Vol. 109, No. 9, September 29, 1989. 4 pages. View this issue
A California bill requiring state agencies to count Asian and Pacific Islander groups separately led the front page. Assemblyman Richard Floyd’s A.B. 814 passed the Senate 31-1 and awaited the governor’s signature. The page also reported on a Los Angeles television station’s editorial urging Congress to fully fund redress payments to Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II (often called internment), and on White Aryan Resistance flyers and a hotline spreading anti-Asian messages in San Francisco, reported by Jeannie Look of East West.
The Pacific Citizen explained that the issue ran only four pages because acting editor George Johnston was ill and general manager Harry Honda was on vacation. Inside are columns by Bill Hosokawa, who wrote about barbed wire sold as souvenirs at the Heart Mountain reunion, and Bill Marutani, who wrote about Japanese executives’ car preferences. An editorial looked at the 1990 Miss America pageant. Community notices cover the Latin American Fiesta, the USC awards dinner, Aki Matsuri and UCLA fellowships.
What’s in this issue
National
- California Bill Would Require Differentiation Among Asian Groups, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A bill by California Assemblyman Richard Floyd requiring state agencies to classify Asian and Pacific Islander groups separately rather than as one category passed the Senate 31-1 and awaits the governor’s signature. The bill would create distinct categories for Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese and other groups, mirroring new U.S. Census categories.
- Anti-Asian Messages Appear in San Francisco, by Jeannie Look, East West, page 1. A White supremacist group called White Aryan Resistance has been distributing racist flyers and spreading anti-Asian messages via a telephone hotline in San Francisco neighborhoods, targeting Asians, Blacks, Hispanics and Jews. Community leaders including Henry Der of Chinese for Affirmative Action and ADL’s Richard Hirschhaut warn that such propaganda, while not physically violent, fosters dangerous stereotypes and fear that could escalate into violence.
Incarceration & Redress
- L.A. TV Station Wants Immediate Redress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Los Angeles television station is broadcasting an editorial in English and Japanese urging Congress to fully fund redress payments to Japanese Americans interned during WWII. The editorial notes that although Reagan signed the redress law over a year earlier, no internees had yet received payment, and calls for the full $500 million annual appropriation rather than the $20 million requested by President Bush.
Community
- About This Issue, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Pacific Citizen explains that this issue is only four pages because acting editor George Johnston was ill and general manager Harry Honda was on vacation, leaving no full-time editorial staff available. The paper chose to publish a short ‘bare bones’ issue rather than skip publication entirely.
- USC’s Fifth APASG Dinner Slated for Oct. 19 in L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 1. The USC Asian Pacific American Support Group will hold its Fifth Annual Awards Dinner on Oct. 19 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, honoring community leaders including Jae Min Chang, Yoshi Honkawa, Judge Delbert Wong, and Joselyn G. Yap. The nonprofit organization also will award scholarships to Asian Pacific American students, with tickets priced at $75 each.
- Asian American Dance Collective Golf Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Asian American Dance Collective is sponsoring a ‘Friends of AADC Tournament’ golf event on Oct. 13 at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco to benefit the nonprofit dance organization. The $60 entry fee includes green fees, cart, box lunch and prize eligibility.
- Latin American Fiesta Coming Up on Oct. 21, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Latin America Chapter of JACL will host a ‘Latin American Fiesta’ on Oct. 21 at the Ken Nakaoka Center in Gardena, celebrating Latin American Nikkei communities from countries including Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Peru. The event will feature authentic food, beverages and dancing, with tickets priced at $15 in advance or $20 at the door.
- UCLA’s Asian American Studies Department Offering Residency Fellowships in 1990-1993, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The UCLA Asian American Studies Center, sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation, is offering Residency Fellowships in the Humanities from 1990-1993 under the theme ‘American Generations: The Asian Pacific Program.’ Each year focuses on different generational themes, with fellowships ranging from three to ten months and stipends from $8,000 to $30,000.
- 17th Annual Aki Matsuri Happening on Oct. 7, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center will hold its 17th Annual Aki Matsuri (Fall Festival) on Oct. 7 in West Covina, featuring taiko drum performances, Japanese folk dancing, cultural exhibits, and food and game booths. The free event benefits the center’s building and improvement fund.
- Correction, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Pacific Citizen issued a correction noting a paragraph was inadvertently deleted from the previous week’s story about JACL-LEC members supporting Senator Inouye’s entitlement bill. The missing quote from Grant Ujifusa expressed alignment with Nikkei members of Congress and appreciation for Inouye’s action.
Commentary
- It’s Come a Long Way, Baby, page 2. This editorial reflects on the 1990 Miss America pageant, noting that the two finalists were a Black woman and an Asian American woman, with the eventual winner being Debbye Turner, a Black veterinary student. The piece argues this represents quiet but meaningful progress toward color-blindness in American race relations, even as full equality remains elusive.
- Barbed Wire a Barbaric Souvenir, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Bill Hosokawa reflects on segments of barbed wire offered as souvenirs at the Heart Mountain WRA camp reunion in Reno, recalling that the fence was erected only after the camp was settled and sparked a protest petition signed by over 3,000 adult internees. The column recounts the petition’s language condemning the fence and watchtowers as insulting to free citizens, and notes the camp administration’s partial concession of allowing recreational access to surrounding land.
- The Top Ten, by Bill Marutani, page 2. Bill Marutani writes about a survey of Japanese executives’ car preferences, ranking the top ten vehicles by criteria like styling, luxury, and engine performance, with Nissan, Toyota and Honda models dominating the list. The column also muses on the origins of car model names like ‘Cressida’ and notes a new vogue in Japan for vintage American cars from the 1960s.
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