Vol. 114, No. 6, February 14, 1992. 8 pages. View this issue
Lillian Baker’s letter campaign against the Day of Remembrance in Tacoma, Washington, led this issue. Gwen Muranaka reported that Baker and her supporters wrote to a corporate sponsor calling the incarceration (often called internment) a misnomer and the event an anti-American smear. JACL National Director Dennis Hayashi condemned the letters, and the sponsor withdrew, though it denied they influenced its decision. The page 3 reprint of the text of Executive Order 9066 sets the event in context. Alongside it, the front page followed anti-Japanese feeling elsewhere: a Los Angeles sixth-grade class whose drawings urged a county supervisor to favor an American firm over Sumitomo Corp., a proposed Buy America charter amendment, and threatening letters sent to Japanese car dealers in El Paso.
Bill Hosokawa remembered Dr. George Togasaki, and Bill Marutani described the Mike Masaoka Congressional Internship Program. Other pages cover JACL chapter installations, George Nakano’s redistricting case in Torrance, and a gift of more than $105,000 to South Bay schools from Japanese firms.
What’s in this issue
Incarceration & Redress
- Lillian Baker Undermines Tacoma Day of Remembrance, by Gwen Muranaka, page 1. Lillian Baker and her supporters sent letters attempting to disrupt Day of Remembrance activities in Tacoma, Washington, calling the internment a misnomer and the commemorative event an anti-American smear campaign. JACL National Director Dennis Hayashi condemned the actions as disturbing threats and lies, while a corporate sponsor pulled out under pressure though it denied the letters influenced its decision.
- Executive Order 9066 Text, page 3. The article reprints the historical text of Executive Order 9066, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, authorizing military commanders to exclude persons from designated areas. It details the powers granted to the Secretary of War regarding transportation, food, and other accommodations for excluded persons.
- 9066 (Continued), page 7. This continuation details the aftermath of Executive Order 9066, including Secretary Stimson’s orders to General DeWitt regarding the classification of persons for exclusion and the House Select Committee hearings on West Coast evacuation. It references testimony from the 1981-82 Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians documenting unnecessary human suffering during the process.
- Baker Continued: Day of Remembrance Under Threat, page 8. This continuation details JACL board delegate Robert Mizukami’s reaction to Lillian Baker’s campaign against the Tacoma Day of Remembrance, noting a corporate sponsor’s withdrawal of support and expressing disappointment but finding some solace that the attention indicated the event’s significance. Mizukami, a 442nd veteran, speculated Baker might attend the event and the committee planned to proceed regardless of her actions.
National
- JACL Involved With Mariner Bid: Contrary to Proposal, Not Japan!, page 1. JACL National Director Dennis Hayashi sent a letter to baseball commissioner Faye Vincent opposing objections to Nintendo’s bid for the Seattle Mariners, calling the opposition a case of racial double standard. The letter questioned why foreign ownership was suddenly an issue only when raised regarding a Japanese-owned company purchasing a baseball team.
- L.A. Proposal: ‘Buy America’, page 1. Los Angeles City Council ordered drafting of a City Charter amendment requiring a minimum domestic content requirement for city purchases and prohibiting bids favoring foreign firms, following the county’s decision to rescind a contract with Sumitomo Corp. A city report noted potential benefits must be balanced against increased costs and staffing needed to implement the procurement requirements.
- Japanese Car Dealers in El Paso Threatened, page 1. A Buick GMC dealer in El Paso, Texas sent threatening letters to Japanese car and truck dealers demanding they stop selling Japanese vehicles by a deadline or face a ‘declaration of war.’ The letter claimed Japanese car sales were costing American jobs and economic security.
- Asian American Runs for California Supervisor Post, page 3. Stockton city councilwoman Sylvia Sun Minnick announced her candidacy for a District 1 supervisor race, having served on the city council addressing issues including prostitution and drug problems. Minnick describes herself as a grass-roots, hands-on public servant focused on community needs.
- California Nikkei Wins Redistricting Case, page 5. Torrance, Calif. city councilman George Nakano won a legal case resulting in a significant change to the redistricting of his city into a single assembly district, after the state supreme court realigned the district according to his new plan. The change increased Asian population percentage in the 53rd Assembly District from 10.6 to 11.8 percent while eliminating a split of Torrance city boundaries.
- American Friends Service Committee Nomination, page 6. The 75-year-old American Friends Service Committee, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947, is entitled to make an annual nomination for the prize. During World War II, the organization was among the very few national groups assisting persons of Japanese ancestry in the camps and during resettlement.
Community
- Teaching Racism? Kid Art Draws in School Children by the Cost, by Gwen Muranaka, page 1. A sixth-grade class in Los Angeles wrote letters and drew pictures urging a county supervisor to favor an American company over Sumitomo Corp. for a Metro Green Line contract, with some drawings reflecting anti-Japanese sentiment including images of bombing Japan. The incident sparked discussion among school officials and the supervisor’s staff about teaching children about competition versus prejudice.
- Re-elected, page 3. A JACL youth council member has been elected to a term as executive secretary/treasurer of the California-based civil liberties organization. The brief item notes the individual’s continued involvement with JACL and community civil rights work.
- Chapter Installations, page 5. A roundup lists JACL chapter installation ceremonies across the country including speakers like actor George Takei, Maj. Gen. James Mukoyama, and National JACL President Cressey Nakagawa, along with newly installed chapter presidents. Various chapters marked milestone anniversaries including 40th, 50th, and 70th anniversaries.
- Japanese Firms Show Appreciation, page 5. A group of Japanese nationals working in the South Bay area of Los Angeles donated more than $105,000 in cash and equipment to 43 local schools in three school districts as a seventh annual gesture to support education. Officials said the donation was not made to counter statements by a Japanese politician about American worker illiteracy.
- Cualoping Named to Illinois Post, page 6. A person of Filipino descent from Arlington Heights was appointed as executive director of the state’s Minority and Female Business Enterprise office, tasked with developing business opportunities for minority, women, and disabled-owned businesses. She previously worked as an assistant title officer and underwriting attorney and is active in several Asian American civic organizations.
- Motoki Presents Scientific Paper Abroad, page 6. A Salt Lake City physician specializing in craniofacial reconstructive plastic surgery presented a scientific paper at the Third International Congress of Craniofacial Surgeons in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. He practices at Primary Children’s Medical Center and Institute of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and his parents are longtime JACL members.
- Tanaka Honored as Earlham College’s Distinguished Alumnus, page 6. Former National JACL president Henry T. Tanaka of Cleveland was honored as Earlham College’s Distinguished Alumnus at the 1991 Homecoming. A wartime internee from Salem, Oregon, Tanaka became the first executive director of Hill House, a mental health rehabilitation center, which grew significantly under his leadership before his retirement in 1990.
Commentary
- Remembering a Nisei Pioneer, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa pays tribute to Dr. George Togasaki, who died at age 96 in Tokyo, recounting his life from birth in San Francisco through his service in WWI, his marriage, and his influential career promoting press freedom and world peace from Japan. Togasaki became president of the Japan Times and helped found International Christian University, leaving a legacy of understanding between the U.S. and Japan.
- CIP: For College and Graduate Students, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Bill Marutani writes about a visit to Washington, D.C. and highlights the Mike Masaoka Congressional Internship Program funded by the JACL Masaoka Fellowship Fund, which offers students the opportunity to work as interns for U.S. Senators or Representatives. The program provides a $5,000 stipend and is open to U.S. citizens who are at least in their third year of college or in graduate programs.
- Kids/Kid Art Continued: ‘Buy America’ Theme, page 8. This continuation details how the school principal and a supervisor’s aide discussed how the media portrayed the Metro Green Line controversy and U.S.-Japan tensions, describing coverage as playing into Japan-bashing sentiment rather than presenting facts. Commissioner Gary Hertzberg emphasized that competition should be about performance rather than name-calling, warning of the risk of further Japan bashing incidents.
Obituaries
- Obituaries, page 6. This page lists multiple obituaries including individuals from Los Angeles, El Centro, San Francisco, Monterey Park, San Jose, Anaheim, and Selma, detailing survivors and biographical details such as birthplace and family members. Notable entries include Hiroshima-born Imperial Valley pioneers and Korean Conflict veterans.
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