Salute to Champions of Redress: the JACL Gala Dinner in Washington

Vol. 147, No. 8, October 17, 2008. 16 pages. View this issue

Redress, and the people who made it happen, led this issue. The JACL held its second annual Gala Awards Dinner on Sept. 25 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C., with more than 300 guests, to mark 20 years since the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Awardees included Grayce Uyehara, John Tateishi and Norman Mineta, and Congressman Mike Honda served as master of ceremonies. Kathy Aoki looked back at the JACL Legislative Education Committee, formed in 1982 to lobby for Redress.

Elsewhere are JACL’s campaign against California’s Proposition 8, a budget shortfall report by Lynda Lin, and Paul Igasaki’s column on why he supports Barack Obama. Go For Broke won $4 million for a new Little Tokyo headquarters, and Manzanar released a new teaching curriculum. Floyd Mori wrote on the economic crisis, and Harry K. Honda wrote on Asians in Ireland.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• JACL Honors ‘Redress Heroes’ at Annual Gala Dinner in D.C., by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL held its second annual Gala Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C., honoring community leaders and organizations who fought for Redress 20 years ago. Awardees included Grayce Uyehara, John Tateishi, Norman Mineta, and others recognized as ‘champions’ of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
• JACL Sees Budget Shortfall, by Lynda Lin, page 1. Despite a six-digit deficit, JACL national board members say the organization’s budget is not in crisis, citing unaccounted revenue from major events like the national convention and Gala Dinner. Declining membership remains the most pressing financial concern for the organization.
• Go For Broke to Build New Little Tokyo Headquarters, page 5. President Bush signed an appropriations measure including $4 million for a new Go For Broke National Education Center headquarters in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo. The new facility will feature interactive exhibits with oral histories from veterans of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd RCT, and Military Intelligence Service.

National

• Filipino Veterans Equity Bill Fails, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Filipino Veterans Equity Bill, which would have provided lump-sum benefits to WWII Filipino veterans, failed to pass after Congress adjourned due to Senate Republican opposition. Sens. Akaka and Inouye vowed to continue the fight for the $198 million measure next year.
• JACL Continues Effort to Defeat Calif. Prop. 8, by P.C. Staff, page 1. With the November election approaching, JACL is intensifying grassroots campaigns opposing California’s Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex marriage. The organization has joined coalitions like ‘APIs Against Proposition 8’ to educate voters ahead of the ballot vote.
• APAs Denounce Ad, DVD on Islam, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 1. A DVD titled ‘Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West’ distributed with The Oregonian sparked protests from Portland JACL leaders and community members who called it anti-Muslim propaganda. Businessman Sho Dozono compared the newspaper’s actions to its historic role in fanning anti-Japanese sentiment during WWII.
• Calif. Fatal Bus Crash Highlights Lure of Casinos for APAs, Seniors, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. A charter bus crash near Williams, Calif. killed eight people, many of them elderly Laotian immigrants traveling to a casino, highlighting how California’s Indian casinos target vulnerable APA seniors with cheap transportation and free perks. Gambling addiction researchers note APA communities have disproportionately high rates of problem gambling compared to national averages.
• Future of Chinese Muslim Detainees is Still Unclear, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Despite a federal judge’s order to release 17 Uighur detainees from Guantanamo Bay after clearing them of enemy combatant status, the Bush administration is fighting the ruling in appeals court. JACL President Larry Oda drew parallels between the Uighurs’ situation and the wartime treatment of Japanese Latin Americans.
• San Franciscans May Help Determine the Future of a High School Military Program, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 4. San Francisco APA students are campaigning for Proposition V, a non-binding ballot measure supporting the JROTC program that the school board voted to phase out. Supporters say the program, dominated by APA cadets, teaches valuable leadership skills despite objections tied to military recruiting and Iraq war politics.
• Hawaii Tourism Chief Rex Johnson Resigns, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 4. Rex Johnson, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, resigned after facing criticism for forwarding racist and sexist e-mails, including jokes targeting Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Civil rights groups including the Honolulu JACL had demanded his firing.
• National Newsbytes, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 4. A roundup of national news items includes the apparent suicide of Japanese businessman Kazuyoshi Miura, a discrimination lawsuit by a South Dakota National Guard colonel, a new Pentagon policy potentially awarding 17,000 Purple Hearts to deceased POWs, a series of attacks targeting elderly APAs in Bethesda, a new Oregon hiking trail commemorating a WWII Japanese bombing site, and Indiana University’s new Asian American Studies program.
• APAs in the News, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 5. This roundup highlights APA achievements including physicist Yoichiro Nambu’s Nobel Prize win, Big Island Police Chief Lawrence Mahuna’s retirement announcement, GLAS JACL scholarship winners, author Kiyo Sato’s Saroyan Prize, Clayton Fong’s upcoming honor from the National Hispanic Council on Aging, filmmaker Steven Okazaki’s Emmy win, and James Tanabe’s community service award.
• SFSU to Commemorate 1968 Strike, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 5. San Francisco State University will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1968 student strike that led to the creation of the College of Ethnic Studies. The five-month strike, led by the Black Student Union and Third World Liberation Front, inspired Ethnic Studies programs nationwide.
• JACL Continues Effort to Defeat Calif. Prop. 8 (Continued), by P.C. Staff, page 11. The article details JACL’s historic 1994 endorsement of marriage equality and continued advocacy against Proposition 8 through local chapters like Watsonville-Santa Cruz JACL. New research shows California is home to the largest percentage of same-sex couples in the nation, many of whom are raising children.
• Manzanar Unveils a Comprehensive Curriculum, ‘Educator Resources’ Box, page 16. The Manzanar National Historic Site released a new 235-page curriculum and an ‘Educator Resources’ teacher box to help educators teach about Japanese American internment history and civil liberties. The materials, funded by a nearly $32,000 grant, include historic documents, documentaries, and reproductions of wartime exclusion posters.
• APA Groups Receive Funding to Create Health Media Campaign, page 16. Two APA collaborations received $225,000 in funding from New Routes to Community Health to create media campaigns addressing immigrant health concerns in languages including Chinese, Lao, and Vietnamese. Winning projects include a DVD for elderly Chinese Americans navigating healthcare in Los Angeles and a digital storytelling project for Southeast Asian immigrants in Philadelphia.

Commentary

• The Economic Meltdown and My Take on the Issue, by Floyd Mori, page 2. Floyd Mori explains how mismanagement and lack of oversight by powerful financial institutions caused the economic crisis, arguing that ordinary consumers are victims rather than culprits. He critiques the government’s rescue plan for leaving homeowners and small business owners at risk despite bailing out major financial institutions.
• A Brief Look Back at JACL’s Legislative Education Committee, by Kathy Aoki, page 7. This article traces the history of JACL’s Legislative Education Committee (LEC), formed in 1982 to lobby for Redress legislation under leaders like Minoru Yasui and Grayce Uyehara. It details the coalition-building and legislative strategy that culminated in the 1988 signing of the Civil Liberties Act.
• Why I Support Barack Obama, by Paul Igasaki, page 7. Igasaki argues that Barack Obama offers the kind of leadership needed to address war, healthcare, education, and the economy while upholding constitutional principles against torture and discrimination. He contrasts Obama’s values with John McCain’s vote against the Redress bill and draws parallels between Obama’s message and JA community activism for justice.
• The Fountain of Youth, by Peter Shigeki Frandsen, page 8. Frandsen reflects on the 2008 presidential race and the difficulty of polling and predicting the youth vote. As a young Republican who supports Barack Obama, he encourages readers to vote based on the issues that matter to them rather than party loyalty.
• Asians in Ireland, a Most ‘Visible’ Minority, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Honda recounts observations from a trip to Ireland, describing the growing Polish migrant population following EU expansion and the long-established but often overlooked Chinese community in Ireland. He also notes a small Japanese population and reflects on cultural identity issues faced by immigrant communities there.
• Vote No on Prop 8: Our Daughter is Not a Second-Class Citizen, by Harold Kameya, page 11. Harold Kameya writes about his journey from initial ignorance to full acceptance of his gay daughter, crediting PFLAG and community outreach for changing his views. He urges Californians to vote no on Proposition 8 to protect his daughter’s right to marry.

Community

• New Reports Reveal APA Voting Power, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 6. New reports from LEAP and a national survey of APA voters reveal that Asian Pacific Americans are becoming an increasingly influential voting bloc, with many still undecided ahead of the 2008 presidential election. The National Asian American Survey found 41 percent of APA likely voters support Obama while 24 percent support McCain, with over a third still undecided.
• Immortalizing WWII JA Heroes, page 6. Three Japanese American WWII veterans helped graphic novelist Billy Tucci introduce his new comic book series ‘Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion’ at the Baltimore Comic Convention. The series places the DC Comics character within the historic ‘Lost Battalion’ rescued by the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
• JA Veterans Group Dedicates Memorial in Korea, page 6. Over 100 members of the Japanese American Korean War Veterans traveled to South Korea to dedicate a memorial honoring JAs killed during the Korean War, adding four more names to the monument. The group also visited the DMZ and the South Korean War Museum during their trip.
• S.F. JACL Makes a Difference, page 6. Volunteers from the Nakayoshi Young Professionals and San Francisco JACL dug over 1,200 holes to plant vegetation at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park. The event was sponsored by the San Francisco JACL as part of an annual volunteer tradition.

Arts & Entertainment

• When Everyone Told Her No, She Rewrote the Rules, by Lynda Lin, page 9. Filmmaker Kimberlee Bassford’s new documentary ‘Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority’ explores the life of the trailblazing Congresswoman who became the first woman of color in Congress and the first woman to run for U.S. president. The film, premiering at the Hawaii International Film Festival, examines Mink’s fight against sexism and her role in passing Title IX legislation.
• S.F.’s Communities of Color Take to the Stage, page 16. San Francisco’s Asian American Theater Company and Lorraine Hansberry Theatre are forming a partnership to cross-promote plays and strengthen ties between their artistic communities. Upcoming productions include ‘Waitin’ 2 End Hell’ and ‘Fayette-Nam,’ both featuring cross-cultural casting and themes.

Obituaries

• Nagaoka, Former L.A. County Sheriff Chief, Dies at 62, page 15. Michael M. Nagaoka, an Army veteran and former chief of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, passed away Sept. 27 at age 62. He served in the department for 34 years, held various leadership assignments, and served a tour of duty in Vietnam with the 4th Infantry Division before his law enforcement career.
• Frank M. Iritani, page 15. Frank M. Iritani, a WWII Military Intelligence Service veteran, Methodist minister, and social worker, died Sept. 30 at age 87. With his wife Joanne, an internment camp survivor, he documented the remains of the nation’s 10 WWII relocation camps and published ‘Ten Visits’ in 1994.
• Lillian Uemura Yamasaki, page 15. Lillian Uemura Yamasaki, a lifelong resident of Kekaha, Kauai, died Aug. 26 at age 94. She was a homemaker and dressmaker who later became a tour narrator, and is survived by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

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