Redress backed by California attorneys and the New York assembly

Vol. 99, No. 14, October 5, 1984. 12 pages. View this issue

Redress led the front page. The State Bar of California Conference of Delegates passed two resolutions supporting monetary compensation for Japanese Americans interned during World War II, and Fred Korematsu received a standing ovation at the convention. The New York State assembly also passed a unanimous resolution backing the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, including $20,000 payments to survivors. Inside, the paper told the little-known story of 220 Japanese Americans from Alaska sent to internment camps, with testimony from Harriet Beleal, Amelia Kito and William Kimura. George Kitagawa wrote about the Tule Lake pilgrimage, and Norman Mineta urged supporters to keep up the fight.

Other front-page news covered a U.S. Commission on Civil Rights study of violence against Asian and Pacific Island Americans, and attacks that drove Hmong refugees from Philadelphia. Harry Honda explained changes to the Pacific Citizen’s format, and Mas Manbo recalled growing up as a Nisei in Hollywood.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• California Attorneys Endorse Monetary Compensation, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The State Bar of California Conference of Delegates passed two resolutions supporting monetary compensation to Japanese Americans interned during WW2, sponsored by the Japanese American Bar Assn. of Los Angeles and the Asian American Bar Assn. of the Greater Bay Area. Fred Korematsu received a standing ovation at the convention after the resolutions passed.
• New York Backs Redress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The New York State assembly passed a unanimous resolution supporting the recommendations of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians, including $20,000 payments to survivors. The resolution was sponsored by Assemblypersons Lewis Yevoli and Angelo Orazio.
• Tule Lake Pilgrimage, by George Kitagawa, Nichi Bei Times, page 6. George Kitagawa recounts his experience attending the Tule Lake pilgrimage despite never having been incarcerated himself, describing the diverse group of attendees including many non-Japanese Asian Americans and allies. He reflects on the importance of the pilgrimage for supporting the redress and reparations movement.
• Little-Known Story of Alaska Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Researcher Ronald Inouye documents the little-known evacuation of 220 Japanese Americans from Alaska to internment camps during WW2, including those who had married Alaskan Native women. Testimonies from Harriet Beleal, Amelia Kito, and William Kimura detail family separations, hardships, and needless deaths resulting from the internment.
• Hearing Addresses Dignity of the Individual, by Miki Himeno, page 12. A California State Department of Education hearing on Asian/Pacific Affairs featured testimony from educators, media figures, and community leaders on issues ranging from school violence to media representation. Speakers included Dr. Jack Fujimoto, Lily Chen, and JACL regional director John Saito.

National

• Panel to Study Violence, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights voted to begin a study of bigotry and violence against Asian and Pacific Island Americans and recent Asian immigrants. The study, scaled back from a broader one, is scheduled for release in September 1985.
• Japan Grants Residence Request of Protester, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rev. Ronald Fujiyoshi, an American missionary charged with violating Japan’s fingerprinting laws, was granted another three years’ residence in Japan. He had refused fingerprinting upon reentry after a 1981 trip and was indicted in 1982.
• Attacks Drive Southeast Asians from City, by From a report by East/West, page 1. Large numbers of Laotian Hmong people are being driven out of Philadelphia by a wave of violence prompting investigations by the Justice Dept. and possibly the FBI. The Hmong population in Philadelphia has dwindled from 5,000 to 650 over five years amid beatings, robberies, and vandalism.
• Suit Filed Against Initiative, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Chinese for Affirmative Action and other petitioners filed a lawsuit to stop California’s secretary of state from counting votes on Prop. 38, which called for repeal of Bilingual Voting Assistance provisions of the Voting Rights Act. The petitioners cited a recent state Supreme Court ruling on the use of ballot initiatives.
• Student Witnesses Recount High School Slaying of Refugee, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The jury deliberated in the murder trial of James ‘Jay’ Pierman, accused of the racially motivated stabbing of Thong Hy Huynh at Davis High School in 1983. Witnesses gave conflicting accounts of whether the stabbing was accidental or deliberate, and an anonymous anti-Asian postcard was also sent to a UC Davis professor monitoring the trial.

Community

• Registration Drive in Gear, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Volunteers registered 2,500 new Asian Pacific voters in Southern California and hope to sign up 500 more, according to Stewart Kwoh of the Asian Pacific American Voter Registration Project. The registration deadline was Oct. 9.
• State Education Council Listens to Asian Pacifics, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Some 60 persons gave advice to the California State Superintendent of Education’s Council on Asian/Pacific Affairs at a hearing in Los Angeles covering issues from school violence to bilingual education. Council chair Irene Hirano presided, with speakers including school superintendents and Dr. Robert Suzuki of Cal State LA.
• Concrete Step for New Community Center, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Ground was broken for the new Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) in San Francisco. The ceremony included speeches, a sake-taru-breaking ceremony, and plans for the center to open as early as November 1985.
• Hoosier Aids Asian Refugees in Adjusting, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Ellen Tamaki Stevens, a Hoosier JACLer who moved to Los Angeles, is remembered for her work helping Asian refugees adjust to American culture in Indianapolis. She taught Survival English to Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian refugees and worked with Catholic Charities.
• EDC to Meet in NYC, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Eastern District Council meets in New York, hosted by the New York Chapter, followed by an informal dinner with newly elected national president Frank Sato. Chapter presidents were asked to RSVP with attendance counts.
• San Benito County Golden Anniversary Reunion Planned, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The San Benito County JACL board voted to invite former Japanese residents who lived in the area before WW2 to a reunion marking the chapter’s 50th anniversary. The reunion is planned for Summer 1985.
• Mt. Plains to Hear Sen. Bingaman, Yasui, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Sen. Jeff Bingaman is keynote speaker for the Mountain Plains District Council banquet, which also features Min Yasui reporting on the status of the redress campaign. The meeting’s main business is electing new district officers for the next biennium.
• A Nisei in Hollywood, by Mas Manbo, page 8. Mas Manbo recalls growing up as a Nisei in Hollywood during the 1920s and 1930s, describing encounters with movie stars, the local Japanese community clustered near Cahuenga Ave., and prominent figures like John Aiso and Togo Tanaka at Hollywood High. He also reminisces about the Japanese language school and various Nisei social clubs of the era.
• U.S.-Japan Journalists Meet for Seminar, by P.C. Staff, page 12. Japanese journalists visiting the U.S. and American journalists who visited Japan shared observations during an East-West Center seminar in Honolulu. Topics included American eating habits, sales tax confusion, and discrimination against women workers in Japan.

Arts & Entertainment

• Asian Film Festival Touring Country, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Asian American International Film Festival, featuring nine documentary and narrative films, continues its tour through six more cities this fall and winter. The tour schedule includes Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston, Houston, Seattle, and Los Angeles.
• Noguchi Sculpture Built 50 Years After Design, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A 102-foot stainless steel sculpture by Isamu Noguchi, designed when he was 28, was finally built and dedicated at the Benjamin Franklin Bridge plaza in Philadelphia. The sculpture is titled ‘A Bolt of Lightning—A Memorial to Benjamin Franklin.’
• PBS to Air ‘Nisei Soldier’, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Loni Ding’s documentary ‘Nisei Soldier: Standard Bearer for an Exiled People’ aired on most PBS stations including WNET and KCET in Los Angeles. The half-hour documentary covers Japanese American soldiers’ service.

Commentary

• PC Format Modernized, by Harry Honda, page 2. Harry Honda explains changes to the Pacific Citizen’s format, including new advertising and subscription rates, larger type size, and a shift to standard advertising units and a five-column news section. He also notes progress on the JACL-Pacific Citizen typesetter fund, which has topped $9,000.
• Arigato, Kamali, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Pacific Citizen expresses thanks to George Yoshinaga and Ray Yamaguchi of the Kashu Mainichi for helping typeset articles after equipment breakdowns. This marked the third such breakdown in three months.
• U.S. Government, Not Jackson, at Fault, by Stan Shikuma, page 4. A letter responds to a previous letter criticizing Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow Coalition, arguing that historical U.S. government policies, not Jackson, are responsible for Japanese American marginalization. The author cites Jackson’s support for redress and his opposition to the Simpson-Mazzoli immigration bill.
• Masugi Two-Faced?, by Kei Yamaguchi, page 4. A letter accuses Ken Masugi of inconsistency, noting he has lumped Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals together when arguing against redress but separated them when criticizing Jesse Jackson. The author challenges Masugi to clarify his position.
• Laws of Behavior, by Mark S. Ishimatsu, page 4. A letter responds to Barry Saiki’s article ‘Japan Experts,’ disagreeing with the premise that true understanding of Japan requires full cultural immersion. The author argues that social sciences, like physical sciences, can uncover general laws of behavior applicable across contexts.
• U.S. Mayors’ Endorsement, by Charles Royer, page 4. Seattle Mayor Charles Royer describes his efforts to gain endorsement of redress legislation from the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities. He credits the JACL Northwest regional office and Seattle Chapter for providing briefing materials and support.
• A Nice Man, by Joe Oyama, page 4. A letter complains about an unflattering photo of columnist Jin Konomi, asking that it be retouched. The author notes that Konomi is in reality a very nice, amiable man.
• Spiritual and Social Growth, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa writes about Dr. Roy I. Sano’s installation as the first Nisei bishop of the United Methodist Church’s Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone Conferences. He reflects on the historical segregation of Japanese American churches and praises the Methodist Church’s willingness to embrace change.
• Individual Dignity, by John Saito, page 6. John Saito reflects on a California State Department of Education hearing on Asian/Pacific Affairs, describing testimony from educators and media figures about violence against Asian Pacific students. He highlights JACL’s role and other organizations that could assist the council in addressing these issues.
• Pride Demands Redress, by M/M Steve Azuma, M/M Richard Fujiye, Gene Hayashi, et al., page 6. A group letter disagrees with Nisei Farmers League President Harry Kubo’s testimony against individual redress payments, arguing that monetary compensation is essential and would not be a matter of disgrace. The signers argue their forebears would be proud of the fight for redress.
• Mineta: ‘Keep Up the Fight’, by Norman Mineta, page 9. Rep. Norman Mineta addressed the Japanese American Democratic Club of San Francisco, emphasizing that the struggle for redress and political inclusion never truly ends. He stressed the need for persistence, education, and continued advocacy in the redress campaign.

Military & Veterans

• Asian Vietnam Vets Form Organization, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A new organization called Asian Pacific American Vietnam Veterans (APAVV) seeks to establish a memorial honoring Asian/Pacific American veterans of the Vietnam war. Chair Don Lau, who served as an Army war correspondent in Vietnam, recalled being mistaken for the enemy by his own troops.

JACL

• Aging and Retirement Committee 1982-1984 Summary Report, by Mike Ego, page 5. The National JACL Aging and Retirement Committee details its work over the 1982-84 biennium, including the creation of the video ‘A Tale of Nisei Retirement’ after the death of original filmmaker Henry Ushijima. The committee outlines future program ideas and calls for continued JACL funding support.
• PSW Goals for 1985, by Harry Kajihara, page 10. Harry Kajihara outlines PSWD goals including Ethnic Concerns, youth development, and chapter liaison efforts, while praising the Women’s Concerns Group and Greater Los Angeles Singles Chapter for their contributions. He also details the PSWD Redress Committee’s activities under George Ogawa’s leadership.

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