Vol. 122, No. 6, March 15, 1996. 12 pages. View this issue
The JACL National Youth/Student Conference led this 12-page issue. Held Feb. 23-24 in San Francisco, it drew about 100 attendees to workshops and skits, and Lorna Onizuka accepted the Vision Award on behalf of her family. Closer to home for the organization, the Pacific Citizen Editorial Board voted to urge a return to weekly publication, nominations opened for JACL national offices, and San Jose Chapter committees kept preparing for the August national convention. Denny Yasuhara urged members to support it.
Redress and incarceration stories ran inside. Congressman Robert Matsui introduced a bill for a Manzanar National Historic Site, the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund board met for the first time, and a groundbreaking was held on Oahu for a monument to the 100th, the 442nd and the Military Intelligence Service. Columns by Bill Hosokawa, Bill Marutani and Mei Nakano closed out the pages.
What’s in this issue
JACL
- Education and Entertainment Highlight JACL Youth Gathering, by Kimi Yoshino, page 1. The National Youth/Student Conference held Feb. 23-24 in San Francisco drew about 100 attendees for workshops, a keynote address, and skits, sponsored by Kikkoman International, American Express and Kaiser Permanente. Lorna Onizuka accepted the Vision Award on behalf of her family, honoring her late husband astronaut Ellison Onizuka, alongside winners Judge Lance Ito and reporter Tritia Toyota.
- Nominations for JACL National Offices Sought, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nominations for six JACL national offices and two youth positions are now open, with elections to be held Aug. 10 in San Jose at the National JACL convention. Nominations are due by May 1, though floor nominations will be accepted at the first National Council session.
- PC Editorial Board to Seek Return to Weekly, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Pacific Citizen Editorial Board met March 2 in Monterey Park and unanimously passed a motion urging the newspaper’s return to a weekly publication format, to be presented to the JACL Budget Committee ahead of the April National Board meeting. Discussion centered on financing options, including a proposed subscription increase, amid concerns about the division of financial oversight between P.C. and the National Board.
- On the Agenda: PCEB Discusses Staffing, Complaints and Internship Program, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Pacific Citizen Editorial Board discussed staffing shortages following Assistant Editor Gwen Muranaka’s resignation, a new board member manual, and complaints from JACL members about coverage. The board also approved a P.C. internship program concept and a policy allowing votes by phone conference call in future meetings.
- New York JACL Announces Playwright Award, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The New York Chapter, JACL, opened the 1996 competition for the sixth Ruby Yoshino Schaar Playwright Award of $3,000, honoring the memory of former chapter president Ruby Schaar. Past winners include Akemi Kikumura and Lane Nishikawa, whose award-winning play The Gate of Heaven depicted a 442nd veteran’s postwar reunion with a Holocaust survivor.
Community
- JACL Lambda Chapter to Raise Funds with Los Angeles Theater Production, by Gwen Muranaka, page 2. The JACL API Lambda Chapter has scheduled a fund-raising performance of the trilogy Whitelands by Chay Yew on March 25 at the East West Players Theater in Los Angeles. The play addresses teen lifestyles, homophobia, and rising teen suicide rates among gay youth in America and Europe.
- San Jose Prepares for ’96 Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 6. San Jose Chapter committees are actively preparing for the August 1996 JACL National Convention, having raised over $17,850 in booklet ad donations and planning workshops, tours, and the Whing Ding Homecoming event. National Director Herbert Yamanishi attended a kickoff dinner meeting to support fundraising and volunteer efforts.
- JA Woman Wins Peace Prize, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Marii Hasegawa, 77, of Richmond, Va., won the 13th Niwano Peace Prize for her decades of interreligious peace work, and will be honored with a documentary premiering April 14 and a ceremony in Tokyo on May 9. Interned during WWII, she later became a leading figure in the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and various civil rights and elder care organizations.
- Multicultural Arts Festival Set by Cerritos College, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Cerritos Community College is sponsoring ‘Windows to the World,’ a two-day multicultural festival of music, dance, and arts scheduled for April 27-28, expected to draw 10,000 to 20,000 attendees. A highlight includes a screening of the Italian film The Postman.
Incarceration & Redress
- Civil Liberties Public Education Fund Board Meets, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Civil Liberties Public Education Fund board of directors held its first meeting by phone on Feb. 28, eight years after being authorized by the redress bill, which allocated $5 million for community research grants on civil liberties education. Dale Minami was elected acting chair, and the board plans its first in-person meeting March 31 in Washington, D.C. to establish funding criteria and procedures.
- Manzanar Bill to Advance Historic Site, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Congressman Robert Matsui introduced legislation to create a Manzanar National Historic Site, enabling a land exchange with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The bill, co-authored with Rep. Jerry Lewis, could expand the site to the full 800 acres sought by the Manzanar Advisory Commission.
Military & Veterans
- Oahu Monument Honors 100th, 442nd, MIS Vets, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Oahu AJA Veterans Council held a groundbreaking ceremony March 11 for its ‘Brothers in Valor’ monument at Fort DeRussy, Honolulu, honoring the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd RCT, Military Intelligence Service, and 1399th Engineer Construction Battalion. The ceremony included dignitaries such as Senators Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka, and the monument was designed by 442nd veteran Jackson Morisawa.
- Korean War Vets Ready to Publish KIA List, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Japanese American Korean War veterans announced completion of a list naming Japanese Americans killed or missing during the Korean War, to be published in a brochure by the Memorial Committee. Name Verification Chairman Roy Shiraga is seeking public help verifying names and contacting next of kin.
National
- Bill to Make English Official Language Opposed, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Organization of Chinese Americans announced opposition to S.356, the ‘Language of Government Act of 1995,’ arguing the U.S. has never been a monolingual nation. OCA leaders said the bill would foster division rather than unity and questioned exemptions for international trade.
- APA Group Organizes Voter Registration Effort, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A March 13 press conference in Washington, D.C. unveiled strategies to increase voter registration in the Asian Pacific American community, led by a coalition of 19 national organizations. Despite having the highest voting rate among registered voters, APAs have the lowest voter registration rate after becoming citizens, prompting the new bilingual outreach campaign.
- FBI Ads Seek Spies in Vietnam Community, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A Feb. 29 Vietnamese-language notice from the FBI in a Westminster, Calif. newspaper sought leads regarding alleged economic espionage tied to Vietnamese-owned business proliferation. Critics noted the ad, while legal, risked inhibiting political expression.
In-Depth
- API Immigrants Help U.S. Economy, Report Says, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A LEAP-Public Policy Institute report analyzed Asian Pacific Americans in entrepreneurship, job creation and civic involvement, projecting the API population will increase fivefold by 2050. The report also found APAs have high naturalization rates and among the highest electoral participation rates of any group.
Commentary
- Will the Legacies Go with the Graves?, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Hosokawa writes about the Japanese section of Portland’s Rose City Cemetery, maintained historically by Nisei church volunteers, and the Nikkei Jin Kai’s campaign to raise a $125,000 perpetual endowment fund as younger generations show less involvement. He connects this generational shift to other changes in Japanese American community institutions, including a JACL chapter’s canceled banquet after 50 years.
- Asian Americans in Politics, by Bill Marutani, page 8. Marutani examines the historical underrepresentation of Nisei in California politics, tracing it to the aftermath of WWII incarceration and cultural values that discourage risk-taking, competition, self-promotion, and reliance on others. He outlines several cultural ‘impediments’—including the ‘must win’ syndrome, ‘crabs in the barrel’ mentality, and demands for a ‘perfect candidate’—that have hindered Nikkei political participation.
- Reader Searching for Nisei Air Force Veteran, by Ted Tsukiyama, page 8. A letter from Ted Tsukiyama seeks information about Yukio Kishi, a Nisei radioman who served on a B-17 bomber crew with the 388th Bomb Group during WWII, on behalf of fellow crew member George Nicolau. The editor’s note adds context about other lesser-known Nisei Air Force veterans, including George Matsumoto and Jack Shundo.
- Supporting the National Convention, by Denny Yasuhara, page 9. Yasuhara urges JACL members to attend and stay at the Fairmont Hotel for the San Jose convention to help meet required room-night minimums and avoid financial penalties. He praises the San Jose Chapter’s fundraising efforts despite staffing turnover at National Headquarters and calls the convention critical to JACL’s future direction.
- Watch Your Image, by Mei Nakano, page 9. Nakano reflects on reading about poet Janice Mirikitani’s accomplishments and explores the psychology of ‘collective imaging,’ where an individual’s achievements or failures reflect on their entire ethnic group. She discusses how this process, while a source of pride, can also lead to unfair collective blame and relates to broader themes of stereotyping.
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