Manzanar’s 14th pilgrimage and the redress campaign, April 1983

Vol. 96, No. 15, April 22, 1983. 8 pages. View this issue

The Manzanar Pilgrimage led the front page. The Manzanar Committee of Los Angeles announced final plans for the 14th annual pilgrimage, which marked the 10th anniversary of the camp’s naming as a California state historical landmark. Inside, Ron Wakabayashi wrote on the redress campaign in “Crucial Months,” and a report on a Loyola University study looked at how West Coast newspapers contributed to the climate behind the World War II incarceration (often called internment). Bill Hosokawa and Bill Marutani added commentary on how that history is remembered.

Also on the front page, Cynthia Ogawa reported on the $6 million civil suit planned in Detroit after the death of Vincent Chin, and the paper covered a protest over a slur in a New York Post headline. Other pages cover the Little Tokyo Mothers of the Year luncheon, photos wanted for Little Tokyo’s 1984 centennial, a remembrance of Rep. Phillip Burton, and JACL’s plans to meet redress coalitions in Reno.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Manzanar Pilgrimage to Mark 10th Year for State Historical Site, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Manzanar Committee of Los Angeles announced final plans for the 14th annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, which will commemorate the 10th anniversary of Manzanar being named a California state historical landmark. The program will include self-guided camp tours, a pot-luck lunch, religious services at the cemetery obelisk, and remarks by founders Warren Furutani and Sue Kunitomi Embrey.
• West Coast Press Contributed to WW2 Internment, Says Prof, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Communications professor Lloyd Chiasson of Loyola University studied over 300 editorials from 27 West Coast newspapers and found they contributed to a climate of fear that led to Japanese American internment. His research found that newspapers offered 100% editorial support for the government’s internment order and little regard for constitutional rights.
• CWRIC Report Copies at S.F. Library, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Center for Japanese American Studies Library in San Francisco has copies of the full CWRIC report available for purchase at $8.50. The library can be reached by phone for more information.
• Clean-up of Sac’to Memorial Sites Set, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The annual spring clean-up of Okei’s Grave and the Wakamatsu Colony Memorial at Gold Hill is scheduled for May 1, organized with help from Sacramento JACL. Participants are asked to bring garden tools and their own lunch for a picnic following the clean-up.

National

• Tony Ishii Elected Judge in Selma-Parlier District Court, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Anthony W. Ishii was appointed judge of the Selma-Parlier Judicial District Court by the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, beating out two other finalists among 25 applicants. Ishii, a former JACL CCDC governor and local JACL chapter member, said he was drawn to the position because of his interest in rural community decision-making.
• Detroit Asian Group Filing a $6 Million Suit in Slaying Case, by Cynthia Ogawa, page 1. American Citizens for Justice (ACJ), formed after Vincent Chin’s beating death by two men who received only probation, is filing a $6 million wrongful death civil suit and seeking reconsideration of the lenient sentencing. The case has galvanized Asian American communities in Detroit, drawing support from Chinese, Japanese, Filipino and Korean organizations.
• U.S. Opinion Makers Say Japan Unfair, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A poll of 505 American opinion leaders found 76% believe Japan’s trade policies are unfair, with large majorities favoring negotiation on exchange rates and pressure on foreign markets to open to imports. The poll, conducted by Opinion Research Corp. for LTV Corp., also rated other countries’ trade fairness.
• INS Guidelines Ruled ‘Too Broad’ by Court, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that INS guidelines for roundups of illegal aliens in Los Angeles were too broad. The court ordered a district court to narrow a preliminary injunction permitting night searches and immigration status questioning.
• Rep. Phillip Burton: Friend of Asians, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Congressman Phillip Burton, who died April 10 of heart failure at age 56, was remembered as a great friend of Asian Americans for his legislative work. He championed immigration reform for Chinese Americans, the Amerasian bill, federal civil service credit for interned Nikkei, and the creation of the CWRIC.

Community

• N.Y. Nikkei Protest ‘Jap’ Headline, page 1. Concerned Japanese Americans (CJA) sent a letter to the New York Post demanding a retraction after the paper used the slur ‘Japs’ in a headline about anti-nuclear protests in Japan. The protest involved 7,000 demonstrators against the nuclear-powered carrier Enterprise docking at Sasebo, Japan.
• Seattle Treasurer Lloyd Hara Repays City for Items Misused, page 2. Seattle City Treasurer Lloyd Hara agreed to repay the city after an ethics investigation found he used city equipment, staff and stationery for JACL business and personal campaign activities. Hara contested some findings but agreed to a settlement based on the cost of the misused work time.
• Fire Department Employee Sues Chief, Alleges Slander, page 2. Lois Nagamatsu, a former Seattle fire-prevention aide whose job was cut in the 1982 budget, filed a lawsuit accusing Fire Chief Robert Swartout of slander after she filed a discrimination complaint against the fire marshal. She is seeking at least $200,000 in damages, alleging Swartout told colleagues she had mental problems.
• Janis Saito Named Air Safety Director for Flight Attendants Union, page 2. Janis Saito, former chairman of the Association of Flight Attendants at Hawaiian Airlines, was named air safety director for the union’s nationwide operation and relocated to Washington, D.C. She will monitor hazards to crew and passenger safety and administer the union’s air safety programs after 13 years as a flight attendant.
• Dennis Randall Abe Awarded FASB Post Graduate Internship, page 2. USC senior Dennis Randall Abe was awarded the Financial Accounting Standards Board Post Graduate Internship in Accounting. Abe is active in Beta Alpha Psi accounting fraternity and the Accounting Circle support group, and earned a 3.40 GPA last semester.
• Kim Fails to Win College Board Seat, page 2. Retired Col. Young O. Kim, a decorated 442nd veteran, failed to win a seat on the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees, placing fourth in the April 12 election. Incumbent Hal Garvin won with 117,729 votes compared to Kim’s 19,179.
• Asian Studies Ctr Conference Slated, by P.C. Staff, page 3. UCLA Asian American Studies Graduate Students Association is sponsoring a conference called ‘Relevancy and Recognition’ on April 23, featuring panels on diversity and relevancy in Asian American Studies. Speakers include Alan Nishio, Yuji Ichioka, Tritia Toyota and Amy Uyematsu.
• Photos Sought for LT Centennial, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Little Tokyo will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 1984, and Visual Communications is producing a 120-page pictorial history book as part of the commemoration. The community is asked to submit historical photographs of Little Tokyo street scenes, businesses, and cultural events dating back to 1884.
• Japan Artists Slated for SJ Matsuri, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Eleven artists from Okayama, Japan, and three Sister City residents will participate in the sixth annual Nikkei Matsuri festival in San Jose’s Japantown on April 24. Their works, including oil paintings and calligraphy, are on display at the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art before the festival.
• Law Review Scholarships Offered, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The California Asian Judges Association and Japanese American Bar Association are offering four $200 scholarships to law students taking the Summer 1983 California Bar Examination to help with bar review course costs. Scholarships are judged on financial need, community involvement and scholastic achievement, with an application deadline of May 6.
• Asian Museum Slates Ikebana Classes, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena will hold two Nageire method ikebana classes on April 28 and May 5. Tuition is $6 for museum members and $7 for the general public.
• Japanese Retiree Donates His Savings to Aid U.S. Unemployed, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Tatsuo Togawa, a retired Japanese World War II veteran, donated about $2,250 of his savings to help unemployed workers in Flint, Michigan, after seeing a TV broadcast about the city’s economic troubles. He said he wanted to repay the United States for its efforts rebuilding Japan after the war, and the city plans a tribute to him.
• Mothers of the Year to be Feted in Little Tokyo, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Four women—Fusako Hamaguchi, Aya Nakaoka, Hatsuko Nasu, and Kayo Takasugi—will be honored at the 21st annual Mothers of the Year Luncheon on May 7 in Little Tokyo, co-sponsored by the Downtown Los Angeles JACL and the Japanese Women’s Society of Southern California. Each honoree’s biography details their immigration history, family, wartime internment experiences, and community contributions.
• Ego to Discuss Possible AARP Chapter in Northern California, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Michael Ego, an area representative for the American Association of Retired Persons, will speak at the San Mateo JACL Community Center on April 29 about forming a Bay Area Nikkei AARP chapter. Both current AARP members and those interested in joining are invited to attend.
• French Camp JACL to Hold Picnic, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The French Camp JACL will hold its 34th annual community picnic at Micke Grove Park on April 24, featuring food, entertainment, beer and soft drinks. Door prize tickets will be distributed until 1 p.m. and attendees are encouraged to bring their own lunches.

Obituaries

• Kumao Egami, page 2. Kumao Egami, an 89-year-old Fukuoka-ken born naturalized citizen, passed away April 1 at Minami Kero Nursing Home after a prolonged illness. Private funeral services were held April 5 at Fukui Mortuary, officiated by Rev. Dr. Roy Yamamoto, and he is survived by a son, three daughters, ten grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Commentary

• Letters to the Editor, by Berni Suzuki, Hashime Saito, Mark M. Mayeda, Nobuyuki Nakajima, page 4. Four letters address topics including racial politics in the Chicago mayoral election, opposition to monetary redress, the offensive term ‘deaf mute’ used in a photo caption, and a response to a prior letter about perceptions of discrimination. Writers express a range of views on JACL’s role and Nikkei identity.
• Crucial Months, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 5. JACL National Director Ron Wakabayashi writes that the redress campaign is approaching a critical juncture, with plans to introduce a bill in Congress once CWRIC recommendations are released before the 1984 elections dominate attention. He urges local chapters to organize well-publicized Day of Remembrance and pilgrimage events in the coming year to build community support.
• The Importance of Preserving History, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa reflects on a student’s research project on the Evacuation, arguing that textbooks often gloss over this critical chapter of American history. He contrasts this with Japan’s own textbook controversies regarding Okinawa’s World War II history, noting the CWRIC report ensures future writers cannot ignore the facts of internment.
• Sackcloth and Ashes, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Bill Marutani criticizes a ‘Blacker-than-thou’ mentality among some Nikkei who claim greater suffering based on whether they were confined in camps during WWII. He recounts his own experiences of discrimination both in and out of camp, arguing that all Nikkei suffered insult after Executive Order 9066 regardless of confinement status.

JACL

• JACL to Meet with NCRR, WCRR at Tri-District This Weekend, by P.C. Staff, page 8. JACL representatives including Min Yasui, John Tateishi, Floyd Shimomura and Ron Wakabayashi will meet with members of the National Coalition for Redress/Reparations and the Washington Coalition for Redress/Reparations during the Tri-District meeting in Reno. The purpose is to discuss cooperation among the groups toward a united redress effort.
• Salt Lake Offers Scholarships, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Salt Lake JACL Chapter is offering local scholarship awards to student members or children of members, open this year to undergraduate, graduate and high school graduating seniors. Applications are available through guidance counselors or by contacting Grace Uyeki, with an April 30 deadline.

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