Redress at 25, a San Francisco volunteer, and a saved flower shop

Vol. 157, No. 7, October 4, 2013. 12 pages. View this issue

The 25th anniversary of redress and the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 led this issue. The JACL Pacific Southwest District’s awards luncheon in Long Beach, Calif., honored leaders of the movement, and George Toshio Johnston reported on it. Grant Ujifusa’s keynote credited Mike Masaoka, Sen. Spark Matsunaga, Sen. Dan Inouye and Sgt. Kaz Masuda, and the paper printed his remarks in full.

Elsewhere, Nalea J. Ko wrote about the Contra Costa Florist building in El Cerrito, which will be restored as a community space. The commentary pages carried Priscilla Ouchida on housing protections and John Tateishi asking what JACL stands for as a civil rights organization. A profile described Nell Noguchi, a Nisei grandmother who shares her family’s incarceration story with students at a San Francisco school. Caroline Kennedy’s Senate hearing for the post of ambassador to Japan is on page 9.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Loss of Housing Protections Revives Old Nightmares, by Priscilla Ouchida, page 2. JACL National Director Priscilla Ouchida discusses the Supreme Court case Mount Holly Township v. Mount Holly Gardens Citizens in Action, which threatens the disparate impact standard in the Fair Housing Act. She recounts her own family’s painful experience with eminent domain and housing discrimination in 1950s Sacramento, connecting it to the ongoing struggle of families facing displacement in Mount Holly, N.J.
• Letter to the Editor: Correction on Mehserle Column, by John Tateishi, page 2. John Tateishi issues a correction to a previous column, clarifying that BART officer Johannes Mehserle was in fact convicted of involuntary manslaughter for killing Oscar Grant, though he was released early due to time served. He reflects on the importance of precision in written language, a lesson he once taught his students.
• Volunteer Nell Noguchi Enlightens Students in San Francisco, page 3. Nisei grandmother Nell Noguchi, known as ‘Nana’ to students and teachers at Jefferson Elementary in San Francisco, has spent years sharing her family’s WWII incarceration story and reading related children’s books to classrooms. Her visits, including a Japantown field trip and JACL Headquarters tour organized with teacher Loret Peterson, have deeply impacted students, and she plans to retire soon as her last granddaughter graduates from the school.
• Who Are We?, by John Tateishi, page 3. John Tateishi questions JACL’s commitment to civil rights advocacy, criticizing the organization’s minimal response to major issues like the gutting of the Voting Rights Act and immigration reform, including an allocation of only five hours of staff time to the latter. He argues that as a civil rights organization, JACL has an obligation to advocate for other marginalized groups, not just Japanese Americans, and urges the organization to renew its activism.
• Housing Protection (continued), by Priscilla Ouchida, page 12. Continuing her column, Ouchida details the plight of over 350 families in the Gardens of Mount Holly Township, an integrated community facing demolition through eminent domain to build expensive new homes. She argues the Mount Holly case is critical to preserving the Fair Housing Act’s disparate impact standard on its 25th anniversary.
• Education Matters (continued), page 12. This continuation piece describes how teachers at Jefferson Elementary, especially Loret Peterson, value Nell Noguchi’s willingness to share her WWII incarceration story with students. Staff hope her ‘retirement’ will be brief so she can continue visiting classrooms to keep her important story alive for future students.
• Who Are We? (continued), by John Tateishi, page 12. Tateishi continues his critique, arguing that JACL has a moral obligation as a civil rights organization to support other groups facing discrimination, including Latinos affected by immigration issues and African Americans facing voting rights restrictions. He challenges JACL to move beyond nostalgia for past achievements and resume genuine advocacy.

In-Depth

• Housing Developer to Restore El Cerrito Japanese American Flower Shop, by Nalea J. Ko, page 4. Preservationists, historians and the Japanese American community successfully advocated to save the former Contra Costa Florist building in El Cerrito, Calif., once owned by the Mabuchi family before their WWII incarceration, from being turned into a gym and bike storage area within a planned 63-unit affordable senior housing complex. Eden Housing now plans to restore the building as a community space and incorporate Japanese American history into public areas of the development.
• PSWD Remembers 25th Anniversary of Redress, by George Toshio Johnston, page 6. The JACL Pacific Southwest District’s Awards Luncheon in Long Beach, Calif., marked the 25th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, honoring redress movement leaders including keynote speaker Grant Ujifusa and past National JACL President Harry Kajihara. National President David Lin also addressed membership challenges facing the organization, while multiple chapter-level award recipients were recognized for their contributions.
• Grant Ujifusa’s Keynote: Remembering the Architects of Redress, by Grant Ujifusa, page 7. In his keynote address, redress strategist Grant Ujifusa credits key figures including Mike Masaoka, Sen. Spark Matsunaga, Sen. Dan Inouye and Sgt. Kaz Masuda for the successful passage of redress legislation. He details behind-the-scenes political maneuvering, including how Masaoka helped secure a crucial Republican vote through an unlikely alliance with the Anti-Defamation League.

National

• APA College Students Encouraged to Apply for Scholarship Program, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund is encouraging APA college students at nine partner institutions to apply for the AANAPISI Scholarship Program, which offers $2,500 awards. Applicants must submit a FAFSA and winners will be announced in January for the 2013-14 academic year.
• JACL National President David Lin Honored by the New Jersey Chinese American Chamber of Commerce, page 8. David Lin received the Diversity Champion Award from the New Jersey Chinese American Chamber of Commerce at its 10th anniversary gala. The award recognized his contributions to diversity engagement and employee career development.
• Indira Talwani Nominated to Serve as District Court Judge in Massachusetts, page 8. President Obama nominated Indira Talwani to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, making her poised to become the first person of Asian descent to serve as a federal judge in the state. The National Asian Pacific American Bar Assn. praised the historic nomination.
• Miss America Crowns First Indian American Winner in Its Pageant History, page 8. New York’s Nina Davuluri made history by becoming the first contestant of Indian heritage to win Miss America, and the second Asian American winner overall. This year’s pageant featured an unprecedented five candidates of Asian heritage.
• Kenichi Ebina Named $1 Million Winner of NBC’s ‘America’s Got Talent’, page 8. Dancer Kenichi Ebina won the Season 8 finale of NBC’s ‘America’s Got Talent,’ taking home a $1 million prize and a spot headlining the show’s national tour. He becomes the first dancer to win the competition.
• Martin Hoshino Is Appointed to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Post, page 8. Gov. Jerry Brown named Martin Hoshino of Folsom, Calif., as undersecretary of operations at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Hoshino has held multiple positions within the department since 2003 and the appointment requires Senate confirmation.
• Caroline Kennedy: Humbled to Carry on Father’s Legacy, by Associated Press, page 9. Caroline Kennedy testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee regarding her nomination as U.S. ambassador to Japan, emphasizing her father President Kennedy’s legacy and the importance of U.S.-Japan relations. She faced friendly questioning and appeared headed toward confirmation, which would make her the first woman in the ambassadorial post to Japan.’

Obituaries

• Shoichi Jack Nomura, page 11. Shoichi Jack Nomura, a longtime board member of the WLA JACL chapter, passed away at age 85. Interned in Wyoming during WWII, he later served in the U.S. Navy, earned a law degree and practiced law for over 50 years until his death.
• Robert K. Koga, page 11. Robert K. Koga, who developed the widely used ‘Koga Method’ and ‘Koga System’ of arrest control and self-defense techniques for the LAPD, died at age 83 from Mesothelioma. Interned at Topaz as a child, he went on to train law enforcement and military personnel worldwide and was inducted into multiple martial arts halls of fame.

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