Medal of Honor awardees, new redress legislation and JACL candidates

Vol. 130, No. 20, May 19, 2000. 8 pages. View this issue

The White House announced 21 Asian Pacific American World War II veterans who will receive the Medal of Honor, including 19 members of the 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team. Martha Nakagawa reported that Rep. Xavier Becerra introduced the Wartime Parity and Justice Act of 2000, aimed at redress issues left open by the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. A series profiling candidates for JACL national office began, with Lori Fujimoto, Floyd Mori and Frank Sakamoto outlining their visions for the presidency. Lyndsey Shinoda covered the East Meets West JamFest 2000 in Los Angeles.

Elsewhere in the eight pages: details on workshops, a winery tour and a youth manju fundraiser at the JACL national convention in Monterey, and citations for the Medal of Honor awardees killed in action. A Poston reunion notice, a tribute to Hershey Miyamura and a column by Naomi Hirahara also appeared. Grant Ujifusa wrote about Tom Kean’s support for redress.

What’s in this issue

Arts & Entertainment

• A Call For Diversity at East Meets West JamFest 2000, by Lyndsey Shinoda, page 1. The East Meets West JamFest 2000, held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, showcased Asian American performers across music and dance to promote diversity in television and film. The event honored comedian Tommy Chong and featured acts like Hiroshima, the Tanzer Dancers, Rosy Donovan, and the Rayko Band, along with celebrity emcee Garrett Wang and fitness guru Kiana Tom.

National

• White House Announces 21 APA Medal of Honor Awardees, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Defense released names of 21 Asian Pacific American WWII veterans who will receive the Medal of Honor, including 19 members of the 100th Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team. The review followed a 1996 Defense Authorization Act mandate to reassess Distinguished Service Cross recipients whose valor may have been inadequately recognized due to wartime discrimination.
• Rep. Becerra Introduces New Redress Legislation, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. Rep. Xavier Becerra introduced the Wartime Parity and Justice Act of 2000 to address unresolved redress issues for Japanese Americans, Japanese Latin Americans, and other groups excluded from the original Civil Liberties Act of 1988. The bill would cover non-permanent residents, ‘cut off’ claimants born outside camps, and railroad and mine workers who missed the original redress window.
• Restaurant Where Two AA Employees Were Killed Reopens, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Ya Fei Chinese Cuisine, a suburban Pittsburgh restaurant, reopened after its Chinese American manager and Vietnamese American delivery man were killed in a racially motivated shooting spree by Richard Baumhammers. The gunman targeted ethnic and religious minorities across two counties, killing five people total including a Jewish woman and an Indian immigrant.
• Commission Finds Thomason Auto Guilty of Discrimination, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission determined that the civil rights of at least nine current and former employees were violated at Thomason Auto in Portland, Oregon. The finding relates to discriminatory practices affecting employees at the company.
• Jurors in Xerox Shootings Trial Must Decide Defendant’s Sanity, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Jurors in the trial of Byran Uyesugi will not decide whether he killed seven Xerox Corp. coworkers, but rather whether he should be acquitted due to insanity. Uyesugi’s defense lawyers are arguing for acquittal on grounds of mental incapacity at the time of the shootings.
• Maui Police Department Sued for Discrimination, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Lawsuits have been filed against the Maui Police Department alleging discrimination in advancement against officers of Japanese ancestry. The lawsuits seek back pay, future pay, and monetary damages as determined by the court.

JACL

• Candidates for JACL National Presidency Outline Their Vision, by P.C. Staff, page 1. This article begins a series profiling candidates for national JACL offices, starting with presidential candidate Lori Fujimoto of the Sacramento chapter. Fujimoto, a budget manager for the California Employment Development Department, outlined her JACL background and vision for increasing the organization’s visibility and effectiveness.
• JACL National Convention to Host Workshops on Finding a Career in the New Economy, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The JACL national convention will host workshops addressing career strategies in the new economy, including one led by Gail Saito on job search skills and another by Bill Tamayo and Paul Igasaki of the EEOC on employment discrimination. The workshops aim to help attendees navigate career transitions and understand their rights under employment law.
• Space Becoming Limited for Winery Tour, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Next Generation winery tour, offered during the JACL national convention in Monterey, is filling up with limited space remaining. The half-day tour costs $10 per person for transportation, with wine tasting fees separate, and the reservation deadline is June 16.
• Manju Fund-raiser to Benefit Youth Activities, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The national youth/student council will sell manju donated by the Shuei-Do Manju shop in San Jose at the JACL national convention to raise funds for youth events. Boxes of 10 assorted pieces will be sold for $15 each, limited to three per person, with pickup only at the convention.
• Against All Odds: Campaign in Congress for Japanese American Redress Reprinted, by P.C. Staff, page 4. A second printing of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government case study on the Japanese American redress campaign has been released with three clarifications. The revisions include an added Reagan letter and corrected historical figures regarding evacuee citizenship numbers and claims filed under the Evacuation Claims Act of 1948.
• Candidates for JACL National Presidency Outline Their Vision (Floyd Mori), by P.C. Staff, page 6. Floyd Mori, a member of the Mt. Olympus chapter and international business consultant, outlined his extensive JACL background including roles as National Vice President and Convention Chairman. Mori emphasized his leadership experience and network of resources for fundraising as key qualifications for the national presidency.
• Candidates for JACL National Presidency Outline Their Vision (Frank Sakamoto), by P.C. Staff, page 8. Frank Sakamoto outlined his platform focused on protecting civil and human rights for all Americans and opposing anti-affirmative action legislation. He detailed his history of financial contributions to JACL projects, including funding for the Harvard case study on redress and his efforts to help the Pacific Citizen become a weekly publication.

Community

• Esther Torii Suzuki to Receive Asian Pacific Leadership Award, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The late Esther Torii Suzuki, a longtime Twin Cities JACL member and community activist, was selected to receive the distinguished leadership award from the Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans. The award ceremony will be held at the Minnesota State Capitol, with former Congressman Norman Y. Mineta serving as keynote speaker at an accompanying banquet.
• Poston ’45 Reunion at Laughlin, Nev., Sept. 12-14, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Poston I Class of 1945 will hold its 55th remembrance celebration at the Riverside Hotel & Casino in Laughlin, Nevada. The event includes a banquet and a visit to Poston, with a chartered bus available from Gardena and a registration deadline of June 30.
• Nisei, 81, Oldest Entrant in San Diego ‘Suzuki’ Marathon, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Fred Suto, 81, of Los Angeles is the oldest registered participant in the Suzuki Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego. Despite having heart surgery in 1980, Suto has continued running since 1969, completing his best marathon time of 3:23 in the 1980 Los Angeles Marathon.
• Korean War Veterans’ Tribute to Hershey Miyamura Draws Nearly 500, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Nearly 500 people attended a banquet honoring Hiroshi ‘Hershey’ Miyamura, the only surviving Japanese American Medal of Honor recipient, marking the 50th anniversary of the Korean War’s start. The event, sponsored by Japanese American Korean War Veterans, honored relatives of JA soldiers killed in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, with Senator Daniel Inouye as keynote speaker.
• Federation to Publish History of Japanese American Gardeners, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Southern California Gardener’s Federation is preparing a 160-page bilingual book documenting the history of Japanese American gardeners, to be released at the Pacific Coast Landscape Gardeners Alliance convention in October. Writer Naomi Hirahara is overseeing production, with contributions from academics and researchers documenting pioneers and the gardening industry’s history in Southern California.
• Calling All Interns!!, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Pacific Citizen newspaper is seeking a part-time summer intern for its Monterey Park office to assist with reporting, research, and production duties. The ‘Harry Honda Summer Internship Program’ application deadline is June 15, 2000, with preference given to college students majoring in English or Journalism.

Commentary

• Three Degrees of Separation: Gasa-Gasa Principle, by Naomi Hirahara, page 6. Columnist Naomi Hirahara reflects on the difficulty of getting Nisei women to open up about their personal histories, contrasting this with the ease of talking to Nisei men. She explores the ‘gasa-gasa principle,’ a cultural code of busyness and reticence among Japanese American women, while noting written accounts by authors like Monica Sone and Hisaye Yamamoto that help illuminate their experiences.
• VFW Position on Draft Resister Apology, page 7. Sacramento Nisei VFW Post 8985 introduced a motion opposing any apology to WWII draft resisters, citing the VFW’s foundational commitment to patriotism. The letter recounts violent conflicts in camps between volunteers and ‘no-no boys,’ arguing that no apology is warranted for those who chose military service and sacrificed their lives.
• Faith Intersections Resolution and the Legacy of Silence, page 7. The writer praises an interfaith resolution passed at the Nikkei 2000 gathering in San Francisco and questions whether national JACL will follow with its own action. The piece recalls the painful silence of churches during the WWII evacuation and credits the courage required to break decades of institutional silence.
• Tribute to Tom Kean’s Support for Redress, by Grant Ujifusa, page 7. Grant Ujifusa recalls the political climate in 1987 when prospects for the H.R. 442 redress bill were uncertain, crediting former Governor Tom Kean for his support against opposition. The piece also notes Kean’s son Tom Jr.’s political career and his commitments to environmental and social issues.

Obituaries

• Medal of Honor Awardees Killed in Action – Citations, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Detailed citations describe the heroic actions of several Japanese American WWII soldiers awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously, including Staff Sgt. Robert Kuroda, Pfc. Kaoru Moto, Pfc. Kiyoshi Muranaga, Pvt. Masato Nakae, Pfc. Joe Nishimoto, and Sgt. Alan Ohata. Many of these soldiers were killed in action shortly after their acts of valor, which included destroying machine-gun nests and capturing enemy prisoners under heavy fire.

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