Legacy fund debate, redress outreach and Japan-bashing in 1990

Vol. 110, No. 3, January 26, 1990. 8 pages. View this issue

The JACL National Board met in San Francisco from January 19 to 21, 1990, and a proposed JACL Legacy Fund took up much of its time. Board motions on the budget, convention credentials and civil rights causes filled the front page. Officials from the Office of Redress Administration reported 75,997 contacts logged with redress recipients, and a report on the Civil Liberties Act process described the checks still needed to confirm eligibility. Paul Igasaki wrote on immigration as a Japanese American issue, and Barry Saiki and Karen Seriguchi traded views on camp newspaper censorship.

Elsewhere in these 8 pages, Bill Hosokawa reviewed the novel Sushi and Sourdough, Ambrose Uchiyamada wrote on Japan-bashing, and an editorial answered a Denver Broncos owner’s remark about Jerry Rice. San Fernando Valley, Salinas Valley and Monterey Peninsula chapters held installations, and San Francisco JACL raised $1,000 for earthquake relief.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• National Board Meets in San Francisco, Debates Legacy Fund and Convention Rules, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL National Board met Jan. 19-21 in San Francisco, spending significant time discussing a proposed JACL legacy fund. The board passed numerous resolutions on the budget, convention credentials and procedures, personnel matters, and support for civil rights causes including Vietnamese American fishermen and the Civil Rights Act of 1990.
• San Mateo Issues Its JACL Scholarship Call, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The San Mateo JACL announced its 1990 scholarship program, with applications available from local high schools, community colleges, and the JACL Community Center. The deadline for graduating high school seniors is March 1, with top local recipients advancing to the National Scholarship program.
• Takaki Addresses San Fernando Valley JACL Installation, by Harry K. Honda, page 6. Author Dr. Ronald Takaki spoke at the San Fernando Valley JACL installation dinner, sharing stories from his book ‘Strangers from a Different Shore’ about Chinese and Japanese American experiences. Tom Doi was installed as chapter president, and the chapter presented community service awards to longtime members.
• 1000 Club Photo Contest Set for ’90 Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Dr. Frank Sakamoto announced a 1000 Club photo contest for the 1990 JACL national convention in San Diego, with four categories: most scenic, human interest, most comical, and best subject matter. Prizes are being gathered for the contest.

Community

• Spaghetti-Crab Feed Proceeds Used to Assist Quake Victims at Glide Memorial, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Francisco JACL presented a $1,000 check to Rev. Cecil Williams of Glide Memorial Church, raised from its annual Spaghetti-Crab Feed, to assist victims of the October 17 earthquake. Chapter leaders praised Glide’s continuing relief efforts months after the disaster.
• Salinas Valley JACL 1989 Report: Ex-Mayor Hibino Back in Action as President, by Fred Oshima, page 2. The Salinas Valley JACL chapter had an eventful 1989 under new president Henry Hibino, a former Salinas mayor, highlighted by a Day of Remembrance observance, an appreciation dinner honoring redress supporters, and the dedication of the Issei Memorial Garden at Monterey County-Natividad Medical Center. The article also details the history of Issei and Shin-Issei agricultural pioneers, including lettuce and flower-growing industries in the Salinas Valley.
• Monterey Peninsula-Salinas Valley Chapters Combine Installation Rites for ’90, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Salinas Valley and Monterey Peninsula JACL chapters held a joint installation dinner in Monterey featuring keynote speaker Professor Sandy Lydon, author of ‘Chinese Gold.’ New officers were sworn in for both chapters, including Shiro Higashi for Salinas Valley and Rick West for Monterey Peninsula.
• Gerald H. Yamada Promoted at EPA, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Gerald H. Yamada, a past Washington D.C. JACL president, became the first Asian American promoted to the top senior executive service level at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The promotion recognized his service as EPA’s acting general counsel during a 10-month period in 1989.

Incarceration & Redress

• 76,000 Contacts Made With Redress Adm. Office; Some May Be Ineligible, Duplicates, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Officials from the Office of Redress Administration reported to JACL-LEC that about 99% of eligible redress recipients have been identified, with 75,997 individual contacts logged to date. Officials described verification challenges including name mismatches, incomplete records, and documentation issues, especially for elderly and Hawaii-based claimants.
• Okinawans in Hawaii Mark 90th Anniversary with Year-long Event, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Twenty-six people in Okinawan costume reenacted the 1900 arrival of the first Okinawan immigrants at Aloha Tower Pier in Honolulu, launching a year-long 90th anniversary celebration. Events will culminate with festivities in December at the new Hawaii Okinawa Center and an international Uchinanchu Festival in August.
• Canadian Nisei Recalls WWII Experiences Before Lunch ‘n’ Learn Audience, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Journalist Frank Moritsugu substituted for author Joy Kogawa at a Toronto lecture, sharing his own Japanese Canadian wartime experiences including internment and postwar discrimination. He also related the struggle of Japanese Canadian WWI veterans who were denied voting rights until 1931.

National

• Rep. Conyers Introduces Bill for African-American Reparations, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. John Conyers Jr. introduced a bill to create a commission studying reparations for African Americans, modeled on the commission that studied Japanese American internment. The bill has generated interest among JACL members and parallels state-level reparations efforts and a national coalition of Black reparations advocates.
• Broncos Owner Puts Hoof in Mouth, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen sparked criticism after referring to 49ers receiver Jerry Rice as ‘a Chinaman whose feet don’t touch the ground.’ Bowlen apologized after the remark was condemned by Chinese for Affirmative Action and the Asian American community.
• Arthur Goldberg, 81, Buried at Arlington, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Arthur Goldberg, former Supreme Court justice, UN ambassador, and member of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He died of cardiac arrest at age 81.
• Handbook Offers Tips to Writers Covering Asians, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A handbook from the National Conference of Christians and Jews and Asian American journalist groups addresses concerns over combative media language regarding U.S.-Japan economic tensions. San Diego Union columnists discussed the need for more appropriate language to avoid stoking anti-Asian sentiment.
• Yokohama Academy Plan Raises Ire in Maryland, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A proposed two-year college for 200 foreign students near Annapolis, Maryland, sponsored by Yokohama Academy, faced objections from neighbors, some citing lingering anti-Japanese resentment from World War II. A judge ruled a lawsuit to block the project premature since building permits had not yet been issued.

Commentary

• Super Bowl’s Improper Hoopla, by P.C. Staff, page 4. An editorial criticizes Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen for his racially insensitive ‘Chinaman’ remark about Jerry Rice ahead of the Super Bowl. While Bowlen apologized swiftly, the incident highlights the continuing need for greater sensitivity about ethnic slurs against Asians in America.
• Criticizing Kessler, Seriguchi, by Barry Saiki, page 4. Barry Saiki writes from Tokyo criticizing a research report by Professor Lauren Kessler on WWII camp newspaper censorship, arguing it unfairly implies bribery and disloyalty among Nisei editors like Bill Hosokawa. Saiki contends that cooperation and tolerance, not open dissent, were necessary for community survival and eventual redress success.
• Sushi and Sourdough Worth the Wait, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa reviews Tooru Kanazawa’s novel ‘Sushi and Sourdough,’ a decade-long labor about Issei in the Alaska gold rush and a Nisei boyhood in Juneau. Hosokawa praises Kanazawa’s vivid personal recollections while noting the editors’ choice to frame the memoir-like work as fiction blurred its narrative clarity.
• Immigration: A Japanese American Issue, by Paul Igasaki, page 4. Paul Igasaki traces JACL’s long history of fighting discriminatory immigration and naturalization laws affecting Japanese Americans, from the 1924 immigration ban to the 1952 and 1965 reforms that ended racial quotas. He warns against new anti-immigrant proposals that would undermine family-based immigration policy and echoes past ‘Yellow Peril’ fears now aimed at Asian and Hispanic immigrants.
• Japan-Bashing: As Solace Comes a Warning Over 2,000 Years Old, by Ambrose Uchiyamada, page 5. Ambrose Uchiyamada examines rising anti-Japanese sentiment in America tied to Japanese economic success and real estate purchases, arguing Japanese Americans unfairly bear the brunt of resentment meant for Japan. He suggests JA writers and communities proactively promote understanding and highlights the mistreatment of Senator Inouye during the Iran-Contra hearings as a cautionary example.
• Letters to the Editor: Seriguchi Responds, by Karen Seriguchi, page 8. Former P.C. editor Karen Seriguchi responds to Barry Saiki’s criticism, clarifying that the library’s Bulletin merely summarized Professor Kessler’s peer-reviewed research without endorsement. She defends the value of open scholarly discussion about camp newspaper censorship and credits many groups, Nisei and non-Nikkei alike, for achieving redress.
• P.C.’s Editors & Columnists, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 8. J.K. Yamamoto corrects the record on the sequence of Pacific Citizen editors from 1983 to 1988 and recounts the real story behind Bill Hosokawa’s temporary withdrawal of his ‘From the Frying Pan’ column in 1987 over a scheduling dispute. He clarifies that the column was voluntarily withdrawn by Hosokawa, not canceled by editor Lynn Sakamoto, and was later reinstated after reader backlash.

Military & Veterans

• Forty-Seven Years to Redress: WWII Nisei GIs and Their Families, by Judy Niizawa, page 5. Historian Eric Saul spoke at a San Jose forum on the Nisei GIs of WWII, urging the community to document their history before it is lost. Panelists including veterans and Rep. Norman Mineta shared personal experiences from internment, military service, and the decades-long redress campaign.

In-Depth

• The Island Without Refrigerators, by Yutaka Watanabe, page 5. Yutaka Watanabe describes the sustainable, low-consumption lifestyle of the Yami tribe on Taiwan’s Lan Hsu island, who live without refrigeration and take only what they need from the sea and land. He contrasts this ecological restraint with modern Japanese consumerism and overfishing driven by refrigeration and convenience.

Arts & Entertainment

• Japanese Tycoons Lead ‘Great Art Takeover’, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Several Japanese billionaires and art dealers, including Yasumichi Morishita and Yasuo Goto, were identified as key figures driving up prices for Western masterpieces in 1989. Their purchases included Impressionist paintings and van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ for a record $39.9 million.
• Richard Sakai Wins Emmy for ‘The Tracey Ullman Show’, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Richard Sakai, president of Gracie Films, won an Emmy Award for best comedy-variety show for ‘The Tracey Ullman Show.’ A UCLA film graduate, Sakai previously co-produced ‘Taxi’ before rising to president of Gracie Films at age 30.

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