Vol. 99, No. 10, September 7, 1984. 12 pages. View this issue
The Senate redress hearing in Los Angeles ran through this issue. Former internees, including George Takei, Kiyoshi Sonoda and Mary Oda, testified about deaths, illness and economic losses during the World War II incarceration (often called internment), and more testimony from Yoshio Ekimoto, Charles Kato, Dennis Hayashi and Mas Odoi appeared on page 12. The front page turned to the Republican convention in Dallas, where Steve Nakashima, a Nisei attorney and platform committee member, won language calling the wartime internment a “grave injustice,” while Asian American Republicans disagreed about how well the party heard them.
Elsewhere are Frank Sato’s wrap-up and other reflections on the Honolulu convention, Ron Wakabayashi’s account of the blackout, and Bill Marutani and Bill Hosokawa in the columns. Chapter news covered a Manzanar photo exhibit in Fresno, and the Los Angeles County Bar Assn. endorsed monetary redress. Page 12 reported on a white teacher harassed for working at a Japanese American daycare.
What’s in this issue
National
- Republican Platform Recognizes Minorities, page 1. Steve Nakashima, a Nisei attorney and member of the Republican platform committee, successfully pushed for language acknowledging the WW2 internment of Nikkei as a ‘grave injustice’ in the 1984 GOP platform. He also fought to expand the platform’s scant treatment of minority Americans into a fuller statement on Black, Hispanic and Asian American contributions.
- Opinions Mixed About GOP Responsiveness to Asian Concerns, page 1. Asian American Republicans at the Dallas convention had differing views on whether their party adequately represented them, with about 26 Asian delegates and alternates present out of the total. While some like Hideko Bannai felt included, others like Anna Chennault were disappointed by low media visibility and the party’s refusal to form an Asian Pacific Caucus.
- Dept. of Education Employee Charges Job Discrimination, page 1. Jesse Furukawa, a 10-year employee of the California Dept. of Education, filed a complaint alleging she was demoted in retaliation for advocating programs for Southeast Asian refugees. She claims she was told Asians don’t get educational programs and don’t know how to fight back.
- Lucas Defends Film as Fantasy, page 1. Lucasfilm responded to JACL director Ron Wakabayashi’s criticism of ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,’ stating the film is fantasy and not meant as a derogatory statement about any race. The film had faced criticism for its portrayal of Asian Indians as evil or pathetic characters.
- Actors Protest Casting of Play, page 1. Actors Equity sent formal complaints to two theaters for failing to cast Asian actors in productions of ‘Rashomon,’ a play set in feudal Japan. Both the Old Globe Theatre and Asolo Theater cast white actors in all roles, with one director claiming the play was ‘universal’ rather than specifically Asian.
- Child Taken from Calif. Home, page 1. Three-year-old Toshiro (Clark) Handa, a Eurasian child, was kidnapped from his Fairfield, California home overnight, with a ransom note found on his bed. The boy’s mother works as a nurse’s aide and his father is an Exxon employee.
- L.A. Bar Assn. Backs Redress, page 10. The 15,000-member Los Angeles County Bar Assn. endorsed a resolution calling for $20,000 monetary redress to each survivor of WW2 Japanese American internment. The resolution, submitted by the Japanese American Bar Assn., will be debated at the State Bar of California convention next month.
Commentary
- Little Tokyo Life (No. 32): ’32 Olympics, by Harry Honda, page 2. Harry Honda’s column features reminiscences from Naomi Kashiwabara about attending the Dai Ichi Gakuen Japanese language school and watching the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics as a boy, including memories of Japanese athletes and Baron Takeichi Nishi who later died on Iwo Jima. The piece also includes memories from the late Charles Kamayatsu about Miss Nellie Oliver’s kindergarten and community club for disadvantaged youth.
- Made in Yusa, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Marutani reflects on how ‘Made in Japan’ once signified poor quality but now represents superior craftsmanship, noting how American manufacturers now mimic Japanese-sounding names for their products. He also notes the irony of finding ‘Made in Mexico’ on a Sanyo-branded item, suggesting shifting global manufacturing patterns.
- Convention Wrap-Up, by Frank Sato, page 4. National JACL President Frank Sato reports on the successful 28th Biennial JACL convention in Honolulu, thanking convention chair Ed Hamasu and the committee for their work. He outlines new National Board timelines for committee assignments, goals, and objectives to be established by the next board meeting in October.
- The Blackout, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 5. Wakabayashi recounts a major power outage that struck Oahu during the JACL convention’s closing celebrations, forcing delegates to climb dark stairwells to reach rooms above the 30th floor. He praises Alvin Onaka of the Honolulu Chapter for his tireless work helping ensure the convention and its aftermath ran smoothly despite the crisis.
- Tidbits from Japan’s Press, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa shares several items from Japanese press coverage, including facts about Japan’s eel consumption, the deaths of Japanese prisoners in Soviet custody after WW2, discriminatory policies at Okinawa resort hotels toward low-ranking U.S. servicemen, and the English-language marriage proposal of Prince Norihito to Hisako Tottori.
- Casual Epithets, by Debbie Nakamura, page 5. A reader writes to thank PC for covering the Olympic incident where wrestler Randy Lewis used the racial slur ‘Jap’ on national television. She expresses concern that allowing such epithets undermines the spirit of Olympic brotherhood and harms Japanese Americans as a group.
- Visual Aid, by Violet de Cristoforo, page 5. The Salinas Valley JACL redress chair praises cartoonist Pete Hironaka’s work for effectively conveying the redress message to civic and service organizations. She credits his cartoons with helping secure resolutions supporting redress legislation HR 4110 and S2116.
- Redress Issue, by David C. Moore, page 6. A reader expresses outrage at testimony from redress opponents including Rachel Kawasaki, questioning the validity of their claims about Nikkei wrongdoing during WW2. He personally recalls knowing a Rachel Kawasaki in Poston and disputes the characterization of camp life presented by opponents.
- Queen Contests, by Sandi Kawasaki, page 6. The Pan Asian JACL chapter president defends her chapter’s sponsorship of Nisei Week Queen candidates, arguing the pageant helps young women mature and gain self-confidence. She cites examples of past candidates who benefited professionally and personally from their participation.
- JACL Scholarships, by Roy U. Ebihara, page 6. A reader criticizes JACL’s scholarship committee for favoring students pursuing science and medicine careers while neglecting those interested in political and governmental service. He argues that Asian Americans need more representation in government and JACL should encourage young people toward political careers.
Incarceration & Redress
- Internees Recall Camp Deaths, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 3. In the final installment of coverage on the Senate redress hearing in Los Angeles, former internees testified about deaths, illness, and economic losses suffered during WW2 internment, including infant deaths during transport and a teenager shot during the Manzanar riot. Witnesses including George Takei, Kiyoshi Sonoda, and Mary Oda urged monetary redress as necessary compensation for the suffering endured.
- Hearing Continued: Ekimoto, Kato, Hayashi, Odoi Testimony, page 12. Additional testimony at the Senate redress hearing included Yoshio Ekimoto detailing over $23,000 in economic losses, Charles Kato citing Washington state support for redress, and Dennis Hayashi discussing efforts to reverse the wartime Supreme Court cases of Korematsu, Yasui and Hirabayashi. Mas Odoi, a 442nd veteran, criticized the CWRIC report and ‘pro-redress extremists,’ proposing an alternative compensation plan.
JACL
- Institute Offers Training in Public Affairs, page 3. Coro Foundation is recruiting for a leadership training course for 12 individuals in the Asian Pacific community, focused on public affairs decision-making in Southern California. The program runs from October 20 to December 3 and includes seminars on decision-making, communication, and project planning.
- Impressions of the Convention from a First-time Delegate, by Robert Shimabukuro, Portland JACL, page 7. A first-time convention delegate offers critical analysis of JACL’s convention, identifying membership development, leadership development, coalition-building and fundraising as key organizational needs. He argues JACL must address its unclear sense of Japanese American identity and culture, and suggests more participatory workshops and cultural events for future conventions.
- Board Members Sought for New JACL Lobbying Arm, page 9. The JACL Legislative Education Committee is seeking eight new board members to lead redress lobbying activities, with nominations due September 20. LEC chair Min Yasui explained the committee was created to raise funds and plan legislative strategy, separate from JACL’s nonprofit tax-exempt status restrictions on lobbying.
Community
- Cal Alumni to Fete First Award Winners, page 3. The California Japanese Alumni Assn. is holding its first scholarship awards dinner and dance in San Francisco, honoring five students receiving $2,000 scholarships. UC Berkeley chancellor Ira Michael Heyman will be the guest speaker.
- Chapter Pulse: Fresno A.L.L., page 9. Fresno Chapter is sponsoring a ‘Go For Broke’ photo exhibit at the Fresno Metropolitan Museum featuring Ansel Adams photographs from Manzanar, seeking additional memorabilia donations. The chapter also announces its summer picnic at Woodward Park with food assignments based on last names.
- Chapter Pulse: Placer County, page 9. The Placer County chapter rescheduled its baseball trip to Candlestick Park for the Giants versus Atlanta Braves game on September 9. Bus fare and tickets cost $17.50 with reservations required through chapter contacts.
- Chapter Pulse: Contra Costa, page 9. Contra Costa JACL extends an invitation to 79 past scholarship winners since 1960 for its 25th scholarship presentation during a barbecue dinner, featuring a panel of past winners discussing their experiences. The chapter will present five awards totaling $1,825 and has established a scholarship fund in memory of William Nakatani.
Military & Veterans
- VFW Supports Nikkei Rights, page 10. The Veterans of Foreign Wars passed a Nisei-sponsored resolution guaranteeing civil rights at their 85th national convention in Chicago, cosigned by all 14 Nisei VFW posts in California. The resolution pledges to protect constitutional rights regardless of race or ancestry, bolstered by the ‘Go For Broke’ pictorial exhibit.
In-Depth
- White Teacher Harassed for Work Among Nikkei, by Richard Oyama, Hokubei Mainichi, page 12. Pete Healey, a white teacher who worked for six years at Nihonmachi Little Friends daycare serving Japanese American families, resigned after receiving anonymous threatening phone calls and letters about working with Nikkei children. The incident raised questions within the community about acceptance of non-Japanese staff and the historical basis for distrust toward hakujin in Japanese American spaces.
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