The H.R. 442 hearing and the redress fight in Congress

Vol. 102, No. 18, May 9, 1986. 12 pages. View this issue

The Civil Liberties Act of 1985, H.R. 442, was the subject of the front page. Grayce Uyehara reported on the daylong House subcommittee hearing of Apr. 28, where 33 witnesses were heard, from redress supporters such as Dr. Yoshiye Togasaki and Mary Tsukamoto to opponents. The paper also reported four new co-sponsors, bringing the total to 130, and a Justice Department letter recommending against the bill. Other front-page news covered the Manzanar pilgrimage and the denied motions in the Hirabayashi case, and page 10 continued the Manzanar story with Peter Irons’s speech.

Inside are commentaries by Bill Marutani, John T. Nakahata and Raymond Okamura, and a review by Bill Hosokawa. JACL pages list the candidates for national office, with Harry Kajihara and Rose Ochi running for president, and report on the national dues discussion. Page 8 notes that a Colorado war memorial will include 31 servicemen from Amache, and page 12 continues the report on the NAAPAE conference, where speakers opposed the English-only movement.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Emotions Run High at House Hearing, by Grayce Uyehara, page 1. The House Judiciary subcommittee held a daylong hearing on H.R. 442, the Civil Liberties Act of 1985, hearing 33 witnesses from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Testimony ranged from emotional accounts by redress proponents like Dr. Yoshiye Togasaki and Mary Tsukamoto to opposition from figures like Karl Bendetsen and S.I. Hayakawa.
• H.R. 442 Picks Up Four Co-Sponsors, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Within three days of the Apr. 28 hearing on redress bill H.R. 442, four new co-sponsors signed on, bringing the total to 130. Rep. Robert Matsui and Rep. Norman Mineta urged continued grassroots lobbying to build on the hearing’s momentum.
• Motions Denied in Hirabayashi Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. U.S. District Judge Donald Voorhees denied requests from both Gordon Hirabayashi’s legal team and Justice Dept. attorneys to reconsider his February ruling. The government now has 30 days to appeal to the 9th Circuit, while Hirabayashi’s side has 10 days.
• Internment Recalled in Calif. Desert, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 1. The 17th annual pilgrimage to Manzanar featured the unveiling of a National Park Service plaque designating the site a National Historic Landmark, along with a speech by coram nobis attorney Peter Irons. Officials including Sue Embrey, Warren Furutani, and City Councilman David Cunningham took part in the ceremony.
• Manzanar Pilgrimage Honors Broken Promises, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Attorney Peter Irons spoke at the Manzanar pilgrimage about the legal history of the wartime internment and the government’s broken constitutional promises to Japanese Americans. Shi Nomura was honored for his 13 years of work documenting Manzanar life at the Eastern California Museum, and redress statements were given by Richard Katsuda and Hannah Tomiko Holmes.

National

• Reagan Administration Opposes Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A letter from Asst. Atty. General John Bolton to Rep. Peter Rodino revealed that the Justice Department recommends against enactment of H.R. 442. The letter disputed the findings of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians and opposed both monetary payments and educational funding provisions.
• Educators Seek to Break Barriers, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 1. Teachers, administrators and researchers gathered at the New Otani Hotel for the 8th annual NAAPAE conference focused on barriers facing Asian Pacific American students. Keynote speaker Dr. Bob Suzuki criticized the ‘model minority’ myth and its negative effects on policy and employment opportunities for Asian Americans.
• Jewish Organization Backs Redress, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Jewish Community Relations Council of Southern New Jersey announced its support for redress bill H.R. 442, representing 60 religious and social welfare organizations. The letter cited a 1985 statement from the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council endorsing redress as essential to protecting civil liberties.

Community

• Scholar to Speak on Picture Brides’ Story, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Alice Chai of the University of Hawaii will discuss the experiences of Japanese, Okinawan and Korean picture brides who arrived in the U.S. between 1908-24. Her research project with colleague Barbara Kawakami documents the hardships and daily struggles of these women, many of whom faced abusive marriages and extreme poverty.
• JCCCNC to Honor Five Local Leaders, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Northern California will honor five community leaders—Yasuo Abiko, Archbishop Nitten Ishida, Steve Nakajo, Kathleen Okamoto, and Yukio Sekino—at its 1986 Awards Dinner. The event will be emceed by UC regent Yori Wada.
• Supervisors Reject English Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The L.A. County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a resolution opposing efforts to make English the official language of the U.S. Supervisor Kenneth Hahn argued such laws would alienate new citizens despite English already being the nation’s de facto language.
• Civil Rights Group to Mix Work and Play, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Asian Law Caucus is holding a fundraiser called ‘In Defense of Civil Rights’ featuring Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Woo and a dance with band Pride & Joy. Organizers say the event aims to rejuvenate supporters while continuing the fight against anti-Asian violence and erosion of civil rights.
• Speakers Set for ‘Aging’ Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pacific Southwest District JACL is sponsoring ‘The Feminization of Aging’ conference featuring keynote speaker Grace Montanez Davis, deputy mayor of Los Angeles. Workshops will cover health, finance, caretaking, and alternative lifestyles for older women.
• A Lot of Class, by Edna Ikeda, page 5. A new Asian American studies class at UC San Diego has drawn prominent speakers including Min Yasui, Lawson Inada, and Laurence Yep, generating excitement in the community. Students describe the class as transformative for their self-esteem and connection to their heritage.
• Caricature in Ad Branded as ‘Racist’, by P.C. Staff, page 8. JACL national director Ron Wakabayashi protested a racist caricature depicting a Japanese man with slanted eyes and broken English in a Road and Track advertisement for MG Mitten auto accessories. Another reader, W.H. Chin, also wrote to the magazine condemning the ad’s stereotypical imagery.
• Placer County Chapter Holds Scholarship Dinner, by Roy Yoshida, page 8. Placer County JACL will hold its annual scholarship fundraising dinner, presenting three scholarships to local high school graduates including the JACL-Thomas M. Yego, Sr. Award. The chapter also administers the Okei Memorial Achievement Awards honoring Okei Ito of the Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony.
• Ventura County Chapter Plans Cemetery Clean-Up, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Ventura County JACL will hold a clean-up event at the Japanese Cemetery on Pleasant Valley Road. The event is scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to noon on May 17.
• Heritage Week Continues in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 11. A series of cultural events celebrating Asian American Heritage Week are taking place at Chicago’s Daley Plaza, including traditional dance, cooking demonstrations, and martial arts exhibitions. The weeklong program concludes May 30 with Thai dance, Chinese painting, and a symphony orchestra performance.
• Fundraiser for AIDS Awareness Planned, by P.C. Staff, page 11. Gay Asian Rap and Asian/Pacific Lesbians and Gays are organizing a barbecue fundraiser to support AIDS education in minority communities. Proceeds will benefit the Unity Fellowship Minority AIDS Outreach Project.
• Retiree Offering Veterinary Talents, by P.C. Staff, page 12. Bryan Mayeda, D.V.M., who retired after 36 years with the California Dept. of Food & Agriculture, is preparing to offer an emergency on-farm diagnostic service for poultry growers. A native of Loomis who was interned during WW2, he later became a veterinary school lecturer at UC Davis and was honored by several professional organizations.

Commentary

• Kome No Tsubu (‘Grains of Rice’), by Bill Marutani, page 4. Marutani reflects on a Cincinnati JACL chapter newsletter and an article by Betty Breyer titled ‘Redress is Me,’ which explores why redress matters even to those not directly interned. He argues that redress represents a necessary symbolic act of national honor, not merely a financial settlement.
• The Heart of the Matter, by John T. Nakahata, page 4. Nakahata argues that JACL’s focus on U.S.-Japan relations as a civil rights strategy misdiagnoses the real problem, which is American society’s failure to accept Asian Americans as full citizens. He calls for JACL to focus on building alliances with other minority groups and serving as a watchdog for democratic pluralism rather than seeking a ‘bridge’ role with Japan.
• The Wrong Slant, by Raymond Okamura, page 5. Okamura criticizes the Smithsonian’s reliance on veterans’ organization Go For Broke for planning a Japanese American exhibit tied to the Constitution’s bicentennial. He argues that draft resisters and protesters like Fred Korematsu and Gordon Hirabayashi, not veterans, were the true defenders of constitutional principles during WW2.
• Two Who Spoke Out, by Paul T. Ohtaki, page 5. A letter praising the documentary ‘Visible Target’ highlights the courageous stand taken by Walt and Milly Woodward, publishers of the Bainbridge Review, who opposed the WW2 evacuation of Japanese Americans. The writer urges readers to watch the PBS broadcast and lobby local stations to air it.

Arts & Entertainment

• A Partial Portrait, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa reviews ‘The Story of Yamada Waka,’ a biography by Toyoko Yamazaki about a Japanese woman who survived prostitution in America to become a feminist pioneer in Japan. He critiques the book for focusing more on the author’s research struggles than on Waka’s own compelling life story.

JACL

• Roster of Candidates, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Eleven nomination forms have been filed for National JACL offices, including a presidential race between Harry Kajihara and Rose Ochi. Other contested positions include secretary-treasurer and vice president for public affairs, while several candidates are running unopposed.
• PSW Chapters Discuss Finances, by Harry Honda, page 6. A straw vote at the Pacific Southwest JACL District Council meeting showed chapters evenly split on a proposed $2 increase in national dues. National treasurer Gene Takamine favored a zero-budget approach given rising costs for liability insurance, redress loan repayment, and postage.
• Resolutions: Serious Business, by Lillian C. Kimura, page 6. The Resolutions Committee chair reminds JACL chapters that the deadline for submitting resolutions for the 1986 Chicago convention is May 31. She explains the rules governing new resolutions and recommendations to the National Board, and notes some past resolutions may be recommended for deletion.

Military & Veterans

• War Memorial Will Include JA Soldiers, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A war memorial dedication at the Prowers County Courthouse in Lamar, Colorado will include the names of 31 Japanese American servicemen from the Amache internment camp killed in WW2. The Denver Central Optimist Club is planning an accompanying pilgrimage to the Amache site.

In-Depth

• Educators Seek to Break Barriers (continued): ‘English Only’ Opposition, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 12. Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy and L.A. City Councilman Mike Woo spoke out against the ‘Official English’ movement at the NAAPAE conference, calling it part of a broader trend to scapegoat immigrants. Olympic diving champion Sammy Lee also gave a keynote speech emphasizing education’s role in overcoming barriers, drawing on his own experience as the son of Korean immigrants.

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