The first redress checks reach Hawaii, and Bush vetoes civil rights

Vol. 111, No. 13, October 26, 1990. 8 pages. View this issue

Redress dominated this eight-page issue. The Office of Redress Administration announced that 25,000 of 65,000 eligible former internees would receive checks by year’s end, and the first checks were presented in Honolulu on Oct. 15, including to Haru Tanaka, 98, and Otome Kishishita, 95. K. Patrick and Lily Okura recalled the night the FBI arrested Pat’s father after Pearl Harbor. Paul Igasaki and Grayce Uyehara wrote about the Oct. 9 ceremony in Washington, and Uyehara called for a JACL Legacy Fund. President Bush vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1990, and JACL’s Cressey Nakagawa said the veto hurts Asian Americans.

Also inside: Mark Osaki’s resignation as editor-in-chief, Joy Morimoto’s hiring as Northern California director, and a Census Bureau review of the Asian undercount. Bill Hosokawa wrote about the Military Intelligence Language School in Minnesota, and Bill Marutani looked at Issei-style names for American places. A report from Houston described anti-Asian fliers.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Hawaii Hands Five Elderly Redress Checks, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Office of Redress Administration announced that 25,000 of 65,000 eligible former internees will receive reparations checks by year’s end, with the first checks presented in Honolulu on Oct. 15. Four elderly Hawaii recipients, including Haru Tanaka, 98, and Otome Kishishita, 95, received their checks during a ceremony coordinated by the Honolulu JACL.
• ‘Dec. 7’ for Lily and Pat Okura: Years Late, U.S. Apology Is Still Sweet, page 1. K. Patrick and Lily Okura recalled the terror of the night the FBI arrested Pat’s father following Pearl Harbor, and their subsequent internment at Santa Anita’s horse stables early in their marriage. Decades later, the couple received their redress checks and letter of apology, which they plan to donate to the Okura Trust Fund supporting Asian American leadership training.
• 20 Camp Survivors Refuse Reparations, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Bob Bratt of the Office of Redress Administration reported that 20 camp survivors have refused reparations without stating why, during a regional presentation of checks in San Francisco. About 1,500 internees have died since the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 was passed.

National

• Bush Civil Rights Bill Veto Hurts Asian Americans; JACL Rejects Alternative, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Bush vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1990, a move JACL National President Cressey Nakagawa said hurts Asian Americans and other minorities facing employment discrimination. JACL National Director Bill Yoshino said the organization cannot accept a watered-down alternative and will continue fighting to override the veto.
• Census Bureau to Review Asian Undercount, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Reps. Norman Mineta and Robert Matsui announced the Census Bureau agreed to measure the undercount of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans separately in the Pacific region and New York City. The decision followed months of pressure from Asian Pacific elected officials and community organizations, including Sen. Daniel Akaka’s role during confirmation hearings.
• ’90 AAJA Award Winners Announced, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Asian American Journalists Association honored winning entries in its second National Awards Competition at its 1990 New York convention, covering TV, radio, photography, and print categories. Special awards went to William Woo for lifetime achievement and Helen Zia and William Wong for special recognition.
• Panelists at AAJA Confab Air Japan-Bashing in Media, page 2. Panelists at the AAJA conference discussed media trends of Japan-bashing and the symbols used to propel anti-Japanese sentiment, including references to Pearl Harbor and kamikaze imagery. Panelists including Rep. Helen Bentley and Colleen O’Conner discussed the equally guilty role of Japanese media and rising xenophobia toward various ethnic groups.
• House Approves Ability of Vietnamese Americans to Fish Off California Coast, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The House approved Rep. Norman Mineta’s petition allowing Vietnamese American resident aliens to own or pilot commercial fishing vessels off California, addressing a 200-year-old law that had barred non-citizens from commercial fishing. The petition was included as part of the Maritime Authorization Act for FY 1991.
• ‘Californians in Congress’ Recognize Mineta, Matsui, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Rep. Robert Matsui and Rep. Norman Mineta were commended as among the most effective lawmakers in Washington by the Claremont McKenna College-based program ‘Californians in Congress.’ The program rates lawmakers on a non-partisan basis for their beneficial influence on constituents and the state.
• Japan Apologizes for Minister Kajiyama’s Anti-Black Remarks, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Japanese Justice Minister Seiroku Kajiyama compared prostitutes in Japan to black Americans, sparking outrage among Black members of Congress including Reps. Charles Rangel and Ronald Dellums. Kajiyama formally apologized and retracted the remarks, while JACL’s Cressey Nakagawa called for an explicit apology to African Americans and condemnation from the highest levels of the Japanese government.

JACL

• Mark Osaki Resigns as P.C. Editor-in-Chief, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mark Osaki resigned as editor-in-chief of the Pacific Citizen, effective immediately, according to an announcement by the JACL Board chair. The resignation comes amid ongoing discussions about the newspaper’s direction.
• Joy Morimoto Hired as Northern Cal Director, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Joy Morimoto, a former staff writer with AsianWeek, has been hired as JACL regional director for the Northern California Western Nevada Pacific Regional Office. She expressed enthusiasm for working on civil rights issues affecting the Nikkei community.

Community

• Placer County JACL to Hold Its 50th Goodwill Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Placer County JACL will hold its 50th annual Goodwill Dinner on Nov. 3 at the Placer Buddhist Church Hall, featuring speaker Dr. Darryl Inaba of the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinics. Tickets are available through several local contacts in Auburn and Loomis.
• Physician Finally Awarded His Varsity Jacket After 45 Years, page 2. Dr. John F. Kikuchi, 73, received his 1942 San Francisco State University letterman jacket for boxing decades late, having missed the original presentation due to wartime evacuation and internment at Tanforan and Gila River. He later served as a flight surgeon after graduating Stanford Medical School and has practiced medicine in Concord for 33 years.
• Turnout, Support Large for ‘Assemblyman Pat Johnston for Senate’, by Toko Fujii, page 2. Close to a hundred people gathered at a Sacramento fundraiser to honor Assemblyman Pat Johnston, sponsored by Japanese Americans for Pat Johnston for the Senate. Attendees credited Johnston with legislative achievements benefiting Japanese Americans, including a bill compensating fired state employees and exempting redress payments from state income tax.
• Elderly Asian Care Forum, page 3. Dr. Harry Kitano led a discussion on ‘Honor Thy Parents: An Asian American Dilemma’ addressing challenges facing elderly Asian Americans and their families. The forum addressed care issues facing the community.
• Japanese Canadians to Rededicate War Memorial, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Japanese Canadian War Memorial erected in Stanley Park in 1920 will be rededicated. The memorial bears the names of Japanese Canadians who served.
• First Area Nikkei Candidate Bidding for Seat on Pajaro Valley School Board, page 8. William ‘Willie’ Yahiro became the first Japanese American to run for public office in Watsonville, seeking a seat on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees. A former teacher and coach at Watsonville High School, Yahiro later moved into insurance and remained active in JACL and youth activities.

Commentary

• Greeting the Veep, by Jimmy Tokeshi, page 3. JACL and NCRR representatives greeted Vice President Dan Quayle at Los Angeles International Airport amid heavy security. The column describes the encounter and the community representatives’ brief interaction with the Vice President.
• Two Japanese Proverbs, page 4. This editorial reflects on the Oct. 9 redress ceremony in Washington where Attorney General Thornburgh and President Bush apologized to Japanese Americans, invoking Japanese proverbs about bending rather than breaking. It argues that the Nisei’s non-violent acceptance of wartime injustice ultimately strengthened the nation’s commitment to civil rights and constitutional protections.
• What’s the Underlying Issue?, by James Oda, page 4. A letter to the editor from a Nisei veteran responds to critics who argue JACL and Mike Masaoka should apologize for advocating formation of the Nisei combat unit during WWII. Oda argues that had Nisei resisted the draft, Japanese Americans would likely have been branded disloyal, and their military service secured citizenship rights, Hawaii statehood, and eventual redress.
• Dissipating a Myth About the Language School in Minnesota, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa presents evidence, including a 1942 Minneapolis newspaper clipping, that the Military Intelligence Language School’s existence was not actually a closely guarded secret during WWII, contrary to popular belief. He cites multiple published sources documenting the well-known contributions of Nisei linguists in military intelligence work throughout the Pacific war.
• U.S. Geographical Names Issei-Style, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Marutani explores the Japanese-language names and kanji origins for American place names like California, Los Angeles, and the Golden Gate. The column traces etymological connections between historical Japanese immigrant naming conventions and Chinese-derived readings.
• End-of-the-Session Blues, by Paul Igasaki, page 5. Igasaki reports from Washington on the frenzied end-of-session activity including the Oct. 9 redress check presentation ceremony, budget negotiations threatening a federal shutdown, and legislative battles over the Civil Rights Act, immigration reform, and employer sanctions. He also discusses JACL’s role in the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the confirmation of Judge David Souter to the Supreme Court.
• …And Justice For All, by Grayce Uyehara, page 5. Uyehara reflects on the emotional Oct. 9, 1990 redress ceremony in Washington, recalling letters from Issei and Nisei individuals during her years as JACL-LEC executive director. She calls for establishment of the JACL Legacy Fund to sustain the organization’s civil rights work, including combating rising anti-Asian violence.
• Anti-Asian Fliers Surface, page 6. Anti-Asian sentiment sparked by the proliferation of Asian-owned businesses is emerging in Houston’s black communities, with fliers reading ‘Boycott—Stop the Asian Invasion’ circulating in the Acres Home neighborhood. A black community newspaper editorial also questioned how Asian businesses could thrive while black and Hispanic businesses struggled.

Obituaries

• Ellen La Fronzen, 79, Helped Evacuees Leaving Cleveland Camps, page 8. Ellen La Fronzen, 79, who helped Japanese Americans leaving internment camps during WWII by helping them find housing and jobs in Cleveland, has died. Tributes to her memory can be sent to the Philadelphia JACL.

Arts & Entertainment

• Newsmakers: McCarthy, Ikeda, and Others Honored, page 8. Actress Nobu McCarthy was honored by CSU-Los Angeles’ Asian Support Group at its second annual Awards of Excellence dinner, recognized for her decades of work in film, television, and stage. Other newsmakers profiled include Tsuguo ‘Ike’ Ikeda, honored for community service leadership, and various other Japanese American professionals and artists achieving recognition in their fields.

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