Racist remarks, a Rohnert Park claim and mixed heritage identity

Vol. 125, No. 8, October 17, 1997. 12 pages. View this issue

Racism and how Asian Americans answered it ran through the front page. A Colma, Calif. car salesman was fired after remarks to the Poon family, Caroline Aoyagi reported on the jury that recommended death for Gunner Lindberg in the hate-crime killing of Thien Minh Ly, and a $50 million claim was filed against Rohnert Park over the shooting of Kuanchung Kao. Mixed heritage was a second thread: a panel on the word ‘doubles,’ census race categories in Hawaii, and Mika Tanner’s column on younger Japanese Americans and the camp past.

Other pages followed JACL and the community. Harry K. Honda wrote the final installment of the Peru hostage series and reported on the 1000 Club reunion, Bill Hosokawa and Bill Marutani wrote columns, and Sen. Boxer announced funding for the Manzanar National Historic Site. A Minidoka reunion, a Minidoka-bound oral history play and a Little Tokyo history awards dinner also appeared.

What’s in this issue

National

• Car Salesman Fired for Racist Remarks Towards Asian Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A car salesman at a Colma, Calif. dealership was fired after allegedly making racist remarks to an Asian American family shopping for a car. The dealership issued a formal apology and reprimanded another employee involved in the incident.
• $50 Million Claim Filed Against Rohnert Park City, by P.C. Staff, page 1. An administrative claim seeking $50 million in damages was filed against the City of Rohnert Park over the police shooting death of Chinese American Kuanchung Kao. Attorneys John Burris and Victor Hwang filed the claim as the first step before a potential federal lawsuit.
• Jury Recommends Death for White Supremacist in Hate-Crime Killing of AA, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. Gunner Lindberg was sentenced to death by an Orange County jury for the 1996 hate-crime murder of Vietnamese American honors student Thien Minh Ly. Lindberg had bragged to a cousin that he had ‘killed a Jap’ and was found guilty of stabbing Ly during an attempted robbery.
• Race Categories Now a Big Census Problem in Hawaii, by P.C. Staff, page 1. With 55-60 percent of babies born in Hawaii now of mixed ethnicity, the upcoming census faces challenges in racial classification. The Office of Management and Budget is considering a multiracial option amid political debate over its implications for civil rights protections.
• Judge Ishii Confirmed for Federal District Court, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate confirmed Municipal Court Judge Anthony Ishii for the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of California, making him the first Asian American to serve on that bench. Fresno JACL regional director Patricia Tsai called the news ‘great’ for the community.
• APA Organizations Oppose Plan Against Census ‘Sampling’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL and other Asian American organizations announced opposition to a proposed ban on statistical sampling for Census 2000. Groups argue sampling would prevent the undercounting of minority populations that occurred in the 1990 census.
• Asian Pacific American Seat Added to DNC, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Democratic National Committee voted to create a permanent Asian Pacific Islander American Caucus seat on its executive committee. DNC Chair Steve Grossman said strengthening ties with the Asian Pacific American community remains a top priority.
• APA Organizations Oppose Plan Against Census ‘Sampling’, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 7. Continuing coverage explains that sampling opposition falls largely along party lines, with Republicans opposed because undercounted minorities tend to vote Democratic. JACL National Director Herb Yamanishi stressed the importance of accurate counts for the AA community.

Community

• ‘Doubles’ (da-buruzu) Replacing ‘Hafu’ as Name for Mixed Heritage JAs, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. A panel discussion and film screening at the Japanese American National Museum explored the term ‘doubles’ as a new way mixed-race Japanese describe their dual heritage, replacing the older term ‘hafu.’ Panelists shared personal stories of growing up biracial in Japan and America.
• RAPNJAP License Plate to be Recalled, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Los Angeles couple’s personalized license plate reading RAPNJAP was ruled offensive by an Administrative Law Judge after a complaint from a Japanese American sheriff’s deputy. JACL and other community members testified at an August hearing supporting the recall.
• Cleveland JACL Youth Hosts Veterans Program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Cleveland JACL Youth hosted a Japanese American Community/U.S. Military Veterans Appreciation Day welcoming more than 100 people including veterans and widows. Former Cleveland JACL president Joe Kadowaki spoke of his wartime service with the 442nd in Europe and earning the Bronze Star.
• JACL Golf Tournament in Utah Successful, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Mount Olympus and Salt Lake JACL chapters held their second annual Fall Classic Golf Tournament with 90 golfers participating at Riverbend Golf Course. The event raised chapter funds through hole sponsorships and scholarship prizes donated by community businesses.
• Helen Kawagoe to Speak at Santa Maria’s 65th, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Santa Maria Valley JACL will hold its 65th anniversary installation dinner on Nov. 1 with National JACL President Helen Kawagoe as speaker. Past presidents will be honored at the Santa Maria Airport Hilton event.
• Planet Hapa Appearing at CCDC Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Central California District Council’s 48th annual installation banquet will feature the theme ‘Planet Hapa: the Changing Face of Japanese Americans’ with actress Amy Hill as keynote speaker. Workshops will address multiracial identity and family issues.
• Nonagenarians Feted by Minidokans, by P.C. Staff, page 4. About 180 people attended a Minidoka reunion in Gardena honoring former Seattle residents Mrs. Fumi Uyehara, 93, and Saki Arai, 91. Poet Mitsuye Yamada read poems about camp life and old camp photographs were displayed.
• S.F. Host of First National Conference on AAs and Campaign Finance, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The first national conference examining Asian Americans and campaign finance reform will be held at the Radisson Miyako Hotel in San Francisco Nov. 14-15. The conference will address the impact of the campaign finance scandal on the Asian American community and its media portrayal.
• Nikkei Scholars Size Up Looks of Japantowns Around Year 2050, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A JASEB Intergenerational Conference in Oakland brought together scholars to discuss the future of Japantowns in California, examining interracial marriage effects and multicultural perspectives. Panelists included demographer Larry Shinagawa and diversity trainer Ford Hatamiya.
• JAHSSC to Honor 2 Men, Four Organizations, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Japanese American Historical Society of Southern California honored Richard Katsuda, Dr. Takeo Susuki, and four organizations at its 1997 Heritage Awards dinner. Honorees included Friends of Little Tokyo Branch Library, Gardena Valley Gardeners Association, Japanese American Optimists, and CSU Fullerton’s oral history program.
• Salesman Fired for Racist Remarks Towards AAs, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 7. Continuing coverage details how car salesman Dan Fallon was fired after making racist remarks to the Poon family at a Colma auto dealership, with CEO Donald Lucas issuing a formal apology. The dealership noted that half its employees are Asian American.
• Hapas, Identity for 2000 Census on Tap in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Chicago JACL and the Japanese American Service Committee will host a dialogue session addressing questions about mixed-race Japanese Americans and Census identity issues. The Intergenerational Legacy Project session takes place Nov. 16 in Chicago.
• First Asian American Tapped as Police Captain in Sac’to, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Sacramento named its first Asian American police captain, Capt. Shiraishi, an active Sacramento JACLer who is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. Police Chief Venegas said the selection was based on merit and contribution rather than ethnicity.
• JANM ‘Rebuilding New Traditions’ at Fall Fete, by P.C. Staff, page 9. The Japanese American National Museum’s annual fall dinner on Nov. 15 carries the theme ‘Building New Traditions.’ Awards of excellence will be presented to NBC News anchor Ann Curry and pianist Jon Nakamatsu.
• ‘Breaking the Silence’ Troupe Minidoka, Idaho, Oregon-Bound, by P.C. Staff, page 10. A Japanese American oral history play written by Nikki Nojima Louis toured Idaho and Oregon in October, including a memorial service at the Minidoka campsite. The play dramatizes the Issei, Nisei and Sansei experience and received an Idaho Humanities Council grant.
• San Joaquin Valley Exhibit on AJA History Postponed, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The San Joaquin Valley Japanese American History Project exhibit originally planned for September has been postponed until April 1998. Organizers are seeking materials from and about Japanese American authors from the valley, including Lawson Inada and David Masumoto.
• Classmates Meet After 55 Years, page 11. JACL members Richard Tanishita and Earl Fullingim reunited after 55 years, having last seen each other as high school classmates before Tanishita’s family was forcibly removed to Manzanar. Fullingim, an architect and disability rights advocate, located Tanishita using a computer CD phone directory.

In-Depth

• Journalist K.W. Lee’s 40-Year Collection of Works Donated to UC Davis, by P.C. Staff, page 1. UC Davis honored investigative journalist K.W. Lee for his role in freeing wrongly convicted Korean immigrant Chol Soo Lee, and announced the receipt of Lee’s 40-year collection of articles and photographs. Speakers included defense lawyer Stuart Hanlon and former Oakland Tribune editor Bill Wong.
• Campaigners in Pursuit of Bone Marrow Donors, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Asian Miracle Marrow Matches (A3M), founded by Sharon Sugiyama, Dr. Takeo Suzuki, and Bill Watanabe, works to recruit Asian American bone marrow donors, since Asians made up less than 1 percent of the national registry in 1990. The organization holds frequent blood drives and has facilitated 20 donor-patient matches to date, highlighting the case of leukemia patient Alan Kuo.
• Makah Indians, Japanese Recreate 1834 Rescue of Castaways on Stage, by P.C. Staff, page 12. A musical drama titled ‘The Tale of Otokichi’ premiered in Bellevue, Wash., dramatizing the 1834 rescue of three shipwrecked Japanese seamen by the Makah tribe. The grassroots exchange project connected the town of Mihama, Japan with Washington state, involving Seattle JACL and Lake Washington JACL in months of planning.

Incarceration & Redress

• Sen. Boxer Announces $310,000 for Manzanar National Historic Site, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Senator Barbara Boxer announced $310,000 in federal funding for the Manzanar National Historic Site, calling it important to ensuring the injustice against Japanese Americans is never forgotten. Congress had established the site in 1992 and later enacted legislation to complete the land transfer.
• Fujimori and the ‘Hostage Watch’ (VII), by Harry K. Honda, page 6. The final installment of a special series chronicles the 126-day Peruvian hostage crisis at the Japanese ambassador’s residence, detailing the tunnel-digging, failed negotiations, and the dramatic rescue raid that killed 14 rebels and freed the remaining hostages. President Fujimori’s popularity surged after the raid despite controversy over the treatment of rebel bodies.

JACL

• Old Zip Peaks Into 1000 Club’s 50th Anniversary Reunion, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. About 80 Thousanders and JACLers gathered in Jackpot, Nev. to celebrate the 1000 Club’s 50th anniversary reunion, honoring founders including Joe Saito, Dr. Yoshiye Togasaki, and Edson Fujii. Past national presidents and long-serving members were recognized for their decades of contribution.
• Sacramento JACL Installation Fete and Awards Dinner Set Nov. 16, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sacramento JACL’s annual Community Service Recognition Dinner will honor Doris Matsui and Ted Kobata at the Radisson Hotel on Nov. 16. Ted Kobata has helped supervise reconstruction of historic camp memorials and structures including a Heart Mountain barrack.
• Cortez JACL to Host NCWPDC Session Nov. 2, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The next NCWNP District Council meeting will be hosted by Cortez JACL in Turlock on Nov. 2, featuring election of District Executive Board members. Candidates include John Ota and Tom Shigemasa for five vacant seats.
• PSW Seeks Aspirants for Executive Board, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Pacific Southwest District is seeking candidates for governor, vice governor, treasurer and secretary positions ahead of its Nov. 1 election session in Las Vegas. Two candidates have also emerged for the district student/youth representative position.

Commentary

• By the Board, by Lloyd Kurihara, page 3. A National Board member reflects on the importance of grassroots chapter work in JACL, noting many Sansei and Yonsei live in areas without chapters. He praises Sanger JACL chapter president Lloyd Kurihara as an exemplary grassroots volunteer and community leader.
• One Easy and Fun Way to be Involved in the Community, by Barbara Teraji, page 3. The Washington DC JACL co-president reflects on the personal rewards of community involvement and volunteerism. She shares her perspective on giving back through JACL activities.
• Private Affirmative Action, by Bill Marutani, page 4. In his East Wind column, retired judge Bill Marutani describes practicing personal courtesy on the road, extending extra consideration to drivers of color to help offset other hardships they face. He argues this private practice reflects an American tradition of rooting for the underdog.
• A Conservation-Minded Appeal That Went Bad, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. In his Frying Pan column, Bill Hosokawa criticizes a Natural Resources Defense Council fundraising appeal for unfairly singling out Mitsubishi over a Baja California salt plant while giving Mexico’s government complicity a pass. He shares his letter to the organization’s executive director questioning the unequal treatment.
• Redress Conference Aftermath: Concern for Families and Children Was Foremost, by Fred Y. Hirasuna, page 7. A lifelong JACLer responds to criticism from playwright Frank Chin at a UCLA redress conference panel on draft resisters, defending JACL’s wartime cooperation strategy as necessary given the Army’s already-decided evacuation policy. Hirasuna argues his primary concern in 1942 was the safety of his family and community members who could not resist.
• Free Fr. Wicht’s Reflections on the Hostage Crisis, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Jesuit priest Fr. Juan Julio Wicht, one of the 72 hostages held during the Peru crisis, described his harrowing experience during the rescue raid and his choice to remain with fellow captives rather than leave early. The column reflects on parallels between the hostages’ ordeal and Japanese American internment experiences.
• Our Family Lived by the Western Pacific RR, page 8. A letter writer recounts the wartime firing of her father, a Western Pacific Railroad section foreman in Gerlach, Nevada, and her family’s harsh confinement in a two-wheel trailer without water or electricity for months. The family later endured curfews and cramped housing after relocating to Reno.
• From Railroad Foreman to a Job in a Restaurant, page 8. A letter writer describes his father’s decades of dedicated service as a Union Pacific Railroad foreman who was denied U.S. citizenship and given only three days to vacate company housing when the war began. The family later moved to Salt Lake City where the father found work at a local restaurant.
• Who Are the Kibei?, page 8. A letter writer researching ethnic identity for a conference presentation asks for materials on how Kibei view their dual Japanese-American identity. The writer references Bill Hosokawa’s book as their only current source on the topic.
• MIS Logo Follow-up, page 8. A JAVM president corrects an earlier report about the MIS logo change, clarifying that the MIS-Northwest logo voted in at the Denver Reunion will be displayed alongside the 100th and 442nd logos at the Hawaii AJA Veterans Monument. The writer also defends the origin of JAVM’s crane (tsuru) logo against claims it was taken from a family crest.
• The Quantum Physics of Our New Reality, by Akemi Kayleng, page 9. A columnist reflects on how her early experience checking IDs for Nisei customers challenged her family’s rigid beliefs about racial trustworthiness. She uses an extended physics metaphor to argue that modern Japanese American identity exists as a probabilistic, less certain but more liberated ‘quantum’ reality compared to the rigid certainties of the Issei generation.
• How Relevant is WWII Camp Experience to a Nikkei?, by Kelly K. Katayama-Johnson, page 9. A teacher responds to comments made by Mika Tanner at a PSW Youth RAP forum about the relevance of WWII internment history to younger Japanese Americans. She argues understanding history is essential to community identity and asks to be invited to future rap sessions.
• No Past Without the Present? No Present Without the Past? No Future Without Either?, by Mika Tanner, page 9. Responding to Kelly Katayama-Johnson’s letter, Mika Tanner clarifies her earlier comments about the WWII camp experience’s relevance to younger generations, especially Shin-Nisei, Hapas, and Hawaii-born Japanese Americans who lack direct family camp history. She argues history must be tied to the present to remain meaningful and calls for the younger generation’s voices to help shape the future of Japanese American identity.

Military & Veterans

• MI Brigade Dedicates Its Operational Facility in Honor of Richard Sakakida, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The 201st Military Intelligence Brigade at Ft. Lewis dedicated its operational facility in memory of the late Lt. Col. Richard Sakakida, a Hawaiian-born Nisei who endured torture as a POW while serving as an undercover intelligence agent in the Philippines during WWII. The article recounts his capture, survival, and eventual escape after nearly four years behind enemy lines.
• Korean War AJA Vets to Meet at S.F. Presidio, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Japanese American Korean War Veterans scheduled a general meeting Nov. 8 at the Presidio of San Francisco. The organization is also seeking names of all veterans who served from 1950 to 1955 regardless of location.
• MISer Roy Aka Awarded Bronze Star After 50 Years, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Roy Yoshimori Aka, who served with the 309th Intelligence Detachment on Saipan and Iwo Jima, received the Bronze Star Medal after a 50-year delay in a Cincinnati ceremony. The presentation was made by Air Force General John Liset and Rep. Rob Portman.

Arts & Entertainment

• ‘442: For the Future’ Previewed, a Story for All Americans, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 10. Sansei attorney Patricia Kinaga wrote and produced a docudrama chronicling the accomplishments of the 442nd Regiment, which premiered at Paramount Studios before more than 600 attendees including veterans and dignitaries. The film uses historic photographs, veteran interviews, and narration to tell the story of Nisei soldiers who fought for their country while their families were interned.

Obituaries

• Hawaii Supreme Court Judge Ed Nakamura, 74, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Retired Hawaii Supreme Court Justice Edward H. Nakamura died at age 74, remembered for his commitment to justice and compassion for working people. A 442nd combat veteran, he helped the Democratic Party take control of Hawaii politics in the 1950s and served on the state’s high court for a decade.
• Two WWII Japan Vets in U.S. News Pass Away, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Shoichi Yokoi, who hid in Guam’s jungles for 27 years after WWII refusing to surrender, died at 82. Nobuo Fujita, the only pilot to drop a bomb on the U.S. mainland during WWII, died at 85 after later being honored in Brookings, Oregon for his postwar reconciliation efforts.

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