Kabuki, the Senate immigration bill and Camp Amache’s landmark status

Vol. 142, No. 10, June 2, 2006. 12 pages. View this issue

Ken Kanesaka’s path into kabuki led this 12-page issue. Lynda Lin told how the 25-year-old from Huntington Beach, Calif., trained under Nakamura Ganjiro III and became a kabuki actor. Also on the front page: the Senate’s passage of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, covered again on page 6; the dedication of Amache as a National Historic Landmark; and Bill Yoshino’s account of a museum visit with John Tateishi and Sam Ozaki after a film used a slur. Caroline Aoyagi-Stom asked why American Girl still had no Asian American doll.

Inside are Robert Rusky on Mitsuye Endo and the incarceration cases, Ted Namba’s preview of the JACL national convention in Arizona, and a San Francisco measure to protect Japantown. Sports covered Apolo Anton Ohno’s break from skating, Hee-Won Han’s LPGA win and Travis Ishikawa’s call-up to the Giants. Stewart David Ikeda reviewed the film Americanese.

What’s in this issue

Arts & Entertainment

• Conquering the Floating World, by Lynda Lin, page 1. Ken Kanesaka, a 25-year-old Japanese American from Huntington Beach, Calif., became the first non-Japanese citizen to break into the centuries-old, blood-lineage-based world of kabuki theater, training under National Living Treasure Nakamura Ganjiro III. Despite facing prejudice as a gaijin within the theater, Ken has embraced the dual worlds of tradition and modernity, hoping to make kabuki relevant to future generations.
• With ‘Americanese,’ One Step Back, Two Steps Forward for APA Film, by Stewart David Ikeda, page 9. Eric Byler’s film ‘Americanese,’ adapted from Shawn Wong’s novel ‘American Knees’ and starring Chris Tashima and Joan Chen, won both the audience award and a special jury prize for ensemble cast at South by Southwest. The film is praised for authentically portraying multicultural Asian American life and relationships without relying on typical immigrant-history narratives.

National

• Are AA Girls Part of American History?, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. Parents and activists are frustrated that American Girl’s historical doll collection, which includes African American, Mexican American, and Native American dolls, still lacks an Asian American doll despite APA presence in the U.S. since the 1500s. The company points to its biracial ‘Jess’ doll and customizable ‘Just Like You’ line as alternatives, but critics say these fail to address the need for authentic AA historical representation.
• U.S. Senate Passes Immigration Bill, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 1. The Senate passed the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (SB 2611) by a 62-36 vote, including a provision from Sens. Akaka and Inouye to help reunify families of Filipino WWII veterans. Reaction from Asian Pacific American groups was mixed, with some criticizing the bill’s harsh provisions imported from the more conservative House bill.
• Looking at the Entire Legacy of a Man, Even the Tarnishes, by Lynda Lin, page 1. A bronze bust of the late Sen. Henry ‘Scoop’ Jackson, who supported Japanese American internment during WWII but later championed civil rights and redress, was moved from obscurity to a prominent outdoor location at the University of Washington. University officials and JACL members are using the move as a teaching opportunity about Jackson’s complex legacy and personal transformation.
• Amache Camp Gets Formal Landmark Designation, by Associated Press, page 1. The former Granada Relocation Center, known as Camp Amache, was formally dedicated as a National Historic Landmark on May 20, marking the culmination of over 20 years of preservation work by the Japanese American community and the town of Granada. The camp held nearly 7,600 people at its peak and included a cemetery memorializing 11 children who died there.
• Wen Ho Lee Case May Be Settled, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. The U.S. Supreme Court delayed a decision on a reporters’ confidential sources case because former Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee’s related lawsuit against the government may be settled. Lee, who was never charged with espionage, had spent 279 days in solitary confinement before pleading guilty to a single count of mishandling data.
• Civil Rights Groups Urge Lawmakers to Act on Voting Rights Act Reauthorization Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Civil rights groups are pressing lawmakers to reauthorize expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act before August 2007. The House Judiciary Committee passed HR 9, a reauthorization bill named for Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King, with a companion bill also introduced in the Senate.
• New Orleans’ APA Community Protests Landfill, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Vietnamese American families near New Orleans are protesting a new landfill for hurricane debris located less than two miles from their homes, fearing contamination of their water supply. Congressman Mike Honda and other lawmakers sent a letter urging the Army Corps of Engineers not to open the controversial Chef Menteur site.
• JACL Continues to Criticize Adidas Over Racist Sneakers, by P.C. Staff, page 3. JACL sent a letter to Adidas America criticizing the company’s slow and ‘cavalier’ response to protests over its Y1 Huf ‘Ray Fong’ sneaker, which caricatured an Asian face. JACL Executive Director John Tateishi questioned why no one at Adidas recognized the design as offensive before it reached the public.
• Pelosi and Woolsey Secure $250,000 for Historic Angel Island, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Lynn Woolsey secured $250,000 in federal funding to renovate the Angel Island Immigration Station Hospital Building, which will become a museum and genealogical research facility. The funding builds on a previous $15 million authorization to preserve the site, known as the ‘Ellis Island of the West,’ where many Asian immigrants were detained from 1910 to 1940.
• SB 2611 Continued: Immigration Bill Sparks Mixed Reactions, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 6. The Senate’s immigration bill SB 2611 includes border security funding, a guest worker program, and a path to citizenship, drawing both praise and criticism from Asian American advocacy groups like NAKASEC and AAJC. Critics say the bill’s tiered legalization program and anti-immigrant provisions borrowed from the House bill undermine its stated goals.
• APA Youths Cope with Studies — and a Model Minority Myth, by Associated Press, page 8. Tucson high schooler Heayeon Lee’s academic struggles challenge the ‘model minority’ stereotype often applied to Asian Pacific American students, many of whom face language barriers and limited parental involvement in school. Community organizations like the Pan Asian Community Alliance of Tucson work to provide educational support and dispel misconceptions about APA students.

Commentary

• Making a Point at Patriots Point, by Bill Yoshino, page 1. JACL’s Bill Yoshino and John Tateishi visited the Patriots Point Naval Museum after a Boy Scout troop was exposed to a WWII film using the slur ‘Jap’ and a flight simulator targeting Japanese planes. With help from WWII veteran Sam Ozaki, they persuaded museum director David Burnette to acknowledge the problems and consider changes to the exhibits.
• Staying Connected in an Interconnected World, by Sheldon Arakaki, page 2. Sheldon Arakaki describes his visit to the Pacific Citizen’s Little Tokyo office and the hardworking small staff producing the biweekly newspaper on a tight budget. He urges readers to donate to the Spring Campaign to help expand the P.C.’s website and digital outreach to younger generations.
• We Should Never Forget Mitsuye Endo, by Robert Rusky, page 2. The author reflects on the legal legacy of Mitsuye Endo, whose 1944 Supreme Court victory established that the War Powers did not authorize the incarceration of admittedly loyal citizens. Though narrower than hoped, her case provided Japanese Americans a moral vindication that shaped their post-incarceration lives.
• Gay or Asian? All of the Above, by Yumi Sakugawa, page 8. Columnist Yumi Sakugawa reflects on the challenges her gay Asian American friends face reconciling their sexuality with family expectations, sharing stories of friends who hid their identities or were nearly disowned. She expresses hope that younger generations of Asian Americans are becoming more accepting, citing greater visibility in media and community events.

Community

• Commission Passes Ordinance to Help Preserve San Francisco’s Japantown, by P.C. Staff, page 3. San Francisco’s Planning Commission unanimously approved two ordinances establishing controls and a special use district to protect Japantown’s cultural character. The measure now heads to the Board of Supervisors’ Land Use Committee for further review.
• APAs in the News, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. This roundup highlights several Asian Pacific Americans in the news, including Rev. Hosho and Mieko Shindo being honored with their own day in Hawaii, JACLer Brian Moriguchi receiving public safety recognition, debater Elizabeth Takahashi advancing to nationals, and Capt. Donald Chandler taking command of a Navy base. Each individual was recognized for notable personal or professional achievements.
• Honoring the Fallen, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Family members of Japanese American veterans killed in action paid tribute at the Japanese American War Memorial Court during Memorial Day services in Little Tokyo. The ceremony honored several fallen soldiers and was presented by Japanese American veterans organizations representing multiple wars.
• Korean War Vets Launch Fundraiser for Hershey Miyamura Tribute, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 5. The city of Gallup, New Mexico is building a monument honoring Hiroshi ‘Hershey’ Miyamura, the only Japanese American Korean War Medal of Honor recipient, and the Japanese American Korean War Veterans group launched a $30,000 fundraising campaign to support it. Miyamura killed more than 50 enemy soldiers before being captured and spent 28 months as a POW; excess funds will go toward an additional memorial in Los Angeles.

JACL

• 12 Reasons Why You Will Always Remember Attending JACL 2006, by Ted Namba, page 5. Outgoing convention chair Ted Namba lists highlights to anticipate at the 2006 JACL National Convention in Arizona, including author panels, the Arizona premiere of ‘Camp Dance,’ a Gila Monument tour, and the Sayonara Banquet. He encourages members to attend the convention themed ‘Phoenix Rising: Leadership for a New Generation.’

Sports

• Ohno ‘Taking a Break’ from Skating, Says He May Never Return, by Associated Press, page 7. Olympic speed skating champion Apolo Anton Ohno announced he is taking a break from competitive skating after winning five Olympic medals across two Games. He said he may return to a future Olympics as a goodwill ambassador rather than a competitor, and is currently exploring the entertainment industry in Los Angeles.
• Hee-Won Han Beats Meena Lee in Four-hole Playoff at Corning, by Associated Press, page 7. Hee-Won Han won the LPGA Corning Classic after a dramatic four-hole playoff against close friend Meena Lee, her first win of the year and fifth overall. The victory also affected Lee’s qualification status for the U.S. Open, as she had not applied by the exemption deadline.
• Giants Call Up Ishikawa from Double-A Connecticut, page 7. The San Francisco Giants called up infielder Travis Ishikawa from Double-A to fill in at first base while Lance Niekro was on the disabled list. Ishikawa was batting .256 with three home runs in Double-A before his promotion.

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