Excising the Demon of Silence: Ann Jyono speaks out

Vol. 144, No. 2, February 2, 2007. 12 pages. View this issue

Ann Marie Jyono’s story led this 12-page issue. In a front-page feature by Lynda Lin, she told how Father Oliver Francis O’Grady, a priest her family welcomed into their Lodi, Calif. home, sexually molested her for seven years, and why she is speaking again now that he has been deported to Ireland. A continuation, “His Pious Facade,” looked at her parents’ marriage and faith. Caroline Aoyagi-Stom reported on Lt. Ehren Watada’s court martial and how it divided the community, and on a grassroots push for a postage stamp honoring the 442nd Regiment, 100th Battalion and MIS veterans.

Other news covered a proposed feedlot near the Minidoka Internment National Monument and the president’s signing of HR 1492, the Camp Preservation Bill. A gala for Norman Mineta, a veterans reunion in Little Tokyo and the Densho posting of the Manzanar Free Press and Minidoka Irrigator also appeared. Sports and commentary pages followed, with columns by Emily Murase and Yumi Sakugawa.

What’s in this issue

In-Depth

• Excising the Demon of Silence, by Lynda Lin, page 1. Ann Marie Jyono reveals that Father Oliver Francis O’Grady, a Catholic priest her devoutly religious family welcomed into their Lodi, Calif. home, sexually molested her for seven years beginning at age five. Decades later, after testifying in a 1993 criminal trial that revealed roughly 25 victims, Ann is speaking out again since O’Grady was deported to Ireland after serving only seven years of a 14-year sentence.
• His Pious Facade, by P.C. Staff, page 6. This continuation piece details how Bob Jyono, a Sansei Buddhist, and Maria Condon, an Irish Catholic nurse, married in 1964 and welcomed priest Oliver O’Grady into their home, unaware he would abuse their daughter Ann for years. The family’s faith and health were devastated by the betrayal, with O’Grady’s crimes later exposed in the documentary ‘Deliver Us from Evil.’

Community

• Hip to be Square, by Lynda Lin, page 1. Cal Tech students Leyan Lo and Tyson Mao are legendary figures in the world of competitive Rubik’s Cube solving, with Tyson co-founding the World Cube Association and both achieving speedcubing world records. The article profiles the Mao brothers and Leyan’s path from casual interest to elite competition, including television appearances and teaching Will Smith to cube for a film.
• APAs in the News, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 4. Veteran journalist Bill Hosokawa will receive the Anti-Defamation League’s 2007 Civil Rights Award, and Mile-Hi JACL honored several community leaders and volunteers at its annual luncheon. The documentary ‘Going for Broke: The 442 Story’ won an award at the Tokyo Video Festival, and author Naomi Hirahara’s novel was nominated for an Edgar Award; Dana Nakano was named the Mike Masaoka Congressional Fellow.
• Political, Community and Business Leaders to Honor Mineta’s Life of Public Service, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A Feb. 24 gala dinner in San Jose will honor Norman Mineta’s career from WWII internment survivor to Cabinet secretary, with proceeds supporting the Japanese American National Museum and the Japanese American Museum of San Jose. Speakers will include Rep. Mike Honda, Mayor Chuck Reed, and actor George Takei.
• All JA Vets Reunion to Feature Former Hawaii Five-O Star Poncie Ponce, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Actor and musician Poncie Ponce will perform at the All Vets Reunion honoring 442nd and other JA veterans, held Feb. 16-18 at the New Otani Hotel in Little Tokyo. The event also includes a memorial service, groundbreaking ceremony details, keynote speaker Maj. Gen. Rodney Kobayashi, and an exhibit at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center.
• Manzanar Free Press and Minidoka Irrigator Now Available on Densho Web Site, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Densho has digitized and posted online the complete collections of the Manzanar Free Press and Minidoka Irrigator newspapers, part of a larger project to make all ten WRA camp newspapers publicly accessible by summer 2007. The archive aims to give students and researchers unprecedented access to daily life inside the camps.
• JA Veterans Break Ground for ‘All Other Wars Memorial’, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Japanese American veterans groups broke ground Jan. 24 on what may be the last memorial to be built in the Japanese American National War Memorial Court in Los Angeles. The memorial will honor those killed in action from the USS Maine, Grenada, and the Iraq War alongside WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War casualties.

National

• Grassroots Campaign Fights for a Commemorative Postage Stamp Honoring the Heroic JA WWII Veterans, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. A grassroots group, largely made up of wives of JA WWII veterans, has spent five years urging the U.S. Postal Service to issue a stamp honoring the 442nd Regiment, 100th Battalion, and MIS veterans, but has been repeatedly rejected. The group has now joined forces with advocates for the Tuskegee Airmen and Navajo Code Talkers to push for a coalition series of commemorative stamps.
• Community Braces for More Heated Debate as Watada Court Martial Begins, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. 1st Lt. Ehren Watada’s court martial began Feb. 5 at Fort Lewis, where he faces charges including conduct unbecoming an officer and missing troop movement for refusing to deploy to Iraq. The case has sparked deeply divided reactions within the Japanese American community, including disagreement among JACL chapters and veterans groups.
• Feedlot Controversy Intensifies, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 1. A proposed 18,555-cow feedlot near the Minidoka Internment National Monument in Idaho is drawing criticism from APA and community groups worried about environmental damage and its effect on the historic site. Jerome County commissioners have restricted testimony to only those living within a one-mile radius, angering former internees and advocacy groups who submitted opposition letters from outside that zone.
• President Signs Internment Camp Bill, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. President Bush signed HR 1492, the Camp Preservation Bill, establishing a $38 million National Park Service grant program to restore and research the 10 WWII Japanese American internment camp sites. Rep. Bill Thomas championed the bill through Congress, and APA leaders say it will help prevent history from repeating itself.
• Chicago School Revokes Honor to Radio Host Mike North, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. Senn High School in Chicago reversed its decision to name a new softball field after alumnus and sports radio host Mike North after backlash over his past racist remarks about a Korean baseball pitcher. JACL Midwest director Bill Yoshino pressed Chicago alderman Mary Ann Smith, who ultimately revoked the honor.
• Column in Princeton Student Newspaper’s Joke Issue Stirs Racism Charges, by Associated Press, page 3. The Daily Princetonian’s joke issue published a column under a byline resembling that of Jian Li, an Asian American student who filed a bias complaint against Princeton, using racial stereotypes and broken English to mock his rejection. The piece sparked outrage among students and alumni, though the paper’s editors defended it as satire meant to critique racism.
• Becerra Reintroduces JA WWII Internment Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rep. Xavier Becerra, joined by Reps. Lungren, Honda and Cannon, reintroduced legislation to create a commission investigating the wartime internment of Latin Americans of Japanese descent during WWII. Sen. Daniel Inouye introduced companion legislation in the Senate with bipartisan co-sponsors.
• National Newsbytes, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 4. Salt Lake City Council considers renaming a downtown street ‘Japantown Street’ to honor the area’s former Japanese American business district. Rep. David Wu introduced legislation to fund grants for colleges serving APA students, and Wisconsin lawmakers proposed teaching about Hmong history following the slaying of a Hmong immigrant.
• Questions Linger as APAs Mourn Slain Hmong Hunter, by Associated Press and P.C. Staff, page 4. Cha Vang, a Hmong hunter from Green Bay, Wisconsin, was found stabbed and shot to death, reigniting racial tensions following a 2004 incident where a Hmong man killed six white hunters. James Nichols was charged with murder, claiming self-defense, while APA groups including JACL are urging prosecutors to consider hate crime charges.
• Watada Court Martial Divides Community Opinion, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 6. This continuation explores the deep divide over Lt. Ehren Watada’s refusal to deploy to Iraq, featuring opposing views from JACL leaders, veterans groups, and organizations like NCRR and AAVVO who support him. A military judge ruled Watada could not use the war’s legality as a defense, dealing a blow to his case ahead of the court martial’s outcome.
• Grassroots Stamp Campaign Continued: A Coalition Effort, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 12. The article continues detailing the coalition between advocates for JA WWII veterans, Tuskegee Airmen, and Navajo Code Talkers stamps, including support from politicians like Sen. Daniel Inouye and former Arizona legislator Sylvia Laughter. USPS spokesperson Roy Betts said none of the three proposals are currently under active consideration by the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee.

Sports

• Contract Issue Hangs over Mariners, Ichiro Suzuki, by Associated Press, page 7. The Seattle Mariners face uncertainty over star outfielder Ichiro Suzuki’s contract, which expires in October, though GM Bill Bavasi says there’s no urgency to resolve it before spring training. Suzuki, a six-time All-Star, is preparing for the season in Japan while his agent waits for the club to present an offer.
• With Junior Title to Her Name, Nagasu an Unknown No More, by Associated Press, page 7. Thirteen-year-old Mirai Nagasu stunned favorite Caroline Zhang to win the U.S. junior figure skating title, despite her coach’s modest expectations going in. Nagasu, whose parents own a sushi restaurant in Arcadia, Calif., balances rigorous training with school and family business duties.
• Taiko Aerobics Drums Up All-Body Workout for All Fitness Levels, by Associated Press and P.C. Staff, page 7. A Tucson dojo offers ‘TaikoFit,’ a fitness class combining aerobics with taiko drumming techniques, appealing to beginner exercisers seeking a fun workout. Traditional taiko drumming, demonstrated by performers from Odaiko Sonora, offers a more intense full-body workout requiring strength and stamina.

Commentary

• The Nisei Legacy, by Emily Murase, page 8. Emily Murase reflects on the death of her Uncle Yoshio and the broader debt owed to the Nisei generation who endured internment and racism, offering a list of ways descendants can honor their sacrifices. She urges readers to record Nisei stories, visit historic sites, read relevant books, and defend civil rights for all.
• Back to the Motherland, by Yumi Sakugawa, page 8. Yumi Sakugawa, soon to graduate college, describes her decision to move to Japan rather than pursue grad school, hoping the experience will help her figure out her future while reconnecting with her heritage. She humorously imagines her time abroad unfolding like scenes from an Asian American coming-of-age novel.

Arts & Entertainment

• ‘Survivor’ Winner Yul Kwon Triumphs as a Red-Blooded American, by Lynda Lin, page 9. Yul Kwon’s win on ‘Survivor: Cook Islands’ made him a rare positive APA role model on reality TV, though he says the show’s racial team divisions nearly caused him to quit. The article also profiles other APA reality show contestants like Robert Talon and Jenny Guzon-Bae, and discusses the broader debate over stereotyping in unscripted television.

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