March on Washington at 50, a bone marrow match, and Manzanar

Vol. 157, No. 5, September 6, 2013. 16 pages. View this issue

The 50th anniversary of the March on Washington ran through this issue. Priscilla Ouchida reported on Todd Endo, who carried the JACL banner in 1963 and marched again in 2013 with three generations of his family. John Tateishi wrote about Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech and the struggles that remain, and a JACL staff report followed Endo to a White House reception. Nalea J. Ko told how Jack Chin found a bone marrow donor match in a fellow high school graduate, and why more Asian Americans are needed on the registry.

The Manzanar Committee announced its opposition to a proposed solar ranch in sight of the Manzanar Historic Site. Gil Asakawa asked whether sushi chefs must be Japanese, in a column that continued on page 16. Other pages cover a California Assembly resolution of apology, the Budokan project in Little Tokyo, the JET Program’s 27th year, and Fukushima’s ice wall.

What’s in this issue

National

• 2013 March on Washington Still About Same Issues, by Priscilla Ouchida, page 2. Todd Endo, who carried the JACL banner at the 1963 March on Washington, marched again 50 years later with three generations of his family at the 2013 anniversary event. Endo reflected that issues like voting rights and jobs remain largely unchanged, even as the crowd and technology at the National Mall had transformed dramatically.
• CA State Assembly Passes Resolution Apologizing to Japanese Americans During World War II, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The California State Assembly approved a resolution apologizing to Japanese Americans who were fired from state civil service jobs in 1942 following Pearl Harbor. Assembly Concurrent Resolution 19, authored by Assemblyman Richard Pan and sponsored by JACL, now moves to the state Senate.
• Daphne Kwok Named a Recipient of JACL’s Salute to Champions Award, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Daphne Kwok, vp of multicultural markets and engagement at AARP and chair of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, has been named a recipient of JACL’s 2013 Salute to Champions Award. The gala honoring her decades-long AAPI advocacy work will be held Oct. 10 at the Capital Hilton.
• NJAMF to Honor Sec. Norman Y. Mineta With Lifetime Achievement Award, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The National Japanese American Memorial Foundation will present Norman Mineta with its Lifetime Achievement Award at its 2013 Gala on Nov. 2 for his career-long commitment to constitutional rights. The event will also honor Admiral Mike Mullen, Terry Shima and Craig Uchida with other awards.
• Buena Park Comfort Women Monument Proposal Rejected, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A proposal to build a comfort women monument in Buena Park, Calif., was rejected after a councilmember withdrew support, following a July meeting where no vote was taken. The Korean American Forum of California, which had previously succeeded in building a similar memorial in Glendale, had initiated the Buena Park proposal.
• Japanese American Freedom Marcher Invited to the White House, by JACL Staff, page 9. Todd Endo, believed to be the only Asian American to march at both the 1963 and 2013 March on Washington events, was invited to a White House reception commemorating the anniversary, where he met President Obama and prominent civil rights leaders. Endo reflected on the unfinished work of the civil rights movement and expressed hope for continued activism by future generations.
• Japan to Fund Ice Wall to Contain Leaks, by Associated Press, page 11. The Japanese government announced it will spend $470 million on a subterranean ice wall and other measures to stop radioactive water leaks at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. The move comes days before the IOC’s decision on Tokyo’s bid to host the 2020 Olympics, amid ongoing failures by plant operator TEPCO to control the leaks.

Commentary

• Letter to the Editor: A Night to Remember, by Stanley N. Kanzaki, page 2. A JACL New York chapter member writes to clarify details from a previous article about meeting Mike Masaoka at the 1988 National JACL Convention. He recounts asking Masaoka why he didn’t attend the signing of the Civil Liberties Act and shares his memory of the encounter.
• Is It Racist to Want Sushi Chefs to Be Japanese?, by Gil Asakawa, page 3. Asakawa examines the controversy surrounding a Seattle sushi restaurant, Mashiko, that was criticized for having non-Japanese staff, exploring his own conflicted feelings about ethnic authenticity in restaurants. He concludes that food should be judged by taste and quality rather than the ethnicity of the chef, while acknowledging his own biases.
• The Dream, by John Tateishi, page 3. Tateishi reflects on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, recalling his memories of the Civil Rights Movement as a young student. He contrasts the progress made with the continuing struggles faced by African Americans today, illustrated by the Trayvon Martin and Oscar Grant cases.
• Japanese Restaurants and Authenticity (continued), by Gil Asakawa, page 16. Continuing his column, Asakawa discusses the technical markers of authentic versus fake sushi, from rice preparation to nori quality, arguing that skill and training matter more than ethnicity. He notes examples of non-Japanese chefs making excellent sushi and concludes that taste and authenticity should be the true measures of quality.
• The Dream (continued), by John Tateishi, page 16. Tateishi continues his reflection on racial progress since the 1963 March on Washington, citing the acquittals in the Trayvon Martin and Oscar Grant killings as evidence of ongoing injustice. He argues that despite social progress, America still has a long way to go on equity issues for blacks, Asians and Latinos.

In-Depth

• Chinese American Jack Chin Finds Bone Marrow Donor Match From Fellow High School Alum, by Nalea J. Ko, page 4. Jack Chin, diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2011, found a bone marrow match in Jason Tzou, a fellow graduate of his high school, after his twin brother was not a match. The story highlights the need for more Asian Americans to join the bone marrow registry, as they are underrepresented among registered donors.
• Fall Signals Start of School for JETs Abroad, by Connie K. Ho, page 12. The JET Program, now in its 27th year, brings thousands of participants like Rebecca Mesch and Ramon Lee Jr. to Japan to teach English and foster cultural exchange. Both teachers describe personal growth, meaningful connections with students, and appreciation for Japanese culture during their time abroad.

Arts & Entertainment

• Miyazaki’s ‘The Wind Rises’ May Be His Last Film, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film, ‘The Wind Rises,’ currently competing at the Venice Film Festival, is reported to be his last, according to Studio Ghibli. The film, Miyazaki’s 11th feature, tells the story of Jiro Horikoshi, designer of Japanese World War II fighter planes.
• New ‘Unforgiven’ Honors Great Filmmaking, by Associated Press, page 11. Ken Watanabe stars in a Japanese remake of Clint Eastwood’s ‘Unforgiven,’ relocating the story to 1880s Hokkaido and exploring themes of racial discrimination alongside the original’s questions of good versus evil. Watanabe describes the remake as a tribute to great filmmaking rather than a mere cross-cultural adaptation.

Community

• Manzanar Committee Fights Solar Farm Plans, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Manzanar Committee announced its opposition to LADWP’s proposed 1,200-acre Southern Owens Valley Solar Ranch, which would be built in direct sight of the Manzanar Historic Site and could destroy a historic WWII-era solid-waste dump. The committee criticized LADWP’s history of resisting historic preservation efforts at Manzanar and called for the utility to find an alternative site.
• Budokan Project in Downtown Los Angeles Awarded $1.3 Million Grant, by P.C. Staff, page 10. The LTSC Community Development Corp. was awarded a $1.3 million Prop K grant to help fund construction of the Budokan of Los Angeles, a multipurpose sports and community facility with a rooftop park in Little Tokyo. The project is part of a larger $22 million capital campaign, with groundbreaking estimated for 2015.

Obituaries

• Shoji Horikoshi, page 15. Shoji Horikoshi, born in 1926 in San Francisco, was interned during WWII and later became Director of the San Francisco Police Crime Lab, serving for 38 years and becoming a renowned forensics expert. He was deeply involved in community service, including with Kimochi Inc., and is remembered for his optimism and dedication despite the injustices he faced.

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