Vol. 127, No. 10, November 20, 1998. 12 pages. View this issue
A tenure dispute at Mills College led the November 20, 1998 issue. Caroline Aoyagi reported that the college denied a tenure review for Dr. Masao Suzuki, an assistant professor of economics who teaches Asian American studies, and that students, alumnae and scholars including Ron Takaki rallied behind him. Martha Nakagawa covered two California exit polls of Asian American voters and the new 80/20 Initiative. Aoyagi also followed a delay in the Mochizuki settlement hearing, which affects redress claims for Japanese Latin Americans.
Bill Hosokawa remembered Dr. Bob Kinoshita, who was held at Heart Mountain and won the right to serve in the Army. Mika Tanner wrote about Asian American solidarity, and the letters page included Grace Takeuchi’s search for her Amache classmates. Other pages carried news of the JACL National Scholarship program, the Central California District Council installation, and the home video release of Visas and Virtue. This 12-page issue also had two obituaries.
What’s in this issue
Community
- Denial of Tenure Review for Mills College Professor Suzuki Sparks Diversity Debate, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. Mills College denied a tenure review for Asian American studies economics professor Dr. Masao Suzuki, raising concerns about the school’s commitment to diversity and its low numbers of Asian American students and faculty. Students, alumnae and scholars including Ron Takaki rallied in support of Suzuki, who disputes the reasons given for his denial and believes racism played a role.’
- Nikkei Joins Davis’ Education Policy Team, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Nancy Ichinaga, principal of Bennett/Kew School in the Inglewood School District, was appointed by Governor-elect Gray Davis to a policy team focused on improving education standards. Ichinaga was chosen for her track record of high expectations for teachers and students.
- Youth Exchange Program Seeks Minority Students, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program is seeking minority high school students for a year-long study exchange in Germany, now in its 16th year. Students live with host families and attend school in Germany, with funding provided by the U.S. Congress and German parliament.
- Nat’l AIDS Memorial Grove Work Day, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Volunteers from the San Francisco JACL chapter joined hundreds of others to clean up the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park. The chapter received a certificate of appreciation for its continued support of the Grove from executive director Thom Weyand.
- Mills College’s Commitment to Diversity Questioned, page 10. Extended coverage of the Mills College tenure controversy includes perspectives from President Janet Holmgren and Provost Mary-Ann Kinkead defending the school’s tenure process, while students, faculty and alumnae like Etsuko Kubo, Krissy Kim, and former professor Dorothy Tsuruda describe a pattern of institutional racism at the college. A 1992 discrimination lawsuit by Tsuruda and ongoing student protests underscore long-standing tensions over diversity at the women’s college.
- Study Looking for Mixed-Race Individuals, page 12. Researcher Lori Ono is conducting a dissertation study on interracial parents and their biracial children’s ethnic identity development, seeking first-born children of a Nisei parent born in the U.S. before 1942 between ages 25 and 37. Participants will complete confidential questionnaires and can enter a raffle for cash prizes.
National
- Exit Polls Indicate Asian Pacific Americans Are Untapped Voting Pool, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. Preliminary results from two exit polls of Asian American voters in California showed voting patterns varied widely by ethnic group and that many voters crossed party lines, suggesting APAs are an untapped source of political support. The polls, conducted in Southern California and San Francisco, revealed that Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, Filipino Americans and Pacific Islanders differed significantly in their support for Boxer versus Fong and other candidates.
- 80/20 Initiative Seeks to Impact Upcoming Presidential Election, by Martha Nakagawa, page 3. A new organization called the 80/20 Initiative is urging Asian Americans to direct 80 percent of their votes and campaign contributions to a single presidential candidate in 2000 to gain political leverage. Founders including S.B. Woo, Anna Chennault, and Chang-Lin Tien cite the underrepresentation of Asian Americans in government posts and federal judgeships as motivation.
- California APA Exit Polls, by Martha Nakagawa, page 3. Continued coverage of exit poll data from Southern California and San Francisco detailing how different Asian ethnic groups voted in the Boxer-Fong Senate race and the Davis-Lungren governor’s race. The data showed crossover voting patterns and highlighted the high, consistent voter turnout among Asian Americans, particularly Japanese Americans in the South Bay.
Incarceration & Redress
- Judge Delays Fairness Hearing in Mochizuki So Separate JLA Lawsuit Can First Be Heard, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. Lawyers for Japanese Latin American internees won a delay in the fairness hearing for the Mochizuki settlement so that a related NCRR lawsuit, alleging the government failed to properly invest redress funds, could be heard first. The delay could affect how much money remains available to pay the $5,000 redress claims to former JLA internees.
- Mochizuki Settlement Hearing Delayed, page 12. Extended coverage of the delay in the Mochizuki fairness hearing explains that lawyers allege the government failed to properly invest Civil Liberties Fund money, leaving insufficient funds for the 740 pending JLA claims and 474 JA claims. Attorneys are seeking a preliminary injunction to have the government restore funds and continue operating the Office of Redress Administration.
JACL
- JACL Announces Scholarship Program, by P.C. Staff, page 6. National JACL announced applications are open for its National Scholarship and Awards Program, now in its 52nd year, offering over 40 scholarships totaling more than $75,000. Interested students must request application forms with specific deadlines for freshmen and other applicants.
- Applications Available for 1999 APAICS Summer Internship Program, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies announced applications for its 1999 summer internship program in Washington, D.C., open to college and graduate students interested in public policy. At least 10 internships will be available with a $2,500 stipend, and applications are due Feb. 5, 1999.
- CCDC Holds Annual Installation Luncheon; Joint Health Fair the First in 11 Years, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Central California District Council of JACL held a joint health fair and installation banquet in Fresno, featuring keynote speaker Sheri Hirota of Asian Health Services. The event installed the 1999-2000 district board and presented ruby pins and past president pins to longtime members.
Commentary
- Asian American Solidarity, by Mika Tanner, page 8. The columnist reflects on how Asian Americans often support AA artists, actors, and media out of ethnic solidarity even when the content doesn’t match their personal tastes, citing examples like James Iha’s music and AA actors in minor TV roles. She cautions against unconditional racial solidarity, noting it can be problematic when applied to politics, citing the example of supporting a candidate solely based on race.
- Corporate Diversity Efforts in California Praised, by Tomoji Ishi, page 9. The columnist discusses a California Partnership on Diversity event in San Francisco where major banks and corporations, including several Japanese-affiliated banks, pledged commitments to diversity and multicultural business practices. He notes this followed a backlash from anti-affirmative action and anti-immigrant propositions in California.
- Letter: JAKW Memorial Should Not Be Used in Personal Dispute, page 9. A letter writer, president of the Japanese American Korean War Veterans organization, criticizes Mas Odoi for invoking the JA Korean War Memorial Committee in a personal dispute with Stanley Kanzaki. The writer demands a public apology, saying it denigrates the memory of the 246 Japanese Americans who died in Korea.
- Letter: On the Term ‘Japanese American’, page 9. A letter writer discusses the ambiguity of the term ‘Japanese American,’ noting it can cause confusion since it sometimes refers to a people and sometimes to national relations between Japan and the U.S. The writer suggests exploring alternative, less ambiguous terminology, especially in formal contexts.
- Letter: Amache Classmates Reunion Search, by Grace Takeuchi, page 9. A letter writer thanks the Pacific Citizen for printing her request to find her 1944-45 fifth grade classmates from the Amache, Colorado internment camp for an October reunion. She describes how she tracked down former classmates through community newspapers and networking, with hopes for a fuller reunion once more classmates are retired.
- Letter: ‘Multi-Hughed’ Japlish?, page 9. A letter writer responds to a previous letter from Capt. Hugh Strehle regarding Japanese administrative terminology, correcting a point about Tokyo’s designation as the sole ‘to’ rather than a ‘ken’ or prefecture. The letter reflects on linguistic nuances in Japanese governmental terms.
Arts & Entertainment
- Academy Award Winner Visas and Virtue Now on Home Video, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Visas and Virtue, the 1997 Academy Award-winning short film about Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara who saved thousands of Polish Jews during the Holocaust, is now available on home video. Director Chris Tashima said the video release makes it easier to share Sugihara’s story with a wider audience, and an educational version with a discussion guide is also available.
Military & Veterans
- Remembering Bob Kinoshita, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Columnist Bill Hosokawa recounts the story of Dr. Bob Kinoshita, a Hawaii-born physician interned at Heart Mountain who fought for and won the right to serve in the U.S. Army during WWII. Kinoshita went on to earn seven combat medals as a battalion surgeon in Europe before retiring to a family medicine practice in Portland.
Obituaries
- Nobuko Kumekawa Hibino, 77, Activist and Former Topaz Internee, page 11. Nobuko Kumekawa Hibino, a social activist interned at Topaz during WWII, died at 77 from injuries sustained in a car accident. She helped organize Connecticut’s first Head Start program, served on a bank’s board of directors, and co-founded a fund honoring the wartime Student Relocation Council that helped her and thousands of other Japanese Americans complete their college educations.
- Tsutomu Umezu, 78, Nichi Bei Times President, page 11. Tsutomu Umezu, the last living founder and president of the Nichi Bei Times newspaper, died at his San Francisco home at age 78 after a long illness. Born in Sacramento, he was sent to Japan as a child before returning to help found the bilingual newspaper in 1946, one of the oldest Nikkei publications in Northern California.
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