Redress forms, a dispute at S.F. State and the Heart Mountain resisters

Vol. 107, No. 19, December 9, 1988. 8 pages. View this issue

Redress led the front page. More than 500 former internees filled Nisei War Memorial Hall in Sacramento on Nov. 19 for a JACL workshop, and over 400 completed forms went to the Office of Redress Administration. Another front-page item announced a Dec. 14 meeting in Little Tokyo, co-hosted by PSWD JACL and NCRR, where Robert Bratt of that office will give an update. The page also covered the dispute between Steve Nakajo and San Francisco State University, a San Fernando JACL forum on children of mixed marriages, and a Southern California installation luncheon with playwright Velina Hasu Houston.

Inside, Clifford Uyeda’s column told the story of the 63 Heart Mountain draft resisters, from their prosecution to the pardon by President Truman in 1947. Bill Marutani wrote about racist incidents at UC Berkeley, and Bill Hosokawa recalled his years in Alaska salmon canneries. Mary Ishii wrote about growing up Nikkei in Wisconsin, and Laurie Mochidome said goodbye as assistant editor. A two-page report described the new Asian Women’s Shelter in San Francisco.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• All-Day Workshop to File Redress Address Forms Held, by P.C. Staff, page 1. More than 500 former internees crowded into Nisei War Memorial Hall in Sacramento on Nov. 19 for a Sacramento JACL redress workshop. Over 400 completed forms were forwarded to the Office of Redress Administration, with 3,000 more distributed for later use, assisted by numerous JACL volunteers and an ORA representative from San Francisco.’
• Cliff’s Corner: The Heart Mountain Resisters, by Clifford Uyeda, page 4. Uyeda recounts the story of the 63 Heart Mountain draft resisters who protested their incarceration without due process rather than refusing military service out of disloyalty. He details their prosecution, imprisonment, ostracism by fellow Japanese Americans and veterans, and eventual pardon by President Truman in 1947.

Community

• San Fernando JACL Conducts Forum, page 1. The San Fernando Chapter of JACL sponsored a forum titled “Do Children of Mixed Marriages Have Special Concerns?” which drew 71 attendees to the Pacoima Community Center on Nov. 19. A four-member panel moderated by Dr. Amy Mass discussed racial identity issues faced by mixed-race children, featuring speakers Kei and Elaine Kokubun, Teresa Williams, and Velina Hasu Houston.
• Nakajo Meets with S.F. State Officials, by George Johnston, page 1. A meeting between Steve Nakajo and San Francisco State University officials failed to resolve a grievance over the reassignment of his Asian American Studies course section. Nakajo requested a 30-day extension to seek legal clarification on his right to representation after university officials set conditions restricting his attorney’s presence.
• SCAN and NLA Installation Luncheon, by George Johnston, page 1. The Southern California Area Nikkei (SCAN) and Nikkei Leadership Association (NLA) JACL Chapters held a joint installation luncheon in Santa Monica, featuring keynote speaker and playwright Velina Hasu Houston. New officers were installed for 1989, and Lulu Booker spoke about the Ronald McDonald House.
• Nakajo Meeting Continued: Extension Requested, S.F. State Responds, page 3. The continuation of the Nakajo-San Francisco State dispute details disagreements over conditions set for his grievance hearing, with Nakajo asserting he was denied due process for representation. The university’s acting provost stated Nakajo misunderstood procedure and that a future meeting would be rescheduled.
• The Newsmakers, page 3. Dr. Robert S. Yasui of Williamsport, Pa., was enshrined in the West Branch Valley Sports Hall of Fame for his work as a longtime team physician and Little League World Series advisor. Shinzui “Shin” Sanada of San Jose was elected president of Fuji Towers, a senior housing complex in San Jose’s Japantown.
• Shelter Targets Asian Women, by Robert Tokunaga, Hokubei Mainichi, page 5. A group of Bay Area women opened the Asian Women’s Shelter (AWS) in San Francisco last month after four years of effort, providing services for battered Asian immigrant women facing unique barriers like language and immigration status. Executive director Becky Masaki explains the added difficulties immigrant women face in leaving abusive situations.
• Shelter Continued: Asian Women’s Shelter Services, by Robert Tokunaga, Hokubei Mainichi, page 8. The continuation details how AWS works with other shelters when full and provides interpreters and connects clients with experts in childcare, legal services, employment, counseling and medicine. Masaki notes battering relationships cut across all communities but that fewer resources exist for Asian women dealing with such situations.

JACL

• PSWD JACL & NCRR Co-Hosting ORA Redress Meeting, page 1. Robert Bratt, executive director of the Office of Redress Administration, will present an update on redress at an open meeting on Dec. 14 in Little Tokyo, co-sponsored by PSWD JACL and NCRR. The meeting will address the status of proposed regulations determining eligibility for redress payments, expected to be published in the Federal Register around February.

Commentary

• Nothing Settled, page 1. A brief item referencing ongoing unresolved issues, tied to the Nakajo dispute and broader community concerns. The piece serves as a lead-in to related coverage on the page.
• Kan-Jo: Disturbing Portent?, by Bill Marutani, page 4. The column discusses a Baltimore Sun report on rising racist incidents at UC Berkeley, including graffiti targeting Japanese, Chinese, and Black students. Marutani warns that such intolerance at a prestigious university, especially amid opposition to a minority studies requirement, signals troubling times ahead.
• From the Frying Pan: Yesterday’s Catfood is Today’s People Food, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa reflects on the rising cost of canned salmon and recalls his youth working in Alaska salmon canneries during the Depression, when Nisei laborers processed various grades of salmon. He notes that the lower-grade chum salmon once used for cat food now costs what used to be a luxury price for premium fish.
• Student Beat: Growing Up Nikkei in Wisconsin, by Mary Ishii, page 5. Ishii reflects on her experiences as a Japanese American growing up in Wisconsin, where she rarely encountered other Asian Americans and faced ignorant questions and stereotypes. She credits JACL with providing a support community that helped her come to terms with her identity.
• Into the Wind: Last Call, by Laurie Mochidome, page 5. Mochidome announces her departure as assistant editor of the Pacific Citizen after working there since June 1987, citing health reasons. She thanks colleagues and friends at the paper and JACL for their support during her tenure.

National

• Yoshino Appointed to Illinois Attorney General’s Asian American Advisory Council, page 3. William Yoshino, JACL acting national director, was one of three Japanese Americans appointed by Illinois Attorney General Neil F. Hartigan to the state’s Asian American Advisory Council. Also appointed were Aiko Aoyagi Watson and Richard Yamada.

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