Vol. 131, No. 1, June 23, 2000. 8 pages. View this issue
A battered suitcase led the news. National JACL received it from the family of the late Kazuki Lyle Kurisaki Sr., a founder of the Brawley JACL chapter, and it held documents, photographs and medals, some from before World War II. Martha Nakagawa traced its trip from Southern California to Poston to Salt Lake City. Also on the front page were the Chicago community’s safety campaign after sexual assaults on Asian American women, and the Associated Press report on the Uyesugi verdict in Hawaii.
Inside are chapter reports on scholarships from the Sacramento and Twin Cities JACL, a Min Yasui Oratorical Contest in Pocatello, and the Florin chapter’s multiracial forum. Christina Shigemura wrote about the Little Tokyo Service Center’s sports center, and Emily Moto Murase looked back on the Nikkei 2000 conference. A Monterey Bay veterans tribute and a Pacific Asia Museum exhibit also appear.
What’s in this issue
National
- Kurisaki Family Donates Collection to JACL Archives, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. National JACL received a donated suitcase belonging to the late Kazuki Lyle Kurisaki Sr., a founder of the Brawley JACL chapter, containing documents, photographs and medals dating back to pre-World War II. The suitcase traveled from Southern California to Poston to Salt Lake City before being returned to the Kurisaki family, who decided to donate it to JACL archives to help fill gaps in history.
- AA Women Targeted in Chicago Sexual Assaults, page 1. The Asian American community in Chicago responded to a series of sexual assaults targeting Asian American women with a safety campaign reaching over 1,500 residents, businesses and churches. JACL Midwest regional director William Yoshino and others called the crimes racially based and abhorrent, distributing translated safety information and a composite sketch with a $10,000 reward.
- Uyesugi Convicted in Hawaii’s Worst Mass Killing, by Associated Press, page 1. Jurors took less than 90 minutes to reject Byran Uyesugi’s insanity defense and convict him of first-degree murder for fatally shooting seven co-workers at Xerox in November. Uyesugi faces a mandatory life prison term without parole and will be sentenced Aug. 8, as Hawaii has no death penalty.
- Court Weighs Prosecution of FBI Sharpshooter in Ruby Ridge Case, page 3. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals considered whether to allow prosecution of FBI sharpshooter Lon T. Horiuchi for a fatal shot fired during the 1992 Ruby Ridge siege in Idaho. The shot killed the wife of a white separatist during the standoff.
Community
- Chinese for Affirmative Action Hosts Celebration of Justice, page 3. Chinese for Affirmative Action held an event honoring civil rights advocates including a Harvard Law professor who served as Clinton’s special counsel on affirmative action, journalist Helen Zia, and Dr. Clifford Uyeda. The event featured an eight-course Chinese banquet with corporate underwriting from Wells Fargo, PG&E, Union Bank and others.
- Monterey Bay Hails JA Veterans, by Judy Niizawa, page 4. A Veterans Tribute Dinner in Monterey County will honor Japanese American veterans including Gen. Eric Shinseki, the first Asian American four-star general and Army chief of staff. Other honored veterans include Col. Toshio “Dusty” Fukuhara and a former Naval pilot POW, with historian Dr. James McNaughton providing background on the Defense Language Institute and Nisei Military Intelligence officers.
- Twin Cities JACL Honors High School Grads and Retiring Committee Chair Kimi Hara, page 5. The Twin Cities JACL held its 37th Annual Dinner and Awards Program honoring the graduating class of 2000 with numerous named scholarships, including the Reflections Scholarship and the Earl Tanbara Memorial Scholarship. The event also recognized Kimi Hara’s retirement after years leading the chapter’s scholarship committee, with Tom and Beiko Ohno establishing a new award in her honor.
- Florin Chapter Sponsors Second Annual Multiracial Forum, page 5. The Florin JACL chapter hosted its Second Annual Multiracial Forum in Sacramento, featuring five multiracial panelists discussing identity, acceptance, and experiences of discrimination from both white and Asian communities. Panelists including Jessie Morris Jr. and Eric Matsumoto called for JACL to become more inclusive of multiracial Japanese Americans as out-marriage rates in the Nikkei community reach an estimated 60 percent.
Arts & Entertainment
- New Exhibit Features 17 Contemporary AA Artists, page 3. The Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena launched “Visions,” an exhibit showcasing works from 17 nationally and internationally recognized Asian American artists spanning 1989 and 1999, exploring diversity within Asian American identity and art. Artists including Porntip Sangvanich, Suong Yangchareon and Alan Valencia discussed how ethnicity does or does not inform their work, challenging assumptions about a singular “Asian American” artistic style.
- Hosokawa Returns to Whitman to Present Student Journalism Awards, page 6. Robert Hosokawa returned to Whitman College decades after his own journalism beginnings to present student journalism awards. The piece reflects on his career and connection to the college.
JACL
- Sac’to JACL Awards $20,000 in Scholarships, page 4. The Sacramento JACL awarded a total of $20,000 in scholarships to numerous local students, including named awards such as the Lynsie Harumi Kubo JACL Scholarship and the Sacramento Nisei V.F.W. Post 8985 Memorial Scholarship. Recipients were recognized across high school and community college levels.
- Intermountain District Council Hosts Min Yasui Oratorical Contest, page 8. The Pocatello-Blackfoot chapter and Intermountain District Council hosted a district Min Yasui Oratorical Contest in Pocatello, Idaho, with five contestants from four chapters competing. Stuart Shimizu of the Wasatch Front North chapter won first place and will represent the IDC at the national convention.
Commentary
- National Japanese American Memorial Foundation Board Responds to Criticism, page 4. Members of the NJAMF board defended the memorial project against a small group of dissidents who launched a protest campaign objecting to a quotation from Mike Masaoka displayed at the memorial. The board argued that the dissenters ignored historical context and that their views were overwhelmed by 18,000 donors who have supported the memorial financially.
- Stranger Than Fiction, by Christina Shigemura, page 6. Columnist Christina Shigemura writes about the Little Tokyo Service Center’s struggle to build a sports center with a gymnasium in Little Tokyo, describing frustrating bureaucratic obstacles despite widespread community support. She urges fellow Angelenos to contact the mayor and city council to advocate for the sports center for local children.
- A Bridge Across the Pacific: Epilogue to the Nikkei 2000 Conference, by Emily Moto Murase, page 6. Emily Moto Murase reflects on the Nikkei 2000 conference, “Empowering Our Community in the 21st Century,” which drew 400 community members from across the country and abroad for workshops and strategic planning sessions. Sen. Daniel Inouye served as keynote speaker, and the conference produced a vision for the Nikkei community in 2020 focused on leadership, town preservation, and cultural values.
- JACL Biennium Program and Aging Nisei Population, page 7. A commentary discusses the JACL’s biennium program action document and reflects on the aging Nisei generation, noting that the weekly obituary list confirms the shrinking numbers of this generation. The author expresses regret at being unable to attend the Monterey national convention for health reasons.
Obituaries
- Civil Rights, AIDS Activist Kiyoshi Kuromiya Passes, page 7. Kiyoshi Kuromiya, a longtime civil rights and AIDS activist, has died. He was a straight-A student at Monrovia High School who became involved in the civil rights movement in the early 1960s, leading sit-ins and later becoming known for his activism and writings including a bestselling book.
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