Generation MIX, the JACL budget and a campaign for the P.C. online

Vol. 140, No. 6, April 1, 2005. 12 pages. View this issue

Generation MIX led the April 1, 2005 issue. Caroline Aoyagi reported on five young adults who set out in a 26-foot RV for an 8,000-mile, 15-city tour to start a national conversation about the mixed race community. Elsewhere, JACL ended 2004 with a $49,788 budget surplus, and board members still urged caution for 2005. Larry Grant wrote in his commentary about the Spring Campaign, which would fund the launch of the P.C.’s online edition. Aoyagi also covered APIA worries over Social Security.

Lori Matsukawa wrote about the fifth Japanese American Leadership Delegation to Japan. The Associated Press reported on the 442nd Regimental Combat Team’s 62nd anniversary in Honolulu, and on descendants of H.L. Rhyne and Isao Date meeting after 60 years. Lynda Lin looked at cell phone culture among young APAs and at the Haole Hubby Club. The Masaoka Fellowship deadline moved to April 15. Sports pages followed Ichiro Suzuki at spring training.

What’s in this issue

National

• Generation MIX Tour Takes Mixed Race Dialogue Across America in a 26-Foot RV, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. Five young adults of mixed race heritage embark on an 8,000-mile, 15-city RV tour called Generation MIX to spark national dialogue about the growing mixed race community. The tour, organized by nonprofit MAVIN, includes workshops, community events, and stops aimed at educating families raising mixed race youth.
• APIA Community Worries About Future of Social Security, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. U.S. Rep. Mike Honda and other Democratic lawmakers voiced personal and political concerns over President Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security, noting that APIA seniors rely disproportionately on the program. Lawmakers including Zoe Lofgren, Xavier Becerra, and Doris Matsui argued privatization would harm rather than help the system’s long-term stability.
• Kin of Valley Killer and JA Victim Meet After 60 Years, by Associated Press, page 3. Sixty years after H.L. Rhyne shot and killed Japanese immigrant Isao Date in Texas, descendants of both men met for the first time following a newspaper story that revealed the killing’s racial motivation. Rhyne’s great-grandson apologized to Date’s son, who accepted the gesture while recounting his family’s history of moving forward after the tragedy.
• Fifth JA Leadership Delegation Makes Its Mark in Japan, by Lori Matsukawa, page 3. Twelve Japanese American leaders visited Japan March 4-12 as the fifth Japanese American Leadership Delegation, meeting with government officials, business leaders, and Princess Takamado to strengthen U.S.-Japan ties. Discussions covered topics including U.S.-Japan relations, multicultural coexistence, and opportunities for Japanese Americans to build connections with Japanese citizens living abroad.
• 442nd Veterans Celebrate 62nd Anniversary, by Associated Press, page 3. More than 1,500 veterans and family members gathered in Honolulu to celebrate the 62nd anniversary of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, one of the most decorated units in U.S. military history. Aging veterans reflected on dwindling numbers and paid tribute to soldiers currently serving in Iraq, including the family of a recently killed lieutenant.
• National Newsbytes, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 4. A roundup of national news briefs covers a controversial ‘minority discount’ bake sale by College Republicans, a Census study showing Asian and Black women with degrees earning more than white women, and a judge’s refusal to reconsider the dismissal of the Katrina Leung espionage case. Other items include a teen’s conviction for murdering a Chinese food deliveryman, discovery of a WWII Japanese submarine off Hawaii, and growing enrollment in Chinese language classes at the University of Kansas.
• Generation MIX Tour Destinations and Details, by P.C. Staff, page 8. This continuation of the Generation MIX story lists tour dates across 15 cities and describes the tour’s mission to foster dialogue about mixed race identity. Tour members discuss their personal backgrounds and hopes for engaging with communities and families along the route.

Community

• All the Flash Money Can Buy, by Lynda Lin, page 1. The American mobile phone industry booms among young APA consumers who spend heavily on flashy accessories, ringtones, and cases for their cell phones. The trend reveals community divisions and self-consciousness, with some arguing the obsession is stereotyped as being tied to recent immigrant identity rather than American-born Asian identity.
• APAs in the News, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 4. Brief items highlight achievements by Asian Pacific Americans, including Sandra Tanamachi receiving the Bronze Good Citizenship Medal for her efforts against derogatory road names, and Susan Au Allen’s induction into the Minority Business Hall of Fame. Other honorees include novelist Ha Jin, several East West Players Visionary Award recipients, former Mayor Charlene Hatekeyama, and a bank CEO recognized for financial performance.
• PSWD and Venice-Culver Announce Fellowship Program, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Venice-Culver JACL and Pacific Southwest District Office announced their collaboration on the 2005 Frances Kitagawa Fellowship Program, an eight-week internship honoring longtime JACL leader Frances Kitagawa. The program places an intern at the PSWD office to work across several district councils.
• GLAS Announces Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The JACL Greater L.A. Singles Chapter is offering its annual Hana Uno Memorial Scholarship of $1,000 to a college-bound senior of Japanese descent from a single-parent family. The scholarship honors Hana Uno Shepard, a longtime GLAS/JACL member active in the redress movement.
• San Mateo Library Seeks Camp Experience Book Donations, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The San Mateo Public Library Foundation is seeking book donations about the Japanese American internment camp experience for its new library, which will include a Special Remembrance Collection. The library plans a full Japanese American Cultural Spotlight Program in 2006, including exhibitions, lectures, and culinary events.
• Cell Phones as Cultural Accessories Among Young APAs, by Lynda Lin, page 5. This continuation piece explores how cell phone customization has become a booming trend among young Asian Pacific Americans, with Asian-owned cell phone stores dominating retail strips in cities like San Gabriel. The article examines differing views within the APA community about whether the obsession with flashy phone accessories reflects recent immigrant status versus assimilated American identity.

Commentary

• The Next Step, by Larry Grant, page 1. IDC PC Board Representative Larry Grant reflects on his lifelong love of reading newspapers, including the Pacific Citizen, and traces how the paper has evolved over the years. He calls on JACL members to support the Spring Campaign, which will fund the launch of the P.C.’s online edition, and outlines other ways members can support the paper.

JACL

• JACL Closes Out ’04 with Budget Surplus, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Despite dire predictions of a $50,000 deficit, JACL ended 2004 with a $49,788 budget surplus thanks to a membership increase and grant monies from completed programs. National board members nonetheless warn of financial caution needed for 2005, especially during the traditionally slow summer membership months.
• Application Deadline Extended for Masaoka Fellowship Program, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The deadline for the Mike M. Masaoka Fellowship Fund, which places students in Congressional offices, has been extended to April 15. The fellowship offers a stipend and airfare to Washington, D.C. for a term working on public policy issues affecting Japanese Americans.
• JACL Closes Out ’04 With Budget Surplus (continued), by P.C. Staff, page 8. This continuation details JACL’s 2004 finances, including corporate donations from Ford, State Farm, Wal-Mart, and AT&T, plus a $52,000 personal donation from Thousand Club member Anthony Plummer. National Secretary/Treasurer Mark Kobayashi expresses cautious optimism while warning that 71 percent of JACL members are over age 50, raising concerns about the organization’s long-term membership future.

Arts & Entertainment

• Off the Fat of the Land and Other New Books, by Yumi Sakugawa, page 6. This roundup reviews several new books including ‘Off the Fat of the Land’ examining anti-Japanese propaganda in the Denver Post during internment, a Merced County photographic history, and George Nakagawa’s childhood memoir of internment camp life. Other featured titles include an American woman’s memoir of life in China and works on Seattle’s International District and Asian American stereotypes.
• So You Married a White Guy… Join the Haole Hubby Club, by Lynda Lin, page 9. Brandy Yamamoto created the Haole Hubby Club, an online forum for Asian women married to Caucasian men to share stories about cultural differences and marriage issues. The site has grown into a popular community with photo albums, merchandise, and sections for various family dynamics, though it has also drawn some criticism over stereotyping.

Sports

• Ichiro Keeps the Momentum Going at Spring Training, by Tim Korte, page 7. Seattle Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki continued his hot hitting into spring training, leading the Cactus League with a .531 average after breaking the single-season hits record in 2004. Suzuki downplayed speculation about chasing a .400 season or DiMaggio’s hitting streak record, focusing instead on his approach at the plate.
• Not Yet a Million-Dollar Baby, but Girl Boxer from North Korea Has Olympic Dreams, by Burt Herman, page 7. Choi Hyun Mi, a 14-year-old boxer who defected from North Korea with her family, trains in Seoul with Olympic aspirations after being discovered as a top athlete in her home country. Her South Korean trainers, including former champion Chang Jung-koo, are offering free coaching as she adapts to a new training regimen and hopes to compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
• McDonnell Wins Breaststroke Events, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Brigid Mary K. McDonnell, an 11-12 age group breaststroke champion from Georgia, won two events and placed third in another at the 2005 Southern Zone Eastern Section Age Group Championship. McDonnell, a sixth grader, swam personal bests at the meet held in Atlanta.

Obituaries

• Shimanouchi Lederer, Founder of Japanese American Social Services, Inc., Passes, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Midori Shimanouchi Lederer, founder of Japanese American Social Services, Inc. in New York, died March 9 at age 81 from respiratory failure. Interned at Topaz during WWII, she later dedicated her career to helping elderly and non-English speaking Asian Americans access social services.
• Takashi Sugiura, Retired Smithsonian Institution Art Conservator, Dies, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Takashi Sugiura, a renowned conservator of East Asian paintings at the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art, died March 15 at age 93. He was the first private Japanese civilian to immigrate to the U.S. after WWII by an act of Congress, and worked at the Freer Gallery from 1953 to 1980.
• Kinji Imada, San Francisco Architect, Dies at 77, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Kinji Imada, an architect interned at Gila River during WWII and later a partner in the firm Oakland and Imada known for the Eichler house design, died March 14 after a battle with prostate cancer. He was active in organizing reunions for his internment camp high school class.
• Satomi Ishihara Tanimoto, Gridley Horticulturalist, Passes, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Satomi Ishihara Tanimoto passed away peacefully on March 17 at age 88, having lived in Gridley, California since 1946 as a horticulturalist and farmer’s wife. She was preceded in death by her husband Masashi ‘Mike’ Tanimoto and is survived by four children and a granddaughter.
• Fuju ‘Mayor’ Sasaki, Issei Pioneer, Passes, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Fuju Sasaki, an Issei pioneer known for his community activities especially in Seabrook, N.J., died March 3 in Torrance, California at age 106. He is survived by six children, 12 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.
• Kiyoko B. Yamashita, Japanese-American Community Leader, Passes, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Kiyoko B. Yamashita, 88, a founding member and chairman of the Nichibei Fujinkai cultural exchange club, passed away March 27 in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Born in San Francisco and a UC Berkeley graduate, she was active in numerous Japanese American organizations and is survived by five children and six grandchildren.

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