A Placer County memorial, honorary degrees and a call to save Tule Lake

Vol. 156, No. 10, June 7, 2013. 16 pages. View this issue

A memorial to Japanese American veterans and internees was dedicated in Roseville on June 2, with more than 350 people attending the ceremony hosted by the Placer County JACL Chapter. The University of the Pacific awarded seven honorary and posthumous degrees to students whose educations were cut short by the World War II incarceration (often called internment), and Monica Luhar profiled Ida Inouye, Roy Teshima and Toshio Kaneda. Mei T. Nakano received a civil liberties award from the ACLU of Sonoma County, and a news story warned that a proposed airport fence could harm the Tule Lake Segregation Center site.

Elsewhere, John Tateishi remembered Edison Uno and the redress campaign on its 25th anniversary, and Gerald Yamada wrote in memory of Bob Fletcher. Gil Asakawa visited the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center in Portland, and Mark Kobayashi asked readers to support the Spring Campaign. Details on the JACL national convention in Washington, D.C., July 24 to 26, appeared on page 5, along with news of Terry Shima’s honor from Japan.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Spring Campaign: The P.C.’s Future Is Now, by Mark Kobayashi, page 2. A Pacific Citizen Editorial Board member reflects on the newspaper’s staffing challenges and the broader decline in newspaper ad revenue nationally. He urges readers to donate to the Spring Campaign to support the P.C.’s continued operation and eventual transition strategy for the digital age.
• Setting the Record Straight: In Memory of Bob Fletcher, by Gerald Yamada, page 2. The president of the Japanese American Veterans Assn. remembers Bob Fletcher, a state agricultural inspector who saved Japanese American-owned farms during WWII internment despite facing criticism from the white community. Yamada urges recognition of allies like Fletcher who risked their careers to help Japanese Americans.
• Museums Are Where Our Collective Memory Is Stored, by Gil Asakawa, page 4. Asakawa visits the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center in Portland and reflects on how small museums preserve Japanese American history and community memory. He describes the center’s exhibits, including camp-era furniture and an atomic bomb-themed art exhibit, and highlights the space and funding challenges facing such institutions.
• For the Record: The Majority of One, by John Tateishi, page 4. Former JACL national director John Tateishi remembers Edison Uno, the driving force behind the JACL’s redress campaign, on the 25th anniversary of redress. He recounts Uno’s vision, his complicated relationship with JACL leadership, and his sudden death in 1976 before seeing redress achieved.

Community

• Placer County WWII Memorial Dedicated in Roseville, by P.C. Staff, page 3. More than 350 people attended the June 2 dedication ceremony for the Placer County Memorial honoring WWII-era Japanese American veterans and internees, hosted by the Placer County JACL Chapter. Speakers included elected officials, veterans, and Memorial Project Chair E. Ken Tokutomi, with the site featuring a bronze statue, memorial benches, and inscribed granite boulders honoring the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and other Nikkei soldiers.
• Longtime JACLer Mei T. Nakano Receives Civil Liberties Award From ACLU Sonoma County, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Mei T. Nakano received the 2013 Jack Green Civil Liberties Award from the Sonoma County ACLU for her decades of activism in civil liberties and human rights. A former WWII internee, Nakano has been a Sonoma County JACL board member since 1979 and helped establish the county’s Human Rights Coalition and Commission.

JACL

• JACL 2013 Convention Early Bird Deadline Extended, by Floyd Mori, page 5. The JACL 2013 Convention Committee announced an extension of the early bird registration deadline to June 15 for the national convention in Washington, D.C. The article details airport and transportation options for attendees traveling to the Renaissance Downtown Washington, D.C. Hotel for the July 24-26 event.
• Closing Reception to Be Held at Ambassador’s Residence, by P.C. Staff, page 5. For the first time, Japanese Ambassador Kenichiro Sasae and his wife will host the JACL National Convention’s closing reception at their official residence on July 26. During the event, Ambassador Sasae will present the Gov. Ralph Carr Award to three individuals recognized for their roles in the 25th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act’s signing.

National

• Japan Bestows Special Honor Upon World War II Veteran Terry Shima, by Col. Thomas Mukai, U.S. Army (Retired), page 6. Terry Shima, executive director emeritus of the Japanese American Veterans Assn., received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, from Japan’s ambassador for his work strengthening U.S.-Japan relations and preserving Nisei veterans’ legacy. The 442nd RCT veteran was previously awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Obama in February for similar efforts.
• Japanese Man, 80, Oldest to Top Everest — for Now, by Associated Press, page 7. Yuichiro Miura, an 80-year-old Japanese former extreme skier, became the oldest person to summit Mount Everest despite undergoing heart surgery earlier in the year. His record may soon be broken by 81-year-old Nepalese climber Min Bahadur Sherchan, who is preparing his own attempt on the peak.
• Tule Lake Segregation Center Site Threatened by Potential Fence Construction, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The former Tule Lake Segregation Center, which housed 18,000 Japanese Americans during WWII, faces a threat from a proposed 16,000-foot fence around the adjacent airport intended to keep wildlife off runways. The Tule Lake Committee is urging opponents to write to the FAA to prevent damage to the site’s historical integrity.
• AARP Launches First National Asian Ad Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 10. AARP launched its first national Asian advertising campaign featuring community leaders Ginny Gong, Floyd Mori and Tony Taguba to promote services for Asian Americans over 50. The campaign highlights each leader’s community achievements and their personal reasons for joining AARP.
• Senate Confirms Srikanth ‘Sri’ Srinivasan as Court of Appeals Judge, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The Senate unanimously confirmed Srikanth Srinivasan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, making him the first South Asian American to serve as a circuit court judge. JACL National Director Priscilla Ouchida praised the confirmation and Srinivasan’s qualifications.
• U.S. Navy Names Destroyer After the Late-Sen. Daniel Inouye, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The U.S. Navy announced that a new Arleigh Burke-class destroyer will be named the USS Daniel Inouye to honor the late senator and Medal of Honor recipient who died in December 2012. A second destroyer, the USS Paul Ignatius, will honor a former secretary of the Navy.
• JACL Washington, D.C., Office Welcomes Rosie McDonnell-Horita as AAPD Intern, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Rosie McDonnell-Horita, a 19-year-old disability rights advocate, was named a summer intern with the American Association of People with Disabilities and will work with JACL as part of her internship. She joins 40 other AAPD interns placed across congressional offices, federal agencies and nonprofits.
• Dae Joong Yoon Leads NAKASEC on Immigration Reform as Executive Director, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Dae Joong Yoon became executive director of the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium, focusing on grassroots immigration reform efforts. Yoon, a founding member of NAKASEC, previously led the Korean Resource Center and recently joined a White House discussion on immigration with President Obama.
• Seattle JACL President Heidi Park Is Honored with the Tatsuo Nakata Youth Award, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Seattle JACL President Heidi Park received the Tatsuo Nakata Youth Award for her community activism at the International Examiner’s Community Voice Awards Dinner. Park, the first Korean American to lead Seattle JACL, currently works as a policy analyst for Seattle’s mayor.

In-Depth

• UOP Fulfills Japanese Americans’ Educational Dreams, by Monica Luhar, page 8. University of the Pacific awarded seven honorary and posthumous degrees to Japanese American students whose educations were interrupted by WWII internment, including 91-year-old Ida Inouye, the only living recipient. The article profiles Inouye, Roy Teshima, and Toshio Kaneda, detailing how their lives and careers unfolded after being forced to leave college in 1942.

Arts & Entertainment

• Judith Hill Finds Her ‘Voice’ as a Solo Artist, by Nalea J. Ko, page 12. Singer Judith Hill discusses life after her elimination from NBC’s ‘The Voice,’ including her upcoming album and appearance on ‘The Tonight Show’ and in the documentary ’20 Feet From Stardom.’ Hill, who gained fame as Michael Jackson’s duet partner, reflects on her musical upbringing, her natural hair journey, and lessons learned as a contestant.

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