Rodney King verdicts, hate crimes and a 442nd hero honored

Vol. 116, No. 16, April 23, 1993. 8 pages. View this issue

The federal verdicts in the Rodney King trial and their aftermath ran across this eight-page issue. JACL’s Hayashi said the verdicts brought some measure of justice, while officials warned that deeper injustices remained. Gwen Muranaka reported a 23.6 percent rise in racial hate crime incidents in Los Angeles County in 1992, and JACL National President Lillian C. Kimura wrote about media overkill and urged chapters to join a May 27 day of commitment against racism. The front page also told of a building at the Army Reserve Center in West Los Angeles to be named for Private First Class Sadao S. Munemori of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Other pages turn to books and columns. Harry K. Honda reviewed a study of Nisei women poets from the camps, and Bill Hosokawa remembered Jimmie Sakamoto and his youth sports leagues. Bill Marutani wrote on word processors. There is also a profile of poet Amy Uyematsu, the Selma Chapter’s Legacy Fund success, and scholarship news.

What’s in this issue

National

• Verdicts in Rodney King Trial Draw Mixed Reactions, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Federal jury verdicts against officers Koon and Powell in the Rodney King case brought some measure of justice, according to JACL’s Hayashi, but officials warned the underlying social and economic injustices remain unaddressed. A regional JACL director emphasized the need to create employment and educational opportunities in Los Angeles and other urban centers.
• Hate Crimes Increase in Los Angeles County, by Gwen Muranaka, page 1. The Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission reported 434 racial hate crime incidents in 1992, a 23.6 percent increase from 1991, though the report doesn’t fully reflect crimes during the civil unrest following the Rodney King verdict. Statistics showed African Americans were the largest target group, cars became the most common weapon used in hate crimes, and Asian Americans were often victims of mistaken identity.
• White House Reveals Health Care Game Plan, page 3. Ira Magaziner, senior White House adviser on domestic policy, briefed attendees on the Clinton Administration’s health care reform task force, citing that 37 million Americans have no insurance and 20-30 million are underinsured. Magaziner outlined eight principles guiding reform, including universal coverage, cost control, reduced bureaucracy, and continued patient choice of doctors.

Military & Veterans

• Building to Honor 442nd Hero, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The U.S. Army is naming a building at the Army Reserve Center in West Los Angeles in honor of Private First Class Sadao S. Munemori of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, who earned the Medal of Honor for dying to save his men. A dedication ceremony for the Munemori Army Reserve Center Hall will be held, and a fund has been established to cover related expenses.’

Community

• Distinguished Alumni Honored by University of Hawaii Alumni Association, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The University of Hawaii Alumni Association honored CBS news correspondent Linda Taira and lawyer Francis Sogi, board chairman of the Japanese American National Museum. Taira won the National Headliner Award for her war coverage, while Sogi is a senior partner at a law firm and received the Order of Sacred Treasure from the Japanese government.
• Advice to Victims of Hate Crime, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Panelists at a tri-district JACL conference in Costa Mesa, including James Tanizaki of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and Dennis Kennedy of the Orange County Human Relations Commission, offered advice on responding to hate crimes. They emphasized immediate reporting, building diverse coalitions, and pursuing federal prosecution through the Justice Department when local avenues fail.
• Central California District Council Announces Scholarship Winners, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Central California District Council of JACL announced recipients of six scholarship awards and two citizen achievement awards for students including Ryan Suemoto, Christine Kataoka, Ryan Hashimoto, and others. Selection was based on scholastic achievement, extracurricular activities, and community involvement.
• Selma Chapter: A Success Story, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The small Selma Chapter of JACL in the Central California District successfully raised Legacy Fund contributions by reaching out to the entire local Nikkei community rather than just JACL members. Committee members used friendly solicitation letters followed by phone calls and personal visits, and the chapter was honored at the 1992 National JACL Convention for its fundraising efforts.
• Greater L.A. Singles Chapter Seeks Scholarship Candidates, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Greater L.A. Singles Chapter of JACL is seeking candidates for its annual $1,000 scholarship award for graduating high school seniors of Japanese ancestry from single-parent families residing in Los Angeles or Orange County. The application deadline is May 1, 1993.

JACL

• Chicago Chapter, JACL Votes to Support Lifting Ban on Gays in Military, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Chicago Chapter of JACL’s board of directors voted 9-0 to support lifting the ban on gays in the military, comparing the issue to the Japanese American fight for justice. The chapter joined the JACL national board, which took similar action, and plans to distribute information to Chicago-area congressional representatives and the White House.

Arts & Entertainment

• Growing Up JA—So Close, So Far: Amy Uyematsu’s Poetry Collection, page 4. Amy Uyematsu’s collection of poems, ’30 Miles to J-Town,’ which won the 1992 Nicholas Roerich Prize, explores her life growing up as a Japanese American woman in the largely white community of Sierra Madre. The article traces her journey from feeling isolated from Japanese American culture to becoming involved in the Asian American movement at UCLA and eventually finding her voice as a poet influenced by writers like Momoko Iko and Peter Levitt.

In-Depth

• Literary History Offers Nisei Poets From WWII Camps, by Harry K. Honda, page 4. Susan Schweik’s book ‘A Gulf So Deeply Cut: American Women Poets and the Second World War’ devotes a key chapter to Nisei women poets and explores poetry written from the concentration camps. The review highlights works by Toyo Suyemoto, Chiye Mori, Hisaye Yamamoto, and Mitsuye Yamada, calling the exploration pivotal to understanding wartime Nisei literary history.
• Book Examines Crime Prevention in America and Japan, by Harry Honda, page 4. Judge Robert Y. Thornton’s four-year study, ‘Preventing Crime in America and Japan,’ compares crime rates and socio-cultural factors like family structure and respect for law and order between the two countries. Thornton, a former Oregon attorney general decorated by the Emperor of Japan, also served as an MIS officer during WWII and later helped evacuees find jobs and worked for Issei citizenship rights.
• Surveying Values of Nisei, Sansei, page 5. A sociological analysis titled ‘Japanese American Ethnicity’ by Stephen Fugita and David O’Brien examines why some ethnic groups retain their identity through assimilation while others do not. The book links Issei values like hard work and deferred gratification to Nisei-Sansei success in mainstream American society, and surveys community networks, intermarriage, and economic participation.
• More JA Experiences Documented in New Book, page 5. Part of the Minorities in Modern America series, ‘Japanese American Experience’ by David J. O’Brien and Stephen S. Fugita presents an illuminating and sociologically-grounded look at Japanese American history from arrival through the postwar period. The authors are professors specializing in sociology, ethnic studies, and psychology.

Commentary

• Remembering Jimmie’s League, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Bill Hosokawa recounts the legacy of Jimmie Sakamoto, a blind former prize fighter who founded the Japanese American Courier newspaper in Seattle in 1928 and organized youth sports leagues for Nisei kids. Former league participants in Spokane have organized a fund drive to build a memorial to Sakamoto at Kobe Square in front of Seattle’s old Nippon Kan Hall.
• Wonders of Word Processors, by Bill Marutani, page 6. Bill Marutani reflects on the benefits and quirks of computer word processing software, noting how it flags Japanese terms as misspellings while easing tasks like legal drafting and document editing. He also recounts shopping for electronics in Tokyo’s Akihabara district and recommends buying instruction manuals in English rather than Japanese.
• Media Overkill, by Lillian C. Kimura, page 7. JACL National President Lillian Kimura criticizes excessive media sensationalism surrounding the Rodney King federal trial verdict and its potential for civil unrest. She urges JACL chapters to join the YWCA’s ‘Day of Commitment to the Elimination of Racism’ on May 27 as part of continued efforts against racism.

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