Building the redress database: the Office of Redress Administration at work

Vol. 107, No. 13, October 28, 1988. 12 pages. View this issue

Redress and the Civil Liberties Act drove the news in this 12-page issue. Frank Abe reported on Bob Bratt and Alice Kale of the Office of Redress Administration, who were racing to identify Japanese Americans eligible for $20,000 payments for the World War II incarceration (often called internment). They worked from WRA camp rosters and ran into unusual cases along the way. The office also changed its name on Oct. 20, and several pieces on pages 2 and 9 asked readers to send in documentation on difficult eligibility questions.

Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa reviewed the Smithsonian exhibit on the incarceration, and letters from Roger Shimizu, George Nakagawa and Daniel M. Mayeda continued the convention debate over the ‘no-no boys’ resolution. Also inside: the JACL Visa card program, the Senate’s passage of the census bill for Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, UCLA’s tenure review of Prof. Don Nakanishi, and a profile of 74-year-old traveler Emma Himeno.

What’s in this issue

National

• ORA Officials Scramble to Build Redress Database, by Frank Abe, page 1. Bob Bratt and Alice Kale of the Office of Redress Administration are racing to identify Japanese Americans eligible for the $20,000 redress payments, drawing on WRA camp rosters and cross-checking with Social Security and IRS records. They are also planning outreach trips to West Coast and Hawaii communities to find eligible ex-internees before the August 1989 deadline.
• New Decision Expected on Tenure Case, page 1. UCLA Chancellor Charles Young is expected to issue a new decision soon on the promotion case of Prof. Don Nakanishi, who seeks to become the first Asian American faculty member of the Graduate School of Education. Young told questioners at a UCLA Asian Pacific Alumni Association event that he hoped for a fair and favorable resolution.
• ORA Officially Changes Name, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Justice’s Office of Redress Administration officially changed its name from the Office of Reparations Administration on Oct. 20. The change came after concerns were raised about the suitability of the word ‘reparations.’
• Japanese Official Calls Latins Dregs, Apologizes, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Japanese Democratic Socialist Party official apologized for remarks calling Latin American workers ‘dregs’ at a political seminar, prompting complaints from Latin American diplomats in Japan. He said the comments were a factor behind social unrest in the region.
• High Court Assays Civil Rights Case Reversal, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on whether to reverse Runyon v. McCrary, the 1976 decision barring private schools from racial discrimination, as part of the Patterson v. McLean Credit Union case. Civil rights groups expressed alarm that the court might erase decades of civil rights protections, while numerous legal organizations and lawmakers filed briefs urging the precedent be preserved.
• Senate’s Passage of Census Bill Is a ‘Victory for AAs,’ Says Matsui, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate passed H.R. 4432, authorizing the Census Bureau to use a check-off format to tabulate Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in the 1990 Census, a bill championed by Rep. Robert Matsui. JACL leaders praised the move, though Rep. Norman Mineta expressed disappointment that a ‘Taiwanese’ subcategory was removed from the final Senate version.
• Senate Approves Amendment Aiding New Home Buyers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sen. Spark Matsunaga won Senate approval of an amendment expanding eligibility for low-cost Hula Mae mortgages for Hawaii new-home buyers, addressing a quirk excluding leasehold condominiums. The amendment was part of the Technical Corrections Act of 1988 and awaits conference committee negotiations.
• 3-Year Grant Will Establish UCLA Center on Asian American Mental Health, by P.C. Staff, page 3. UCLA psychology professor Stanley Sue received a $1.7 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to establish the National Research Center on Asian American Mental Health. The center, the first of its kind, will conduct clinical research on mental health issues among Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Pilipino and Southeast Asian American communities.
• Tenure Case: Young Weighing New Decision on Nakanishi, by P.C. Staff, page 9. UCLA Chancellor Charles Young testified before a State Senate committee that he is seriously studying Prof. Don Nakanishi’s tenure case amid allegations of racial bias in the review process. A university committee had already upheld Nakanishi’s grievances, criticizing Dean Lewis Solmon for unfairly interfering, and Nakanishi remains hopeful for a favorable resolution.
• Matsunaga Amendment Aids Hawaii Home Buyers and Retirees, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Sen. Spark Matsunaga’s amendments in the Technical Corrections Act of 1988 would expand Hula Mae mortgage eligibility, protect pension benefits for Hawaii retirees, and extend renewable energy tax credits. Matsunaga expects to be among the negotiators in upcoming conference committee talks.

Community

• Asian Resources Chosen as Agency for United Way Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Asian Resources, Inc., a nonprofit serving the Sacramento Asian community since 1980, was selected by United Way for its 1988 campaign. The agency provides classroom training and job placement for immigrants and refugees with limited English skills.
• Anthology Seeks Writing Material for Next Issue, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fusion, an anthology of the Japanese American experience produced by San Francisco State University’s Asian American Studies Department, is seeking creative writing and graphics submissions. The deadline for the next issue is Jan. 31, 1989.
• San Francisco JACL Luncheon-Fashion Show Benefits Textbook Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 9. The San Francisco JACL luncheon-fashion show fundraising committee prepared for an Oct. 29 event at the Hotel Nikko benefiting the California Textbook Revision Campaign. The campaign aims to revise California history textbooks to reflect the Japanese American redress bill’s passage.
• L.A. Bridge Site of JACL 10K Run, by P.C. Staff, page 12. JACL chapters including Pacifica, Torrance and Gardena Valley organized the ‘Conquer the Bridge 10K Run’ over the Vincent Thomas Bridge on Nov. 20, the only Asian American-sponsored running event held outside an ethnic community. Volunteers gathered to mail 3,000 race registration flyers for the event.

JACL

• JACL Visa Card Program Kicked Off, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The new JACL Visa card program launched Sept. 29 with a direct mailing to California JACL members, generating an enthusiastic early response from Sumitomo Bank. Card holders will help fund JACL through fees and transaction percentages, with Visa cards featuring favorable rates and introductory fee waivers.
• JACL Visa Card Program Details, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Details on the new JACL Visa card program explain that card holders help fund JACL through annual fees and transaction percentages, with Sumitomo Bank offering favorable rates and a fee waiver for the first year. JACL officials encouraged members to apply for the exclusive card.

Incarceration & Redress

• State Seeks Surviving Spouses Eligible for $5,000, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Assemblyman Patrick Johnston is seeking Japanese American surviving spouses eligible for $5,000 compensation under Assembly Bill 4087 for employees fired from California state jobs in 1942. The article lists partial names of employees believed to meet eligibility criteria and instructs spouses to contact Johnston’s office.
• What to Do for Redress Questions, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Office of Redress Administration is drafting eligibility regulations under Public Law 100-383 and posed several complex eligibility scenarios, such as individuals in the military before Pearl Harbor or those who left WRA camps on furlough. Readers with documentation for similar situations are urged to submit materials to the JACL-LEC Washington office quickly.
• ORA Managers Strive to Make Program Work Right, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Bob Bratt and Alice Kale of the Office of Redress Administration describe their effort to responsibly administer the redress law despite past Justice Department opposition to the bill. They acknowledge the delicate balance of defining eligibility fairly and expect final regulations to be approved by February.
• Questions on Redress Eligibility Continued, by P.C. Staff, page 9. A continuation of complex redress eligibility scenarios posed to the Office of Redress Administration, covering cases such as South Americans interned in U.S. camps, Hawaii residents under restrictive orders, and individuals who died just before the redress law was signed. The piece seeks public input and documentation on these edge cases.

Obituaries

• Tulie Miura, Pioneer Nisei Produce Shipper, Dies at 79, page 2. Tulie Miura, a pioneer Nisei produce shipper of 50 years in Salinas and Oxnard, died at home in Ventura, Calif. on June 24 after a long illness. He is survived by his wife, children, siblings, and seven grandchildren.
• Charles Kikuchi, Diarist of the Evacuation, Dies at 72, page 2. Charles Kikuchi, who chronicled the Japanese American evacuation through a UC Berkeley research study and later published works including ‘The Kikuchi Diary,’ died in New York on Sept. 25. His diaries and papers were donated to UCLA’s Asian American Studies Center, and he is survived by his wife, children, mother, and siblings.

Commentary

• JAs Should Vote on Election Day, by P.C. Staff, page 4. An editorial reflects on JACL’s historic nonpartisanship and how Japanese American voting patterns shifted from Republican to Democratic allegiances after the Depression and wartime incarceration. The piece urges all Japanese Americans, regardless of party, to vote on Election Day.
• ‘A More Perfect Union’ Not Perfect, But Still Good, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa reviews the Smithsonian exhibit on the Japanese American incarceration, noting an exchange he overheard between visitors comparing it to treatment of German and Italian Americans. He argues the exhibit’s significance lies in the Smithsonian’s willingness to showcase this history at all, even if imperfectly presented.
• Erroneous Comparison, by Cherry Kinoshita, page 4. Cherry Kinoshita writes to object to a Pacific Citizen editorial that compared Japanese American wartime incarceration to Japanese military atrocities against POWs and civilians. She argues the comparison is wrong and that the key truth—that incarceration was an injustice committed by America against its own loyal citizens—must be upheld.
• ‘No-no Boys’ Issue Needs More Study, by Roger Shimizu, page 4. Seattle Chapter JACL President Roger Shimizu defends the tabling of the ‘no-no boys’ resolution as a step toward deeper understanding rather than a defeat. He explains the resolution aimed to heal community wounds without undermining redress achievements or veterans’ legacy.
• Response to Oda Letter, by George Nakagawa, page 4. George Nakagawa disputes James Oda’s claim that Sansei delegates were surveyed and found uninterested in the ‘no-no boys’ issue, and corrects the record on which chapter sponsored the tabled resolution. He notes the Seattle Chapter resolution generated considerable interest at the convention.
• Oda Letter II, by Daniel M. Mayeda, page 4. Daniel Mayeda, a Sansei delegate, disputes James Oda’s characterization that Sansei were unfamiliar with or uninterested in the ‘no-no boys’ issue. He attributes the resolution’s tabling to a lack of Nisei leadership consensus rather than Sansei apathy, and calls for respectful dialogue going forward.
• The Dragon Lives On, by George Johnston, page 4. George Johnston reflects on the enduring legacy of Bruce Lee, 15 years after his death, recalling his cultural impact as a martial arts icon who introduced kung fu to mainstream audiences. The column traces Lee’s rise from ‘Green Hornet’ actor to international superstar with ‘Enter the Dragon.’

In-Depth

• Senior Enjoys Life of Traveler, Urges Others to ‘Get Out and Do Something’, by Karleen Chinen, The Hawaii Herald, page 5. At 74, Emma Himeno has traveled to Antarctica, the Arctic, Mt. Everest base camp, Siberia and more, taking up adventurous travel in her sixties after a career as a minister’s wife and librarian. She encourages other seniors to get out and experience the world rather than staying home.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.