Civil Rights Act veto override and the redress bill, S. 1009

Vol. 106, No. 12, March 25, 1988. 8 pages. View this issue

Congress voted on March 22 to override President Reagan’s veto of the Civil Rights Restoration Act, and the front page of this issue carried the story. The act reverses the Supreme Court’s Grove City College v. Bell ruling and applies federal anti-discrimination laws to whole institutions if any part receives federal aid. Grayce Uyehara reported that S. 1009, the redress bill, remained on the Senate’s agenda, and the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations urged support for it. Other front-page stories covered a Rolling Stone settlement with Asian American groups and the Census Bureau’s reversal on counting Asian Americans.

In the commentary pages, Ronald Takaki answered James Kilpatrick’s column against redress, and Bill Hosokawa, William Marutani and Maryann Mahaffey each wrote on civil rights and cultural understanding. Another piece looked ahead to the national convention in Seattle. Elsewhere are a profile of Jujiro Wada, who helped establish the Iditarod Trail, and a Little Tokyo birthday celebration.

What’s in this issue

National

• Reagan’s Civil Rights Veto Overridden, page 1. On March 22, the U.S. Senate and House voted to override President Reagan’s veto of the Civil Rights Restoration Act, which reverses the Supreme Court’s Grove City College v. Bell ruling. The act applies federal anti-discrimination laws to entire institutions if any part receives federal aid, overturning a narrower interpretation that limited such laws to specific programs.
• Census Bureau Reverses Plan to Lump Asian Americans Together, page 1. The U.S. Census Bureau reversed its earlier plan and will now conduct a complete, detailed count of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the 1990 census, Rep. Robert Matsui announced. Matsui’s bill, H.R. 3828, had already garnered bipartisan support and the decision was praised by Reps. Dymally, Boxer, Pelosi and Mineta, though some cautioned smaller subgroups still need assurance of being counted.
• N.Y. Anti-Asian Fliers Reappear, page 1. A second wave of anti-Asian fliers signed by a ‘John Russo’ urging a boycott of ‘Oriental Stores’ prompted the South Brooklyn Committee of the Coalition Against Anti-Asian Violence to meet with the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office. The first wave of fliers reportedly numbered 700,000 and occurred four months earlier.
• Wilson Votes Against Kennedy Immigrations Act, page 1. Sen. Pete Wilson voted against the Kennedy/Simpson Immigration Act on March 15, objecting to changes in the fifth preference visa category as unfair and anti-family. Wilson argued the provision restricting visas to unmarried siblings of adult U.S. citizens would severely limit visa chances for many applicants.
• Challenger Families’ Settlements Disclosed, page 2. Justice Department documents revealed the family of Lt. Col. Ellison Onizuka, who died in the 1986 Challenger disaster, will receive part of a $7.7 million settlement from the federal government and Morton Thiokol Inc. The settlements, reached fifteen months earlier, will be paid through long-term annuities to the families of Onizuka, Scobee, Jarvis, and McAuliffe.

Community

• Asian Americans Get ‘Satisfaction’ From Rolling Stone, page 1. A mutually satisfactory agreement was negotiated March 15 between the Asian American Community Coalition and Rolling Stone magazine over the offensive ‘Seoul Brothers’ article. The three-point agreement includes new articles on Koreans and Korean Americans, a paid internship program for Asian American journalism students, and a published apology and letters page.
• Nikkei Women Photo Exhibit Planned, page 2. The National Japanese American Historical Society announced plans for a fall photo exhibit on the history of Japanese American women, the first of its kind. A community-based committee of Bay Area Japanese American women is developing the exhibit and seeking donated or loaned photographs.
• Little Tokyo Celebrates Patriarch’s 99th Birthday, page 2. Mitsuhiko Shimizu, founder of Asahi Shoe & Dry Goods Store in 1912, celebrated his 99th birthday with family and Little Tokyo Business Association members at the New Otani Hotel. The event included greetings from Mayor Tom Bradley and other local officials.
• Korean Americans Ask Why L.A. County Deputies Shoot and Kill Korean Man, page 3. 21-year-old Hong Pyo Lee was shot nine times and killed by L.A. County sheriff’s deputies after a 15-mile chase ended in Long Beach on March 7. About 100 marchers later protested outside the Lynwood Sheriff’s Station, believing the shooting was racially motivated, while investigators called it self-defense.
• Scholarships For UCLA-Bound JAs Available, page 3. The UCLA Nikkei Student Union Scholarship Fund is seeking donations to award scholarships to Japanese Americans entering UCLA in fall 1988. The scholarship emphasizes community service and interest in Japanese American culture over purely academic achievement, with awards ranging from $250 to $500.
• Newsmakers, page 6. This roundup covers various Japanese American achievers including Stuart B. Shim’s Sony fellowship, Allen Asakura’s earthquake safety award, Dr. Thomas Ishii’s Engineer of the Year honor, and appointments of Stewart Kwoh, H. Cooke Sunoo, and Norman Mineta to various positions and awards. Other honorees include Usami Komatsu, Robert Ozaki, and Reiko Uchida for arts recognition.
• AALDEF Salutes Asian American Standouts, by Teru Kanazawa Sheehan, page 6. The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund honored Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga, Irene Natividad, and Anthony M. Tung at its annual awards dinner marking AALDEF’s 14th year. William Hohri praised Herzig-Yoshinaga’s crucial role in redress efforts, while Natividad and Tung were recognized for their work in women’s political representation and landmarks preservation respectively.
• Watanabe Speaks at Ventura Installation, by Bill Kaneko, page 8. Bill Watanabe, executive director of the Little Tokyo Service Center, spoke and presented a slide show at the Ventura County JACL Installation Dinner on Feb. 20. National JACL President Harry Kajihara also attended, and new officers for 1988-89 were sworn in including Chuck Kuniyoshi as president.

Incarceration & Redress

• S. 1009 Still On Senate Agenda, by Grayce Uyehara, page 1. Despite concerns that S. 1009 has stalled, the redress bill remains on the Senate’s calendar for the week of March 21, according to Mike Masaoka of Go for Broke, Inc. Sen. Alan Cranston confirmed the Senate leadership has placed S. 1009 on its short agenda list despite possible filibuster threats.
• L.A. Human Relations Commission Supports S.1009, page 1. The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations recommended that the Board of Supervisors support S. 1009 in its spring 1988 newsletter, In Touch. The Commission cited the 1983 wartime relocation commission’s findings on the exclusion and internment of Japanese Americans and Aleuts.
• Civil Rights Act Veto Override Details, page 3. Continuing coverage detailed Reagan’s objections to the Civil Rights Restoration Act and the support from fundamentalist Christians like Rev. Jerry Falwell against the bill. Rep. Robert Matsui countered that arguments against the bill were ‘flat out lies’ similar to past opposition to civil rights legislation.

Military & Veterans

• L.A. Dinner to Honor JA Vietnam Veterans, page 2. The Japanese American Vietnam Veterans Dinner Committee and Keiro Health Services will hold a testimonial dinner June 2 honoring Japanese American Vietnam veterans and Vincent Okamoto, a highly decorated veteran. Proceeds will fund a memorial plaque and a wing at the Japanese Retirement Home in memory of Justice John F. Aiso.

Commentary

• Iditarod Trail’s Issei Pioneer, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial tells the story of Jujiro Wada (1872-1937), an Issei pioneer who established the Iditarod Trail route in Alaska during the 1909-1910 gold stampede, inspired by renewed interest from musher Susan Butcher’s record-breaking races. The piece draws on research from Norio Mitsuoka, R.N. DeArmond, and others documenting Wada’s remarkable career as a prospector, dog musher, and mail carrier across Alaska and the Yukon.
• Adoption of Chinese Spelling Standards Silly, by Shigeo Yuge, page 4. A letter writer criticizes the media’s acceptance of the PRC’s new phonetic spelling standards for Chinese names and places, contrasting this with the West’s refusal to adopt native European spellings. The author argues this creates unnecessary confusion and questions why the PRC’s preferences should be catered to.
• JACL Must Guard Against Oppression, by Maryann Mahaffey, ACSW, page 4. A JACL life member expresses distress over the National Board’s decision to defer action on joining a lawsuit challenging the Walter-McCarran Act in the American Arab Anti-Discrimination case. The writer argues JACL’s silence contradicts its civil rights mission and urges the board to submit an amicus brief before it’s too late.
• Japan’s ‘Image’ Is Not the Problem, by David Yoo, page 4. A letter responds to Bill Hosokawa’s column on racial discrimination hurting Japan’s image, pointing out the long-standing discrimination against Japanese of Korean descent in Japan. The writer argues Asian Americans should focus on this injustice rather than worrying about Japan’s international image.
• Pre-Convention Info for JACLers, by Taniguchi, page 4. The author previews the upcoming National Convention in Seattle, reminding JACL chapters of deadlines for awards nominations, national office nominations, resolutions, and credentials. Key deadlines include May 6 for nominations, June 6 for resolutions and chapter dues, and August 7 for emergency resolutions.
• For Quakers: Nothing Is Too Small, by William Marutani, page 5. The columnist examines the American Friends Service Committee’s involvement opposing a Compact of Free Association between the U.S. and Pacific trust territories including Palau. He details Palau’s nuclear-free constitutional provision and the AFSC’s testimony against efforts to weaken it, drawing a parallel to 1942 Japanese American internment concerns.
• Easy Generalizations Only Give Partial Picture, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa shares a passage from John Toland’s novel ‘Occupation’ featuring a Japan scholar’s explanation of Japanese cultural contradictions and dual thinking to a young attorney joining war crimes trials. He notes that while such generalizations contain truth, they also risk oversimplifying cross-cultural understanding, a challenge still relevant decades after the war.
• No Reparations for Nisei Internees, by James Kilpatrick, page 5. Kilpatrick argues against the Senate redress bill that would pay $20,000 to surviving Japanese American internees, calling it a costly and unnecessary act of penance for wartime decisions made under different circumstances. He cites historical context of WWII fears and quotes Lord Macaulay on judging past generations by the knowledge available to them at the time.
• The Myth of ‘Military Necessity’, by Ronald Takaki, page 5. Takaki rebuts James Kilpatrick’s op-ed, citing historical documents showing that officials including FBI director J. Edgar Hoover and Secretary of War Henry Stimson knew there was no military necessity for internment. He contrasts the mainland internment with Hawaii, where General Delos Emmons avoided mass internment despite a much larger Japanese population and actual military conflict.

JACL

• Scholarship Fund Continued Coverage, page 6. The UCLA Nikkei Student Union Scholarship Fund continues to gain community support, with an advisory board including Warren Furutani, Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga, Dale Minami, and Congressmen Matsui and Mineta. Donations are tax-deductible and should be sent to the UCLA Nikkei Student Union Scholarship Fund.
• For the Record: Board Motions from Feb. 13-14 Meeting, page 8. Board motions omitted from earlier coverage of the National JACL Board meeting are published, including unanimous support for HR 3828 on the 1990 census and establishment of an Education subcommittee under Ethnic Concerns. The Education subcommittee will develop multicultural education approaches for JACL’s civil rights goals.
• ACLU Recognizes San Diego JACL, page 8. The San Diego chapter of JACL was honored by the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties at its annual Bill of Rights Dinner for its redress advocacy work. Marleen Kawahara accepted the award and stressed continued support is needed until redress reaches a just conclusion.

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