Vol. 153, No. 2, July 15, 2011. 16 pages. View this issue
The 2011 JACL national convention filled most of this 16-page issue. The national council voted 55-17 on an emergency resolution on the Power of Words handbook, so that it recommends terms like “American concentration camps” for the World War II incarceration (often called internment). Nalea J. Ko reported on that debate, and also on a projected $100,000 deficit and a push to recruit members. Christine Fukushima covered the plenary sessions and the first Nikkei Conference, which asked what Japanese America is today. Lynda Lin wrote about the Culmination Banquet awards, including those to Lt. Dan Choi, Father Vien Nguyen and Lisa Hasegawa.
Also inside: a resolution backing preservation of the Honouliuli camp in Hawaii, a failed bylaw change on who supervises the Pacific Citizen, and a tribute to retiring National Director Floyd Mori. Floyd Mori also explained the National Park Service confinement sites grants. Commentaries by John Tateishi and Gil Asakawa look at New York’s same-sex marriage law and the late Bill Hosokawa.
What’s in this issue
JACL
- Background on the NPS Grants, by Floyd Mori, page 2. National Director Floyd Mori explains the history of the Japanese American Confinement Sites grant program administered by the National Park Service, which authorized up to $38 million for preservation of WWII confinement sites. He recounts JACL’s role in passing the enabling legislation with the help of former Rep. Bill Thomas and notes disappointment that JACL did not receive a 2011 grant for its Bridging Communities program.
- Emergency Resolution to Accurately Implement 2010 Power of Words Resolution Passes, by Nalea J. Ko, page 3. The JACL national council voted 55-17 to pass an emergency resolution ensuring the Power of Words handbook officially recommends terms like ‘American concentration camps’ to describe WWII incarceration, after supporters argued the draft handbook diverged from the original 2010 resolution. The debate included a tense conference call with Jewish American leaders who expressed concerns about conflating the JA experience with the Holocaust.
- JACL Nat’l Board Emphasizes Boosting Membership to Offset Its Deficit, by Nalea J. Ko, page 4. Facing a projected $100,000 budget deficit, JACL national board members at the convention urged increased membership recruitment and fundraising while considering staff cuts to important vacant positions. Board members expressed anxiety about repaying money borrowed from the national endowment fund and the organization’s overall financial health.
- Plenary Sessions Address Membership and Fundraising Problems, by Christine Fukushima, page 4. Plenary Sessions I and II at the 2011 JACL convention focused on membership recruitment and fundraising strategies, including phone-banking exercises that recruited eight new members. Speakers discussed the aging membership base, declining numbers, and ideas like corporate sponsorships and a JACL clothing line to boost revenue.
- Honouliuli Preservation Efforts Gain JACL’s Support, by Nalea J. Ko, page 5. Delegates at the 2011 JACL National Convention passed a resolution supporting preservation of the Honouliuli internment camp in Hawaii, where over 300 Japanese Americans and 30 German Americans were detained during WWII. The resolution, sponsored by the JACL Honolulu chapter, was amended to correct terminology and passed unopposed.
- A Proposed Change to the Supervision of the Pacific Citizen Fails, by Nalea J. Ko, page 5. A proposed bylaw amendment that would have shifted supervision of the Pacific Citizen from the national board to the national director failed to receive the two-thirds vote needed for ratification consideration, amid concerns about press independence. Separately, a new bylaw creating monthly membership categories (silver, gold, platinum) passed with the required majority.
- JACL Honors Diverse, Outstanding Asian American Leaders, by Lynda Lin, page 6. At the Culmination Banquet, JACL presented Outstanding National Leadership Awards to Lt. Dan Choi for his fight against Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell; Father Vien Nguyen for his advocacy for New Orleans’ Vietnamese American community after Katrina and the BP oil spill; and Lisa Hasegawa for her work advocating for low-income Asian Pacific Americans. Each honoree spoke about justice, equality and community solidarity.
- Community Activists Receive JACL’s Inaugural Impact Awards, by Lynda Lin, page 7. JACL presented its first Community Impact Awards to Alan Nishio, Paul Osaki, and Traci Kato-Kiriyama for their contributions to the Japanese American community in civil rights, cultural leadership, and the arts. Each honoree reflected on their community roots and continuing commitment to activism and service.
- Youth at the JACL National Convention Call for Greater Advocacy, by Christine Fukushima, page 14. About 50 youth attendees at the JACL convention expressed passion for civil rights advocacy and highlighted the organization’s evolving multiracial and multiethnic membership base. While praising programs like the Environmental Justice Youth Summit in New Orleans, some youth criticized the lack of incentives for young people to become paying members.
- JACL, Japanese American Leaders Honor Floyd Mori, page 15. JACL leaders and dignitaries including Rep. Mike Honda, Norman Mineta, and John Tateishi paid tribute to retiring National Director Floyd Mori at the Culmination Banquet for his decades of service. Mori was credited with expanding JACL’s coalition-building efforts, including outreach after Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill, and strengthening ties with Japan.
Commentary
- Welcome New York, by John Tateishi, page 12. John Tateishi reflects on New York’s legalization of same-sex marriage as part of a broader historical arc of civil rights progress, comparing current opposition to gay marriage with past bans on interracial relationships. He argues that societal change is inevitable and that same-sex marriage will eventually become the law of the land nationwide.
- A Tribute to Hosokawa, by Gil Asakawa, page 12. Gil Asakawa pays tribute to the late Bill Hosokawa, longtime Pacific Citizen columnist and journalist, whose legacy is being honored in Colorado with a memorial bust and the renaming of the Denver Botanic Gardens’ Japanese Gardens after him. The piece highlights Hosokawa’s career at The Denver Post, his community involvement, and his role as an unofficial diplomat with Japan.
In-Depth
- Defining ‘Japanese America’, by Christine Fukushima, page 13. The inaugural Nikkei Conference at the JACL convention brought together JA and Asian Pacific American leaders and youth to discuss ‘The State of Japanese America’ amid demographic shifts toward an aging population and growing multiracial identity. Workshops covered arts and culture, U.S.-Japan relations, senior services, and historic preservation, with participants emphasizing the need for youth leadership and intergenerational bridge-building.
Community
- SELANOCO JACL Announces 2011-12 Hiromi Ueha Memorial Scholarship, page 16. SELANOCO JACL chapter announced its annual Hiromi Ueha Memorial Scholarship, named for a former national JACL youth chair who died in 2006, offering $500 to a student facing challenges such as single parenthood. Applicants must be active in the APA community and live in Southern California, Arizona, or Nevada, with the winner selected by Ueha’s birthday, Aug. 12.
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