Racial profiling at the labs, and the Masaoka memorial debate

Vol. 130, No. 4, January 28, 2000. 8 pages. View this issue

An Energy Department investigation found evidence of racial profiling and an atmosphere of distrust toward Asian Americans at nuclear weapons labs after the Wen Ho Lee case. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said the perception had hurt recruitment of top scientists. Also on the front page were protests across Asia over an Osaka conference that denied the Nanking massacre, and disappointment among Asian Pacific American groups, voiced by Karen Narasaki, that Bill Lann Lee did not receive a recess appointment.

Inside, two commentary pieces took up the inscription of Mike Masaoka’s quote on the National Japanese American Memorial. Ann Muto reported on a San Jose teacher workshop on the Japanese American incarceration and redress, and Emily Murase wrote about the 10th anniversary of an exhibit on Japanese American women. Other pages cover the 100th/442nd veterans’ installation, JACL award nominations, and a research fellowship on the Kooskia camp.

What’s in this issue

National

• Energy Probe Finds Racial Profiling in Wake of Wen Ho Lee Case, by Associated Press, page 1. A six-month Energy Department investigation found evidence of racial profiling and an atmosphere of distrust toward Asian Americans at nuclear weapons labs following the Wen Ho Lee espionage uproar. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson acknowledged the perception problem has hurt recruitment of top scientists and announced a department-wide stand-down to address the issue.
• Emotional Protests Around Asia as Conference Denies Nanking, by Associated Press, page 1. Protests erupted across Asia after an Osaka conference titled ‘The Verification of the Rape of Nanking: The Biggest Lie of the 20th Century’ denied the massacre occurred. Chinese officials and survivors condemned the event, while conference speakers, including a Japanese historian, claimed no massacre took place despite historical evidence of mass killings.
• White House Forgoes Recess Appointment of Bill Lann Lee, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The White House’s decision not to give Bill Lann Lee a recess appointment as assistant attorney general for civil rights disappointed Asian Pacific American organizations. Advocates like Karen Narasaki criticized the delay as an insult given Lee’s record and Senate Republican Orrin Hatch’s continued blocking of his confirmation.
• Legislation Aims to Improve Native Hawaiian Health, by Associated Press, page 3. Sen. Daniel Inouye heard testimony on reauthorizing the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act, which funds disease-prevention programs addressing high rates of diabetes, cancer and heart disease among Native Hawaiians. The bill also proposes a commission to study whether the programs should become federal entitlements protected from budget cuts.
• Uninsured Rate Continues to Increase for Minorities, Including APAs, Latinos, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A new report found that the rate of uninsured Californians rose disproportionately among minority groups, with APA uninsured rates climbing from 19 to 22 percent between 1995 and 1998. Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa called the findings troubling and urged expansion of programs like Healthy Families to address the crisis, especially for Latino families who saw the steepest increases.
• Brief Challenging Proposition 209 Filed by Asian Pacific Groups, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium and the Asian Law Caucus filed an amicus brief supporting the City of San Jose’s affirmative action outreach program against a Proposition 209 challenge. The groups argued that outreach efforts help Asian Pacific American businesses compete fairly rather than granting improper preferential treatment.

Community

• APIA Vote! Launches Outreach to Register Minority Voters, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Asian Pacific American Public Affairs and Policy Council launched a voter registration and education campaign ahead of the March primaries, aiming to boost API political participation. The initiative includes bilingual hotlines, exit polls, candidate forums, and youth-targeted programs like SAVE to increase turnout among historically underrepresented Asian American voters.
• Union Bank of California Contributes $15,000 to KVIE Film on Japanese Americans and Agriculture During World War II, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Union Bank of California donated $15,000 to help KVIE Channel 6 in Sacramento produce ‘Forsaken Fields,’ a documentary about Japanese American farmers’ experiences during WWII incarceration. The program, hosted by Jan Yanehiro, will air nationally on public television and be distributed to schools and libraries.
• San Jose Hosts Teacher Training Workshop, by Ann Muto, page 5. An all-day workshop titled ‘An American Story: From the Bill of Rights to Redress’ drew over 40 teachers to Wesley United Methodist Church in San Jose to learn about the Japanese American incarceration experience. Survivors including Dr. Wright Kawakami, Mas Yamasaki and Jimi Yamaichi shared personal accounts, while WWII veterans Katsumi Hikido, George Oiye and Thomas Sakamoto also spoke on a panel.
• NCWNP District to Hold Program on ‘Homosexuality and Proposition 22’, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The NCWNP District of JACL will host an educational program on homosexuality and California’s Proposition 22 at its quarterly meeting in San Rafael. The program will feature a mother-son panel and a discussion of the proposition’s implications, drawing parallels to historical anti-miscegenation laws that once restricted Japanese American marriages.
• 100th-442nd Vets Install Russ Nakaishi, Remember Rescue of ‘Lost Battalion’, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The 100th/442nd Veterans Association held its 40th annual installation, inducting Russ Nakaishi as it commemorated the historic 1944 rescue of the Texas ‘Lost Battalion.’ Millard ‘Blackie’ Black, a survivor of the rescued battalion, had intended to attend to personally thank the Nisei veterans for their heroic effort.
• Research Fellowship Awarded for Study of Kooskia Internment Camp, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Dr. Priscilla Wegars received a research fellowship from the Idaho Humanities Council to study the obscure Kooskia Internment Camp, an INS detention facility in Idaho that held Japanese immigrants including some brought illegally from Peru. Wegars will research primary documents and present public lectures on the camp’s history in 2000.
• JACCC Receives $300,000 Grant From James Irvine Foundation, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Japanese American Cultural and Community Center of Los Angeles received a three-year, $300,000 grant from the James Irvine Foundation to fund program development and an opportunity fund. Executive Director Eric Hayashi said the grant will help build relationships with artists and support the center’s mission as a premier presenter of Japanese and Japanese American arts.

Commentary

• An Open Letter in Support of Masaoka Quote, page 4. This lengthy letter defends including Mike Masaoka’s quote and the Japanese American Creed in the National Japanese American Memorial’s inscriptions, countering academic critics like Professors Yamamoto, Iijima and Dr. Takahashi who questioned Masaoka’s role during WWII incarceration and redress. The author cites Senator Inouye’s endorsement of Masaoka’s contributions and argues the NJAMF board has repeatedly voted to retain the inscriptions.
• Letter to U.S. Commission of Fine Arts on Masaoka Memorial Inscription, page 7. A survivor of the WWII concentration camps and redress recipient wrote to J. Carter Brown of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts defending Mike Masaoka’s inclusion in the national memorial. The writer compares Masaoka to Martin Luther King Jr., acknowledging he was not perfect but arguing his historical significance is undeniable.

JACL

• Deadline for National Awards Nominations Approaching, by P.C. Staff, page 5. JACL is accepting nominations for several biennial national awards to be presented at the upcoming national convention in June-July. Nominations for JACLer of the Biennium and other honors must be submitted by chapters ahead of the deadline.
• PSWD Donates $13,500 to NJAMF, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Pacific Southwest District presented a $13,500 check to the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation at a recent district council meeting. Former PSWD Governor David Kawamoto and dinner chair Linda Hara made the presentation to national JACL president Helen Kawagoe and NJAMF coordinator John Saito.

In-Depth

• 10 Years of Strength & Diversity: Celebrating the Legacy of JA Women, by Emily Murase, page 6. The National Japanese American Historical Society is marking the 10th anniversary of its landmark exhibit ‘Strength and Diversity: Japanese American Women, 1885-1990,’ which toured 12 locations nationally after debuting at the Oakland Museum. A celebration will honor Rep. Patsy Mink, artist Ruth Asawa and publisher Michi Onuma, featuring panel discussions and a poetry reading by Janice Mirikitani.

Arts & Entertainment

• E-Service Bridges Cultural Differences for Asian Students, by P.C. Staff, page 7. A new internet service, NewHanlin.com, was launched by Asian American Harvard graduates to provide college admissions counseling tailored to Asian and Asian American students. The service aims to help students navigate cultural differences in communication and educational expectations that can affect college applications.

Obituaries

• Dr. Robert T. Obi, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Dr. Robert T. Obi, 81, of South Pasadena passed away Dec. 3, 1999, after serving three terms as East Los Angeles JACL president and leading several medical organizations including the Japanese Hospital. He is survived by his wife Michi, sons Michael and Curtis, daughter Marjorie, and other family members.
• Tsutomu Tom Ikeda, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Tsutomu Tom Ikeda, 82, of Mesa, Arizona, passed away Jan. 9, having grown up as the eldest of nine children on a family farm near Mesa. He was active in community organizations including the Mesa chapter JACL and Mesa Jaycees.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.