JACL’s new Civil Rights Committee sets its agenda

Vol. 112, No. 18, May 10, 1991. 8 pages. View this issue

JACL’s Civil Rights Committee held its first meeting in San Francisco on April 27 and set priorities that included anti-Asian violence, the portrayal of Asians in the media, Japan bashing and employment discrimination. Richard Suenaga reported that chairman Ron Wakabayashi said the committee brought together three former JACL groups. Suenaga also covered Arthur Fletcher, chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, who warned that racism would play a role in the 1992 elections. Sue Kunitomi Embrey wrote about the annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, held April 27 despite strong winds.

Other pages followed the Go For Broke National Veterans Association’s plans for a memorial and the name selection process for the Honor Roll of the Japanese American Veterans Memorial in Little Tokyo. Bill Hosokawa’s column compared generations of contemporary Japanese with Yonsei. Rep. Robert Matsui pressed for a better census count and began fund-raising for a Senate run.

What’s in this issue

National

• Civil Rights Committee Organizes for Action, by Richard Suenaga, page 1. JACL’s newly formed Civil Rights Committee held its first meeting on April 27 in San Francisco to set priorities including anti-Asian violence, media portrayal of Asians, Japan bashing, and employment discrimination. Chairman Ron Wakabayashi said the committee consolidated three former JACL groups and aims to develop a working plan to address civil rights issues within JACL’s resources.
• Government Official Says Racism Rampant, by Richard Suenaga, page 1. Arthur Fletcher, chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, warns that deep-rooted racism will play a role in the 1992 elections as political consultants advise candidates to use racially charged campaign tactics. He calls for leaders in business, education, religion and ethnic groups to openly confront racism, noting that Japanese Americans face backlash tied to their economic success.
• Slur Draws Criticism, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Asian organizations including JACL criticized sports announcer Ben Wright for referring to golfer Jumbo Ozaki as “the Jap Ozaki” during CBS’s Masters Golf broadcast on USA Cable Network. JACL national director Bill Yoshino sent a letter to CBS Sports president Neal Pilson demanding an apology for the racially offensive remark.
• FBI, Chicago Police Arrest Japanese Men for Gun Possession, by P.C. Staff, page 3. FBI agents and Chicago police arrested and charged two Japanese men suspected of smuggling guns to Japan in conspiracy with a Mafia crime organization. Some 133 guns were confiscated in the operation.
• Suspect Captured in 1986 Tokyo Towers Murder Case, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The mystery of who murdered an elderly Japanese woman in 1986 at her Tokyo Towers senior citizen home may be solved with the capture of a 23-year-old man in El Paso, Texas. Suspect Carino Landa-Vega was identified through a fingerprint crosscheck after being arrested for illegal entry, and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office filed murder charges in mid-April.
• Japan Dispatches Minesweepers to Persian Gulf, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Japan sent four military minesweepers to help clean up the Persian Gulf, joining Britain, Belgium, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands and Germany in removing an estimated 1,000 remaining Iraqi mines from shipping lanes. Japan imports a major share of its oil through tankers that travel through the endangered gulf waters.
• Mineta Sponsors Broadcast of Sadako Film, by P.C. Staff, page 3. California Rep. Norman Mineta sponsored a broadcast of the film “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” over the Congressional television system in early May. The film tells the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Hiroshima bombing survivor who died of leukemia in 1955 after folding paper cranes as a symbol of recovery.
• Matsui Watch: Wants Faster Work on Census Recount, page 5. Rep. Robert T. Matsui called on Commerce Secretary Robert A. Mosbacher for a stronger effort to obtain an accurate 1990 census count, citing evidence that Asians may have been undercounted by as much as seven percent. Matsui warned that a decision not to adjust the census could have severe ramifications for rapidly growing minority populations over the next decade.
• Candidate Schedules Fund-Raisers, page 5. Fund-raising efforts for Rep. Robert Matsui’s pursuit of a U.S. Senate seat have begun in earnest, according to spokesman Paul Igasaki, with a goal of raising roughly $7 million. A schedule of upcoming fund-raising events across multiple cities including San Francisco, San Jose, Chicago, Seattle and Washington D.C. was released.
• Just in the Click of Time…, by Herbert Ogawa, page 6. A busload of Japanese businessmen touring Dallas inadvertently helped Arlington, Texas police arrest two teenage suspects in an armored car robbery on May 1 by photographing the getaway car’s license plate. Police used the tourists’ photos to identify and apprehend the suspects, then sent the group their film rolls as thanks.

Military & Veterans

• Go For Broke Memorial Planned, page 1. Kaz Oshiki, a longtime congressional aide, is leading efforts by the Go For Broke National Veterans Association to build a commemorative memorial for Japanese Americans who served and died in America’s wars. Bills are being drafted to secure a memorial site at Arlington National Cemetery, with Sen. Daniel Inouye and Rep. Norman Mineta agreeing to introduce them.
• Name Selection Process Begins for Memorial, page 5. Harry Akune, chair of the Name Criteria Selection Committee for the 100th/442nd/MIS WWII Memorial Foundation, announced the nomination process for the Honor Roll of the Japanese American Veterans Memorial in Little Tokyo. Criteria include Japanese Americans who served with the 100th, 442nd or MIS during WWII, instructors who served significantly with the MIS, and non-Japanese American soldiers in combat with the 100th/442nd.
• Memorial Effort Continues for Go For Broke Association, page 6. Continuing coverage of Kaz Oshiki’s efforts on behalf of the Go For Broke National Veterans Association describes meetings with agencies including the National Capital Memorial Advisory Committee. The article emphasizes the importance of accuracy and care in the memorial planning process.

Community

• California Bill Targets Asian American Drug Abuse Funding, page 1. Assembly Bill 1955, authored by an assemblyman, aims to direct funding toward drug and alcohol abuse demonstration programs for Asian Pacific American communities. Advocates say Asian communities have been underserved by existing drug treatment programs despite facing similar substance abuse problems as other groups.
• California Hearing Investigates Discrimination in Southern Alameda County, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The California Fair Employment Housing Commission held a public hearing April 16 to investigate reported discrimination and bias-related crimes in southern Alameda County. Residents from San Leandro, Castro Valley, Hayward and other communities testified about becoming targets of racial, ethnic or religious violence, with a follow-up meeting scheduled in six months.
• Personally Speaking, page 6. A roundup column highlights community achievements including Yumi Hosaka’s election as external vice president at UC Berkeley, Emi Uyehara’s appointment to the Civil Service Commission, Joan Yoshitomi being named Japanese American woman of the year in Seattle, and Joanne Ishimine’s honor for community achievement in Los Angeles. Also mentioned is 1st Sgt. Michael Shigekawa, a Green Beret veteran serving in Saudi Arabia.
• L.A. Mayor Leads Nisei Week Parade, page 6. Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley will serve as grand marshal for the 1991 Nisei Week parade in Little Tokyo on Saturday, Aug. 11, according to festival general chairman Gerald Fukui. Bradley also kicked off the 13th Annual Asian Pacific Heritage Month, featuring community events celebrating the city’s diverse cultures.
• State’s Asian Count Doubles, page 6. Washington state’s 1990 census data revealed the Asian population more than doubled (105.7%) from 102,537 to 210,958, drawing significant local press attention to the state’s dramatically changing racial makeup. The growth is reshaping political influence in King County communities, with the Asian population outside Seattle more than doubling to about 100,000.
• Canadian Nikkei to Head for Home, page 6. A national Japanese Canadian conference titled “Homecoming ’92 — After 50 Years” is scheduled for Vancouver’s Labour Day weekend, marking 50 years since Japanese Canadians were uprooted to inland ghost towns in 1942. Organizer Gordon Hirabayashi invited Nikkei from the U.S. to join the historical commemoration and discussions about the future of Japanese Canadian communities.

Incarceration & Redress

• Support Shown for Ousted Nikkei Marine, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Hawaii Legislature is supporting Bruce Yamashita, 35, who says he was dismissed from Marine Corps officer candidate school in 1989 because of his Japanese ancestry after enduring racial harassment. The legislature’s resolution seeks to correct his military record and calls on the Marine Corps to investigate and potentially grant retroactive graduation.
• Manzanar: Holy Ground to Remember, by Sue Kunitomi Embrey, page 4. Hundreds gathered April 27 for the annual Manzanar Pilgrimage despite strong winds, with a program of music, readings, and religious services led by Manzanar Committee members. Embrey recounts the history of the pilgrimage movement since 1969, the fight for redress, and calls for Manzanar to be designated a national park and ‘holy ground’ to honor those who suffered there.

Commentary

• Assessing the Contemporary Generations, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa examines a magazine article dividing contemporary Japanese into generational groups—Kyu jinrui, baby-boomers, Shinjinrui, and the ‘Strawberry Generation’—describing their differing cultural traits and values. He compares these generational characteristics to Japanese American Yonsei, concluding that despite similar genetics, cultural upbringing creates a wide gulf between the two groups.
• In Praise of Her Peace Walk, by Mei Nakano, page 4. A letter writer praises Judy Imai for her peace walk covered in a previous Pacific Citizen issue, admiring its people-to-people approach to promoting peace. The writer argues that individual courage and one-on-one outreach can build the groundswell of support needed for real world peace.
• Official Clarifies Termination of Nikkei, by Norm Schneider, page 4. A university official from California State Polytechnical University writes to clarify a previous article about Mr. Maehara’s termination lawsuit, stating that the file being shared publicly is not the complete official university file. He reiterates the university’s offer to release the full file with Maehara’s written permission and maintains discrimination was not a factor in the case.
• Nikkei Relates Teaching Experiences in Japan, page 4. A Nisei woman living in Japan for 15-17 years shares her experiences teaching English conversation, describing biases some Japanese families hold in preferring blue-eyed Western teachers over Japanese Americans. She reflects on the added complications of having a Japanese first name and being seen as not authentically representing American culture despite her qualifications.

JACL

• Civil Rights Committee Discusses Historical Issues, page 7. Continuing from the front-page story, the Civil Rights Committee discussed Pearl Harbor, the bombing of Hiroshima, and Executive Order 9066 as historical touchpoints for its work. Chairman Ron Wakabayashi emphasized targeting activities that chapters can implement and developing a system to respond to civil rights issues.

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