Redress endorsements, scholarships and Boyle Heights history

Vol. 98, No. 19, May 18, 1984. 12 pages. View this issue

Redress ran through this issue. The front page reported new endorsements from the Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A. and the American Psychiatric Assn., and told of a postponed Senate hearing on redress bill S 2116. John Tateishi wrote about the interviews behind his book And Justice for All, and Minoru Yasui described a Las Vegas teachers’ conference where JACL members spoke about the Japanese American incarceration (often called internment). On page 2, a monument at the former Stockton Assembly Center was set for dedication as a California Historical Landmark.

Other pages carried news of the JACL National Scholarship winners, a record 30 recipients sharing $52,000, along with the first National JACL Singles Convention and the Nisei Relays. Bill Hosokawa remembered Emile Masatomi, a Vassar student and her professor traded views on a course about Asian stereotypes, and Harry Honda’s Little Tokyo Life series looked at Boyle Heights.

What’s in this issue

National

• Redress Gets Two More Endorsements, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Jewish War Veterans of the U.S.A. announced support for redress bills HR 4110 and S 2116 in a letter to JACL Washington Representative Ronald Ikejiri. Separately, the American Psychiatric Assn. passed a resolution in Los Angeles endorsing the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians’ recommendations, including monetary redress.
• Jackson Begins Information Service, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Jackson for President campaign launched a toll call-in news service on May 17 providing daily updated campaign information nationwide. Program manager Paul Brock said it was the first time a presidential candidate bypassed national media to reach the public directly.
• Utah to Help Minority Businesses, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Utah Gov. Scott Matheson announced a new affirmative action policy to help minority businesses compete for state trade. He told an Asian American Small Business Conference that purchasing officials would work to identify and eliminate restrictive practices against minorities.
• S.E. Asian Children Malnourished, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Massachusetts health survey found Southeast Asian children two to three times more likely to be undernourished than other children, with 15.7% showing stunted growth. The state legislature appropriated $600,000 in supplemental funds for nutrition counseling, food packages, and health screenings.
• Asian Spirit Cited in Congress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Robert Matsui marked the sixth annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Week with a statement in the House recognizing Asian Pacific American contributions over 150 years. The Sansei congressman called on colleagues to celebrate their emergence as vibrant members of the nation.

Community

• Nakano Named Mayor Pro Tempore, by P.C. Staff, page 1. George Nakano, newly elected Torrance city council member, was named mayor pro tem and will assume mayoral duties in the mayor’s absence. He also chairs the finance and governmental operations committee in Torrance, the nation’s headquarters for American Honda and Toyota of America.
• It’s Confirmed: Asian American Students More Likely to Study Hard and Go to College, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A National Center for Education Statistics study found 74% of Asian American high school graduates attended college, higher than any other ethnic group. Another study found Asian American students take more advanced math and science courses and study more, though they participate less in community and sports activities.
• Asian Am. Studies Educators Group Elects Officers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Association for Asian American Studies elected UCLA professor Don Nakanishi as president and named new regional board members. The organization plans a national convention in October at UCLA.
• Amerasian Children from ‘Nam Come Home, by P.C. Staff, page 2. About 1,000 Amerasian children from Vietnam have been resettled in the U.S. following a 1982 immigration law recognizing them as children of U.S. citizens. They are arriving at a rate of 100 per month through volunteer and religious agency efforts.
• S. Calif. Fellowship Becomes Church, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The San Fernando Valley Japanese Free Methodist Church was chartered on Easter Sunday with 150 people attending, becoming the 11th church in its conference. The Revs. Paul and Haruko Iwata lead the congregation in Van Nuys.
• APA Week Marked, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Asian Pacific American Heritage Week was celebrated with events including Oakland’s annual festival drawing crowds of 5,000, and daily programs at Aerospace Corp. in El Segundo featuring performances and a talk by NASA aquanaut Charles Kubokawa.
• Alumnae Raise Funds, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Chi Alpha Delta’s Alumnae Scholarship Bridge Tea raised enough funds to provide a UCLA scholarship. Bridge competition among 120 players and donations from numerous Little Tokyo merchants supported the event.
• Tamagawa Reunion Set for May 25, by Mari Inouye, page 2. Former students, parents, and teachers of Tamagawa Gakuen are invited to honor principal Yuzo Susagano at his 80th birthday celebration on May 25. Attendees are asked to bring ‘then’ and ‘now’ photos for an album to be presented to the guest of honor.
• JAL Offers Two New Scholarships, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Japan Air Lines and the University of Hawaii International Student Office are sponsoring two scholarships to a 1984 summer session at Sophia University in Tokyo. The program includes round trip transportation, tuition, tours, and room and board.
• About Our Readers (1): Personal Profile, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Pacific Citizen conducted its first market survey of readers, sending a 30-point questionnaire to 2,000 readers with a 33% response rate. The article presents demographic breakdowns comparing JACL membership percentages by district with survey respondents by generation.
• French Camp Chapter Pulse, by P.C. Staff, page 9. French Camp JACL will hold a mid-summer dance June 2 benefiting the national redress campaign, with music by Hayao Motoyama’s Swing Tone Band. The chapter’s annual Parents Day party will also be held May 26 at the French Camp community hall.
• Sonoma County Chapter Pulse: Pancake Breakfast Set, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Sonoma County JACL is holding an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast for $3 on May 20 at Memorial Hall in Sebastopol. Proceeds benefit the chapter.
• Nikkei International Sports Meet Slated, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Nikkei contestants from North and South America are expected to compete in the 10th International Sports Confraternity in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 19. Events include track and field, table tennis, and judo with age divisions for teen and senior judo competitors.

Sports

• Tribute Paid to Asian Pacific Olympians, page 1. More than 500 people attended a Los Angeles mayor’s heritage dinner honoring 14 Asian Pacific Olympians, including diving gold medalists Sammy Lee and Victoria Manalo Draves and figure skater Tiffany Chin. Mayor Tom Bradley discussed the Soviet boycott threat while athletes and officials reflected on the upcoming 1984 Los Angeles Games.
• Nisei Relays Entry Deadline May 21, by P.C. Staff, page 11. The 33rd annual JACL Nisei Relays track meet is scheduled for June 3 at Santa Ana College. Entry application deadline is May 21, with forms available through meet registrar James Mita.

JACL

• Minorities to Hold Conference on National Defense Policies, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A major convocation titled ‘Minorities and Arms Control’ was scheduled for May 23 in Washington, featuring Coretta Scott King, Marian Wright Edelman, and Eleanor Holmes Norton. JACL Washington Representative Ronald Ikejiri will participate in a panel on shifting the defense budget toward social needs.
• Coming Up: Comedy Skit About JACL and Women, by Irene Hirano, Women’s Concerns Committee Chair, page 4. The Pacific Southwest District JACL will present a skit featuring JACL members as actors, followed by a panel discussion on women’s issues at its May 20 district council meeting. The program is part of ongoing women’s concerns committee activities including an upcoming assertiveness training workshop.
• Singles Convention Excitement Building, by P.C. Staff, page 4. About 150 singles are expected at the first National JACL Singles Convention in Gardena, representing numerous JACL chapters and singles organizations. The convention features golf, a mixer, workshops on divorce and Sansei activities, and a Saturday night dinner dance.
• National JACL to Award $52,000 in Scholarships, by P.C. Staff, page 11. JACL’s national scholarship committee, led by J.D. Hokoyama, selected a record 30 scholarship recipients totaling $52,000 for 1984. The selection committee included academics and professionals from UCLA, USC, and other institutions across graduate, creative arts, freshman, and undergraduate categories.
• Young JACLers Learn How National Gov’t Works Through PCYA, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Sixteen JACL chapter-sponsored youth attended the 1984 Presidential Classroom for Young Americans in Washington, a program JACL chapters have supported since 1975. Additional participants will attend the summer program starting in June.
• PSWDC to Convene in L.A. May 20, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Downtown Los Angeles JACL hosts the Pacific Southwest District Council’s second quarterly meeting on May 20, featuring a redress update from John Tateishi and discussion of fundraising, membership, and convention resolutions. The afternoon includes a skit and panel discussion on women’s issues in JACL.
• San Jose JACL to Host 32nd Jr. Olympics, by P.C. Staff, page 11. San Jose JACL hosts the 32nd annual NCWNDC Jr. Olympics on June 3 at Chabot College in Hayward, featuring track and field events for competitors from age 10 to masters 40 and older.

Incarceration & Redress

• Senate Hearing Postponed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate Governmental Affairs Subcommittee hearing on redress bill S 2116, originally scheduled for June 1 in Los Angeles, has been postponed due to scheduling conflicts. JACL redress director John Tateishi said Senate staff indicated a hearing would still be held later in the year, possibly in late summer.
• ‘Assembly Center’ Now Official California State Historical Site, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Japanese Americans will gather June 2 at the San Joaquin County Fairground to dedicate a monument marking the former Stockton Assembly Center as California Historical Landmark No. 934. The center held 4,271 people in 1942 before they were sent to Rohwer, Arkansas, and the dedication is sponsored by six local Nikkei organizations.
• Are You Covered?, by John T. Yasumoto, Chair, NC-WN-P DC/CBS Health Plan, page 5. JACL’s health insurance committee is conducting a renewed membership drive for the JACL/California Blue Shield Plan, noting that 61% of current subscribers are over 55. The article urges members to help recruit younger subscribers and small businesses.
• Las Vegas Multi-Cultural Conference, by Minoru Yasui, page 5. Minoru Yasui describes a Las Vegas multicultural teacher conference where JACL members presented information on Japanese American internment and redress to 250 teachers, potentially reaching thousands of students and families. He credits Wayne Tanaka, George Goto, and other Las Vegas JACL members for organizing the exhibit and securing a congressional co-sponsor for HR 4110.
• New England Chapter Pulse: Burakumin Discrimination Discussed, by P.C. Staff, page 9. A discussion on discrimination against the Burakumin in Japan will be held May 23 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, featuring speaker Yasumasa Hirasawa. The event, co-sponsored by the Japan Society of Boston, examines historical prejudice rooted in Shinto and Buddhist beliefs and Edo-period political theory.
• Salt Lake City Chapter Pulse: Redress Meeting Held, by P.C. Staff, page 9. An informational meeting on redress was held April 29 in Salt Lake City, attended by about 50 former internees and community members, featuring historian Roger Daniels speaking on ‘Redress: Retrospect and Prospect.’ Chapter president Sadao Nagata has initiated a letter-writing campaign for redress support.

Arts & Entertainment

• Athletes’ Dreams Dribble Away in New Play About Basketball, page 3. Sansei playwright James Yoshimura’s new play ‘Ohio Tip-off’ premiered at Baltimore’s Center Stage, depicting the underside of minor-league basketball through a fictitious Continental Basketball Association team. Yoshimura, whose career includes a CBS Foundation Prize-winning thesis play, discussed his writing philosophy and the lost opportunities faced by his characters.

Commentary

• It’s a Small World, After All, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Columnist Bill Marutani reflects on reader responses to his East Wind column, including a letter from a former wedding couple now in Geneva, Switzerland. He discusses his approach to writing about Nisei culture and a failed attempt to have his column published in the Japan Times.
• And Justice for All, by John Tateishi, Redress Director, page 4. JACL Redress Director John Tateishi describes the personal journey of compiling his book ‘And Justice for All,’ based on over 100 interviews with Japanese Americans about their wartime experiences. He reflects on the raw emotion, dignity, and painful memories shared by interviewees including Mary Tsukamoto, Harry Ueno, and various no-no boys and veterans.
• Emile Masatomi, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Columnist Bill Hosokawa recalls meeting Emile Masatomi, former editor-in-chief of the Mainichi Daily News who died at 87, during a 1936 visit to the University of Washington. Hosokawa reflects on Masatomi’s role as an interpreter for a Mainichi executive sent to explain Japan’s wartime actions to the American press.
• Pornographic Introduction to Asian Civilization…, by Noriko Okamoto, page 7. Vassar College student Noriko Okamoto describes her three-year effort to address what she considers racist and sexist teaching methods by East Asian studies professor Donald Gillin, including his use of pornographic slides and Charlie Chan films. She requests letters from Asian individuals and organizations to pressure the Vassar administration into taking action.
• …Or an Examination of Sexual Stereotypes?, by Donald Gillin, page 7. Professor Donald Gillin responds to Noriko Okamoto’s accusations, defending his use of pornographic material and films as pedagogical tools to examine sexual stereotyping of Asians, citing his expertise in cross-cultural imagery and supportive letters from other students. He denies making the specific insulting remarks attributed to him and argues his course is widely praised by students.

Military & Veterans

• Philadelphia Chapter Pulse: Dinner Honors Gordon Hirabayashi, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Philadelphia JACL and the American Friends Service Committee are sponsoring a dinner honoring Gordon K. Hirabayashi on May 23 in Haverford, Pennsylvania.

In-Depth

• Little Tokyo Life (No. 17): Boyle Heights, by Harry Honda, page 12. Harry Honda chronicles the history of Boyle Heights as the first Japanese American residential area in Los Angeles, established around 1904 with a Buddhist temple and growing to house up to 40,000 Japanese residents by 1940. The neighborhood featured diverse ethnic groups, numerous Japanese institutions including churches, schools, and businesses, and today hosts the Japanese Retirement Home founded by Nisei-Sansei community members.

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