Harry Honda and JACL’s archives, plus Day of Remembrance news

Vol. 132, No. 4, March 2, 2001. 12 pages. View this issue

Harry Honda, the paper’s editor emeritus, led the front page as he described heading JACL’s archives program and the file cabinets of material he has gathered since 1952. John Tateishi’s column “Why Join JACL?” traced the organization’s civil rights work through redress in 1988. The page also reported on health insurance for JACL members outside California, protests over racial violence at UC Davis, and the fatal shooting of Kenichi Haramoto in San Francisco’s Japantown.

Day of Remembrance coverage ran inside. Congressman Xavier Becerra introduced the Wartime and Justice Act of 2001 at a Los Angeles ceremony, and Assemblyman George Nakano introduced a resolution on Executive Order 9066. Dan Sakura urged continued support for the Minidoka site. Heart Mountain’s foundation reached its fundraising goal, and Harry Honda’s column told the story of Fred Wada’s farming cooperative in Utah. Chapter installations in Ventura County, San Jose, Seattle and Mile-Hi filled page 5.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• P.C. Editor Emeritus Harry Honda Heads Up JACL’s Archives Program, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Harry Honda, longtime P.C. editor emeritus, discusses his role heading JACL’s archives program and the extensive collection of historical documents he has gathered since 1952. The interview covers materials including WRA Final Reports, Tolan Committee hearings, and redress files, and discusses how much material will eventually transfer to the Japanese American National Museum.
• UPS Donates $15,000 to National JACL and its Youth Programs, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The UPS Foundation granted $15,000 to National JACL to support national programs and youth initiatives. UPS has been a longtime supporter of JACL programs including the oratorical contest, hate crimes work, e-mentoring, and scholarships.
• Go For Broke Foundation Receives $500,000 Grant, by P.C. Staff, page 4. California Assemblyman George Nakano presented the 100th/442nd/MIS World War II Memorial Foundation with a $500,000 grant to fund a statewide teacher training program through the California Arts Council. The grant will support education about the contributions of Japanese American soldiers.
• Heart Mountain Foundation Achieves Fund-raising Goal, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The Heart Mountain, Wyoming Foundation surpassed its fundraising goal of $200,000, raising $260,000 to purchase land for an interpretative learning center and construct a replica honor roll at the former internment camp. The project received congressional support including $500,000 for facility development under Sen. Mike Enzi’s advocacy.
• AAJA Announces New Program for High School Journalism Students, by P.C. Staff, page 12. The Asian American Journalists Association launched “Boot Camp By the Bay,” a week-long summer program to train multicultural high school students interested in journalism careers, scheduled for July 28 to Aug. 1 at the University of San Francisco. The program aims to attract Asian Americans to journalism at a younger age, with funding from the Ford Foundation.

National

• Health Insurance Now Available for Non-Calif. JACL Members, by P.C. Staff, page 1. National JACL announced it can now offer major medical insurance plans to members outside California, expanding on previously successful medical, dental and vision coverage. The new benefit includes Preferred Provider Option, Medical Savings Account, and traditional major medical plan choices through insurance administrator Seabury & Smith.
• APA Students Protest Racial Violence at UC Davis, by Tracy Uba, page 1. Nearly 500 APA students and allies rallied at UC Davis following a rise in racial confrontations between white and APA students, some of which turned violent and led to felony charges. Student groups pressured administrators for stronger action, though some officials say they’ve been responsive since the incidents began escalating last quarter.
• Talk Show Host Taken Off the Air for Racist Comment, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Cincinnati radio host J.R. Gach was taken off WLW-AM after referring to the Japanese as “yellow monkeys” following the sinking of a Japanese training ship by a U.S. Navy submarine. JACL Midwest director Bill Yoshino sent a letter of protest, and the station’s operations director responded that such comments were not condoned by WLW.
• Candidates Vying to Be First APA on New York City Council, by Associated Press, page 3. Several Asian Pacific American candidates are running for New York City Council seats in 2001, spurred by new term limits opening up unprecedented opportunities for APA representation. Despite the city’s diversity, no APA has ever served on the council, and candidates face challenges including low APA voter turnout and ethnic voting patterns favoring other groups.
• L.A. 80-20 Endorses Candidates After Holding APA Political Forum, by Tracy Uba, page 3. Los Angeles 80-20 PAC endorsed numerous APA political candidates across Southern California following a candidates forum, aiming to build political clout for Asian Pacific Americans ahead of the March 6 primaries. Candidates and organizers spoke about the need for greater APA representation and unity across ethnic lines within the community.
• Community Asked to Continue their Support of Minidoka Camp Site, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Former White House staffer Dan Sakura urged continued advocacy for the Minidoka internment camp site’s protected status, warning the new Bush administration may be less supportive. He recommended JACL chapters in Idaho, the Pacific Northwest, and Colorado maintain pressure to preserve the site’s National Monument designation.
• Becerra Introduces Wartime and Justice Act of 2001, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Congressman Xavier Becerra announced H.R. 619, the Wartime and Justice Act of 2001, at a Day of Remembrance ceremony in Los Angeles, aiming to provide redress equity for Japanese Latin Americans and Japanese Americans overlooked by the Civil Liberties Act. Attorney Karen Parker gave an update on Art Shibayama’s case, and keynote speaker Alberta Lee, daughter of Wen Ho Lee, drew parallels between her father’s experience and JA internment.
• Assemblymember Nakano Leads California Legislature in a Day of Remembrance, by P.C. Staff, page 4. California Assemblyman George Nakano introduced legislation, ACR 17, to declare Feb. 19 a Day of Remembrance commemorating the WWII internment of Japanese Americans. The resolution honored state legislators who opposed Executive Order 9066 in 1942 and acknowledged the service of the 100th/442nd/MIS veterans.
• UC Davis Racial Tensions Continue Amid Calls for Administrative Action, by Tracy Uba, page 6. Continuing coverage of racial violence at UC Davis details a reconciliation forum, felony charges against students involved in altercations, and skepticism from advocacy groups like DARE about the university’s responsiveness. Students demanded action items including a culturally sensitive point person for hate crime victims and mandatory diversity seminars for incoming freshmen.
• APAs in the News, by P.C. Staff, page 9. This roundup covers various APA achievements including a Peace Corps award for a congressman, leadership changes at OCA and APAICS, and Grammy Award recognitions for APA musicians including Yo-Yo Ma and Kitaro. Details include Daphne Kwok’s move to lead APAICS and Mo Marumoto’s election as APAICS chairman.
• Hmong Veterans Memorial Faces Opposition from Veterans Groups, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 10. A proposed memorial honoring Hmong veterans who fought for the U.S. during the Vietnam War faces opposition from white veterans questioning the Hmong’s wartime loyalty. Local Hmong leaders strongly deny the allegations, and attorney Tim Hall has championed the memorial project since learning of Hmong sacrifices years ago.
• FBI Investigates Possible Civil Rights Violation in Olympia Case, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 10. The FBI announced it would investigate whether Christopher Kinison and his friends violated the civil rights of three young Vietnamese men before Kinison was killed in a altercation. One of the men charged in Kinison’s death had his manslaughter case dropped after a deadlocked jury, prompting JACL to request the federal investigation.

Commentary

• Why Join JACL?, by John Tateishi, page 1. JACL Executive Director John Tateishi answers the frequently asked question of why people should join JACL by detailing decades of the organization’s civil rights accomplishments. He traces JACL’s advocacy from the 1920s through redress in 1988, arguing the organization remains vital for fighting ongoing discrimination against Asian Americans.
• The Quarter in Review, by Ryan Chin, page 6. JACL VP of Public Affairs Ryan Chin reviews the organization’s activities over the past quarter, including support for naming a Seattle courthouse after William Kenzo Nakamura, advocacy around Bush cabinet appointments, and camp preservation efforts. The review also covers JACL’s stance on Native Hawaiian sovereignty legislation, hate crimes prevention, and recognition of Takuji Yamashita’s posthumous bar admission.
• Special Insights, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A columnist reflects on being asked to comment on the Ehime Maru sinking simply because of Japanese American ethnicity, questioning the assumption that JAs have automatic special insight into Japan-related events. The piece argues for maintaining clear distinctions between Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals while acknowledging individual connections vary widely.
• Calling All Youth to the Spectrum Conference, by Gerald Kato, page 8. PSWD Youth Director Gerald Kato invites JACL youth and student members to attend the “Spectrum” Nikkei youth conference in April, organized by students from multiple universities and community organizations. He encourages participation to broaden connections among young Nikkei across California and beyond JACL’s traditional membership.
• Nisei Vis-à-vis Draft Resisters, by Kay Uno, page 11. A Pacific War veteran responds to a previous letter questioning draft resisters’ loyalty, defending all WWII-era JA protests including those by Hirabayashi, Yasui, Korematsu, and draft resisters as justified American citizen actions. The writer argues that continuing to criticize these decisions decades later only prevents healing and misleads future generations.
• Facilitating Dialogue on JACL Finances, by Renta Takamori, page 11. A concerned JACL member writes urging the organization to use the Pacific Citizen to provide more detailed financial disclosure regarding revenue sources, expenses, and assets amid membership decline concerns. The letter calls for greater transparency to stimulate membership engagement and facilitate discussion about JACL’s future.
• Congratulations to P.C. Staff, by Kenny Oka, page 11. A reader praises the Pacific Citizen for publishing a story about baseball pitcher Shane Komine, expressing renewed interest in the paper after previously considering discontinuing readership. The writer suggests additional Japanese American professional athletes to feature, including Shigetoshi Hasegawa, Kazuhiro Sasaki, and Hideo Nomo.

Community

• No Arrests Yet in S.F. J-Town Shooting, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Francisco Police interviewed more than 25 witnesses in the fatal shooting of Kenichi Haramoto, 21, outside a Denny’s restaurant in Japantown, but no arrests have been made. Haramoto was reportedly caught in the crossfire after stepping in to intervene during a confrontation between two groups.
• Judge Ito Switches Speech Topic After Listening to Resisters’ Story, by Martha Nakagawa, page 4. Judge Lance Ito abandoned his prepared speech at the Japanese American Historical Society of Southern California’s installation dinner after hearing Heart Mountain resister Yosh Kuromiya speak and viewing a documentary on the draft resisters. Ito, whose family was interned at Heart Mountain, expressed that all wartime factions—JACL, veterans, and resisters—made principled decisions, and he installed the JAHSSC’s new board of directors.
• Ventura County JACL Holds 20th Installation, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Ventura County JACL chapter held its 20th installation luncheon featuring guest speaker Sgt. Brian Moriguchi, who spoke about retaliation he faced after filing a discrimination lawsuit within the LA County Sheriff’s Department. Harry Kajihara, past national JACL president, installed the new chapter officers.
• San Jose Chapter Installs Officers, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Richard Tanaka installed the 2001-2002 board officers for the San Jose JACL chapter. Tanaka, the chapter’s first Sansei president, is also running for a seat on the San Jose City Council.
• Seattle Installation, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Seattle JACL chapter held its annual installation banquet with National JACL President Floyd Mori delivering the keynote address after scheduled speaker Bill Hosokawa was unable to attend. Awards were presented including the Don Kazama Human Rights Award to U.S. Rep. James McDermott and Community Service and Unsung Heroine awards to several local members.
• Mile-Hi Chapter Holds Installation, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Mile-Hi JACL chapter held its officer installation on Jan. 20, featuring keynote speaker Cherry Tsutsumida and attendance from the Japanese consul general. New officers and board members were introduced at the event.
• Livingston-Merced Chapter Hosts JACL Day of Remembrance 2001, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Over 100 people attended a Day of Remembrance event at Livingston Methodist Church featuring speakers who shared WWII experiences, including a Canadian-interned Nikkei professor and a Peruvian Sansei who described the Crystal City Department of Justice camp used for hostage exchanges. An MIS veteran also spoke of his service during the occupation of Japan.
• ‘World War II: Spaces of Remembrances’ Exhibit in Minnesota, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Twin Cities JACL members visited an exhibit by artist Catherine Ishino at the Tweed Museum of Art in Duluth, Minnesota, featuring personal photographs, video interviews with her parents, and a wall marking the number of JAs incarcerated during WWII. Ishino hopes to make the exhibit travel throughout the Midwest.

Arts & Entertainment

• First Henry Sugimoto Retrospective at JANM, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Japanese American National Museum will open the first retrospective exhibition of paintings by Henry Sugimoto on March 24, spanning his career from the 1930s. The exhibit examines the Japanese American experience through Sugimoto’s art, which was transformed by his wartime incarceration.
• ‘Crouching Tiger’ Gets 10 Oscar Nominations, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” received 10 Oscar nominations, becoming only the third film in history to earn both best-picture and foreign-language nominations. The film also surpassed “Life is Beautiful” as the top-grossing foreign-language film domestically.

In-Depth

• Fred Wada Had No Intention of Being Incarcerated, by Harry Honda, page 8. This column recounts the story of Fred Wada, founder of Keiro Home, who in 1942 organized a farming cooperative of 130 Japanese Americans to relocate voluntarily to Keetley, Utah rather than face incarceration. The venture became a successful wartime enterprise supplying produce under the slogan “Food for Freedom.”}, {

Obituaries

• Karl Akiya, 91, a Kibei Hostile to Prewar Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Karl Ichiro Akiya, a San Francisco-born Kibei Nisei who left Japan in 1932 in opposition to its militarism, died in New York after a stroke at age 91. An economist and union organizer, he was the first Japanese American recipient of New York City’s Martin Luther King Award and wrote an autobiography documenting his life in America.

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.