Redress strategy and JACL/LEC funding, plus a Heart Mountain memorial

Vol. 101, No. 15, October 11, 1985. 12 pages. View this issue

Redress legislation and how to pay for the push to pass it ran through this issue. The front page reported on the JACL/LEC Board meeting at National Headquarters, where financial questions and legislative strategy dominated, and where the LEC Board approved a request for $150,000 a year from JACL. Robert Shimabukuro also profiled Grayce Uyehara, the LEC’s new executive director, and Bill Marutani and Yosh Nakashima took up the redress campaign and its finances in their columns. On page 5, Bill Hosokawa wrote that the Heart Mountain campsite in Wyoming had been certified eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, and Phil Matsumura described a Heart Mountain reunion in San Jose.

Elsewhere are a profile of director Wayne Wang’s film Dim Sum, a report on a court action in East Boston over attacks on Vietnamese families, and a discussion of the Simpson Immigration Bill. Readers will also find Pacific Citizen’s John Anson Ford Award, the Chicago Chapter scholarship luncheon, and a letters exchange on Jesse Jackson.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• LEC Legislative Strategy Explained, by Robert Shimabukuro, page 1. A JACL/LEC Board meeting at National Headquarters focused on financial matters and legislative strategy amid tensions between JACL and the LEC lobbying organization. The LEC Board approved a request for $150,000 a year from JACL, and Grant Ujifusa presented a Legislative Strategies Report outlining priorities for passing redress legislation.
• A Look at LEC Director Uyehara, by Robert Shimabukuro, page 7. Grayce Uyehara, newly appointed executive director of the LEC, discusses her priorities including restoring communication with JACL chapters and redress coordinators and maintaining a credible lobbying program. She emphasizes the importance of grassroots members contacting their congressional representatives to support redress legislation.
• PC Receives John Anson Ford Award, page 7. Pacific Citizen received the John Anson Ford Award from the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations for balanced coverage of human relations issues, presented at an Oct. 2 luncheon. Other recipients included Boy’s Market, Nancy Mintie of Inner City Legal Center, Olympian Rafer Johnson, and Rev. George Van Alstine.

National

• Plaintiff in Sexual Harassment Suit Dies, by Brenda Paik Sunoo, East West, page 1. Un Chong Kerr, a Korean American teacher and activist who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the San Francisco Community College District, died Sept. 7 after contracting pneumonia and suffering cardiac arrest. Her husband Michael Kerr will continue the lawsuit as the new plaintiff, using any settlement to establish a fund for other sexual harassment victims.
• Attacks on Vietnamese Barred, page 1. Massachusetts Attorney General Francis Bellotti obtained court orders against six young adults charged with violating the civil rights of Vietnamese families in East Boston’s Orient Heights housing development. The defendants had allegedly spat upon, shouted racial slurs at, and vandalized the cars of Vietnamese residents, marking the tenth such suit since the state’s 1979 Civil Rights Act.
• U.S., Japan Mayors Back Free Trade, by From reports by The Oregonian, page 1. The Japan-American Conference of Mayors and Chamber of Commerce Presidents concluded in Portland with delegates adopting a resolution supporting free trade and open markets between the U.S. and Japan. Mayors Tom Bradley and Dianne Feinstein spoke against protectionist trade legislation being considered in Congress.
• NAATA Receives Grant for Audio Production Facility, page 8. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration accepted a proposal by the National Asian American Telecommunications Assn. to establish a state-of-the-art audio/radio production facility, offering a matching grant of up to $80,000. NAATA’s agenda includes distributing quality Asian American programming and advocating for realistic media portrayals, including its ‘Bamboo Radio’ series airing on National Public Radio.
• Immigration Bill Discussed with Mayor, page 9. Chicago Mayor Harold Washington convened a community meeting with Asian, Hispanic and white ethnic group representatives to discuss the Simpson Immigration Bill and its potentially discriminatory employer sanctions. JACL regional director Bill Yoshino and Chicago JACL president Paul Igasaki warned the bill could lead to discrimination against those who appear

Commentary

• Administration Position on Bilingual Education Opposed, by Karen Wong, East West, page 2. Education Secretary William Bennett’s proposal to deregulate federal bilingual education programs and give local districts more control drew angry criticism from Chinese American educators and community leaders. Critics argued that removing federal regulations could harm bilingual programs and unfairly blame bilingual education for high dropout rates.
• Strength Through Unity, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Marutani commends JACL National President Frank Sato for organizing a summit meeting of AJA redress groups including NCJAR, NCRR, and the Washington Coalition for Redress to reduce infighting and build unity. He praises individuals like Bill Hohri of NCJAR and volunteers of NCRR for their dedicated work on behalf of the redress movement.
• Some Things Never Change, by Bob Shimabukuro, page 4. Shimabukuro recounts a weekend trip to Portland to visit his daughter and attend a friend’s wedding, reflecting on teen fashion magazines and their lack of Asian representation. He also notes cultural differences in how Oregon fans react to their football team’s losses compared to Southern California fans.
• Rebuttal to the Rebuttal, by Ken Masugi, page 4. Masugi responds to J.K. Yamamoto’s rebuttal of his earlier letter, arguing that PC’s silence on Jesse Jackson’s remarks about Japanese Americans implies tacit approval of a demagogue. He asserts that most Japanese Americans could not endorse Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition principles, which he characterizes as rooted in class hatred and racial antagonism.
• Another View of Jackson, by D. Misa Joo, page 4. Joo disputes Ken Masugi’s characterization of Jesse Jackson’s statements and the Rainbow Coalition, arguing that Jackson’s anti-nuclear message was one of peace rather than hatred. She describes the Rainbow Coalition as a diverse group working optimistically for peace, justice and freedom, listing benefits she sees for Japanese Americans.
• Setting Ourselves Up for Failure?, by Yosh Nakashima, page 5. Nakashima criticizes the JACL National Board’s handling of LEC redress fundraising shortfalls and lack of communication with grassroots members, warning that reduced 1986 budgets reflect either failure or lack of confidence in the program. He calls for unity, feedback from members, and reconsideration of using the National Endowment Fund given the urgency of the redress campaign.
• Moratorium a Mistake, page 5. A letter writer criticizes the JACL National Board’s decision to place a moratorium on participation in Liberal Democratic Party Japan visits, arguing it deprives members of valuable cross-cultural experiences. The writer compares the situation to the National Italian American Foundation’s prominent ties with Italy and urges JACL to pursue mature relationships with Japan.

Community

• ADL/B’nai B’rith to Honor Lily Chen, page 3. The Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith selected Lily Lee Chen, former mayor of Monterey Park and the first Chinese American woman mayor in the U.S., as recipient of its 1985 Distinguished Community Service Award. The award will be presented at a Nov. 17 dinner at the Ambassador Hotel intended to foster cooperation between Asian Americans and the ADL.
• Kamehameha ‘Family’ Introduced to Senate by Matsunaga, page 3. Sen. Spark Matsunaga introduced an exhibit of nine sculptures depicting Hawaii’s Kamehameha dynasty, created by artist Edwin Kayton, displayed in the Senate Russell Office Building rotunda. Matsunaga said the display honored both Aloha Week and the 20th anniversary of legislation establishing the National Foundation for the Arts and Humanities.
• Chicago Chapter JACL Scholarship Luncheon Awards Over $7,500, page 6. The Chicago Chapter JACL Scholarship Luncheon, held at Como Inn with about 80 guests, awarded scholarships totaling over $7,500 to numerous students. Recipients included winners of the Chicago Nisei Post Scholarship, Tahei Matsunaga Memorial Scholarship, Hiroshima Kenjin-kai Scholarship and several others.
• South Bay Chapter to Honor Judge William Marutani, page 6. Pacific Southwest District JACL and South Bay chapter will host a Nov. 1 reception honoring Judge William Marutani, a Pacific Citizen columnist and the only Japanese American appointee to the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians. The reception will be held at the home of George and Mary Ogawa in Torrance.
• Memories Bond at Camp Reunion, by Phil Matsumura, page 6. Nearly 1,000 former residents of Heart Mountain Relocation Center gathered in San Jose for the 2nd Reunion over Labor Day weekend, featuring a banquet, golf tournament, photo displays by Bacon Sakatani, and dance performances. Judge Raymond Uno spoke at the banquet, and tributes were given to community supporters during the camp era.
• Businessman and Engineer Honored, page 7. Keiji Higashi, president of Monterey Furniture and Alu-Mont Inc., was named Business Owner of the Year by the Asian Business Assn., while William Yang was named Engineer of the Year by Asian American Architects and Engineers. Both were honored at an Oct. 4 awards banquet at the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles.
• Woman Warrior Awardees Named, page 8. The Pacific and Asian American Women Bay Area Coalition announced winners of this year’s Women Warrior Awards, including sculptor Ruth Asawa, community service honoree Carole Jan Lee, Nichibei Times editor Michi Onuma, and political advocate Mabel Teng. The awards luncheon will be held Oct. 26 at the Presidio Officers’ Club.

Arts & Entertainment

• Memorial Fund Established for Dancer, page 3. A memorial fund has been established in the name of Yoshiyuki Takada, a member of the avant-garde dance troupe Sankaijuku who fell to his death during a Sept. 10 performance in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. Donations will go to the Austoro Arts Assn., an organization Takada helped found in New York and Tokyo.
• ‘Dim Sum’: A Family Affair, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 8. Director Wayne Wang discusses his new film ‘Dim Sum,’ which focuses on the relationship between a Chinese American daughter and her immigrant mother, offering a more realistic portrayal than ‘Year of the Dragon.’ The film stars real-life mother and daughter Kim Chew and Laureen Chew, and was inspired partly by Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu’s style.

Incarceration & Redress

• A Fitting Memorial for Heart Mountain, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. The Heart Mountain Relocation Center campsite in Wyoming has been certified eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, following years of preservation work by homesteaders Chester and Mary Ruth Blackburn. A new bronze memorial plaque honoring 22 Heart Mountaineers who died in military service was also recently dedicated at the site, spearheaded by Bacon Sakatani.

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