Redress funding fight and a teacher’s Supreme Court appeal

Vol. 108, No. 3, January 27, 1989. 8 pages. View this issue

Redress ran through the front page of this eight-page issue. Harry K. Honda reported on Grant Ujifusa’s hope that funding would exceed the $20 million figure from the Reagan administration, and the paper also covered an anti-redress advertisement in the Los Angeles Times and an editorial from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retired judge Robert Gardner was honored for his support of the Civil Liberties Act redress effort. The other lead story followed Mitsue Takahashi, a fired Livingston school teacher, who took her discrimination case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

On the opinion pages, Bill Hosokawa recalled meeting Emperor Hirohito, John Saito wrote on anti-Asian hostility, and Bill Marutani explained Japanese kanji radicals. Readers also traded letters over whether the World War II incarceration (often called internment) was justified. Elsewhere in the issue: the burial of five Southeast Asian children in Stockton, a Selanoco JACL installation dinner, and a Fresno JACL run.

What’s in this issue

National

• Mitsue Takahashi Taking Case to the Supreme Court, page 1. Fired Livingston school teacher Mitsue Takahashi has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court after the California Supreme Court denied her appeal in October, arguing she was denied a full and fair opportunity to litigate employment discrimination claims. Her nine-year battle stems from her 1980 firing, which she says was motivated by race, sex, ancestry and age discrimination rather than incompetence.
• Five Southeast Asian Children Buried, page 1. Stockton paid final respects to five schoolchildren killed by gunman Patrick Edward Purdy at Cleveland Elementary School, with services held for a Vietnamese girl and four Cambodian children. Thousands attended memorial services including California Gov. George Deukmejian, and some believe the attack may have had racial motivations, though police dismissed this theory.
• Neo-Nazis Hold Rally in Washington State, page 1. A Japanese American photographer experienced racial slurs while covering a neo-Nazi and skinhead rally on Whidbey Island honoring Robert Mathews, a white supremacist killed by the FBI. The 60-70 neo-Nazis were vastly outnumbered by 250 counterdemonstrators.
• ‘African American’ Preferred Over ‘Black’, page 1. Prominent Black leaders including Rev. Jesse Jackson announced in Chicago that members of their race prefer the term African-American as a psychological lift that provides historical and cultural context. Jackson noted other ethnic groups have similar terms reflecting cultural heritage.
• Mineta Appointed Deputy Whip Again, page 2. Rep. Norman Mineta was appointed deputy majority whip in the 101st Congress by House Democratic Leadership, a position he has held since 1981. Mineta expressed commitment to addressing budget, trade and social deficits and other legislative priorities.

Incarceration & Redress

• Editorial Calls for More Redress Money, page 1. An editorial in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer criticized former President Reagan’s proposal to limit redress funding to $20 million for Japanese Americans interned during WWII. The editorial urged Congress to correct this historical injustice.
• Redress Opponents Buy Advertisement in Los Angeles Times, page 1. An anti-redress advertisement paid for by Anaheim-based ‘Veteran’s Services’ ran in the Los Angeles Times calling for Americans to oppose funding for the redress bill P.L. 100-383. The ad falsely claimed Japanese Americans had lied to Reagan and Congress, and JACL headquarters declined to comment on the advertisement.
• Orange County Judge Gardner Recognized for Redress Support, page 1. Retired Orange County judge Robert Gardner was honored by National JACL, PSW District Council and Selanoco JACL for his open support of redress, having urged Orange County congressmen to vote for the 1987 redress bill. Gardner revealed he had served in Naval Intelligence investigating Japanese Americans and had helped write a report opposing the WWII expulsion.
• TAKAHASHI, page 3. Continuation of the Takahashi case detailing that she did not raise discrimination charges earlier because she believed the issue was her competence, and her attorney advised against raising charges related to her husband’s land dispute. Takahashi says her nine-year legal battle has cost thousands but was worth it for all California teachers.

JACL

• LEC Strategist Expresses High Hopes for More Redress Funds, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. Grant Ujifusa, JACL-Legislative Education Committee strategy chair, spoke to 150 JACLers at the Selanoco JACL installation dinner, expressing optimism that redress funding will exceed the $20 million Reagan administration figure. Ujifusa explained the appropriation process ahead involving multiple congressional committees and expressed hope for a higher figure like $171 million for FY 1991.
• SELANOCO, page 3. The Selanoco JACL installation dinner featured new chapter president Ruth Mizobe continuing the chapter’s tradition of Sansei presidents, with awards presented to redress bill supporters including June Masuda Goto, Grant Ujifusa, Rudy Tokiwa and Judge Robert Gardner. The event included scholarship recipient presentations and was emceed by Judge Richard Hanki.
• AACI Celebrates 15th Anniversary, page 8. Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI) celebrated its 15th anniversary with over 900 attendees, featuring keynote speaker Dale Minami discussing civil rights challenges in the 1990s including rising anti-Asian hostility. Civil rights honorees Ed Kawazoe and Zoe Lofgren were recognized for their community service.

Community

• Portland Reunion in the Works for 1990, page 2. Plans are underway for a reunion of those who lived in the greater Portland area prior to the WWII evacuation of Japanese Americans. The event will tentatively take place in summer 1990 with socials and a banquet.
• Tazuma Scholarship Now Available, page 2. The family of the late Bunshiro Tazuma and the Seattle JACL chapter announced a new scholarship for college-bound Nikkei high school students. Tazuma, a Hiroshima-born Issei who died at 104, was honored by the Japanese government in 1973 for community service dedication.
• High School Youths Invited to Showcase Artistic Endeavor, page 3. The Southern California American Nikkei (SCAN) Chapter of JACL is seeking high school students interested in the arts to participate in the ‘Creative Images’ project with the Asian American Drug Abuse Program. The project aims to provide Asian Pacific American youth an outlet to showcase creativity while encouraging drug prevention awareness.
• Meeting Between Nakajo, SFSU Rescheduled, page 3. A meeting between San Francisco State University officials and part-time instructor Steve Nakajo has been rescheduled for Feb. 22 following a grievance filed over his teaching status. An earlier Dec. 2 meeting reached a deadlock over the presence of Nakajo’s personal attorney.
• Michael Woo Launches Reelection, page 3. Los Angeles City Councilman Michael Woo launched his reelection campaign for the 13th District at a petition-signing breakfast. Woo emphasized commitments to preserving historic buildings, protecting neighborhoods, and fighting crime through Neighborhood Watch programs.

Military & Veterans

• Mineta Co-sponsors Filipino Veterans Fairness Act, page 2. Rep. Norman Mineta reintroduced legislation to remedy unfair citizenship barriers faced by Filipino nationals serving in the U.S. Navy. The Filipino Veterans Fairness Act would amend immigration law to provide special immigrant status for aliens serving at least four years in the Armed Forces.

Commentary

• Opportunity Available, page 4. An editorial discusses Japan’s JET program, which brings native English speakers to Japan to improve English teaching, noting its growing success since 1987. The piece encourages Japanese Americans to consider applying for the 1990 program cycle.
• Flexing Your Muscles, by John Saito, page 4. The columnist recounts a busy day of phone calls related to anti-Asian hostility, including complaints about a radio host’s distorted internment statistics and a news broadcast’s problematic phrasing about the Japanese emperor’s death. He also describes workplace discrimination faced by a Sansei professional in the aerospace industry.
• Close Encounter of an Imperial Kind, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa recalls his first visit to Japan in 1938 when he had to bow toward the Imperial Palace, and later describes meeting Emperor Hirohito in person during his 1975 U.S. visit at Golden Gate Park. He recounts how JACL’s David Ushio broke protocol by shaking the emperor’s hand, surprising everyone present.
• Radicals and Sushi Cups, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Marutani explores Japanese kanji radicals, discussing how to identify them and their transformations from original characters, using examples like the flesh radical and the dog-derived ‘hairy creature’ radical. He also explains the fish radical (wo-hen) commonly seen on sushi teacups, which originated as a pictogram of a fish.
• A Memory of Inauguration Day, by George Johnston, page 5. Johnston recalls his Vietnamese refugee college roommate Canh The Luong, who died by suicide on the day of Reagan’s inauguration in 1981. He reflects on how little he knew about Canh’s past struggles and reminisces about this tragic loss each time a president is inaugurated.
• An Ungentler Japan, page 5. A Japanese economics professor returning from three years in Texas and California describes severe reverse culture shock, including high food costs, cramped housing, and a loss of civility despite growing affluence in Japan. He laments that Japan’s materialism and status-seeking have eroded spiritual and cultural values.
• Thank You, Loni, by Shigeya Kihara, page 5. A letter thanking filmmaker Loni Ding for her documentary ‘Color of Honor’ about Nisei soldiers, which aired nationally on PBS. The writer praises her courage in telling the truth about Japanese American WWII military service.
• Like a Christmas Tree, by Joe Oyama, page 5. A letter comparing the search for redress-related articles in a heavily advertised holiday issue to finding presents in a decorated Christmas tree. The writer offers belated New Year wishes to the staff.
• Pyrrhic Victory?, by Goro Suga, page 5. A letter expressing concern that budget constraints may delay redress payments until after recipients have died, suggesting that Congress should have offered a tax credit option instead. The writer notes this would allow immediate use of funds or inheritance without estate tax decimation.
• Internment Justified, by Lloyd Bredehoft, page 5. A letter arguing that Japanese American internment during WWII was justified due to wartime hysteria and uncertainty about loyalty following Pearl Harbor, citing historical Japanese military treachery. The writer questions why German and Italian Americans were not similarly interned.
• Internment Unjustified, by Joe Oyama, page 5. A rebuttal letter calling the internment justification ‘sheer WWII racist propaganda,’ citing FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s 1942 statement that internment could not be justified for security reasons. The letter cites the 1982 Commission on Wartime Relocation report and President Reagan’s 1988 apology acknowledging the internment was a mistake driven by race prejudice.

Arts & Entertainment

• East West Players Awarded $25,000, page 6. East West Players received a $25,000 grant from the W. Alton Jones Foundation supporting the 23-year-old theatre’s 1988-89 season artistic endeavors. The funds will enhance productions and support development of Asian American playwrights, as well as aid conversion to a full equity house.

Sports

• Run in Park Slated for Sept. 17, page 8. The Fresno JACL-sponsored ‘Run in the Park’ received a $1,000 John Reese Community Grant and will benefit the Shinzen Japanese Garden and Nikkei Service Center. The race, sponsored since 1986, features 10k and 2-mile runs and is organized by race director Ken Takeuchi.

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