Anti-Asian violence and the fight over immigration reform

Vol. 97, No. 15, October 7, 1983. 12 pages. View this issue

The front page carried news of anti-Asian violence and efforts to answer it. The Asian Pacific American Advocates of California, whose president Allan Seid spoke with the Pacific Citizen, described a three-pronged approach to anti-Asian sentiment in the state’s agricultural valleys. The JACL National Board also voted unanimously to oppose employer sanctions in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1983, warning that they could increase employment discrimination against Asian Americans. A page 7 article returned to the same bill, HR 1510.

Elsewhere, the issue covered Japanese Canadian redress, a KNBC-TV editorial on reparations and the replies it drew, and a reprinted article by Steve Schenck on cooperatives in the incarceration camps, including Rohwer. Columns by Floyd Shimomura and Bill Marutani appeared on page 4, and page 3 reviewed a new Hiroshi Kashiwagi play and a photo exhibit on prewar Los Angeles. Chapter news from Sequoia, Contra Costa and Washington, D.C. filled the inside pages.

What’s in this issue

National

• Anti-Asian Violence Sparks Search for Solutions, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Asian Pacific American Advocates of California developed a three-pronged approach to combat anti-Asian sentiment in agricultural valleys, including education of refugees, dialogue with farm owners, and union organizing assistance. National media attention on anti-Asian violence has increased, with APAAC president Allan Seid criticizing media portrayals of Asian immigrants and refugees as a source of friction.
• Survey Finds 73% Oppose Affirmative Action Quotas, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A new Anti-Defamation League survey found that 73% of Americans disapprove of racial quotas in affirmative action programs, with even a majority of non-white respondents favoring merit-based hiring. The poll’s results differed from earlier surveys and come amid growing federal attacks on affirmative action programs under the Reagan Administration.
• Lowry, Royer Run in Senate Primary Race, page 1. The special Washington state Senate race to fill the seat left vacant by Sen. Henry Jackson’s death presents a dilemma for Nikkei voters choosing between Rep. Mike Lowry and Seattle Mayor Charles Royer in an October 11 primary. Both candidates have records on redress and Asian American issues, while appointed incumbent Sen. Dan Evans is remembered favorably for his role in rescinding Executive Order 9066.
• Immigration Reform Bill Draws JACL Opposition Over Discrimination Fears, page 7. JACL continues to express concern that employer sanctions in immigration reform legislation (HR 1510) could increase discrimination against Asian Americans, citing a GAO study showing such sanctions have been ineffective elsewhere. JACL has urged representatives to oppose the employer sanctions provisions in the bill.
• Outlook Brightens for Vietnam Orphans, page 12. U.S. volunteer agencies were asked to set up an office and halfway house in Ho Chi Minh City for Amerasian children fathered by American servicemen. Talks between Vietnamese officials and U.S. representatives aim to speed the departure process, which could see up to 1,000 children leaving per year within two years.
• Pilipinos Face 13-Year Backlog for Immigration Visa to U.S., page 12. Pilipinos face waiting times of up to 13 years for U.S. immigration visas, the longest delay of any nationality, driven by strong historical ties between the Philippines and the United States. The U.S. Embassy in Manila processes thousands of visa applications annually, with officials working to combat fraud while most applicants have legitimate family ties in America.

JACL

• JACL Opposes Immigration Reform Plans, by Ron K. Ikejiri, page 1. The National JACL Board unanimously adopted a resolution directing the Washington Office to oppose provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1983 that could increase employment discrimination against Asian Americans. The Washington Office circulated a letter to House members warning that employer sanctions would exacerbate a negative atmosphere already evident in cases like the Vincent Chin killing.

Community

• Doomed Tree Gets New Life in JACCC Plaza, page 1. A 100-year-old grapefruit tree was uprooted and relocated to save it, with a crane used to move it to a new home near the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center. The relocation process took considerable time, and community members are working to have the tree declared a cultural-historical landmark.
• U.S. Committee for Kagawa Centennial Project Formed, page 2. An American Committee for the Kagawa Centennial Project has been formed to celebrate the 1988 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Toyohiko Kagawa, led by Rev. Umeko K. Momii. The committee seeks personal memoirs, stories, and memorabilia from people who knew Kagawa or his family.
• Sansei Journalist for NHK Named Capitol Hill Reporter, page 2. Corrine M. Furukawa was appointed Capitol Hill correspondent for Japan Broadcasting Co. (NHK) after previously covering the Reagan Administration as a White House press member. A Washington D.C. native and JACL family member, she discussed her most satisfying assignments covering Prime Minister Nakasone’s visits and the International Special Olympics.
• Stockton Presents Sister City Plaque, page 7. Ken and Grace Takeuchi attended a Sister City dedication ceremony where Stockton government officials presented a plaque and other gifts from various organizations. The event celebrated Stockton’s ongoing sister city relationship.
• Sequoia to Begin Financial Workshops, page 9. The Sequoia JACL Chapter will present a financial workshop series on insurance and wills at the Palo Alto Buddhist Church, featuring speakers Bud Nakano, Ken Fujii, and Chenin Tana. Program chair Don Tanaka said the series aims to be educational and useful, with hopes to expand into youth career and college workshops.
• Community Pioneers to Be Honored, page 10. Nikkei pioneers aged 70 and older will be honored at the 11th annual recognition event sponsored by Palo Alto area JACL at the Palo Alto Buddhist Methodist Church. The event honors Japanese Americans in the community who have turned or will turn 70 by the end of 1983.
• JACL Sets Autumn Festival, Oct. 22, page 10. Washington, D.C. JACL will hold an autumn festival on October 22 at Wakefield Forest Elementary School in Fairfax, Virginia, featuring displays of origami, woodblocks, prints, and other crafts. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Monte Carlo Nite to Be Fund-Raiser, page 10. Contra Costa JACL members will host a Monte Carlo Nite fund-raiser benefiting Sakura-kai programs at Maple Hall in San Pablo, co-chaired by Jiro Fujii and Jack Imada. The chapter also announced an upcoming golf tournament and a pending Halloween event.
• Art Sales to Aid Yoshioka Campaign, page 10. A community-wide Asian art auction supporting Vernon Yoshioka’s campaign for a Community College board of trustees seat will be held October 24 at Fat City Restaurant in San Diego. Items for sale include paintings, prints, Japanese dolls, antiques, and other Asian art objects.
• Konshin Kai Values Trade With California, page 12. Konshin Kai, now in its fifth year, brings together California and Japanese business leaders in Sacramento for a day of legislative visits and discussions on trade relations. The Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California published a brochure highlighting the significant trade and economic ties between California and Japan.

Arts & Entertainment

• Prewar Activities of Nikkei Told in Photos, page 3. A pictorial exhibit titled “Before the War” documenting the Japanese American community in Los Angeles from 1890 to 1942 is on display at Whittier College’s Mendenhall Gallery through November 10. The approximately 100 photographs were drawn from several archives including the Toyo Miyatake Studio and document Issei, Nisei, and Sansei life before internment.
• New Kashiwagi Play Opens, page 3. “Little Oak Store,” written by Hiroshi Kashiwagi and produced by Jim Ishida and Keone Young, premiered October 5 at the East West Players Theater. The play follows a small grocery store owner and his family fighting poverty and racism in a small Sacramento town, directed by Shizuko Hoshi.
• Violinist Campaigns for Used Violins for Use in Mexico, page 12. Concert violinist Yuriko Kuronuma collected used instruments in Japan to bring to her music school, Academia Yuriko Kuronuma, which she founded in Mexico City three years ago and which now serves 110 pupils. She appealed to Japanese donors because children’s violins must be imported to Mexico at high cost.

Commentary

• Editorial Draws Fire From Two Sides, page 4. A KNBC-TV editorial on Japanese American reparations prompted sharply opposing responses from anti-redress campaigner Lillian Baker and JACL-PSW redress chair Hetty Yasukochi. Baker argued citizenship carries wartime responsibilities while the JACL response argued that constitutional rights deprivation requires national remedies.
• Reparations to Japanese American Citizens, by KNBC-TV, page 4. A KNBC-TV editorial reflects on the 1942 forced removal of Japanese Americans and reviews the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians’ recommendations, including an official apology and cash payments. The editorial argues for repaying documented actual losses with interest rather than blanket payments to all internees.
• Oh-Tohm-Beeru, by Bill Marutani, page 4. In this East Wind column, Bill Marutani reflects on the pidgin Japanese terms used by Issei parents, such as “oh-tohm-beeru” for automobile and “kuruma” for car. He traces how these terms, which Nisei assumed were slang, were later confirmed through his Occupation-era experience in Japan to be standard usage among ordinary Japanese.
• Mutual Interest?, by Floyd Shimomura, page 4. JACL President Floyd Shimomura previews his upcoming visit to Japan with National Director Ron Wakabayashi to establish dialogue between the Japanese people and Japanese American community. He discusses how Japan’s economic success and trade friction with the U.S. affects Japanese Americans and the need to promote a racially tolerant atmosphere.

Incarceration & Redress

• Canadian Redress Movement Gathers Steam, by Karen Seriguchi, page 5. Delegates from Japanese Canadian centres will meet in Winnipeg in November to establish an organizational structure for the Canadian redress movement after disputes at a September Toronto meeting led to resignations of key redress committee leaders. The article details Canada’s wartime internment of over 22,000 Japanese Canadians, harsher camp conditions than in the U.S., and the current fractured state of the redress movement.

Obituaries

• The Rev. Yoshitaka Tamai—Anju, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa’s column pays tribute to the Rev. Yoshitaka Tamai, longtime emeritus priest of the Tri-State Buddhist Church in Denver, who died after an illness. Tamai served Issei farmers through hardship, built lasting community monuments including Sakura Square, and was honored twice by the Japanese government for fostering Japanese-American relations.

In-Depth

• Co-operatives in the Internment Camps, by Steve Schenck, page 8. This reprinted article explores how consumer cooperatives flourished in WWII internment camps despite the harsh conditions, focusing on organizer Ed Runcorn’s experience building co-ops at the Amadene (Rohwer) camp in Arkansas. The co-ops gave internees rare control over an aspect of camp life, running general stores, barbershops, and other operations with democratic member governance and dividends.

Military & Veterans

• Recommendations by CWRIC Wins 34th Infantry Division Support, page 8. The 34th Infantry Division Association unanimously passed a resolution supporting the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians’ redress recommendations, with the resolution presented by Warren E. Fencl. Veterans leaders including Kelly Nakamoto, Kenneth Kaneko, and Toru Sugimoto were credited for garnering support among the Hawaii contingent.

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