Day of Remembrance 2003: Rep. Coble’s remarks and a new redress bill

Vol. 136, No. 3, February 21, 2003. 12 pages. View this issue

Rep. Howard Coble’s remarks defending the World War II incarceration (often called internment) ran through this issue. Day of Remembrance events nationwide were met with calls for an apology and his resignation as a subcommittee chair. Martha Nakagawa reported from Los Angeles, where Rep. Xavier Becerra announced the Wartime Parity and Justice Act of 2003, a new redress bill. Also on page 1, JACL joined 27 organizations on an amicus brief backing the University of Michigan in its affirmative action cases, and John Tateishi wrote about challenging the U.S. PATRIOTS Act.

Other pages cover the 34th Manzanar Pilgrimage, set for April 26, and a baseball diamond planned for Manzanar. Go For Broke soldiers will appear in a Philadelphia exhibit, and Quatrefoil Associates will design an exhibit on the Jerome and Rohwer camps. Takasumi Kojima asked about JACL’s future, and a Hate Crimes Prevention Fellowship was named for Joseph Ileto.

What’s in this issue

National

• JACL Joins 27 APA Organizations on Amicus Brief Supporting the University of Michigan’s Affirmative Action Programs, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL joined the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium and 24 other APA organizations in filing an amicus curiae brief supporting the University of Michigan in two Supreme Court affirmative action cases, Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger. JACL National President Floyd Mori argued that affirmative action provides opportunity rather than denying it, warning that weakening such programs would set the nation back a century.
• As Community Commemorates DOR, Calls Continue for Apology and Resignation of Rep. Coble Who Made Comments Endorsing JA Internment, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. Japanese Americans nationwide held Day of Remembrance events while continuing to demand an apology and resignation from Rep. Howard Coble, who defended the WWII internment of Japanese Americans in radio remarks. Coble issued statements of regret but refused to apologize outright or step down as chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, prompting thousands of petition signatures and condemnation from JACL leaders.
• Support for New Redress Bill, Outrage Over Rep. Coble’s Remarks Focus of Los Angeles 2003 Day of Remembrance, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. Rep. Xavier Becerra announced a new redress bill, the Wartime Parity and Justice Act of 2003, at the Los Angeles Day of Remembrance, which would fund education and address unresolved cases for Japanese Latin Americans. The event, attended by over 300 people and Rep. Mike Honda, also became a platform for a coalition of APA and Muslim organizations to demand Coble’s apology and resignation.
• Hate Crime Victim Wins Maximum Penalty in Civil Suit, by Tracy Uba, page 3. Ismael Ileto praised a California Department of Fair Employment and Housing Commission ruling awarding his late brother Joseph Ileto the maximum $175,000 penalty for emotional distress and civil rights violations under the Ralph Civil Rights Act. Joseph Ileto, a Filipino American postal worker, was murdered by white supremacist Buford Furrow in 1999, and the ruling marks the first time the maximum penalty has been awarded in a hate crime case under the Act.
• National Newsbytes, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 4. This roundup covers House Democrats filing a brief supporting University of Michigan affirmative action, the launch of a U.S.-Philippines Caucus, Aung San Suu Kyi winning a $1 million Freedom Forum award, the 80-20 group’s resolution to protect Asian American scientists from wrongful prosecution, reintroduction of the Hawaiian recognition bill, and the death of Hawaii’s oldest resident Ito Kinase at 113.
• DOR Coverage Continued: Coble Faces Growing Backlash from Congress and Community Groups, by Martha Nakagawa, page 6. A coalition of APA organizations held a press conference demanding Coble apologize, that Republican leaders call for an apology, and that he step down as subcommittee chair. Reps. Honda, Matsui and Wu questioned Coble’s views, while Muslim Public Affairs Council leaders raised parallel concerns about post-9/11 surveillance and the pending Patriot Act II.
• Coble Controversy Draws Condemnation from APA Groups Nationwide, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Dozens of APA organizations, including OCA, NAPALC, and the Japanese American Bar Association, joined JACL’s calls for Coble’s apology and resignation, citing the 1983 Commission on Wartime Relocation report refuting his ‘military necessity’ claims. Fellow North Carolina Republican Rep. Sue Myrick also drew criticism for remarks about Arab Americans running convenience stores.
• Ileto Family Establishes Hate Crimes Prevention Fellowship Amid Ongoing Advocacy, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Following the civil rights commission ruling, APALC partnered with the Ileto family to establish the Joseph Ileto Hate Crimes Prevention Fellowship to assist victims and advocate for policy change. The family has received death threats for their advocacy but plans a college campus tour to educate students about hate crimes.

Commentary

• Taking On the U.S. Patriots Act, by John Tateishi, page 1. JACL Executive Director John Tateishi describes consulting with National President Floyd Mori about challenging the U.S. PATRIOTS Act, passed hastily after Sept. 11 with limited public scrutiny. He argues the JACL should test in court whether the Act improperly infringes on the civil liberties of citizens and legal residents.
• Letters to the Editor: Congressman Coble’s Defense of Internment – Ignorant, Racist or Dangerous?, by Florin JACL Civil Rights Co-chair, page 2. A letter writer from Florin JACL’s Civil Rights committee condemns Rep. Howard Coble’s defense of Japanese American internment, arguing no JA was ever proven a spy and pointing to the heroism of Nisei soldiers and draft resisters. The writer warns that Coble’s powerful committee position threatens Arab, Muslim and Sikh Americans facing similar prejudice today.
• Letter: Re: Crime, Guo Shooting, by Tamotsu, Salt Lake Chapter JACL, page 2. A retired police officer writes in defense of the judge’s ruling that Officer Kristin Rupp’s shooting of an APA girl was justified, explaining police training protocols for responding to knife-wielding attackers. The writer criticizes JACL for supporting protests in the case, arguing the facts support a legitimate self-defense shooting.
• Letter: Re: JACL Passed Over for Donation, by Roy Kato, San Mateo, Calif., page 2. A letter clarifies that the San Mateo Gardeners Association’s transfer of property to the San Mateo Japanese American Community Center rather than the San Mateo JACL was not meant to undermine the JACL. The writer notes the community center remains affiliated with JACL and will benefit the whole community once the new organization is finalized.
• What’s on Tap at COPANI XIII Bolivia?, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Harry Honda previews the Pan-American Nikkei Association’s COPANI XIII convention in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, detailing its agenda of commissions on commerce, health, farming, language, youth and law alongside social events like a golf tournament and visits to Japanese farming colonies. He recalls historical Nikkei contributions to agriculture and cattle ranching in the U.S. and shares a personal anecdote about receiving emergency medical care at a past PANA convention in Santiago.
• Taking On the U.S. Patriots Act (continued), by John Tateishi, page 8. Continuing his column, Tateishi argues the JACL must challenge provisions of the PATRIOTS Act that threaten civil liberties, drawing parallels to historical discrimination against Issei and Nisei. He has asked JACL Legal Counsel Michelle Yoshida to review the Act for potential legal challenges, acknowledging this stance may be controversial among members.
• Whither National JACL? To Live or Die Out?, by Takasumi Kojima, page 8. Kojima warns of a looming crisis for JACL due to declining membership, intermarriage, and disengagement from Nikkei culture, predicting membership could fall to less than 20 percent of current levels by 2022. He criticizes current leadership for failing to provide a compelling vision and calls for a new generation of Nikkei leaders to revitalize the organization.

JACL

• April 1 Deadline Set for JACL’s Masaoka Fellowship Program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The JACL is seeking candidates for its 14th annual Mike M. Masaoka Fellowship, which places students in congressional offices to learn about public policymaking. The fellowship offers an $8,500 stipend and airfare, with applications due April 1 and preference given to those committed to Asian Pacific American issues.
• Seattle Chapter Installs Youngest President in Chapter History, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Seattle JACL’s 81st annual installation banquet, themed ‘Reflecting on Our Past: Shining Into the Future,’ drew over 400 guests to install Tatsuo M.W. Nakata as the chapter’s youngest-ever president. Pramila Jayapal delivered the keynote address, and awards went to Cherry Kinoshita and the late George Yamane.

Community

• National Firm to Design JA WWII Arkansas Traveling Exhibit, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Quatrefoil Associates has been selected to design a traveling exhibition on the Japanese American experience in WWII Arkansas camps Jerome and Rohwer, part of the ‘Life Interrupted’ project. The project is a partnership between the University at Little Rock and the Japanese American National Museum, funded by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation.
• APALC Releases Preliminary Report on Census 2000, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Asian Pacific American Legal Center released a preliminary demographic profile compiling Census 2000 data on Asian and Pacific Islanders for the U.S., California, and Southern California counties. The report shows APIs as the fastest growing racial group nationally and highlights a dramatic increase in linguistically isolated API households.
• APAs in the News: Awards, Appointments, Announcements, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Nora Mitsumori will be honored at the 18th Annual Women of the Year Awards Luncheon for her advocacy work on Social Security reform for older women. Kent Nagano will become musical director of the Bavarian State Opera in 2006, and WWII veteran Tom Oye received the 2003 Prize for Humanity from The Immortal Chaplains Foundation.
• 100th/442nd Soldiers to Be Featured in Fourth of July Exhibit, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Soldiers William Nakamura and George Saito will be featured in a new military exhibit opening July 4 at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The Go For Broke Educational Foundation recently received the center’s ‘We the People Award’ on behalf of Nisei WWII veterans.
• 34th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage Set for April 26, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Manzanar Committee announced the 34th annual Pilgrimage to Manzanar for April 26 with the theme ‘Call to Action: End Racial Profiling, Stop the War,’ honoring Poston and Jerome internees this year. The program will feature Taiko Center of Los Angeles, an interfaith service, and an expanded weekend of programming funded by a CCLPEP grant.
• Deadline for Terminal Island Memorial Monument Inscriptions Set for March 31, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Terminal Islanders announced a final opportunity for descendants of the nearly 3,000 Japanese Americans who lived on Terminal Island before WWII to inscribe names on the memorial monument plaque. Forms must be postmarked by March 31 and telephone requests will not be accepted.
• Baseball Returns to Manzanar, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The National Park Service will seek federal approval to restore a baseball diamond at the Manzanar National Historic Site, with baseball playing a central role in the park’s grand opening on Nov. 8-9, 2003. Youth teams and present-day Nisei League teams will play games honoring surviving camp ballplayers whose fathers and grandfathers once played behind barbed wire.
• Placer County Nikkei Reunion Preparations in Progress, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Plans are underway for an October reunion of Nikkei who attended Placer County schools before or after WWII, to be held at the Sacramento Hilton Arden West Hotel. The event will include mixers, a banquet, dancing, tours and golf, with a website featuring shared ‘Placer Memories.’
• Acclaimed Photographer Corky Lee Speaks at Mile Hi JACL/OCA Banquet, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Renowned photographer Corky Lee gave the keynote address at the Mile Hi JACL/OCA New Year’s Banquet, featuring a slide show and an auction of a historic 2002 photo of Chinese Americans at Promontory Point, Utah. The photo sold for $1,000, with proceeds benefiting OCA, JACL and the Colorado Asian Pacific Student Alliance.

Sports

• Former Kansas, NBA Player Rex Walters Starts Career in Coaching, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 7. Rex Walters, a Hapa former University of Kansas star and seven-year NBA veteran, is beginning his coaching career as an assistant at Blue Valley Northwest high school under head coach Ed Fritz. Walters brings an intense, hands-on coaching style and hopes to eventually lead a high school or college program.
• NBA All-Star Yao Ming Carries Asians in America to New Heights, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 7. Houston Rockets star Yao Ming has become a cultural phenomenon, inspiring Asian American pride and challenging stereotypes while boosting the team’s ratings and attendance among Asian American fans. His rivalry with Shaquille O’Neal, including a controversial racial remark by O’Neal, sparked national conversations about Asian American representation in sports and media.

Arts & Entertainment

• S.F. International Asian American Film Festival to Run March 6-16, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The 21st San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival will showcase over 130 films from 15 countries, opening with ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ and closing with Greg Pak’s ‘Robot Stories.’ The festival will run at multiple venues in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose, featuring a centerpiece world premiere documentary by Spencer Nakasako.

Obituaries

• Death Notice: Mary Hisako Nakamura Genishi, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Mary Genishi, 81, of Toms River, N.J., passed away Nov. 16 following complications from a broken hip; she was born in Toppenish, Wash., and interned at Gila River and Tule Lake during WWII. She is remembered for her good humor, volunteer work at Community Memorial Hospital, and her family, including husband Richard and daughters Elayne and Celia.

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