev. Lloyd K. Wake.
• Asian Refugees Need Household Items, Clothing, page 12. Asian Refugee Mediators, a ministry of Agape Fellowship in Los Angeles, is seeking donations of furniture, household items and clothing for Indochinese refugees continuing to flee Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Spokesperson Linda Nawa said children’s clothing and winter items are especially needed for refugees in the Chinatown, Echo Park and Mid-Wilshire areas.

Incarceration & Redress

• City Endorses Redress; Was Hearing Site, page 2. The Cambridge, Mass. city council unanimously passed a resolution supporting redress, noting the city’s history as a haven for evacuated Japanese Americans and as the site of the final CWRIC hearing. The council endorsed the commission’s findings and congressional legislation implementing its recommendations.

Arts & Entertainment

• Two Asians Among Oscar Nominees, page 3. Pat Morita and Haing S. Ngor were both nominated for best supporting actor Oscars, for ‘The Karate Kid’ and ‘The Killing Fields’ respectively, marking a possible first for Asian Americans in that category. Ngor, a Cambodian doctor with no prior acting experience, survived forced labor and torture before escaping Cambodia and winning a Golden Globe for the role.

Commentary

• Want More Members and Money?, by Robert Shimabukuro, page 4. The author argues that JACL chapters need clearer guidance from national leadership on membership recruitment and chapter financing, including specific positions on issues like Simpson-Mazzoli and affirmative action. He proposes using the Pacific Citizen as a vehicle for defining JACL’s concerns and promotes the ad commission program for chapter fundraising.
• The Need for Coalitions, page 4. James W. Shimoura spoke in Denver about the Vincent Chin killing and the lenient sentencing of his killers, emphasizing the need for Asian American coalitions to combat ongoing anti-Asian violence. The piece notes continuing violence against Asian Americans, including the unsolved disappearance and death of Helen Fukui in Denver.
• Worth a Thousand Words, page 4. The columnist reflects on powerful photographs including Nisei soldiers, Jimmy Sakamoto’s uprooting, and especially a photograph of a bewildered little girl sitting among baggage during the 1942 evacuation, as reproduced in Bill Hosokawa’s book ‘Nisei.’ The author wonders about her fate and sees her as a symbol of the redemption still owed by the nation.
• On the Japanese Gridiron, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa recounts the history of American football in Japan beginning in 1934, when Nisei students at Japanese universities organized the first games, eventually leading to a six-team collegiate league. He includes recollections from Shig Fujita about playing football in Tokyo even as the 1942 Doolittle Raid occurred overhead.
• Anti-Asian Violence, by Frank Sato, page 5. JACL National President Frank Sato addresses the growing trend of anti-Asian violence reported in recent Pacific Citizen issues, calling for JACL programs to educate Americans and respond to the problem. He outlines five points including the need to identify causes and implement programs to stem the violence, referencing the 1942 internment as a prior instance of extreme anti-Asian violence.
• Selective Outrage, by Mark Ishimatsu, page 6. A letter writer criticizes a prior commentary on South African apartheid for selectively focusing on white suppression of blacks while ignoring other nations’ human rights abuses, including black-on-black suppression in Africa and Soviet treatment of citizens. The writer argues the real issue driving such editorials is race rather than political morality.
• What About Children?, by Paul W. Ellis, page 6. A letter writer objects to using ‘AJA’ as suggested by Bill Marutani and discusses the complexity of racial terminology for children of mixed heritage. The writer argues ‘Nikkei’ is widely understood and that ‘American’ is a citizenship designation rather than a racial one.
• Is ‘Japanese American’ Demeaning, Too?, by Allan Beekman, page 6. A letter writer explains the etymology of ‘Nikkei’ from Japanese characters meaning ‘of Japanese lineage’ and argues it is correctly used as an English noun. He contends that ‘Japanese American’ is actually the more demeaning term, implying an ‘alloyed’ American status that historically invited hatred during WW2.
• A Peculiar Debate, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 7. The column examines Ken Masugi, a Claremont Institute fellow who, like S.I. Hayakawa, publicly defends the WW2 internment and opposes redress, as seen in a televised debate against Pomona College professor Leo Flynn. Masugi argued internment resulted from wartime intelligence failures and questioned immigrant loyalty, while Flynn countered that specific intelligence existed to identify actual threats without mass incarceration.

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