Day of Remembrance events and the Waki case, February 1985

Vol. 100, No. 5, February 8, 1985. 12 pages. View this issue

Day of Remembrance events led the front page, as communities from Sacramento to New York prepared to mark the 43rd anniversary of Executive Order 9066, signed Feb. 19, 1942. Planned were memorials, speakers, films and ceremonies. Also on page 1: Mark Matsunaga’s account of 442nd Regimental Combat Team veterans returning to Dachau, and Robert Shimabukuro’s report on Houston JACL president Betty Waki, whose teaching job was threatened because she was classified as “white” under desegregation rules.

Inside are an update on Gordon Hirabayashi’s coram nobis petition, a California bill to repeal the loyalty code used to fire Japanese American state employees, and Bill Hosokawa’s column on a Heart Mountain memorial. Commentary includes Harry Honda on new postal rates and J.K. Yamamoto on coverage of astronaut Ellison Onizuka. Page 11 follows Onizuka’s family at his launch, and JACL news covers a Constitution bicentennial committee and the Tri-District Conference in Fresno.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Day of Remembrance Events Planned Nationwide, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japanese American communities across the country are organizing events marking the 43rd anniversary of Executive Order 9066, signed Feb. 19, 1942. Events are planned in Sacramento, Salinas, San Francisco, San Jose, Gardena, Chicago, and New York, featuring memorials, speakers, films, and ceremonies.
• Coram Nobis Hearing May Be Pushed Back, by P.C. Staff, page 2. U.S. government attorneys requested more time to prepare their pretrial order for Gordon Hirabayashi’s coram nobis petition, partly to review a House Judiciary Subcommittee report expected this month. If granted, Hirabayashi’s attorneys will seek additional time as well, likely pushing the evidentiary hearing to fall 1985.
• Repeal of Calif. Loyalty Code Sought, by P.C. Staff, page 2. California assemblymen Phillip Isenberg and Patrick Johnston introduced AB 198 to repeal Section 19573 of the government code, which was used to fire all Japanese American state employees during WW2. Secretary of State March Fong Eu has voiced support for the bill, calling the section a lingering reminder of past injustice.
• Heart Mountain Memorial Needs Support, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bacon Sakatani is seeking support from former Heart Mountain High School classmates to fund a memorial plaque honoring servicemen from the camp who died in military service, estimated to cost $1,500. The column discusses the Blackburns’ efforts establishing a memorial park at the former WRA campsite and lists names of Heart Mountain servicemen who died in the war.
• Internment Credit Committee Lends Support to JACL Redress Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Committee for Internment Credit, which helped pass Public Law 95-382 providing retirement credits for the internment period, contributed $1,501 to JACL’s redress campaign. National Director Ron Wakabayashi said the contribution helps JACL support Nikkei members of Congress responsible for the Internment Credit legislation.

Military & Veterans

• Dachau Revisited by 442nd Liberators, by Mark Matsunaga, Honolulu Advertiser, page 1. Veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team revisited the Dachau concentration camp in October 1984, 40 years after members of the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion helped liberate it. The article recounts veterans’ grim memories of starving prisoners and the horrors they witnessed, along with a memorial service held with the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith.
• Extended Family Sees Astronaut Off, by From reports by Honolulu Star-Bulletin and Honolulu Advertiser, page 11. Ellison Onizuka’s mother Mitsue and about 20 relatives and friends traveled from Hawaii to Florida to witness his historic space shuttle launch aboard Discovery on Jan. 24, 1985. Onizuka, the first Asian American astronaut, safely landed Jan. 27 and was welcomed home by family including his wife Lorna and daughters Janelle and Darien.

National

• Waki Job Still in Jeopardy, by Robert Shimabukuro, page 1. Houston JACL president Betty Waki, an art teacher classified as “white” under desegregation rules, continues to face job loss at Sharpstown High School despite her tenure and teaching record. She has decided to seek a political solution rather than pursue the case through the courts, and will discuss her ordeal at the JACL Intermountain District Council meeting on Feb. 16.
• Legal Service Agency Finds New Home, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) celebrated its tenth anniversary while moving into the Public Interest Law Center in Manhattan, joining four other major civil rights organizations. The move is expected to increase visibility for Asian American issues and facilitate coalition work on civil rights matters.

Community

• The ‘Jimmie’ Awards to Honor Asian Pacific American Artists, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Association of Asian Pacific American Artists will hold its first media awards dinner on March 18 in Hollywood, honoring those who have created positive screen images of Asian Pacific Americans. The awards are nicknamed “The Jimmie” after cinematographer James Wong Howe, with celebrities like Sidney Poitier and Pat Morita serving as presenters.
• Another 800 View ‘Unfinished Business’, by P.C. Staff, page 2. More than 800 people attended benefit screenings of Steven Okazaki’s documentary “Unfinished Business” at Little Tokyo’s Japan America Theater, with proceeds supporting promotional materials for a national PBS broadcast. Speakers included Mako, Okazaki, attorney Lorraine Bannai, and Fred Korematsu, whose case is depicted in the film.
• Culture, Business Mix in Week-Long ‘Salute to Japan’, by P.C. Staff, page 3. San Diego State University and Tesco Educational Systems Co. present “Salute to Japan,” a week-long event featuring free film showings, a cultural fair, lectures and a dance performance by Saeko Ichinohe and Company. The event runs Feb. 17-24 at various locations including SDSU and the Museum of Man.
• Spring to Be Welcomed at Morikami Museum, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Morikami Museum’s sixth annual Hatsume Fair takes place Feb. 23-24 in Delray Beach, Florida, featuring taiko drumming, classical dance, bonsai expert John Naka, and other cultural exhibits. A separate weaving demonstration by textile artist Sadako Sakurai is also scheduled for Feb. 16.
• Asian Immigration Topic of Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Los Angeles conference on Feb. 15 will bring together international experts on Hispanic and Asian immigration along with business and labor leaders to discuss immigration’s impact on jobs in Los Angeles. Keynote speaker is Ed Edelman, chair of the county board of supervisors.
• Nikkei Demos to Host Fund-Raiser for Woo, by P.C. Staff, page 3. “Japanese American Friends of Mike Woo” are sponsoring a fund-raising reception for the Los Angeles city council candidate on Feb. 13, with U.S. Rep. Robert Matsui as special guest. The event is coordinated by the Japanese American Democratic Club at the Miriwa Restaurant.
• Filmmaking Course Offered by Visual Communications, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Visual Communications is accepting applications for a graphic cinematic animation course covering conventional and experimental filmmaking techniques in Super-8 format. The course, beginning in March, costs $75 and no prior film experience is necessary; applications are due by Feb. 20.
• Chapter Pulse: Riverside, San Jose, San Francisco, Salinas Valley, Ventura County, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Brief chapter news roundup covering Riverside’s installation dinner with national youth director David Nakayama, San Jose’s annual bridge tournament, San Francisco’s scholarship award to Miriam Murase, Salinas Valley’s new fence around the Japanese Memorial Garden, and Ventura County’s cemetery clean-up day.
• People, by P.C. Staff, page 11. This roundup of community achievements includes fencer Ed Kaihatsu’s appointment as assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania, weightlifter Wayne Oyafuso’s induction into the USWF Hall of Fame, Harry Kitano’s election to chair a Defense Department board, and Catherine Jo Ishino’s appointment as art director for PBS’s NewsHour. Also noted are scholarship recipient Diane Kajikami and award winner Paul Tomiyasu of Honolulu.
• Women’s Anthology Still Accepting Articles, by P.C. Staff, page 12. Asian Women United has extended its deadline to Feb. 28 for submissions to an upcoming anthology of essays, creative writing, oral histories and photos by or about Asian American women. The federally funded project, coordinated by Diane Yen-Mei Wong and directed by Judy Yung, will pay contributors for finished work included in the 250-300 page collection.
• Sonoda to Be Feted by Women Warriors, by P.C. Staff, page 12. The Asian/Pacific Women’s Network will hold its fourth annual Woman Warrior Awards banquet on Feb. 22 in Los Angeles, honoring recipients in categories including arts, business, community service, education, government, medicine, and sports. Mitsu Sonoda will receive the Life Achievement Award for her contributions to the Asian community.

Commentary

• A Postal Bombshell, by Harry Honda, page 4. New postal rate increases effective Feb. 17 will disproportionately affect the Pacific Citizen because most of its subscribers live outside Los Angeles County, where cheaper in-county rates do not apply. The editorial estimates the newspaper will have to pay $590 more per issue due to the sharp 30-40% increase in outside-county rates.
• Lost in Space, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 4. The author criticizes the mainstream media’s lack of coverage of astronaut Ellison Onizuka as the first Asian American in space, contrasting it with the heavy coverage given to Guion Bluford and Sally Ride for their historic spaceflights. The piece argues this media silence represents a lack of recognition rather than acceptance, depriving Asian Americans of positive role models.
• Nisei Compared to POWs, by J.L. Turner, page 4. A letter reprinted from the Honolulu Advertiser acknowledges that Japanese American internment was unjust but argues that if reparations are granted, American POWs mistreated by Japan during WW2 should also receive reparations. The writer describes the brutal conditions and high death rates faced by American POWs at camps like Cabanatuan.
• Rakugo, by Jin Konomi, page 4. This Moshi Moshi column explores the Japanese comic storytelling art of rakugo, describing its performance style, history, and sub-genres including the improvisational “sandai banashi” three-topic story. The piece notes rakugo’s enduring popularity in Japan, now spread via television, despite a historical ban on political satire following a tragic incident in the 17th century.
• Medvec Explains Decisions on Ada, by Emily Medvec, page 8. Emily Medvec responds to criticism over the small size of photo reproductions in her republished edition of Ansel Adams’ “Born Free and Equal,” explaining that the Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust restricted the size and number of reproductions. She describes the history of the original 1944 book’s suppression and her decision to proceed with publishing despite the limitations, funding the costly exhibition and book production herself.
• Book Unfair to Adams, by Aiko Adachi, page 8. A reader expresses disappointment after ordering Emily Medvec’s booklet on Ansel Adams’ Manzanar photographs, finding the reproduced images too small and faded to do justice to Adams’ renowned photography. She suggests PC should ensure that recommended books are of high quality before directing readers to order them.
• Taking Stand Requires Wisdom, by Yeiichi (Kelly) Kuwayama, page 8. A reader praises a previous Pacific Citizen special pullout section on Japanese American history and U.S.-Japan relations, calling the articles well-written and documented. He reflects on his own experience as a New York Nisei before WW2 and questions whether JACL has the standing or wisdom to take policy stances on U.S.-Japan relations.
• Women’s Place Is in the Home, by Sandi Kawasaki, page 9. This Women’s Concerns column argues that parents who choose to have children bear a major responsibility to provide nurturing care, particularly during a child’s critical first five years. The author contends that quantity of time, not just quality, matters for healthy child development and reduces the likelihood of social problems later in life.

JACL

• Waki Case Highlights Broader Desegregation Policy Dispute, page 5. This continuation piece details the history of Houston Independent School District’s desegregation policies since Brown v. Board of Education, tracing how Asian Americans came to be classified as “white” under the Singleton Ratio. Betty Waki’s attorney argues HISD intends to continue this classification despite the growing Asian student population, while Waki says she supports the ratio but not its selective enforcement.
• Constitution Committee Proposed, by Frank Sato, page 5. National JACL President Frank Sato proposes establishing a Committee on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution ahead of the 1987 bicentennial, to be announced at the National Board Meeting Feb. 8-10 in San Francisco. The committee would recommend programs and activities for JACL chapters to deepen understanding of constitutional rights and freedoms.
• JACL Awarded 3rd Health Fair Grant, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Chevron U.S.A. awarded National JACL a grant for the third consecutive year to support the 1985 Minority Health Fair program, which provides free health education and screening tailored to ethnic populations. In 1984, 17 JACL chapters sponsored health fairs serving more than 3,000 participants nationwide.
• Tri-District Conference to Offer Wide-Ranging Workshops, Panels, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Delegates from three JACL districts will gather in Fresno April 19-21 for a biennial Tri-District Conference featuring workshops on women’s concerns, ethnic concerns, singles, interracial families, aging, and Pacific Rim economic impact. National President Frank Sato and National Director Ron Wakabayashi will also answer delegate questions.
• Intermountain District to Hear Waki, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Betty Waki will speak about her employment difficulties at the Intermountain District Council meeting on Feb. 16 in Salt Lake City. She continues to be classified as “white” at her Houston high school, threatening her job under affirmative action quotas.

Arts & Entertainment

• Pang Is Short Story Winner, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Valerie Ooka Pang of Seattle won an award from the Japanese American Curriculum Project Book Committee for her short story “Gambatte,” about a young Sansei girl named Midori dealing with a racist incident. Her story will be included in an intermediate-level book titled “Japanese American Journey,” currently in development.

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