Redress law signed, and a textbook campaign begins

Vol. 107, No. 11, October 14, 1988. 8 pages. View this issue

The Pacific Citizen reported on what came after the signing of the redress bill, H.R. 442. The front page carried news of a San Francisco JACL Chapter fundraiser for a campaign to revise California textbooks that call the wartime removal of Japanese Americans a “military necessity.” Diablo Valley JACL planned a redress forum, and the paper covered the JACL-LEC board nominations. The editorial page compared redress payments to Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians, and Bill Hosokawa wrote about the myth that Japanese Americans stayed silent about the World War II incarceration. Mollie Fujioka described her district’s redress fundraising campaign.

Also inside: the Black Congressional Caucus hearing on Japanese corporate practices and Sanrio’s apology, Nisei VFW delegates defeating anti-redress resolutions, and Joy Cherian’s renomination to the EEOC. Reports on Japanese American athletes at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the Onizuka family at the Discovery launch, and a gala for the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo also ran.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• JACL Fund-Raiser Benefits Textbook Revision Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The San Francisco JACL Chapter’s Oct. 29 fashion show and luncheon fund-raiser will benefit a campaign to revise California textbooks to reflect the passage of redress bill H.R. 442. The California Textbook Revision Campaign committee aims to correct books that justify the internment as a ‘military necessity.’
• Nominations Now Being Accepted for JACL-LEC Board, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Nominations are open for three at-large positions on the JACL-LEC board of directors, which continues monitoring redress appropriations and individual identification processes under Public Law 100-383. Several current board members, including Jerry Enomoto, have announced intentions to run for another term while others have resigned.
• JACL-LEC Board Nominations Continued, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Additional details on JACL-LEC board nominations note that at-large members Jerry Enomoto, Mae Takahashi, and Dr. James Tsujimura plan to run for another term, while Gary Glenn has resigned. Nominations should include candidate background information and be sent to Nominations Chair Shig Wakamatsu.
• NCWNPDC Redress Campaign Achievements, by Mollie Fujioka, page 8. Mollie Fujioka details the district’s successful four-year pledge drive campaign for JACL-LEC redress fundraising, with 100 percent chapter participation plus additional individual and chapter solicitations. She also highlights the district’s National Forensics Competition successes and her personal testimony against Rep. Dan Lungren’s confirmation for California State treasurer.

National

• First Asian EEOC Commissioner Renominated for Another Term, by Rita Takahashi, page 1. Joy Cherian was sworn in as a commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by Justice Antonin Scalia after being renominated by President Reagan and confirmed by the Senate on Sept. 23. Cherian, the first and only Asian American EEOC commissioner, will serve until June 30, 1993, enforcing civil rights, age discrimination, and equal pay laws.
• Onizuka Family Watches Successful Launch of Discovery, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Relatives of the late astronaut Ellison Onizuka watched the successful launch of the space shuttle Discovery on Sept. 29 from various locations including Houston and Hawaii. His brother Claude Onizuka attended in person at Kennedy Space Center and sent an Aloha package to NASA’s mission control, a tradition Ellison had started before his first shuttle flight.
• Firms Not Sensitive to U.S. Blacks, Says Caucus, by Laurie Mochidome, page 1. The Black Congressional Caucus held an Oct. 6 hearing examining the impact of Japanese products and corporate practices on the Black American community, spurred by the ‘Black Sambo’ controversy involving Sanrio, Inc. Caucus chair Rep. Mervyn Dymally said Japanese corporations are insensitive and indifferent toward Black consumers and businesses.
• Bush Appoints Asian Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Vice President George Bush appointed several Japanese Americans, including Steve Nakashima, Eunice Sato, Richard Takechi, and Rep. Patricia Saiki, to lead the Asian Americans for George Bush Coalition. Bush praised Asian Americans for exemplifying the American Dream through their family values and entrepreneurial spirit.
• UCLA Offering Postdoctoral Fellowships in Japanese American Studies, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Asian American Studies Center at UCLA announced its annual postdoctoral fellowship competition in Japanese American Studies for 1988-89, offering stipends of $18,000-$20,000. Fellows will conduct research during a nine-month residency and present findings at a public lecture, with applications due Oct. 31.
• U.S. Blacks: Sanrio Apologizes, Japanese Corporate Practices Questioned, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Sanrio, Inc. sent a formal letter of apology for racially offensive products depicting Black caricatures and proposed cultural understanding programs following Black Congressional Caucus criticism. Businessman Earl Graves testified that Japanese firms resist granting Black auto dealerships and fail to advertise in Black-owned media, prompting threats of legislative action and a ‘Buy America’ boycott campaign.

Incarceration & Redress

• Diablo Valley Holding Redress Forum, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Diablo Valley JACL Chapter has scheduled an open forum titled ‘From the American Nightmare to the American Promise’ on Oct. 30 to discuss redress legislation H.R. 442, signed by President Reagan on Aug. 10. Panelists from the JACL Legislative Education Committee board will answer audience questions.

Community

• ‘Funny Fact’ an Exaggeration?, by George Johnston, page 1. An article in Learning magazine claimed Lucille Ball picked up radio signals from a ‘secret Japanese radio station’ in Hollywood during WW2, prompting PSW Regional Director John Saito to question its accuracy. Lucille Ball’s publicity office said she had told a story about picking up signals through dental fillings, but did not recall it being linked to a secret Japanese station.
• Hara Loses Democratic Race for State Treasurer, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Seattle City Treasurer Lloyd Hara lost the Democratic nomination for Washington state treasurer to State Representative Dan Grimm in the Sept. 20 primaries. Hara had hoped to become the first Nikkei elected to state office but fell short by about 14,000 votes.
• ‘Community in Bloom’ Gala to Benefit Japanese American National Museum, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Japanese American National Museum’s Nov. 5 gala dinner-dance at the Spruce Goose facilities in Long Beach will celebrate Japanese American contributions to the floricultural industry. Proceeds will benefit the museum, which is set to open in 1990 in the old Nishi Hongwanji building in Little Tokyo.
• 250 Get Together at Fresno Reunion, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A total of 250 delegates attended the Sept. 23-25 reunion of former Fresno residents from the pre-WW2 period, with attendees traveling from as far as New York and Boston. Fred Hirasuna presented the latest redress information at the banquet, having attended the National JACL Convention in Seattle and witnessed related events.
• AADAP Sponsoring ‘Creative Images’, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Asian American Drug Abuse Program (AADAP) is sponsoring ‘Creative Images,’ a youth program encouraging artistic expression as drug prevention for high school-aged Asian Pacific youth. The six-month program, starting in December, seeks community service club sponsors and 12-15 youth participants to engage in creative projects and substance abuse education.
• For the Record, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A correction notes that Grayce Uyehara, who resigned from her post on Sept. 30, was JACL-LEC’s first executive director and did not replace John Tateishi, who was the National JACL Redress chair. This clarifies an error from the previous issue.
• Knife of the Party: Cold Tofu Receives JACL Grant, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Cold Tofu, a Los Angeles improvisational comedy theatre group, received a $500 grant from the Pacific Southwest District JACL Trust Fund to support their comedy show ‘Tofurama.’ The show runs Oct. 14-16 and 21-23 at the Harman Avenue Theatre.
• The Newsmakers, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This roundup features achievements of various Japanese Americans including Dr. Jon Suzuki’s $1.4 million dental research grant, Ed Morishima’s world record in powerlifting, and Patrick Hayashi’s appointment as associate vice chancellor at UC Berkeley. Other honorees include Harry G. Watanabe, Michael M. Nakamura, Ronald K. Takeuchi, James Hattori, Buddy T. Iwata, Alice H. Sakai, and Wayne N. Tanaka.

Sports

• JA Olympian Results, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Several Japanese American athletes competed in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, including gold medalist Eric Sato of the U.S. men’s volleyball team and silver medalist Kevin Asano in judo. Other JA Olympians included Liane Sato, Rod Oshita, Peter Westbrook, and George Nonomura in various sports.

Military & Veterans

• Nat’l VFW Resolution Committee Rejects Anti-Redress Compensation Resolutions, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Nisei VFW delegates successfully argued against four anti-redress compensation resolutions presented at the National VFW resolution committee meeting in Chicago, which were ultimately rejected by over 300 delegates. The committee chairman had previously issued a controversial anti-redress resolution in 1983 that was retracted after opposition from California Nisei VFW posts.

Obituaries

• Dr. Herbert T. Hata, 72, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Herbert T. Hata, a former University of Hawaii head athletic physician, died July 7 in Honolulu. He was inducted into the University of Hawaii Hall of Honor in 1957 and is survived by his wife and other family members.

Commentary

• Regaining What Could Have Been, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial discusses the impact of redress payments to Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians, noting that while $20,000 is not huge for some, it will help ease the sunset years of elderly survivors and fund family assistance. The editorial contrasts the U.S. distribution over a decade with Canada’s lump-sum payments concentrated in Vancouver and Toronto.
• NCWNP Activities, by Mollie Fujioka, page 4. JACL District Governor Mollie Fujioka describes the activities of the 35-chapter Northern California Western Nevada Pacific District Council, including council meetings, membership chair workshops, and fundraising efforts like Gilroy’s Garlic Festival booth. She reflects on the district’s role in the redress campaign and her upcoming attendance at Placer’s 60th Anniversary dinner as her term as governor ends in November.
• Not the ‘Quiet Americans’, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa challenges the myth that Japanese Americans were silent about their Evacuation experience, citing the Pacific Citizen’s history of advocacy journalism, JACL booklets, community talks, and Mike Masaoka’s decade of Washington lobbying as evidence of vocal protest. He argues that Japanese Americans were speaking out all along but were simply not being heard by the general public.
• Beat the ‘Zubon’ Off Them, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Bill Marutani discusses a Wall Street Journal article about Korean animosity toward Japan during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, rooted in Japan’s 1910-1945 colonial rule over Korea. He notes that Korean spectators cheered against Japanese athletes, particularly in judo, where Japan’s dominance was challenged, and closes with a tangent about the etymology of the Japanese word for pants, ‘zubon.’

Arts & Entertainment

• Women’s Anthology Seeks Submissions, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Greenfield Review Press is accepting submissions for a cross-cultural women’s anthology featuring fiction about interactions between Asian and Western cultures. The press has a history of publishing ethnic minority and women writers, including a 1984 American Book Award-winning anthology of Asian American poets.

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