Redress funding reaches President Bush, plus anti-Asian violence

Vol. 109, No. 16, November 17, 1989. 8 pages. View this issue

Redress was the main news of this eight-page issue. President Bush received the appropriations bill that includes $500 million in redress funding for fiscal years 1991 and 1992, and Rep. Norman Mineta, Rep. Robert Matsui and JACL-LEC chair Jerry Enomoto marked the Senate’s approval as a milestone in a 47-year struggle. The Office of Redress Administration also streamlined its documentation rules after an inquiry from JoAnne Kagiwada and John Nakahata. The front page also covered a Washington conference on anti-Asian violence and SFPD Officer Albert Wong, honored at the World Series for his earthquake rescue work.

Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa wrote about his granddaughter’s first lost tooth, and Bill Marutani recalled the Takarazuka Revue. Representatives Dana Rohrabacher, Duncan Hunter and Robert T. Matsui traded views on a resolution about Asian American college admissions. Readers also wrote about a racial slur printed in a Petaluma newspaper.

What’s in this issue

National

• World Series Honors 12 Heroes of Quake, Including SFPD Officer Albert Wong, page 1. SFPD Officer Albert Wong was honored during the World Series for his heroic rescue efforts amid the chaos of the San Francisco earthquake, working through smoke and rubble to free trapped nurses from a van. Wong’s mother, Jane Hara Wong, is a National JACL Headquarters staff employee.’
• House Passes Citizenship Bill for Filipino Veterans, page 1. The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Armed Forces Immigration Adjustment Act of 1989, introduced by Rep. Norman Y. Mineta, allowing Filipino, Micronesian, and Marshall Islander veterans to become U.S. citizens after six years of honorable service. The bill provides special immigrant status for those who served honorably but could not otherwise attain immigrant status under current law.
• New York Asian Finds Racist Signs Scrawled on Door, page 2. An Asian man in New York found swastikas and anti-Chinese slurs scrawled on his door in August, an incident recorded amid rising bias-related crimes in New York City. The case is linked to legislative efforts by Sen. Paul Simon and a New York state measure imposing stiffer penalties for bias-related attacks.
• Japanese Contributions for No. Calif. Earthquake Relief Total $9.5 Millions, page 2. The Japanese Consulate General Information Center reported approximately $9.5 million in donations from Japanese companies and organizations toward Bay Area earthquake relief as of Nov. 7. A long list of corporate donors including Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and various banks contributed to the relief fund.
• 10 Asian Americans from Various Fields Win Recognition, page 3. Ten Asian Americans were honored at the first annual Excellence 2000 Award banquet in Washington, D.C., co-sponsored by the Organization of Chinese American Women and the U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce. Honorees included Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch, playwright David Henry Hwang, and journalist Dith Pran.
• House Democratic Caucus Names Matsui to Health Panel, page 3. Rep. Robert T. Matsui was named one of three co-chairs of a new House Democratic Caucus Task Force on Health. The 15-member panel aims to develop innovative health policies for the future.
• American Jewish Committee Looking at Problems in Asia, page 3. The American Jewish Committee announced the establishment of a Pacific Rim Institute in Los Angeles to promote better understanding between Jews and Asian Americans amid concerns about anti-Jewish sentiment in some Asian nations. Bruce M. Ramer was appointed the institute’s first chairman, with Neil Sandberg named director.

JACL

• Information on Redress Form: Documentation Procedures Streamlined, Three Options Identified by JACL-LEC, page 1. The Office of Redress Administration announced it would accept documentation signed under penalty of perjury instead of requiring notarization, following an inquiry from JACL-LEC Executive Director JoAnne Kagiwada and special counsel John Nakahata. The ORA quickly implemented three acceptable options for submitting identity documentation to speed up the redress process.
• NSRCF Scholarships to Be Awarded to Southeast Asian Students in Philadelphia, page 3. The 1990 Nisei Student Relocation Commemorative Fund scholarships will be awarded to Southeast Asian students in Philadelphia, continuing a program established by Japanese Americans to commemorate assistance given to them during WWII. The fund has previously awarded scholarships in the Bay Area and Denver, with past recipients achieving notable academic success.

Incarceration & Redress

• Bush Receives Conference Report Containing Redress Entitlement, page 1. President Bush received the Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 1991, which includes redress funding of $500 million in fiscal years 1991 and 1992 and up to $250 million in FY 1993. Congressional leaders including Rep. Norman Mineta, Rep. Robert Matsui, and JACL-LEC chair Jerry Enomoto praised the Senate’s approval as a major milestone in the 47-year struggle for redress.

Community

• Fairfield Councilman Garry Ichikawa Reelected, page 1. Garry Ichikawa was re-elected to the Fairfield, Calif. city council with the most votes among four candidates, winning a second term. A UC Berkeley and UC Davis law graduate, Ichikawa and his wife Marlene are active Solano County JACL members with three children.
• Japanese Influence in Fort Worth-Dallas Growing Through 2,500 Nikkei Residents, page 2. Fujitsu America broke ground for an $80 million manufacturing facility in Richardson, Texas, reflecting growing Japanese business influence in the Dallas area, home to about 2,500 Japanese citizens. Local schools and organizations are responding with Japanese language classes and resources for relocating Japanese families.
• L.A. Participants Called to Add Stitches to ‘Threads of Remembrance’ Pictorial Quilt, page 3. Community members were invited to a quilt-in at the JACCC to add stitches to a quilt commemorating 100 years of Japanese American women’s history, sponsored by JACCC, JANM, and NJAHS. The quilt depicts picture brides, wartime internment, concentration camps, and barbed wire fencing, and will be part of an exhibit opening Feb. 17 at the Oakland Museum.
• International Haiku Contest Rules Ready, page 6. An international haiku contest will be held as part of the National Cultural Festival of Japan in Matsuyama City in 1990, with entries accepted in six languages. The application period runs from October 1989 through March 1990.
• Japanese American Anthology Items Wanted, page 6. Fusion, the Japanese American anthology published by San Francisco State University’s Asian American Studies Department, is requesting creative writings, personal narratives, graphics, and photographs depicting the Japanese American experience.
• The Newsmakers, page 6. This roundup features achievements of several Japanese Americans: Ruth Hashimoto’s induction into the New Mexico Women’s Hall of Fame, Sydnie Kobara’s debut as news anchor at KGO-TV San Francisco, Emi Carvell’s appointment as sales manager at J.W. Marriott Century City, young karate champion Michael Imahara’s national titles, high-jumper Rick Noji’s international win, Dr. Akira Tajiri’s hospital board appointment, and Robert Saito’s presidency of the Washington Mortgage Bankers Association.

Commentary

• Victory: The Significance of Redress, page 4. This editorial reflects on the historic significance of the redress campaign, drawing parallels to JACL’s 1952 legislative victory with the Walter-McCarran Bill. It emphasizes that the $20,000 redress payment is a token acknowledging a grievous governmental wrong, made possible by the courage of the Japanese American community and veterans who fought despite their unjust treatment.
• Role for P.C. Holiday Issue, page 4. A letter writer suggests the Pacific Citizen’s Holiday Issue expand its scope to better serve the ethnic community as a unique means of communication. The letter also notes the Holiday Issue advertising rates and deadline.
• Stigma Still Lingers, page 4. A letter writer criticizes the government’s willingness to fund HUD loans while delaying redress payments and apology letters for Japanese American internment during WWII. The writer argues this double standard shows the government does not feel truly bound to honor the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
• From the Frying Pan: Tooth Fairy Tales, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa recounts his granddaughter Stephanie’s excitement over losing her first tooth and placing it under her pillow for the tooth fairy. He compares this to a similar story about Stephanie’s mother Susan losing a tooth decades earlier, illustrating family traditions across generations.
• East Wind: Takarazuka Troupe, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Bill Marutani reminisces about attending Takarazuka Revue performances three times, first as a soldier in Ashiya, Japan in 1946, then later in Ashiya with his wife, and finally at Radio City Music Hall in New York. He describes the dazzling sets, high-kick routines, and the theater’s lasting cultural appeal.
• Letters: ‘Jap-made’ Toyotas Outrage, by Bonnie R. Smith, page 5. Bonnie R. Smith expresses outrage over a racially insensitive letter published in the Petaluma Argus-Courier referring to ‘Jap-made’ Toyotas, calling it an obvious racial slur. She urges readers to challenge such racism and not let it go unchallenged.
• JACL Office Rebuttal to Argus-Courier, page 5. The JACL office wrote to the Argus-Courier criticizing the newspaper’s poor judgment in printing a letter containing the derogatory term ‘Jap’ in reference to Toyota vehicles being tested by the California Highway Patrol. They compare the term to other ethnic slurs and ask for greater sensitivity in future publications.
• Rep. Dana Rohrabacher Responds on Asian American College Admissions Resolution, by Dana Rohrabacher, page 5. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher defends his House Concurrent Resolution 147 condemning discrimination against Asian Americans in college admissions, disputing Rep. Matsui’s characterization of his motives as partisan. He states he supports affirmative action but opposes illegal quotas and ceilings based on race.
• Rep. Duncan Hunter Supports Rohrabacher Resolution, by Duncan Hunter, page 5. Rep. Duncan Hunter voices support for Rohrabacher’s resolution condemning discrimination against Asian Americans in college admissions, noting bipartisan cosponsorship including Democrats. He urges JACL members to endorse House Concurrent Resolution 147.
• Rep. Robert Matsui Responds to Rohrabacher Resolution, by Robert T. Matsui, page 5. Rep. Robert Matsui explains his opposition to Rohrabacher’s resolution, stating his objections are not partisan but based on concerns that Rohrabacher is using the issue to undermine affirmative action programs. He cites opposition from Asian American civil rights organizations including JACL and notes Rohrabacher’s own stated intentions to dismantle affirmative action.
• Letter: Seeking Materials for Book on Gila River Relocation Center, by Helen Y. Mishima, page 5. Helen Y. Mishima requests personal materials, photos, poems, and accounts from former internees of the Gila River Relocation Center for a book she is writing. She specifically asks about the ‘Tofu Factory’ in Camp 1 and invites contributions from former doctors, nurses, and clergymen who practiced in camp.
• By the Board: Looking Within the Larger Community, by Jennifer Yazawa, page 5. Jennifer Yazawa responds to a previous article about the Downtown L.A. JACL chapter’s scholarship program, praising the initiative while cautioning against conflating lack of education access with poor education quality. She argues that schools alone cannot solve larger social problems and that scholarships are only one small step toward addressing systemic issues.

Arts & Entertainment

• Hollywood’s Impact on Asian Americans, Film Critiques, Model Minority Myth on Tap, page 6. Author and professor Ronald Takaki will speak on the model minority myth and Hollywood’s portrayal of Asians, including critiques of ‘Do the Right Thing’ and ‘True Believers,’ at an event hosted by the Association of Asian Pacific American Artists. The evening will include readings from his Pulitzer Prize-nominated book ‘Strangers from a Different Shore’ and a book signing.
• Women’s History Month Poster Includes Noted Nisei Author Uchida, page 6. Berkeley author Yoshiko Uchida is featured on the 1990 National Women’s History Month poster alongside Rachel Carson, Sojourner Truth, and Jeannette Rankin. Uchida has written over 26 books on the Japanese American experience, including ‘Journey to Topaz’ and ‘Desert Exile.’

In-Depth

• Books to P.C.: View From Within and Winter Place Reviewed, by Harry K. Honda, page 6. Harry Honda reviews two books: ‘View From Within,’ a collection of essays on the Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Study (JERS) edited by Yuji Ichioka, and ‘Winter Place,’ a poetry collection by Genny Lim published by Kearny Street Workshop. The JERS collection examines the research project’s history including controversies and unpublished works.

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