Gold Medal for Nisei veterans, and the NYC mosque parallel

Vol. 151, No. 7, October 1, 2010. 16 pages. View this issue

Congress passed the Congressional Gold Medal bill for Japanese American World War II veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the 100th Infantry Battalion and the Military Intelligence Service, sending it to President Obama. Christine McFadden wrote on the friendship between Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and Rev. T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki, and on parallels between anti-Muslim sentiment and the World War II incarceration (often called internment). Columns by Floyd Mori on changing the JACL’s name and Bill Yoshino on state curriculum standards on the incarceration ran in the same issue.

Also inside: California’s new Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution, a Heart Mountain conference on the camp’s aftermath, and the dedication of Miyamura High School in Gallup. Nalea J. Ko reported on Vietnamese and Thai American fishermen after the Gulf oil spill and on a Richmond flower growers’ exhibit. The JACL gala honored women champions.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Keep Fighting For JA Vets Stamp, by Ed Mitoma, page 2. A letter writer urges the JACL to push for a first-class Japanese American commemorative postal stamp before the opportunity fades as regular mail declines. The writer suggests forming a planning committee to discuss the issue with the Postal Service and agree on an action plan quickly.
• Thanks to Scholarship Committee Volunteers, by Carol Kawamoto, page 2. The National JACL Scholarship Committee chair thanks Chicago and Portland JACL volunteers for evaluating scholarship applications across multiple categories. She acknowledges the difficulty of the assessment process given the many talented applicants and wishes them success.
• Time For Changes, by Floyd Mori, page 2. JACL National Director Floyd Mori argues the organization must modernize and reach beyond Japanese Americans to grow membership, even suggesting a name change to be more inclusive. He notes that newer immigrant communities facing discrimination, like Muslims after 9/11 and Vietnamese Americans after Katrina and the BP spill, could benefit from and contribute to the JACL.
• Teaching the Internment, by Bill Yoshino, page 2. Yoshino discusses JACL’s objection to Texas’s revised curriculum standards that equated the Japanese American internment experience with that of German and Italian Americans, ignoring the racial basis of the exclusion. He highlights JACL research showing 23 states omit the internment from curriculum standards entirely.
• Masaoka Family Scholarship History, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Pacific Citizen editor emeritus Harry Honda traces the origins of the JACL scholarship program to a memorial fund established for Pvt. Ben Frank Masaoka, killed rescuing the Lost Battalion, and details how his mother Haruye Masaoka used his GI death benefits to fund the first postwar JACL scholarship. The piece also recounts the Masaoka family’s landmark legal victory against California’s Alien Land Law in 1950.
• The Shigeki Shake Down: A Legacy Worth Pursuing, by Peter Shigeki Frandsen, page 8. Frandsen reflects on his family’s annual Labor Day Picnic tradition and a cherished childhood memory of his grandfather Shigeki Ushio’s prank with a dead bee, using it to explore ideas of personal legacy. He argues that true legacy is built not through fame but through how one treats and uplifts others.
• Mori: On Changing JACL’s Name, by Floyd Mori, page 14. Continuing his column, Mori describes an incident where a senator’s office treated a request for representation at a JACL event as merely diplomatic, illustrating persistent perceptions of JACL as foreign despite its 80-year American history. He argues the organization should consider changing what the JACL acronym stands for while retaining the recognizable letters.
• Yoshino: State Curriculum Standards on Internment, by Bill Yoshino, page 14. Yoshino details research showing which states include or omit the Japanese American internment from their educational curriculum standards, noting California, Washington, Minnesota, and Arkansas have comprehensive coverage while many Southern and Western states do not. He argues for persuading all states to properly teach this history, especially given its relevance to post-9/11 issues like the Patriot Act and Islamic center controversies.

National

• Parallels Between Ground Zero Mosque Controversy and JA Internment, by Christine McFadden, page 3. The article explores the friendship between Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, backer of the Park51 project near Ground Zero, and Rev. T. Kenjitsu Nakagaki of the New York Buddhist Church, drawing parallels between anti-Muslim sentiment today and anti-Japanese American hysteria during WWII. Community leaders, scholars, and JA internment survivors discuss the shared experience of religious and racial profiling faced by both communities in wartime America.
• Asian American Fishermen in Limbo After the Gulf Oil Spill, by Nalea J. Ko, page 4. Vietnamese and Thai American fishermen affected by the BP Gulf oil spill describe frustration with delayed compensation and the end of the Vessels of Opportunity clean-up program. Claims administrator Kenneth Feinberg promises a more efficient and generous claims process as mental health concerns rise among displaced fishing communities.
• Congress Honors JA WWII Veterans, by Associated Press and P.C. Staff, page 6. Congress passed legislation awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Japanese American WWII veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 100th Infantry Battalion, and Military Intelligence Service, sending the bill to President Obama for signature. Veterans like Ronald Oba and Sen. Daniel Inouye expressed gratitude that their wartime service and sacrifice will finally be formally recognized.
• National Newsbytes, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 6. A roundup of national news briefs including Senate Republicans blocking repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ Sen. Daniel Inouye’s nomination for a ninth term, former Minnesota state senator Mee Moua losing her home to foreclosure, an Arizona affirmative action ban ballot measure, and a large identity theft ring bust in New Jersey involving Korean immigrants and Pacific territories.
• Calif. to Honor Fred Korematsu With His Own Day, by Associated Press and P.C. Staff, page 7. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill designating January 30 as Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution in California, honoring the civil rights icon who challenged WWII Japanese American internment. Korematsu’s daughter Karen and bill author Assemblymember Warren Furutani emphasized the importance of teaching the lessons of his fight for justice.
• APA Students Attacked at a Philly High School, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 7. Two Asian Pacific American freshmen were beaten by a group of students at Bok High School in South Philadelphia during a hazing tradition called ‘freshman day,’ though officials denied race was a factor. Community leaders disputed that claim, noting the attack follows a pattern of racially motivated violence against APA students in the district over the past year.
• Future Uncertain as DREAM Act Dies, by Associated Press and P.C. Staff, page 10. Senate Republicans blocked a defense spending bill carrying the DREAM Act amendment, dashing hopes for undocumented young people, including many Asian Americans, to gain legal status through college or military service. Advocates like Stewart Kwoh of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center emphasized the difficulties facing the estimated 65,000 undocumented students who graduate high school annually without legal status.
• Ship Honors Nisei Marine Scientist, page 11. NOAA commissioned a new research vessel, the Bell M. Shimada, named after the pioneering Nisei fisheries biologist who studied Pacific tuna stocks before dying in a 1958 plane crash. Shimada’s children, including current NOAA scientist Allen Shimada, reflected on their father’s legacy as one of many Nisei who served in government and military roles after leaving incarceration camps.
• APAs Call for Confirmation of Judicial Nominees, page 11. The JACL and Asian American Justice Center urged the Senate to confirm judicial nominees Edward M. Chen and Goodwin H. Liu before the midterm recess, after both were recommended by the Senate Judiciary Committee. JACL National Director Floyd Mori called for immediate action to end delay tactics against the two highly qualified nominees.

In-Depth

• The Blossoming of Richmond’s Japanese American Flower Community, by Nalea J. Ko, page 5. A new exhibit at the Richmond Art Center, ‘Blossoms and Thorns,’ documents the century-long history of Japanese American flower growers in Richmond, California, including the Sakai and Oishi families who endured WWII internment and later financial pressures. The exhibit uses photography to capture the beauty and decay of the now-abandoned greenhouses before the land is redeveloped.
• Heart Mountain Conference Examines WWII Camp Aftermath, by Associated Press and P.C. Staff, page 11. Historians and former internees gathered at the Japanese American National Museum to help shape a new interpretive center at the Heart Mountain incarceration camp site in Wyoming, set to open in 2011. Organizers drew parallels between wartime anti-Japanese hysteria and current outrage over a proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero.

Community

• APAs in the News, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 7. Brief news items cover Misha Tsukerman being named the new JACL Mike M. Masaoka Congressional Fellow, George Okamoto Sr. being honored for creating Kokuho Rose rice, Lt. Janelle Kuroda receiving a Mets Military Service Spirit Award, Steve Okamoto receiving an OCA award, and Hines Ward being appointed to a presidential commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
• Miyamura H.S. Dedicated in Gallup, by Harry K. Honda, page 12. The Japanese American Korean War Veterans Association and the city of Gallup, New Mexico dedicated the new Hiroshi ‘Hershey’ Miyamura High School, named for the Nisei Medal of Honor recipient known for his heroism in the Korean War. A group of 40 JA visitors traveled by Amtrak to attend the ceremony, which included a bronze statue of Miyamura and remarks from local officials and his family.
• Compton, S.F. Colleges Seek to Award Nisei Degrees, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 12. Compton Community College and City College of San Francisco continue efforts under California’s AB 37 law to locate and award honorary degrees to Nisei students whose educations were interrupted by WWII internment. The law, authored by Assemblyman Warren Furutani, has helped identify nearly 900 former students eligible for honorary degrees nearly 70 years later.
• Honolulu JACL to Honor Champions of Same-sex Rights, page 13. The Honolulu JACL will present Distinguished Service Awards to Rep. Blake Oshiro and the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii for their advocacy of civil unions and equal rights for same-sex couples. Oshiro championed House Bill 444 in the Hawaii legislature, and the Hongwanji Mission passed a resolution supporting equal rights as a matter of civil rights.
• S.J. JACL to Hold Luncheon for Historic Building, page 13. The San Jose JACL is hosting a Centennial Celebration luncheon fundraiser to renovate the historic Issei Memorial Building, once home to Norman Mineta’s insurance business. Featured speaker Norman Mineta will attend alongside a benefit drawing and silent auction to raise additional restoration funds.
• Bridging Communities Seeks Internship Applicants, page 13. JACL’s Bridging Communities program is seeking interns in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle to bring together Japanese American youth, the National Park Service, and other communities of color to preserve history and build identity around WWII incarceration camp history. Duties include program planning, outreach, recruitment, and budgeting.

Arts & Entertainment

• Welcome to ‘K-Town’, by Nalea J. Ko, page 9. A casting call for an all-Asian American ‘Jersey Shore’ spinoff reality show called ‘K-Town’ generated massive online buzz and criticism after producer Tyrese Gibson tweeted about it. Producer Eddie Kim defends the show, saying it aims to portray multi-dimensional Asian American personalities rather than stereotypes, while critics worry about its impact on Hollywood representation.

JACL

• JACL Gala Salutes Women Champions, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 10. The JACL’s Washington, D.C. gala, ‘A Salute to Champions,’ honored Christine Toy Johnson, journalist Roxana Saberi, JACL stalwart Etsu Masaoka, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein for their achievements and advocacy. Masaoka reflected on her decades of JACL involvement alongside her late husband Mike Masaoka, while Saberi discussed her Iran imprisonment and gratitude for JACL’s support.

Obituaries

• In Memoriam, page 15. This issue’s obituary listings include tributes to community members such as Jane Kazue Hara, WWII veteran Akira Hirahara, ikebana teacher and Sogetsu founder in Colorado, photographer Gail Midori Matsui, and WWII veteran Mitsuru Nakamura, among others. Each entry details survivors and, in several cases, notable community contributions and military service.

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