Marriage equality, Fukushima and the P.C. Spring Campaign

Vol. 156, No. 6, April 5, 2013. 16 pages. View this issue

JACL National Director Priscilla Ouchida was the face of the April 5, 2013 issue, joining a marriage equality rally at the U.S. Supreme Court while the Court heard arguments on Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act. Marsha Aizumi wrote about a Seattle meeting to support families of LGBT people, and Connie K. Ho reported on the Japanese American Leadership Delegation’s first visit to Fukushima. Gil Asakawa asked readers to give to the P.C. Spring Campaign as the paper moved toward digital media with a skeleton staff.

Elsewhere in the 16 pages, Nalea J. Ko wrote about Jake Shimabukuro’s new documentary, Life on Four Strings, and about a comfort women exhibit headed back to Japan. Harry Honda looked at Japanese Latin Americans interned during World War II. Floyd Mori previewed the JACL national convention in Washington, D.C., marking 25 years since the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. A Manzanar High School reunion in Las Vegas was announced, and Leiloni De Gruy profiled designer Kelly Nishimoto.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Show Your Generosity and Support the P.C. Spring Campaign, by Gil Asakawa, page 2. Gil Asakawa describes the financial and staffing challenges facing the Pacific Citizen as it transitions toward digital media while operating with a skeleton staff. He urges readers to donate generously to the P.C. Spring Campaign to sustain the newspaper’s operations and future digital growth.
• Letter: P.C. Has Greatly Improved, by Henry S. Sakai, page 2. A reader and past P.C. board chair praises the improvements made to the Pacific Citizen since the Holiday Issue and emphasizes its importance as a connection point for older JACL members. He urges JACL to continue funding the paper to keep the community informed.
• A Vision for LGBT Families of Seattle, by Marsha Aizumi, page 3. Marsha Aizumi recounts a March 2013 Seattle meeting bringing together API and LGBT organizations, including JACL, to support families of LGBT individuals through the coming-out process. She shares her personal experience as a mother of a transgender son and discusses similar PFLAG efforts in Southern California and New York.
• New Pope, Argentina and a Nisei Angle, by Harry Honda, page 3. Harry Honda explores the historical connection between the election of Pope Francis, Argentina, and the little-known internment of Japanese Latin Americans during WWII. He details how Peru and other Latin American countries deported Japanese residents to the U.S. for internment under wartime hemispheric defense agreements.
• LGBT Families >> Continued, by Marsha Aizumi, page 16. Continuing her earlier column, Aizumi describes meeting with Seattle JACL leaders, including Bill Tashima, who shared his personal connection as a gay man to supporting LGBT families. The group, in partnership with PFLAG, is working to establish an API LGBT support network in the Seattle area.

In-Depth

• Jake Shimabukuro Strums His Way Onto the Big Screen, by Nalea J. Ko, page 4. Director Tad Nakamura discusses his new documentary ‘Life on Four Strings,’ which follows ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro’s professional career and personal life over three years of filming. The film, premiering at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival and airing on PBS, also captures Shimabukuro’s emotional visit to post-tsunami Japan.
• Japanese American Leadership Delegation Visits Fukushima, by Connie K. Ho, page 8. The 2013 Japanese American Leadership Delegation made its first-ever visit to Fukushima, Japan, meeting survivors, touring disaster recovery sites, and building people-to-people relationships two years after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Participants reflected on shared cultural resonance and hope amid devastation, later meeting with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

National

• ‘Comfort Women’ Exhibit Will Return to Japan, by Nalea J. Ko, page 5. South Korean photographer Ahn Sehong’s exhibit on Korean ‘comfort women’ living in China will return to Japan in June after facing protests and cancellation attempts in Tokyo and Osaka last year. The exhibit, currently displayed in New Jersey, aims to document the painful history of women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Army during WWII.
• JACL’s Priscilla Ouchida Speaks at Rally, by P.C. Staff, page 6. JACL National Director Priscilla Ouchida joined thousands at a marriage equality rally at the U.S. Supreme Court as the Court heard oral arguments on Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act. JACL has signed amicus briefs supporting same-sex marriage in both cases.
• Philly Eatery Leaves Founder’s Nickname Behind, by Melissa Dribben, page 7. A Philadelphia cheesesteak shop formerly known as ‘Chink’s Steaks’ was renamed ‘Joe’s Steaks & Soda Shop’ amid mixed reactions from the community, some defending the old name as a term of endearment for founder Samuel ‘Chink’ Sherman. Owner Joe Groh explained the practical and social reasons behind the change, including past business expansion difficulties tied to the name.
• Bonnie M. Youn Receives Champion of Change Award, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Attorney Bonnie M. Youn was honored at the White House with a Cesar Chavez Champions of Change Award for her advocacy work supporting Asian Pacific American and immigrant communities in Georgia. Youn organized the largest-ever APA gathering at the Georgia State Capitol for the 2013 Georgia APA Legislative Day.
• JACL Joins Marriage Equality Rally, Ouchida Calls for a Greater America, by P.C. Staff, page 16. JACL joined AAJC, NQAPIA and OCA National at a marriage equality rally, with National Director Priscilla Ouchida drawing parallels between the historic mistreatment of Japanese Americans and current discrimination against same-sex couples. Ouchida called for a ‘Greater America’ where all people have equal rights regardless of sexual orientation.

Community

• Manzanar High School Reunion Kicks Off in August, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Manzanar Reunion Committee has finalized plans for the 2013 reunion in Las Vegas, featuring a tribute to photographer Toyo Miyatake and his son Archie. The event includes a Manzanar Progressive Report presentation and aims to educate about WWII civil rights violations.
• ‘Vision, Values, Voices’ Theme for the Japanese American National Museum’s Annual Gala, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The Japanese American National Museum will hold its 2013 Gala Dinner in Century City, honoring early supporters including the late Sen. Daniel Inouye. The event features a silent auction, seafood reception, and a Lexus opportunity drawing to benefit museum programs.
• Twin Cities JACL Members Invited to Speak, page 11. Twin Cities JACL members Saki Tsuchiya and Sally Sudo have been sharing their personal experiences growing up in Seattle’s Nihonmachi during WWII at Minnesota book clubs, inspired by the popularity of Jamie Ford’s novel ‘Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.’ Sudo spoke to over 100 attendees at a library event and later addressed AP U.S. history students at Lakeville North High School.
• Twin Cities JACL Continued, page 16. The article continues describing Sally Sudo’s presentations to Minnesota students and community members about her family’s WWII internment experience, noting Minnesota’s unique role hosting the MIS Language School at Camp Savage and Fort Snelling. Sudo reflects on the value of sharing firsthand history with younger generations unfamiliar with this chapter of American history.

JACL

• Consider Placing an Ad in the JACL 2013 Convention Booklet, by Floyd Mori, page 6. JACL 2013 Convention Chair Floyd Mori announces details of the upcoming national convention in Washington, D.C., themed ‘Justice for All’ to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. He encourages members to attend and place ads in the convention booklet.
• Join the JACL Millennium Club, by Annie Noguchi, page 10. JACL Membership Coordinator Annie Noguchi describes the Millennium Club, JACL’s highest membership tier created in 2004 to provide unrestricted funds supporting the organization’s mission. The article lists current and charter members who have contributed at the $1,000 annual level.

Arts & Entertainment

• Calling All Brides: Kelly Nishimoto to the Rescue, by Leiloni De Gruy, page 12. Fashion designer Kelly Nishimoto discusses her unconventional creative upbringing, her journey from making garments out of trash bags and Reynolds Wrap to co-hosting TLC’s ‘Something Borrowed, Something New.’ On the show, Nishimoto reworks heirloom wedding dresses into modern designs for brides to choose from alongside new store-bought gowns.

Obituaries

• Kazuo “Kaz” Ikeda, 94, page 15. Kazuo ‘Kaz’ Ikeda, a farmer and Nisei baseball pioneer from Arroyo Grande, California, passed away Feb. 11 at age 94. He was interned at Gila Relocation Center during WWII, later became a founding member of the Pismo Oceano Vegetable Exchange, and was honored in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Japan’s Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Roy Nakata, page 15. Roy Nakata, an electrical engineer who held 20 patents and worked on major power systems for General Electric, passed away March 13, 2013, at age 88. His family was interned at Santa Anita and Heart Mountain during WWII, and his life story is chronicled in Gary Okihiro’s book ‘Storied Lives: Japanese-American Students and World War II.’

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