Redress under legal challenge, and a tenure rally at UCLA

Vol. 108, No. 10, March 17, 1989. 8 pages. View this issue

The Pacific Citizen reported on a federal injunction filed by the American War Veterans Relief Association to stop Japanese American redress and the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. The front page carried the Orange County Human Relations Commission’s unanimous vote against the suit, and an editorial warned the community to stay vigilant. Bill Hosokawa’s column looked at who deserved credit for the act’s passage. The front page also covered a “Tenure Now” rally of over 300 people at UCLA for Prof. Don Nakanishi, and the death of John J. McCloy, who helped organize the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, at age 93.

Inside are Bill Marutani on Robeson County, North Carolina, Harry K. Honda’s book reviews, and a report on Cal Poly Pomona students protesting racist incidents. Other items include a dinner for Ron Wakabayashi in San Francisco, the JACL Tri-District Conference in Reno, and a Heart Mountain reunion planned for September.

What’s in this issue

Community

• ‘Tenure Now’ Rally for Don Nakanishi Draws 300 at UCLA, page 1. Over 300 supporters rallied at UCLA to demand immediate tenure for Asian American studies professor Don Nakanishi, whose case is under re-review by Chancellor Charles Young. Speakers from student groups, government officials, and the National JACL voiced support, while Nakanishi prepared rebuttal papers for the departmental review committee.
• Cal Poly Pomona Students Protest Anti-Asian Attacks, page 1. Following a racist attack on a Japanese American woman student and other discriminatory incidents, the Cal Poly Pomona Asian American Student Assn. published a four-point demand to the university. Demands include apprehending the attacker, enacting disciplinary policies against racism, and establishing mandatory ethnic studies requirements.
• Racist Incident at Cal Poly Pomona Detailed, by Takeshi N., page 2. A Japanese American woman student at Cal Poly Pomona was assaulted in a parking lot by a man who used a racial slur and told her to go back to where she came from. CPAASA cited this alongside other recent racist incidents on campus and noted the lack of bilingual counselors for the growing Asian-Pacific population.
• BCA Disburses Funds to 14 Groups, page 2. The Buddhist Churches of America Social Welfare Fund distributed over $53,000 to 14 domestic and international organizations, including OXFAM America, the Hartford Street Zen Center, and various Asian social service agencies. Grants supported causes including AIDS hospice care, famine relief, and senior services.
• Asian Pacific Family Center Dinner Set in Montebello, page 2. The second annual Asian Pacific Family Center Dinner will be held April 21 at the Quiet Cannon Restaurant in Montebello, honoring community leaders including Andy Anh, Jae Min Chang, and Dr. Suzanne Keavney. Proceeds support the Rosemead-based center, which helps Asian families experiencing emotional difficulties adjust to life in the San Gabriel Valley.
• Nominations Open for Senior Appreciation Fete, page 2. Application forms are being accepted for nominees to be recognized at the second annual Cherry Blossom Festival Senior Appreciation Luncheon on April 15 at the Miyako Hotel. The free luncheon requires reservations through community organizations.
• Woman Warrior Awards Presented, page 3. The Asian Pacific Women’s Network of Los Angeles presented its 1989 Woman Warrior Awards to Maeley Tom, Nilda Rimonte, and Helen Brown for their contributions in government, social services, and community activism respectively. The event also awarded four $1,000 scholarships to students including a Vietnamese refugee and a Tibetan nursing student.
• JACP Planning Update of ‘Images’ Book from 1970, page 3. The Japanese American Curriculum Project plans to update the 1970 handbook ‘Asian Image in the U.S.,’ which addresses stereotypes and racism facing Asians in American media. The project is seeking funding including grants tied to the Vincent Chin memorial fund.
• Fremont JACL Installs June Hashimoto President, page 3. Fremont JACL installed June Hashimoto as its new chapter president at a dinner featuring guest speaker Newark councilwoman Shirley Sisk, who discussed the restoration of the Japanese pavilion from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The pavilion, now at Ardenwood Historical Farm, has been fully restored.
• Heart Mtn. Reunion Slated Sept. 8-10 in Reno, page 5. More than 1,400 notices have been mailed to former Heart Mountain Relocation Center residents for a third reunion at Bally’s Hotel Reno in September. Pre-registration for hotel and airline discounts is due by June 30, 1989.
• 1945 MIS Album Being Reprinted, page 5. The Northern California MIS Association is reprinting the 1945 Military Intelligence Language School album for $25, with orders accepted until March 31. Interested buyers should write to MIS Norcal in San Francisco.
• Livingston-Merced Dinner, page 6. The Livingston-Merced Chapter of JACL held its annual dinner at the Wine Cellar in Merced on January 28, featuring guest speaker Mollie Fujioka, former NCWNPDC governor. The event recognized chapter officers and members.

JACL

• San Francisco Dinner for Wakabayashi Set, page 1. JACL will hold a dinner on April 28 at the Hyatt Hotel in San Francisco honoring Ron Wakabayashi, its former national director who led the organization’s redress legislative efforts. Wakabayashi now works as vice president for United Way of Los Angeles.
• New P.C. Board Under Kimura Holds ’89 Meet, page 1. The Pacific Citizen board, chaired by Lillian Kimura, met in Los Angeles to adopt updated policies and guidelines governing the newspaper’s ownership, oversight, and editorial responsibilities. The board reviewed and modified 1982 guidelines regarding the roles of the editor and business manager.
• 1989-90 AAJA Scholarships Now Available for Students, page 2. The Asian American Journalists Association is offering scholarships up to $2,000 for students pursuing careers in print, broadcast or photo journalism. Awards are based on scholastic achievement, financial need, and knowledge of the Asian American community, judged by a national panel through the Washington, D.C. AAJA chapter.
• JACL Tri-District Conference on for Reno, page 3. The 1989 JACL Tri-District Conference for Northern California-Western Nevada-Pacific, Central California, and Pacific Southwest districts will be held April 21-23 at the Peppermill Hotel Casino in Reno. U.S. Rep. Robert Matsui will speak at the luncheon, with workshops and a mixer also planned.

Incarceration & Redress

• Orange County Human Relations Panel Deplores ‘Frivolous’ Anti-Redress Suit, page 1. The Orange County Human Relations Commission voted unanimously to condemn a lawsuit by the American War Veterans Relief Assn. seeking to block the $20,000 redress payments to Japanese Americans. Commission chair Dee Ninburg called the suit frivolous and warned it could delay payments to elderly internees.
• Redress Injunction Filed by Vets’ Group, page 1. The American War Veterans Release Association filed a federal injunction attempting to stop implementation of Japanese American redress, claiming the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 unconstitutionally discriminates on the basis of national origin. Attorney John P. Coale and administrator John D. Kirby defended the suit, while former JACL Washington representative Mike Masaoka countered by highlighting the unique mass mistreatment faced by Japanese Americans.

Military & Veterans

• John J. McCloy, Organizer of 442nd RCT, Dies at 93, page 1. John Jay McCloy, former assistant secretary of war who helped organize the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and prevented full military control of the War Relocation Authority, died at age 93. Despite later testifying in support of Issei naturalization, he denied before the 1981 wartime commission that the evacuation was an internment and opposed U.S. apology for it.

Arts & Entertainment

• Newest Issue of ‘East Wind’ Zine Now Available, page 2. The Spring/Summer 1988 issue of East Wind magazine, focused on redress, is now available and includes interviews with Reps. Norm Mineta and Robert Matsui. The issue also covers the defeat of anti-redress Rep. Dan Lungren and features articles on Asian American activism.
• Latest ‘Cultural Atlas Series’ Covers Japan, by Harry K. Honda, page 5. A review of ‘The Cultural Atlas of Japan’ by Martin Collcutt, Marius Jansen and Isao Kamakura, part of an award-winning atlas series, notes its detailed maps and illustrations tracing Japanese history and culture. The reviewer praises its interdisciplinary approach combining geography, history, archaeology and art.
• Books to P.C. Briefly, by Harry K. Honda, page 5. Harry Honda reviews several new books including Yasushi Inoue’s ‘Wind and Waves’ and Uno Chiyo’s ‘Confessions of Love,’ both translated Japanese novels from University of Hawaii Press, as well as poetry and short story collections by Mitsuye Yamada and Hisaye Yamamoto. He also reviews ‘Buddhist America,’ a directory of Buddhist centers, noting the absence of Japanese American Buddhist perspectives.

Commentary

• Redress Injunction, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial criticizes the American War Veterans Relief Association’s lawsuit attempting to block redress payments, arguing the reasoning is flawed and ignores that redress is an atonement for a specific historical wrong. The piece urges the community not to be discouraged but to remain vigilant in ensuring redress is fully implemented.
• Redress Credit: Plenty to Go Around, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa’s column examines the complex political maneuvering behind the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, crediting not just grassroots letter-writing but behind-the-scenes lobbying by congressional staff and key supporters. He highlights a letter revealing that New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean’s personal conversation with President Reagan, prompted by JACL strategist Grant Ujifusa, was pivotal in securing the president’s signature.
• Robeson County, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Marutani’s column describes racial tensions and unexplained violence in Robeson County, North Carolina, including the suspicious death of Native American judicial candidate Julian Pierce and a hostage-taking incident at a local newspaper by Native American activists. He notes that political empowerment is gradually narrowing divisions between African American and Native American communities there.
• New Medicare Law: Tax Increase, by Steven T. Okamoto, page 6. Okamoto explains that the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988 introduces a new surtax on older Americans’ federal taxes, rising from $800 per person in 1989 to $1,050 by 1993. He advises seniors to consider tax-free investment strategies like municipal bonds to offset the increased tax burden.

In-Depth

• Politics: Attitudes Toward the Emperor, page 5. This in-depth piece examines Okinawan identity and resentment toward Japan stemming from wartime suffering, the long U.S. military occupation, and perceived betrayals including a secret 1947 memo in which Hirohito reportedly suggested prolonged U.S. control of Okinawa. It details protests against imperial visits, including Shoichi Chibana’s burning of the Japanese flag at a 1987 athletic event in Yomitan village, and the resulting legal and political fallout.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.