Vol. 116, No. 7, February 19, 1993. 8 pages. View this issue
Asian American political influence was the main subject of this eight-page issue. Gwen Muranaka reported on a Feb. 11 roundtable in Los Angeles where Norman Mineta, Judy Chu, Jay Kim and others spoke, and where frustration over the lack of real influence ran through the discussion. A second front-page story looked at how the ‘Nannygate’ controversy was affecting immigrants, according to Asian American and Latino civil rights groups. Muranaka also covered a racial gesture at a Washington State Democratic party meeting in Spokane, with a follow-up on page 7.
On page 3, Ike Hatchimonji explained how former internees can request their WRA case files, fifty-one years after Executive Order 9066. Bill Hosokawa wrote about a 1943 letter from James Y. Sakamoto at Minidoka, and Bill Marutani looked at the legal aftermath of the order. Grayce Uyehara described the San Jose chapter’s commemoration, and readers wrote in about Hosokawa’s family columns. Chapter installation reports from Ventura County, Mile-Hi, Twin Cities and Seattle fill the JACL pages.
What’s in this issue
Community
- Asian Americans Still Lack Clout, Panelists Say, by Gwen Muranaka, page 1. At a roundtable discussion on Asian Pacific American Leadership and Perspectives in American Politics held Feb. 11 in Los Angeles, panelists including Norman Mineta, Jay Kim, Judy Chu, and others expressed frustration over the lack of true political influence for Asian Pacific Americans. Angela Oh of the Korean American Bar Association highlighted ongoing racial tensions in Los Angeles ahead of the Rodney King and Reginald Denny trials.
- Sentencing of Nikkei Murderer Postponed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The sentencing of Jeremy Brinkley, confessed burglar, rapist and murderer of 87-year-old Chiyoko Kono, has been postponed indefinitely due to the presiding judge’s unavailability. The victim’s grandson has asked the community to send letters urging a sentence of life without parole, amid concerns Brinkley could be sentenced as a juvenile.
- Asian Law Caucus Honors Law Firm, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Asian Law Caucus of San Francisco will honor the law firm of Minami, Lew, Tamaki & Lee on March 6 for its ongoing work with the organization since its founding. Dale Minami, Garrick Lew, Michael Lee and Don Tamaki were among the early organizers, with the honor part of ALC’s 21st anniversary celebration.
- Personally Speaking: San Mateo Installation Features Film on Gordon Hirabayashi, by Gwen Muranaka, page 3. San Mateo JACL held an installation event on Feb. 27 at the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple gym featuring California State Senator Quentin Kopp and a screening of ‘A Personal Matter: Gordon Hirabayashi vs. the United States.’ The event also highlighted Sequoia Chapter’s upcoming Crab and Spaghetti fundraiser and officer installation.
- Amerasian and Asian American Women Artists Perform ‘Matters of Color’ Readings, by P.C. Staff, page 4. An evening of readings titled ‘Matters of Color,’ sponsored by the Amerasian League and SCAN JACL, was held Feb. 6 in Santa Monica focusing on Asian Pacific American feminist experiences through poetry, prose, drama, humor and song. Featured readers included Thelma Seto, Michele Benzamin Masuda, Mari Sunaida, Jude Narita, and Velina Hasu Houston.
- Agenda: Twin Cities and Seattle Chapter News, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Twin Cities JACL chapter held a Feb. 14 installation meeting in Minneapolis featuring national President Lillian Kimura as speaker, with active leaders working on strengthening chapter events, coalition-building, and civil rights issues. In Seattle, outgoing president Joy St. Germain welcomed new chapter leader Kip Tokuda, with a series of workshops planned for March on topics including tax planning and media stereotyping.
National
- ‘Nannygate’ Victimizing Immigrants, Asians Say, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Civil rights groups including the Chinese American Citizens Alliance and La Raza say the real victims of the ‘Nannygate’ controversy surrounding Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood are immigrants facing increased discrimination and job loss. Advocates say the debate over hiring undocumented workers is creating a wave of uncertainty and misinformation targeting immigrants and Asians.
- After Racist Remark, Wrangling in Spokane Becomes Racial Gesture, by Gwen Muranaka, page 1. Washington State Democratic party vice chairwoman Betty Drumheller bowed gassho-style in a mocking manner after Spokane Chapter JACL member Chris Marr refused to shake her hand at a Feb. 11 Affirmative Action Committee meeting, following an earlier incident involving a racial slur. Marr and JACL leader Denny Yasuhara criticized Drumheller for apologizing to the committee but not to the Asian Americans present, calling her actions arrogant and demeaning.
- Panel Highlights: Mineta and Kim Trade Partisan Barbs, Other Officials Speak, by P.C. Staff, page 7. At the Asian Pacific Leadership panel, Rep. Jay Kim criticized the Clinton administration for lacking Asian American appointees despite promises of a ‘rainbow coalition,’ while Rep. Norman Mineta defended the new administration, noting he himself had turned down a cabinet position. Other panelists including Peter Fajardo and Nao Takasugi discussed the responsibilities of Asian Pacific American officials and reflected on progress since wartime internment.
Obituaries
- Photojournalist Vincent T. Tajiri Dies at 74, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Vincent Takashige Tajiri of Van Nuys, a Long Beach-born 442nd veteran and former Playboy magazine photo editor from 1956-73, died Feb. 7 of pulmonary disease. He is survived by his wife Rose and three children, with a memorial service scheduled for Feb. 28 at the Long Beach Museum of Art.
- Very Truly Yours: I Knew Him as ‘Taya’ – RIP Vincent Takashige Tajiri, by Harry K. Honda, page 7. Editor emeritus Harry Honda pays tribute to Vincent Takashige Tajiri, recalling his career from prewar English-section editing at Japanese vernacular newspapers to his acclaimed work as Playboy’s photo editor for two decades. Tajiri, who served with the 442nd and studied photography under Issei master Harry Shigeta, later published books and exhibited photography, and was remembered by peers as someone who ‘fought racism wherever it reared its head.’
JACL
- Mile-Hi Installation Features Pat Saiki as Speaker, by Tom Masamori, page 1. Pat Saiki, former Hawaii congresswoman and head of the Small Business Administration, spoke at the installation dinner of the Mile-Hi Chapter JACL, which reflects a growing youth movement within the organization. Saiki expressed interest in helping Japanese Americans and other Asian Americans get more involved in politics, especially after seeing riot-related business losses in Los Angeles.
- Ventura County Chapter Installation: Hayashi Says ‘Redouble Our Efforts’, by Harry Honda, page 4. National JACL Director Dennis Hayashi spoke at the Ventura County JACL installation dinner in Oxnard, urging the organization to redouble efforts on race issues, coalition-building, voting and national politics. Dr. Tsujio Kato was re-elected chapter president and installed along with his cabinet, with about 100 people in attendance including Assemblyman Nao Takasugi.
- A JACL for Another Generation, by Grayce Uyehara, page 5. Sen. Daniel Inouye delivered the keynote address at the San Jose JACL Chapter’s ‘Kodomo No Tame Ni’ commemoration on Feb. 6, attended by more than 600 people, emphasizing that JACL should remain vital as the institutional memory of Japanese Americans. The column also profiles Issei pioneer Kikuno Yamanaka, who died at 95 leaving $10,000 each to JACL and the San Jose Buddhist Church from her redress payment.
Incarceration & Redress
- Internees Have Right to Know Wartime Records, by Ike Hatchimonji, page 3. Fifty-one years after Executive Order 9066, former internees and their families have the right under the Freedom of Information Act to request their WRA case files from the National Archives, which include personal records, leave clearance applications, and family information. The article details the specific procedure and required information needed to request these individual case files from the Suitland Reference Branch.
- Racial Incident Sparks Broader Concerns Within Washington State Democratic Party, by Gwen Muranaka, page 7. Following the racial gesture incident involving Betty Drumheller, JACL members including Denny Yasuhara and Chris Marr are pushing the Spokane Chapter and district to address the broader problem of racism within the local Democratic party. Washington Gov. Mike Lowry, a redress legislation sponsor, has written to party officials urging action, though as governor he has limited authority over the party’s internal affairs.
- Internees Records Available Through Japanese American National Museum, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Former internees can visit the Japanese American National Museum to obtain a one-page computer database printout of their camp records from the National Archives, though these are less detailed than full Personal Case Files. The museum, located in Los Angeles, provides additional resources for those seeking wartime records under the Freedom of Information Act.
Commentary
- Jimmie’s Words Still Ring True, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Bill Hosokawa reflects on a 50-year-old letter written by James Y. Sakamoto, former JACL national president, while interned at Minidoka, protesting a House bill to strip Japanese Americans of citizenship. Hosokawa argues the letter’s eloquent profession of loyalty and protest against the Evacuation deserves recognition alongside Mike Masaoka’s Japanese American Creed.
- Aftermath, by Bill Marutani, page 6. Marutani examines the legal aftermath of Executive Order 9066, including the Supreme Court’s 1943 decisions upholding the convictions of Hirabayashi and Yasui, and the case of Mitsuye Endo, whose habeas corpus petition eventually led the 9th Circuit Court to effectively declare the camps unconstitutional in December 1944. He notes the suspicious timing of General DeWitt’s rescission of exclusion orders the day before the Endo decision was announced.
- Hates PC Story on Gays, by Bob Horiuchi, page 6. A reader from Fresno criticizes the Pacific Citizen for printing a front-page editorial opinion on gays in the military under an assistant editor’s byline, calling it irresponsible and biased journalism that misleadingly suggests national JACL policy. The writer, a war relocation camp survivor and military veteran, challenges the PC staff to give his letter equal front-page coverage.
- Likes Hosokawa’s Column, by Tad Masaoka, page 6. A reader from San Mateo writes in support of Bill Hosokawa’s columns about his family, countering another reader’s complaint, saying he and his wife enjoy the warm and reflective family anecdotes. He hopes Hosokawa continues writing about his children and grandchildren.
- Doesn’t Like Hosokawa’s Column, by Molly Osaka, page 6. A reader from Chicago, signing her name unlike a previous anonymous letter writer, argues that family anecdotes do not belong in a newspaper column and should be reserved for topics of broader significance. She suggests many readers have had similar family experiences that would not be particularly noteworthy to others.
- Answering Marutani’s Query on the Origin of ‘Yamato’, by Goku M. Dilee, page 8. A reader from Boston explains the etymology of ‘Yamato’ being written with the characters ‘dai’ and ‘wa,’ tracing it to ancient Chinese naming customs where dynasties were called by a combination of ‘da’ and the dynasty name. The Chinese used the character for ‘peace’ (wa) to refer to Japan as ‘Da-Hua,’ which the Japanese later adopted with their own pronunciation as ‘Yamato.’
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