Breast cancer awareness, redress claims and two WWII memorials

Vol. 125, No. 7, October 3, 1997. 12 pages. View this issue

Breast cancer awareness opened the October 3, 1997 issue. Caroline Aoyagi told the story of Susan Shinagawa, who was diagnosed at age 34 after being told Asian American women don’t get the disease, and who kept up her advocacy through a recurrence. Redress and the Civil Liberties Act were the other main thread. The PSWDC JACL Civil Rights Caucus urged action for groups left out of the original Act before it expired in August 1998, and Michi Weglyn wrote about the FBI’s role in the firing of Japanese American railroad and mine workers. A fundraising campaign for the National Japanese American Memorial also began.

Elsewhere in the 12 pages, Harry Honda reported on the MIS Rocky Mountain Reunion in Denver, and Bill Hosokawa looked at how Grant Ujifusa built support for redress in Washington. Stephanie Lai covered Rudy Tokiwa’s talk at a UCLA redress conference. News pages also followed a district attorney’s findings on the Denny’s case in Syracuse, naturalization delays, and a Mike M. Masaoka fellowship announcement.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• National Advocacy Seen as Urgent in Asian American Community, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. Susan Shinagawa, diagnosed with breast cancer at age 34 despite being told Asian American women don’t get the disease, became a health advocate after fighting doctors who dismissed her concerns. She has continued advocacy work even after a recurrence, pushing for better statistics, funding, and awareness in the AA community.
• Deadline Nears for 1997 Legacy Fund Grants Applications, by Karen Yoshitomi, page 3. The National JACL Legacy Fund Grants Committee announced the 1997 Legacy Fund Grants Program, with nearly $21,000 available for chapter and district programs consistent with JACL goals. Individual grants typically range from $2,500 to $3,000, with 15 projects funded last year totaling $18,700.
• Nikkei Miscellany, by Harry Honda, page 4. Honda reflects on the 100th/442nd Newsletter and recalls his own WWII training experience alongside fellow Nikkei soldier Yoshio Minami. He also discusses a medical survey of aging 442nd veterans and reminisces about the simple, healthy diets of Nisei raised on farms.
• Insight Into How Washington Power Structure Was Utilized for Redress, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa recounts Grant Ujifusa’s strategy as director of JACL’s Legislative Education Committee, describing how he linked Redress to conservative and liberal interests, including constitutional rights and Soviet dissident causes, to build congressional support. Ujifusa also detailed how a personal letter to President Reagan helped secure his signature on the Civil Liberties Act.
• FBI’s Role Firing Issei Railroaders, Miners Found (continued), by Michi Weglyn, page 6. The continuation details specific documents showing FBI and Attorney General Biddle’s approval for Union Pacific Railroad to fire Japanese American workers in February 1942, days before Executive Order 9066. Weglyn argues these firings, which caused widespread hardship, warrant redress payment for affected railroad workers.
• National Advocacy Seen as Urgent in Asian American Community (continued), by Caroline Aoyagi, page 6. The continuation details how Shinagawa faced a cancer recurrence and now battles a serious complication while continuing her advocacy, urging AA women to get regular breast exams and mammograms. She emphasizes that national statistics undercounting AA breast cancer risk are skewed by immigrant populations and don’t reflect Americanized AA women’s actual risk.
• Youth Disconnect From Redress History a Concern, page 8. A letter writer expresses concern over young Japanese Americans’ apparent disconnect from their family history of WWII internment, contrasting this with the community’s hard-fought Redress victory. The writer calls for efforts to educate youth within Japanese American communities, not just the broader American public, about the internment experience.
• Both WWII Memorials Deserve Equal Support, page 8. A letter writer argues that both the Washington D.C. National Japanese American Memorial and the Go For Broke Monument in Los Angeles face urgent fundraising deadlines and deserve equal support. The writer emphasizes honoring Nisei veterans while they are still alive to appreciate the recognition.
• Railroad Worker’s Family Recalls Wartime Ouster, by Paul Horiuchi, page 8. A letter from a Seattle reader recounts his family’s experience being evicted from their Bellevue, Washington home and denied entry into WRA camps after his father was fired from railroad work. He argues the U.S. government must offer reparations to all railroad workers and their families affected by such wartime directives.
• Every Member Bring a Member, by Dr. Frank Sakamoto, page 8. JACL Membership Development chair Frank Sakamoto calls on members to recruit new members amid ongoing civil rights challenges like Proposition 209 and H.R. 7. He stresses that collective small efforts by members can accomplish significant organizational goals.
• Mr. Toad’s Ride Lurks in the Magic Kingdom, by Akemi Kavleng, page 9. In a Nikkei Voice column, Kavleng contrasts a 1950s Japanese American couple’s assimilated ‘American Dream’ facade with the emotional cost of denying their identity struggles, using a Disneyland ride metaphor. She contrasts them with a more self-aware, modern figure named Dave who openly acknowledges transitional identity challenges.
• Incident at Alice Griffith, by Kate Motoyama, page 9. Motoyama examines racial tensions between Black and Asian residents at San Francisco’s Alice Griffith public housing project, where Vietnamese families reported racial harassment and violence. She argues that despite tensions, Black and Asian American communities share a historical legacy of discrimination and mutual aid that should inform how such incidents are understood.

National

• D.A. Says ‘No Evidence’ of Bias by Denny’s Against Syracuse Students, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. Nearly five months after Asian and Black students alleged discrimination and assault at a Syracuse Denny’s, the Onondaga County District Attorney found no evidence of bias by Denny’s employees or deputies. The findings contradict an earlier independent federal Civil Rights Monitor report that found discrimination had occurred.
• Fingerprinting Seen as Delay for Citizenship, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A growing backlog in naturalization applications, now averaging 21 months, is affecting the Asian Pacific American community amid rising anti-immigration sentiment. Congress is considering bills that would require INS rather than local providers to conduct fingerprinting services, which advocates hope to prevent.
• Fingerprinting Seen as Delay for Citizenship (continued), by P.C. Staff, page 6. Continuing coverage explains that a provision before House and Senate appropriations committees would require INS rather than local providers to conduct fingerprinting services starting October 1997. NAPALC hopes the provision, which could further delay naturalization, will be removed.
• D.A. Says ‘No Evidence’ of Bias by Denny’s Against Syracuse Students (continued), by P.C. Staff, page 7. The continuation details the April 11 incident where security guards allegedly failed to intervene while students were assaulted by a group of white males using racial slurs. Federal officials are conducting a preliminary review to determine if a civil rights investigation is needed.
• 100-442-MIS Foundation on Schedule (continued), by P.C. Staff, page 7. The continuation describes the Sacramento premiere of ‘Beyond Barbed Wire’ documentary and the Festival in the Garden event where Assemblyman Brooks Firestone praised the Go For Broke monument effort. Entertainment included koto performances and a concert by the jazz group Hiroshima.
• ‘Bigotry Watch’ Joins Asian American Plea, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Five civil rights organizations including the National Conference, Anti-Defamation League, and LEAP issued a joint statement supporting an unprecedented complaint filed with the US Commission on Civil Rights by Asian Pacific American groups. The statement condemned segregating any group from participation in the nation’s political life.
• New INS Employment Card Has Holograms, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The Immigration and Naturalization Service introduced a new Employment Authorization Document with enhanced security features including holograms and microprinting to prevent fraudulent reproduction. The Asian Law Caucus indicated the new card should not create complications for new employees.
• Filipino Veterans Equity Bill Seeks Benefit Restoration, by P.C. Staff, page 12. A bill to restore military benefits to Filipino WWII veterans who fought under the U.S. flag has gained 167 co-sponsors in the House, with advocates pushing for the 218 needed to force a committee hearing. The veterans have been denied promised benefits for 51 years despite Senate support from Hawaiian Senators Inouye and Akaka.
• Judge Sides With New Otani Hotel, by P.C. Staff, page 12. An NLRB administrative judge ruled that the New Otani Hotel did not commit unfair labor practices in a dispute with Local 11 of the Hotel Employees union over the 1995 firing of three cleaning women. The union alleged the firings were retaliation for union activity, while the hotel cited time-card infractions; Local 11 plans to appeal.
• Test-Cheating Scam Alleged, by P.C. Staff, page 12. A man using the alias George Kobayashi was indicted along with seven others on conspiracy and mail fraud charges for allegedly running a test-cheating scam for graduate school entrance exams between 1993 and 1996. The scheme allegedly involved paying experts to take tests and relaying answers coded onto pencils given to students flown to Los Angeles.

Incarceration & Redress

• Immediate Action for Remaining Redress Applicants Urged, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The PSWDC JACL Civil Rights Caucus called on National JACL to press for redress for groups excluded from the original Civil Liberties Act, including Latin Japanese Americans and U.S. railroad workers, before the Act expires in August 1998. Caucus member Phil Shigekuni urged National JACL President Helen Kawagoe and the Board to act quickly on behalf of these remaining victims.
• Little Known Story of Evacuation of Italian Americans in WWII Unfolds, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A traveling exhibit and proposed legislation, the Wartime Violation of Italian American Civil Liberties Act, document the little-known internment, curfews, and property seizures faced by Italian Americans during WWII. More than 600,000 Italian-born immigrants were affected following Pearl Harbor under measures similar to those imposed on Japanese Americans.
• $8.7 Million Campaign Opens for WDC Memorial, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The National Japanese American Memorial Foundation launched a fundraising campaign to raise $8.7 million by the end of 1999 for a memorial near the U.S. Capitol. The Washington Post gave the project a strong endorsement, praising its design and significance.
• American Express Underwrites Slide Program of Utah JA Centennial History, by Yas Tokita, page 5. American Express funded slide carousels depicting the Utah Japanese American Centennial History Book, completed by Ted Nagata in 1996, which were presented to Utah’s three JACL chapters. The slides document highlights of Utah’s JA history and were first shown at a PNWDC/IDC meeting in Seattle.
• Time Capsule Burial Marks Utah JA Centennial Finale, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A time capsule containing photographs, the JA History Book, and other memorabilia was buried at the Japanese Peace Garden in Salt Lake City, marking the final event of the Utah JA Centennial Program. Senior Judge Raymond Uno, who originated the project, said it was the largest and most successful ethnic program during Utah’s statehood centennial celebration.
• Evacuation of Italian Americans in WWII Unfolds, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Continuing coverage details how Italian American families in California faced curfews, boat seizures, and forced relocation during WWII, with more than 52,000 Italian nationals in California affected in 1942. San Francisco Mayor Angelo Rossi, despite his Italian heritage, supported harsher treatment of Japanese Americans while pleading leniency for Italian aliens.
• L.A. Nikkei Memorial Foundation Launches Campaign for $8.7 Million by End of ’99, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The National Japanese American Memorial Foundation launched its fundraising drive with major pledges from Los Angeles and Midwest donors, aiming to raise $8.7 million by the end of 1999 to secure the Capitol-area monument site. JACL President Helen Kawagoe encouraged broad participation from all Japanese Americans in the historic campaign.

In-Depth

• FBI’s Role Firing Issei, Nisei, Railroaders, Miners Found, by Michi Weglyn, page 1. Weglyn examines newly uncovered WWII documents showing FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s direct involvement in sanctioning the mass firing of Japanese American railroad and mine workers. Research by graduate student Andrew Russell reveals government complicity contradicts the Office of Redress Administration’s claim that it played no role in these layoffs.
• Bookshelf: An Alien Place – The Fort Missoula Detention Camp, by Harry K. Honda, page 10. A review of Carol Van Valkenburg’s book documenting the WWII detention of Japanese immigrants at Fort Missoula, Montana, including an appendix listing 386 detained Issei community leaders arrested by the FBI. The book also describes Buddhist priests interned there who held memorial services for Japanese railroad workers buried in the local cemetery decades earlier.

Military & Veterans

• 100-442-MIS Foundation on Schedule Toward Meeting Goal, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 100-442-MIS WWII Memorial Foundation announced it reached the halfway point of its $2.5 million fundraising goal, boosted by a documentary screening, state funding, and a well-attended Festival in the Garden event. Foundation chair Col. Young Oak Kim said the project remains on schedule for a spring groundbreaking and October 1998 unveiling.
• Rudy Tokiwa Retells Impact of Nisei GIs to Boost Redress, by Stephanie Lai, page 4. At the ‘Voices of Japanese American Redress’ conference at UCLA, 442nd veteran and redress lobbyist Rudy Tokiwa spoke about how the wartime sacrifices of Nisei soldiers helped bolster the case for redress in Congress. Tokiwa, who made six lobbying trips to Washington, continues speaking to students about internment and the war.
• MIS-Rocky Mountain Reunion Draws Over 400 in Denver, by Harry Honda, page 8. Honda recounts the MIS-Rocky Mountain Reunion in Denver, which drew over 400 attendees for camaraderie, tours, and a memorial service honoring MIS war dead. The column details the stories of Nisei linguists who volunteered from various internment camps, including Gila River, Poston, and Tule Lake, often facing danger and family ostracism.

JACL

• Support for Youth in PSW District Not Talk, But $15,000, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. The Pacific Southwest District of JACL is giving approximately $15,000 from its awards dinner proceeds to recruit and train young Asian Americans as future leaders, addressing JACL’s aging membership. Assemblymen Mike Honda and Nao Takasugi gave keynote addresses stressing the importance of investing in youth leadership.
• Impromptu JACL Youth Council Summit Airs Upcoming Issues, Programs & Needs, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 3. National JACL Youth/Student Council members held a rare in-person planning summit in Los Angeles to discuss scholarship alumni engagement, budget allocation, and plans for the national convention in Philadelphia. The council also discussed topics for the Min Yasui Oratorical Competition and ways to better retain scholarship recipients as active JACL members.
• Two Orange County Graduates Appointed Latest Masaoka Fund Congressional Fellows, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Scott D. Sugino and Waiyi Tse were named recipients of the 6th Mike M. Masaoka Congressional Fellowship, serving in the offices of Senators Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka respectively. The fellowship honors Masaoka’s legacy of public service promoting justice, civil rights and human dignity.

Community

• Diablo Valley JACL Awards New Geo. Fujioka Memorial Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The George S. Fujioka memorial scholarship was awarded to Damon Hom, a Contra Costa College honor student headed to UC Berkeley for environmental engineering. Other scholarship winners at the Diablo Valley JACL banquet included Francisco dela Rama Jr., recipient of the Dr. Yoshiye Togasaki Endowment Fund Scholarship.
• TV Newscaster Jim Hattori a ‘Hit’ at Fremont JACL Grad Luncheon, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Fremont JACL’s annual Graduation/Scholarship Luncheon featured CBS/KOZO Productions newscaster Jim Hattori as a guest, who signed autographs and posed for photos with graduates. Several scholarships were awarded to graduating students including Erin Yamashita, Timothy Nagata, and Jennifer Nakai.
• Cleveland JACL Honors Scholars, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Cleveland JACL awarded its annual $1,000 scholarship to Daniel Andow, an honor society member now attending Cleveland State University for engineering and business. Other scholarship winners included Jim Bruner and a student attending Ohio University and the University of Akron.
• CLPEF Plans National Day of Remembrance in 1998, by P.C. Staff, page 9. The Civil Liberties Public Education Fund’s advisory committee is developing plans for a National Day of Remembrance event tentatively scheduled at the Smithsonian Museum in February 1998. Ideas discussed include ceremonies recognizing commission members and civil rights activists, and a public service announcement for national broadcast.
• Call for Artists: Public Art at Pike Place Market Seattle, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Seattle-area JACL chapters are seeking artists for a public art project at Pike Place Market to commemorate Japanese American history at the site, which sees millions of visitors annually. Interested artists can request a prospectus through Seattle JACL contact Jill Beppu.
• L.A. Nikkei to Celebrate 90th Birthday of Fred Wada, ‘Father of Keiro Home’, by Harry K. Honda, page 10. Fred Isamu Wada, philanthropist and founder of Keiro nursing homes, will be honored at a 90th birthday celebration in Los Angeles. Wada led a voluntary relocation of Japanese Americans to Utah during WWII and later spearheaded fundraising for Keiro Nursing Home alongside George Aratani.
• JACL Joins 3-Year Gala to Celebrate ‘CaliforniA150’, by P.C. Staff, page 10. National JACL, Florin JACL, and Sacramento JACL are among 59 organizations participating in California’s sesquicentennial celebration, culminating in an original musical portraying the legacy of Asians in California. The CelebrAsian Gala kickoff dinner featured celebrities including George Takei, Pat Suzuki, and Chang-Lin Tien.
• San Jose Nikkei Survives Alaska Floatplane Crash, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Brian Aoki, 34, of Sunnyvale was the sole survivor of a pontoon-plane crash near Skwentna, Alaska during a July fishing trip, which killed his three companions and the pilot. Aoki works as an information systems manager at Varian Associates in Palo Alto.
• Two Students Sue Over Racial Slur in Yearbook, by A.B., page 12. Two African American students at Kalaheo High School in Hawaii filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit after a racially offensive caption referencing African American stereotypes was included in the yearbook. The suit seeks $14 million in damages and demands recalling all 830 yearbook copies along with mandatory diversity training.

Arts & Entertainment

• JA National Museum’s Annual Fall Dinner Honorees Selected, by P.C. Staff, page 7. NBC-TV’s Ann Curry and Van Cliburn gold medalist pianist Jon Nakamatsu will be honored with the Japanese American National Museum’s inaugural Awards for Excellence at its annual fall dinner. Corporate Leadership Awards will also go to Mikasa and Kenwood USA for their support of the Museum.
• Cellist Yamakoshi Performs in Spain, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Cellist Brian Yamakoshi performed at the Pablo Casals Museum in Barcelona in a memorial concert for cellist Yoritoyo Inoue, father of composer-pianist Akira Inoue. Yamakoshi, son of the late Noby and Aya Yamakoshi of Chicago, has performed internationally in Tokyo, Italy, Tunisia, and England.
• Ichinohe Dance Group in 28th Season, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Saeko Ichinohe Dance Company is preparing ‘Part II: The Tale of Genji’ for its 1997-98 season, using poems from the classic novel with original American composed music. The company’s prior season included performances with the Chicago Symphony and events during Asian-Pacific Heritage Month.

Obituaries

• Takito Yamaguma, 97, Issei JACL President, by Harry K. Honda, page 11. Takito Yamaguma, a naturalized Issei who served as Downtown L.A. JACL chapter president in 1964 and initiated the Mother of the Year JACL luncheon tradition, died at age 97. He was predeceased by his wife Matsue and son Kenji, and is survived by three daughters, eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
• Roy Takeno, 84, a Lifelong Journalist, by Harry K. Honda, page 11. Roy Takeno, who edited the Manzanar Free Press during WWII and later worked as English editor at the Rocky Mountain Jiho for 25 years, died at age 84 in Denver. He had recently attended his granddaughter’s wedding in Belgium before his death.

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