Redress hearing set and four Nikkei legislators urge lobbying

Vol. 102, No. 3, January 24, 1986. 8 pages. View this issue

The front page reported on the push for redress. At a Pacific Southwest District dinner in Los Angeles, Sens. Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga and Reps. Norman Mineta and Robert Matsui spoke on the House and Senate redress bills and urged attendees to keep lobbying despite budget cuts and anti-Japanese trade sentiment. Rep. Dan Glickman scheduled a hearing on HR 442 for March 19 in Washington, D.C. Two more redress items followed: the American Public Health Association endorsed redress, and a new Asian Pacific caucus formed within the National League of Cities. Inside, Grayce Uyehara asked whether JACL chapters were following through on lobbying, and J.K. Yamamoto explained the paper’s coverage of California’s English Only ordinances.

Other pages carried JACL news: a message from national president Frank Sato, columns by Bill Hosokawa, Bob Shimabukuro and Ron Wakabayashi, and installation dinner notices from about ten chapters. Monterey County supervisors declared Feb. 19 an annual Day of Remembrance, and East West Players announced Wakako Yamauchi’s play ‘The Memento.’

What’s in this issue

National

• Nikkei Legislators Advise Continued Lobbying on Redress, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 1. Four Japanese American members of Congress—Sens. Daniel Inouye and Spark Matsunaga and Reps. Norman Mineta and Robert Matsui—spoke at a PSW District JACL dinner in Los Angeles about the status of House and Senate redress bills. They urged attendees to continue lobbying constituents and members of Congress despite budget cuts and anti-Japanese trade sentiment, sharing personal stories of internment and discrimination.
• Hearing on House Redress Bill Slated, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Dan Glickman has scheduled a hearing on House redress bill HR 442 for March 19 in Washington, D.C. LEC executive director Grayce Uyehara said testimony time will be split among proponents, opponents, and Aleuts interned during WW2.
• Asian Pacific Caucus of Nat’l League of Cities Formed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Asian Pacific American Municipal Officials was established within the National League of Cities during a meeting in Seattle, with members including officials from Seattle, Fife, Oxnard, and Los Angeles. The group initiated a resolution endorsing the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians recommendations.
• American Public Health Assn. Endorses JA Redress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The American Public Health Association adopted a resolution at its annual meeting urging compensation, education, and public remembrance for the WW2 relocation of Japanese Americans and Aleut Americans. The meeting was attended by about 10,500 people and featured a keynote by New York Governor Mario Cuomo.
• Korean American Journalist Charges Radio Station with Race Discrimination, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Radio reporter Curtiss Kim filed suit against NBC and KNBR-AM alleging racial discrimination and retaliation after being demoted from a day reporting shift to the graveyard shift. Numerous elected officials and community organizations sent letters urging his reinstatement, while the station has not publicly responded to the charges.

Community

• Four AAs Appointed to S.F. Commissions; One Quits, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein appointed four Asian Americans to city commissions, including reappointments of Anne Saito Howden and Yoshio Nakashima. Thomas Hsieh resigned from the Police Commission amid community disappointment that Feinstein did not appoint another Asian American to replace him.
• Coro Selects Program Participants, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Coro Foundation in San Francisco selected four Asian Pacific Islanders, including JACL national youth director David Nakayama, to participate in a new City Focus leadership training program. The program aims to equip emerging leaders with tools to manage San Francisco’s future growth.
• Monterey County Supervisors Declare Feb. 19 Annual Day of Remembrance, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Monterey County supervisors unanimously passed a resolution proclaiming Feb. 19 an annual day of recognition for Japanese Americans interned during WW2. Supervisors and former internees spoke about the importance of acknowledging the injustice, and Rep. Leon Panetta said it could support passage of the HR 442 redress bill.
• JA Chosen to Chair Board of Supervisors, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Toru Miyoshi, the first Japanese American elected to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, was selected as board chairman for 1986. He plans to address issues including oil development, toxic waste disposal, and the State Water Project during his term.
• New Year Dinner for L.A. Seniors Planned, by P.C. Staff, page 3. West L.A. Japanese American Senior Citizens Club will hold its annual Shinnen Enkai dinner on Jan. 26 at Felicia Mahood Senior Citizens Center. The event costs $2 and requires reservations through club contacts.
• Detroit Chapter Marks 40th Anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Detroit Chapter JACL will hold its 40th anniversary installation banquet Feb. 15 with the theme ‘Asian Pacific Americans: Issues and Strategies,’ featuring keynote speaker Rep. Robert Matsui. New officers will be installed by national vice president Kaz Mayeda, and LEC chair Min Yasui will meet with the chapter board to discuss redress strategies.
• Marina Chapter to Discuss Camp Psychological Impact, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Marina JACL will hold a general meeting Feb. 6 featuring Dr. Ford Kuramoto speaking on the psychological impact of concentration camps on Japanese Americans. LEC fundraising chair Harry Kajihara will also give an update on JACL-LEC’s redress campaign status.
• Marysville Chapter Installation Dinner Set, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Marysville JACL’s installation dinner on Feb. 8 will feature speaker Etsuko Steimetz discussing communication skills for Sansei and cultivating positive self-image. The 1986 cabinet officers were announced, and students will be charged half-price to encourage members to bring children.
• Downtown Los Angeles Chapter Marks 57th Anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Downtown L.A. Chapter JACL will celebrate its 57th anniversary and install officers Feb. 8 at Restaurant Okada, with guest speaker Rose Ochi, national vice president for membership. The event costs $25 per person.
• Salt Lake JACL Building Committee Holds Mochitsuki Fundraiser, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Salt Lake JACL’s Building Committee conducted its first mochitsuki fundraiser during the holiday season, with volunteers steaming 300 pounds of mochi-gome. The committee also plans to sell manju during 1986 to help finance the chapter’s recent purchase of Spenser Library for its headquarters.
• Stockton JACL Installation Dinner Features Volleyball Coach, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Stockton JACL’s annual installation dinner on Jan. 25 at Gong Lee Minnie’s Restaurant features guest speaker John Dunning, head coach of University of Pacific’s national championship women’s volleyball team. Edwin Endow was reelected president for a second term along with a full slate of new officers.
• French Camp Chapter Installs Officers, Hears Redress History, by P.C. Staff, page 6. State Assemblyman Patrick Johnston spoke at French Camp JACL’s installation and New Year party about legislation he introduced providing payments to JA state employees fired because of their race in 1942, as well as the HR 442 redress bill. NCWNPDC director George Kondo installed new chapter officers before 125 attendees.
• Selanoco JACL Installation Stresses Redress Participation, by Harry Honda, page 6. Grayce Uyehara stressed the importance of constituent participation in passing redress legislation at Selanoco JACL’s installation dinner in Buena Park. Chapter president Frank Kawase was sworn in for a second term, and ten scholarship awards were presented to local high school graduates.
• Joint Installation Dinner Dance Planned by Seven Chapters, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Seven Southern California JACL chapters will present a joint installation dinner dance titled ‘We Are the World’ on Feb. 22 at the Hyatt at the Airport. The event includes cocktails, dinner, and dancing with music by The Music Company.

Arts & Entertainment

• Wakako Yamauchi’s ‘The Memento’ Set for East West Players Premiere, by P.C. Staff, page 3. East West Players will present Wakako Yamauchi’s psychological drama ‘The Memento’ from Feb. 12 to March 23, directed by Mako. The play centers on a Japanese mask that transports a woman to an unknown past in ancient Japan, forcing two women to confront their hostility toward each other.

In-Depth

• Japanese War Orphans Left Behind in China, page 4. The column explores the little-known story of Japanese children left behind in China by parents fleeing after WW2, raised by Chinese foster families and given Chinese names. The author recounts the ongoing search campaigns, now searching for parents decades later, with some orphans locating kin after over 40 years.
• New Book Looks at Hawaii Immigration, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A new book, ‘Imingaisha’ by Alan Moriyama, examines Japanese emigration companies that facilitated passage of Japanese workers to Hawaii between 1894 and 1908. The book uses Japanese archival materials and oral histories to explore emigrants’ motivations and experiences in Hawaii.

Commentary

• ‘English Only’: Danger Ahead, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 4. The author explains why the paper gave extensive coverage to California’s ‘English Only’ ordinances, arguing that such measures could be used to strip immigrants of needed bilingual services rather than help them learn English. The piece warns that Japanese Americans’ support for such measures risks pitting minority groups against each other and undermines solidarity needed for redress support.
• ‘Constructive’ Criticism, by Bob Shimabukuro, page 4. The column examines the Japanese cultural attitude that constant criticism, not praise, should be the norm, tracing its effects on JACL’s organizational culture and treatment of younger staff and Sansei members. The author argues this approach creates internal conflict and discourages initiative among JACL employees, particularly younger national staff.
• Division by Generation, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa discusses a church newsletter item by Rev. Grant Hagiya arguing that congregations are multi-generational rather than divided by generation, and that the ‘torch’ is carried by all generations together rather than passed on. He applies this concept to JACL, noting that the Nisei-to-Sansei leadership transition has been abrupt and accompanied by exclusion.
• Is Anybody Out There?, by Grayce Uyehara, page 5. LEC executive director Grayce Uyehara questions whether JACL chapters are actually following through on lobbying efforts for redress legislation, noting only three summary sheets were returned from 185 packets sent out. She also praises the successful PSW District LEC fundraiser dinner attended by over 500 people.
• Roots of Anti-Asian Violence, by Ron Wakabayashi, page 5. Wakabayashi discusses Japanese perceptions of American violence and describes a JACL report on growing anti-Asian violence that has been distributed to Congress and community organizations. He notes that Japanese media coverage of U.S.-Japan trade friction attributes conflict largely to racism without a nuanced understanding of intergroup relations dynamics in America’s multicultural society.

JACL

• New Year’s Greetings, by Frank Sato, page 5. JACL national president Frank Sato reflects on the significance of 1986 as the Nikkei community’s story will be told in National Geographic, the Statue of Liberty centennial book, and eventually a Smithsonian exhibit and TV mini-series. He calls on the community to seize opportunities to educate Americans about the internment experience and fulfill the promise of the Constitution.
• District Meeting to Be Held Feb. 2, by P.C. Staff, page 7. NorCal-W. Nevada-Pacific JACL will hold its first 1986 quarterly district council meeting Feb. 2 in Berkeley, discussing the JACL forensic competition and upcoming National Convention. LEC executive director Grayce Uyehara will discuss LEC’s role in the redress campaign.

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