Little Rock in 1957, the JACL Salute to Champions and a Honduras project

Vol. 145, No. 6, September 21, 2007. 16 pages. View this issue

Fifty years after the Little Rock Central High School crisis, Kaz Oishi, Tosh Oishi, Frank Nakamura and Richard Yada looked back on attending school there in 1957, when Japanese American families were treated as neither black nor white. Also on the front page, Shin and Cosmo Fujiyama described Students Helping Honduras, which has raised close to $500,000, and Lynda Lin reported on twelve-year-old Kianna Lee’s English Channel relay swim. JACL news included the inaugural “A Salute to Champions” gala in Washington, D.C., hosted by George Takei, and the 2007 JACL National Scholarship winners.

Letters from Loren Ishii, Edith Kawamoto Frederick and Ed Mitoma weighed in on Lt. Ehren Watada and a possible JACL name change. Harry Honda wrote about 25 years of PANA conventions, and Cheryl Watamura Martinez visited Dusseldorf’s Little Tokyo. The issue also covered the diaries of a Buddhist priest held in a World War II camp, and an interview with comedian Bobby Lee.

What’s in this issue

In-Depth

• JAs Found Acceptance: Little Rock Central High School Fifty Years Later, by Lynda Lin, page 1. Fifty years after the Little Rock Central High School integration crisis, former Japanese American students Kaz Oishi, Tosh Oishi, Frank Nakamura and Richard Yada reflect on their relatively normal high school experiences amid the racial tension of 1957. The article explores how JA families were treated as neither black nor white and navigated a fraught racial landscape shaped by Arkansas’ history of hostility toward both groups.
• Fujiyama Siblings Dedicate Themselves to Helping Honduran Orphans, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. Siblings Shin and Cosmo Fujiyama founded Students Helping Honduras, raising close to $500,000 to build a school, install a water system, and construct 75 homes for the impoverished village of Siete de Abril. The recent college graduates have dedicated years of their lives to helping orphans and residents in the community near El Progreso, Honduras.
• Diaries Give a Glimpse of the Role of Religion Behind Barbwire, by Lynda Lin, page 1. Rev. Daisho Tana, a Buddhist priest interned during WWII, wrote roughly 1,600 pages of diaries in Japanese documenting camp life and the role of Buddhism in the Japanese American community. UC Berkeley professor Dr. Duncan Williams is translating the diaries into English, aiming for publication in 2008.

Sports

• Young APA Swimmer Conquers the English Channel, by Lynda Lin, page 1. Twelve-year-old Kianna Lee and her Colorado Open Water Swimmers teammates became the youngest relay team to swim the 23.5-mile English Channel, finishing in under 10 hours despite seasickness and seaweed attacks. Kianna overcame her fears and physical setbacks with the support of her family and coach Voni Oerman to help set the world record.

Commentary

• An Insult to JA Veterans, by Loren Ishii, page 2. A letter writer criticizes the national JACL’s resolution supporting Lt. Ehren Watada, arguing that Watada’s refusal to deploy was military disobedience rather than comparable to WWII resisters of conscience. The writer, a VFW commander, expresses concern the decision will divide the JA community and disenfranchise veterans.
• Lt. Watada and a Possible Name Change, by Edith Kawamoto Frederick, page 2. A letter writer thanks the JACL national board for supporting Lt. Ehren Watada’s stance against the war, calling his courage admirable. She also supports expanding JACL’s inclusiveness in response to a proposed name change discussion.
• A Name Change for JACL?, by Ed Mitoma, page 2. A South Bay JACL member argues against unilaterally changing the JACL name to Asian American Citizens League, citing the organizational, financial, and logistical challenges involved. He instead recommends forming a coalition of existing APA organizations rather than expanding JACL’s scope.
• ‘One is Silver and the Other is Gold’, by Edwin Endow, page 2. JACL National VP of Membership Edwin Endow discusses a new membership campaign targeting lapsed JACL members from 2005 to present. He shares heartwarming stories of new life memberships, including a two-year-old and a three-month-old, to encourage continued recruitment efforts.
• Sizing Up PANA After 25 Years: The ‘North-South Fever’, by Harry Honda, page 11. Harry Honda reflects on 25 years of PANA (Pan American Nikkei Association) conventions since the first one in Mexico City in 1981, discussing the evolving concept of Nikkei identity across Latin America. He details Nikkei populations and cultural preservation efforts in Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Indonesia, and Brazil, drawing from the 14th COPANI convention in Sao Paulo.
• Little Tokyo in Germany, by Cheryl Watamura Martinez, page 11. Cheryl Watamura Martinez describes Dusseldorf, Germany’s significant Japanese expatriate community and its Little Tokyo district near Immermann Street, filled with Japanese grocery stores, restaurants, and shops. She recounts her humorous experiences shopping and dining there despite not speaking Japanese herself.

National

• JACL Hosts Inaugural Awards Gala, by Meilee Wong, page 3. The national JACL held its inaugural ‘A Salute to Champions’ gala dinner at the JW Marriott in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 12, hosted by George Takei and drawing about 310 guests. Honorees included State Farm Insurance, Karen Narasaki, Ambassador Ryozo Kato, Sen. Daniel Inouye, and Sen. Larry Craig for their contributions to the APIA community.
• APA Groups: Chicago Drowning Death is a Hate Crime, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Chicago police have not classified the drowning death of Vietnamese fisherman Du Doan as a hate crime, but Asian Pacific American groups argue evidence shows he was targeted because of his race. Suspect John J. Haley was charged with first-degree murder, and JACL’s Bill Yoshino noted a pattern of targeting Asian American fishermen at Montrose Harbor.
• National Newsbytes, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 4. A roundup of national news briefs covers an archaeological tour of tunnels under Fresno’s Chinatown, San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew’s perjury case, a new park over Boston’s Big Dig in Chinatown, Rep. David Wu’s support for a student financial aid bill benefiting low-income APA students, and an Oklahoma attorney’s petition to end affirmative action.
• In the News, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 5. Briefs cover Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu’s $5 million bail, Matt Shiraki’s appointment as the new White House APA Liaison, Keiko Wada receiving the Tribute Center September 11th Teacher Award, Norman Mineta becoming honorary board chair of an APA investment managers association, Steven Lee receiving a 9/11 memorial scholarship, and Yosuke Ochi retaining his Air Guitar World Championship title.

Community

• NPS Hosts JA Confinement Site Workshops, Seeks Public Comment, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The National Park Service is hosting workshops nationwide to develop grant criteria for implementing Public Law 109-441, which authorizes up to $38 million for preserving Japanese American confinement sites. The law follows earlier efforts including the establishment of Manzanar and Minidoka as National Historic Sites.

JACL

• JACL Honors Its National Scholars, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The National JACL announced its 2007 scholarship winners across freshman, graduate, undergraduate, law, performing arts, dentistry, and financial aid divisions, awarding 28 scholarships totaling $55,000. Excerpts from winners’ personal statements reflect on honoring their Japanese American heritage through various career and community pursuits.

Arts & Entertainment

• Almost Famous, by Lynda Lin, page 12. Comedian Bobby Lee discusses his seventh season on Fox’s ‘MADtv,’ his past struggles with addiction, and his desire to find his next career level amid budget cuts to the show. He also talks about his failed film career, upcoming Comedy Central pilot, and frustration with limited opportunities for Asian Americans on television.

Obituaries

• Death Notice: Jim Shigeru Okuda, by P.C. Staff, page 15. Jim Shigeru Okuda, 86, passed away Sept. 14 at Kindred Hospital in Westminster, survived by his wife Shizuko and children Donald, Stanley, and Nancy. Funeral services were held Sept. 22 at Wintersburg Presbyterian Church in Santa Ana.
• Miyoshi Umeki, Oscar-Winning Actress, Dies at 78, by P.C. Staff, page 15. Miyoshi Umeki, who won an Oscar for her role as the doomed wife of an American serviceman in ‘Sayonara’ and later starred in the Broadway musical ‘Flower Drum Song,’ died Aug. 28 in Licking, Missouri at age 78. She is survived by a son and two grandchildren.

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