Days of Remembrance for Executive Order 9066, and the push for S.1009

Vol. 106, No. 10, March 11, 1988. 12 pages. View this issue

Day of Remembrance programs in the Bay Area, Seattle, Florin and Detroit marked the anniversary of Executive Order 9066, and the front page carried several of them. Speakers urged passage of S.1009, and Rep. Robert Matsui spoke about Dan Lungren’s opposition to redress and his own family’s experience of the World War II incarceration (often called internment). In Seattle, Rep. Norman Mineta and Rep. Mike Lowry joined the program. Reporting came from Andy Noguchi, Ann Fuji and Toshi Shimoura, and the issue also covered the National Park Service plans to make Manzanar part of the National Park System.

Elsewhere are the February JACL national board motions, Dr. Yosh Nakashima’s withdrawal from the presidential race, and a Pacific Southwest District speech competition. The opinion pages include Bill Hosokawa and George Kashiwagi, a tribute to Wm. Yasuo Abiko, and letters on redress, Sue Embrey and the Manzanar Pilgrimage. Page 3 reports growing support in Congress for a full count of Asian Americans in the 1990 census.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Bay Area Remembers E.O. 9066, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Bay Area Day of Remembrance programs in San Francisco and San Jose emphasized passage of S.1009 and defeating Dan Lungren’s nomination as California state treasurer. Rep. Robert Matsui spoke about Lungren’s opposition to redress and shared his own family’s internment experience.’
• Seattle Holds Annual Day of Remembrance, by Ann Fuji, page 1. Over 200 people attended Seattle’s Day of Remembrance featuring Rep. Norman Mineta and Rep. Mike Lowry, marking the anniversary of Executive Order 9066. Speakers included Chizuko Omori discussing the NCJAR class action lawsuit and attorneys discussing Gordon Hirabayashi’s legal appeals victory.’
• NPS Plan to Make Manzanar Part of Nat’l Park System, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Representatives of NJAHS and NCRR joined the Manzanar Committee to support National Park Service plans making Manzanar part of the National Park System, with veterans sharing personal testimony at public meetings. Alternative Plan 3, preserving 500 acres with a visitor’s center, received the most community support.’

Community

• Florin Program Honors Former Internees, by Andy Noguchi, page 1. Over 350 people attended the Florin JACL’s 6th annual Time of Remembrance program honoring internees and calling for redress, featuring a candlelighting ceremony and a Smithsonian exhibit presentation by Dr. Tom Crouch. Attendees signed letters and prepared telegrams to President Reagan urging passage of S.1009.’
• Detroiters, Japanese Americans Examine United States Constitution, by Toshi Shimoura, page 8. Judge Bill M. Marutani keynoted a joint luncheon in Detroit commemorating the 46th anniversary of Executive Order 9066, co-sponsored by the Museum of African American History, the International Institute, and Detroit JACL. Marutani spoke on the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians hearings and their findings on Japanese American suffering during WWII.’
• Fort Lupton JACL Installs ’88 Officers, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Fort Lupton JACL installed its 1988 officers including Alfred Watada as president, alongside celebrating the Fort Lupton Lions Club’s 35th anniversary where Watada was honored for 35 years of perfect attendance. The chapter plans to send delegates to the March district meeting in Omaha.’
• East West Players Offering Workshop, by P.C. Staff, page 11. East West Players announced its seventh annual Summer Workshop running July 25 to Sept. 4, offering intensive theatre training including acting, dance, and a new Total Theatre Ensemble program featuring Noh-Kyogen performance. The program, partially funded by the NEA, is open to persons 16 and older with a June 30 registration deadline.’

JACL

• National JACL Board Motions of Feb. 13-14 Weekend Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A summary of motions made and actions taken at the first 1988 National JACL board and staff meeting in San Francisco, covering topics from staff assignments to redress. The report lists numerous votes on policy issues including liability insurance, census efforts, and anti-Asian violence legislation.’
• JACL Ethnic Concerns Committee’s Confab Set For Aug., by Robert Shimabukuro, page 3. Mako Nakagawa announced plans for a two-day Nikkei Educational Conference in August to formulate guidelines for American education from a Nikkei perspective, hosted alongside the National JACL Convention in Seattle. The conference will feature prominent Nikkei educators including Byron Kunizawa and Harry Kitano as keynote speakers.’
• Nakashima Ends His Candidacy for JACL National Presidency, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Dr. Yosh Nakashima withdrew his candidacy for the 1988-90 JACL national presidency, citing a lack of personal desire and choosing to prioritize family and profession. He thanked JACL members for their support during his eight years on the National Board.’
• PSWD Holding Speech Competition, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The JACL Pacific Southwest District announced a speech and forensic competition for members aged 16-21 to be held May 14-15 at the Bonaventure Hotel, with winners advancing to the National JACL Speech and Forensic Competition in Seattle. The contest features prepared/persuasive and impromptu/extemporaneous speech divisions for high school and college levels.’

National

• Census Legislation Gains Momentum, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Forty-two members of Congress have signed on to support Rep. Robert Matsui’s bill requiring a complete count of Asian Americans in the 1990 census, with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus also backing the legislation. The bill aims to ensure accurate ethnic subgroup data for social service delivery programs.’

Commentary

• RIP: Wm. Yasuo Abiko, by P.C. Staff, page 4. An editorial tribute to Wm. Yasuo Abiko, pioneering Nikkei journalist and longtime editor of the San Francisco Nichibei Times, who died at age 78. The piece recounts his decades of service to JACL and the Japanese American community, his coverage of major historical events, and his later-life invention of a diacritical system for Japanese pronunciation.’
• Inouye’s Act Compassionate, by Wayne Oyafuso, page 4. A letter defending Sen. Daniel Inouye’s budget decision regarding Sephardic Jews, arguing he acted compassionately and humanly despite controversy.’
• Aleuts Not Given a ‘Fair Shake’, by Thomas Okazaki, page 4. A letter raising concerns that the Aleuts were not given fair treatment in the redress bill compared to Japanese American internees, questioning JACL’s silence on other Native American and minority issues. The writer urges Japanese Americans not to become like the bigots they oppose.’
• Thanking Sue Embrey, by Hannah Tomiko Holmes, page 4. A letter praising Sue Kunitomi Embrey’s leadership of the Manzanar Committee and her decades of work organizing the Manzanar Pilgrimage and advocating for redress. The writer requests others send letters of appreciation to be presented to Embrey at the 19th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage.’
• Lungren Insensitive, by Tom M. Nakaji, page 4. An 85-year-old reader’s letter criticizing Dan Lungren as an insensitive opponent of H.R. 442 and expressing support for JACL’s guidance on redress issues.’
• ‘Moses’ a Joy to Read, by Aiko Okada, page 4. A letter expressing gratitude for receiving an autographed copy of ‘They Call Me Moses Masaoka’ and praising the book as essential reading for Sansei and Yonsei generations.’
• Sterilization Scheme Not an Exaggeration, by David C. Moore II, page 4. A letter corroborating an earlier article’s mention of a proposed sterilization scheme against Japanese American men during WWII, recounting a firsthand account of a public meeting where a ‘Dr. Lechner’ advocated the atrocity. The writer hopes redress will serve as a warning against such hateful rhetoric.’
• Late Summer Holds Cure for Spring Fever, by Bob Shimabukuro, page 4. A personal column reflecting on springtime in Seattle versus Hawaii, musing humorously on how modern health concerns about cardiovascular disease have complicated romance. The columnist invites readers to submit heart-healthy romantic recipes and promotes the upcoming JACL convention in Seattle.’
• Vast Gulf Between Friendly and Malicious Stereotypes, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Columnist Bill Hosokawa reflects on how some ethnic stereotypes, like the jovial Irishman, are accepted while others are deeply offensive, using the film Crocodile Dundee as a launching point. He concludes that friendly stereotypes often become accepted when targeted groups refuse to take offense, unlike harmful ones.’
• M’hutin, by George Kashiwagi, page 5. A column exploring the Yiddish term ‘m’hutin’ meaning relative or in-law, sparked by a Jewish acquaintance asking about a Matsunaga relative. The piece meditates on patronizing comments versus genuine curiosity across ethnic lines, and the peculiar camaraderie between AJAs and Jewish Americans.

Military & Veterans

• Matsui Eulogizes Aiso Before House of Representatives, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Rep. Robert Matsui delivered a eulogy before the U.S. House of Representatives honoring the late Judge John F. Aiso, the first Nikkei judge in the continental U.S. and a decorated WWII military intelligence officer. Matsui noted the tragic irony that Aiso died from injuries sustained in a robbery attempt.’

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