Blue Star Highway at Manzanar, and the PC Board’s finances

Vol. 118, No. 16, April 29, 1994. 8 pages. View this issue

A stretch of U.S. Highway 395 was dedicated as a Blue Star Highway on April 23 at the 25th annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, in honor of the 100th Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team and the Military Intelligence Service. Stanley Albright of the National Park Service presented a plaque, and George Yoshihara accepted it for the veterans. The pilgrimage also held memorial services and recorded oral history interviews with former internees.

The same issue covered the Pacific Citizen board meeting: finances, with subscriptions covering only 42 cents of every dollar of revenue, a policy on personal and political ads, and a debate over the editorial advisory board. Commentary came from JACL National President Lillian Kimura, Bill Hosokawa on the Japanese American National Museum, Jin Konomi on Japanese romanization, and Dr. Roy Nishikawa and Karl Nobuyuki on JACL matters.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Blue Star Highway Named for Nisei Vets, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A stretch of U.S. Highway 395 was dedicated as a Blue Star Highway on April 23 at the 25th annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, honoring members of the 100th Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team and Military Intelligence Service. The pilgrimage also included memorial services and on-the-spot oral history interviews with former Manzanar internees.
• Highway (continued): Manzanar Pilgrimage Highlights, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Additional details on the 25th Manzanar Pilgrimage describe memorial services led by multiple faith leaders and oral history video interviews with former internees, emphasizing the urgency of capturing these stories. The program also included a National Anthem performance and flag salute by descendants of 100th/442nd veterans.

JACL

• The Bottom Line: Revenues Lacking, by P.C. Staff, page 1. At the April 23 Pacific Citizen board meeting, members discussed the newspaper’s financial struggles, noting that membership subscriptions cover only 42 cents of every dollar of revenue. The board reviewed budget revisions and considered options like reducing issues or raising ad rates to address a projected 1994 deficit.
• PC Board Says No to Personal, Political Ads, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The PC Board issued a policy against publishing personal advertising after a complaint about an ad seeking a Japanese woman for companionship, while unanimously voting to reject all political advertisements. The board debated the complexity of ads like egg donor solicitations, ultimately leaving such decisions to the editor’s discretion.
• Editorial Advisory Board Clarified, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The PC Board appointed new members to the PC advisory board, including Ron Ohata, Richard Suenaga, Kim Tachiki and Jim Miyazaki, after lengthy discussion of the board’s purpose. Members debated whether the advisory board’s opinions would be binding on editorial decisions or purely advisory in nature.
• PC Editorial (continued): Advisory Board Debate, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Continuing coverage of the PC Board meeting details a lengthy debate over the role of the editorial advisory board, with members like Hosokawa arguing the board is unnecessary and could compromise editorial independence. Other members like Nakahata contended the board should have binding authority on editorial opinions representing PC.

Commentary

• Reaching Out to Other Groups, by Lillian C. Kimura, page 3. JACL National President Lillian Kimura describes her recent activities representing Asian American interests, including a meeting on diversifying nonprofit boards in New York, a court community relations planning committee in Williamsburg, and judging a human relations essay contest. She also recounts attending the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund’s 20th anniversary banquet honoring Norman Mineta, Lani Guinier, and the founders of Asian Americans for Action.
• Museum’s Legacy Speaks to Future, by Bill Hosokawa, page 6. Bill Hosokawa highlights the Japanese American National Museum’s achievements since its founding in 1983, citing its membership growth, fundraising success, and thousands of donated objects. He praises the museum’s outreach program and its role in preserving and communicating Japanese American history as part of the nation’s heritage.
• View From the Far East: Phony Accents, by Jin Konomi, page 6. Jin Konomi critiques the inconsistencies and inaccuracies of Japanese phonetic transliteration systems like kana and Romaji, arguing they fail to accurately represent Japanese speech sounds. He cites historical examples, including a 19th-century glossary by Ranald MacDonald, to support his long campaign for reforming Romaji orthography.
• Correction: Nishikawa April 22-28 Editorial, by Dr. Roy Nishikawa, page 6. This correction restores lines dropped from Dr. Roy Nishikawa’s previous editorial about the JACL ‘For the Record’ document concerning the Endowment Fund controversy. Nishikawa recounts being blindsided at a PSWDC meeting and urges readers to review his original Nov. 26, 1993 article detailing alleged constitutional violations by the National Board.
• Limitation to Be Placed on PC Letters, Editorials, by P.C. Staff, page 6. An editor’s note announces that Pacific Citizen will return to its original 500-word limit for letters and editorials after publishing several lengthy submissions beyond that limit. Viewpoint articles are exempted from this length restriction but remain subject to editorial judgment.
• Come-On Sense: JACL Youth Program Is Unconstitutional, by Karl K. Nobuyuki, page 7. Karl Nobuyuki argues that JACL’s youth program violates its own bylaws by having representatives well over the constitutionally defined youth age, and criticizes national leadership for allowing this discrepancy. He warns that this bylaw violation could allow youth delegates to disproportionately influence national officer elections.

Obituaries

• Henry Takuma Nomura, 61, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Henry Takuma Nomura of Monterey Park died April 14, 1994, having served as president of the Los Angeles Produce Truckers Association before retirement. After retiring at age 70, he pursued his love of music by singing in several karaoke groups, including one he organized at Langley Center.
• Donald Sakai Fujino, 63, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Donald Sakai Fujino of Salt Lake City, Utah passed away and is survived by his wife Ayako Joyce and children. Details of his life and survivors are noted in this brief tribute.

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