Gardena rescinds its 1942 evacuation resolution

Vol. 95, No. 19, November 5, 1982. 8 pages. View this issue

A city council reversed itself forty years later. On the front page, Gardena Mayor Pro Tem Mas Fukai, a Nisei veteran and former internee, introduced a motion to invalidate the 1942 resolution that urged removal of Japanese aliens and citizens from the Gardena Valley, and to replace it with one honoring the loyalty and sacrifices of Japanese Americans during World War II. Also on page 1, the Pacific Citizen reported the death of Dillon S. Myer, who directed the War Relocation Authority, and Rep. Robert Matsui’s word that the CWRIC report on the World War II incarceration (often called internment) might come by mid-December.

The commentary pages carry Floyd Shimomura on JACL’s role in U.S.-Japan relations, Min Yasui on redress, Ron Ikejiri on scapegoating, and Bill Hosokawa on a return to the Heart Mountain site in Wyoming. Other items include new JACL scholarships named for Saburo Kido and Thomas T. Yatabe, a bill easing immigration for Amerasian children, and a projection that Asians will become California’s second-largest minority.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• Gardena Rescinds Its 1942 ‘Evacuation’ Resolution, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Forty years ago, the Gardena Valley’s Civilian Defense Council and City Council passed a resolution urging removal of Japanese aliens and citizens from the area following Pearl Harbor. Mayor Pro Tem Mas Fukai, a Nisei veteran and former internee, successfully introduced a motion to invalidate that old resolution and replace it with one honoring the loyalty and sacrifices of Japanese Americans during WWII.
• Former WRA Director Dillon S. Myer Dies, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Dillon S. Myer, who directed the War Relocation Authority from 1942 to 1946 and oversaw the internment of 110,000 Japanese Americans, died of cardiac arrest at age 91. Though criticized during HUAC hearings as a ‘bleeding heart liberal,’ JACL later honored him in 1946 as a champion of human rights.
• Authors Seeking Art Works of WW2 Camps, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Authors Deborah Gesensway and Mindy Roseman are seeking Japanese Americans who sketched or painted their WWII internment camp experiences for a book on artists’ visual and oral accounts of the incarceration. Interested persons were asked to contact them through the Japanese American Relocation Project in Philadelphia.

National

• Asians Will Surpass Blacks as 2nd Largest Minority in Calif., by P.C. Staff, page 1. A study by the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy projects that Asians will overtake blacks as California’s second-largest minority group by the year 2000. The report also forecasts significant demographic shifts statewide and in Los Angeles County due to differing immigration and growth rates among ethnic groups.
• Matsui Says CWRIC Report May Be Due Soon, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Robert Matsui told a San Francisco audience that the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians may issue its report by mid-December, though an extension is possible depending on pending legislation. Matsui said a successful redress bill is unlikely before 1985 and expressed doubt that Rep. Dymally’s individual compensation bill will advance in committee.
• A-Bomb Survivor Returns to Nagasaki for Medical Care, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kuniko Nakashima Weber, a Nagasaki bombing survivor living in Portland, traveled back to Japan for treatment of severe radiation-related medical problems after community donations funded her trip. The Friends of Hibakusha support group reported the fundraising campaign was successful enough to send another survivor to Japan as well.
• Reagan Signs Bill on Amerasian Immigration, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Reagan signed legislation easing immigration for Asian-born children of American servicemen, calling it a step toward addressing a moral responsibility. The law elevates Amerasian children to higher immigration priority categories, previously allowing determination of paternity through baptismal certificates, records, and photographs.
• Redress Sought for JAs Fired by L.A. County During WW2, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn plans to introduce an ordinance compensating Japanese American county employees forced to retire or take leave during WWII due to their ancestry, following the model of California’s AB 2710. The ordinance, drafted by Hahn’s deputy Mas Fukai, would provide $1,250 annually for up to four years to roughly 35 eligible former employees.

Community

• USC/Asian Journalist Program Attracts Over 60 Students, by P.C. Staff, page 2. More than 60 Southern California college students attended AAJA’s second annual student open house at USC to learn about journalism careers from panelists in print and broadcast media. Panelists discussed job-hunting strategies and noted that being Asian American no longer offers hiring advantages as it once did, requiring greater skill and aggressiveness.
• Sansei Survives 9 Day Sea Ordeal, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Canadian Sansei Dr. Eric Hatashita and three companions were stranded at sea for nine days after their sailboat lost its rudder near Fiji, running out of food and water before being rescued by a cruise ship. Hatashita, son of former Canadian Olympic judo coach Frank Hatashita, lost all his possessions except his passport but says he still plans to sail to Greece next.
• Seattle Woman Wins Back Job in Discrimination Ruling, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A King County Superior Court judge upheld reinstatement of two female fire department workers, including Lois Nagamatsu, who were laid off in what was ruled a manipulated budget cutback after they filed a discrimination complaint. The city indicated it would appeal the back-pay portion of the ruling but comply with reinstating the women to similar positions.
• Stonebridge Sets ‘Moonlight Serenade’, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Stonebridge Productions will present a dinner/dance event called ‘A Moonlight Serenade’ aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, aimed at Nisei who want to reminisce and dance to 1930s and 1940s music. A 14-piece band will provide entertainment for the evening.
• Sac’to Asian Center to Hold Auction, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Asian Community Center of Sacramento Valley will hold its second annual Holiday Auction to benefit operating expenses for its programs serving seniors and immigrants. Items for sale will range from arts and crafts to commercial products.
• Buddhists Assn. to Hold L.A. Conference, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The annual Southern District Adult Buddhist Association Conference will be held at Senshin Buddhist Temple in conjunction with a Southern District Buddhist Education Committee program. Registration is $10 through respective temples.
• Centenary UMC’s Parsonage Paid Up, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Centenary United Methodist Church’s parsonage was freed of all encumbrance, an event celebrated when board of trustees chairman Mark Kiguchi burned the mortgage during a worship service. The celebration marked a milestone for the Los Angeles church.
• JACCC Library to Open, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Franklin D. Murphy Library of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center will hold its grand opening Nov. 22 under director Victor Okim, who has worked with a Japanese library science professor to develop its collection. The library will serve as a reference center on Japanese Americans and Japan, with donated book collections from several contributors.
• N.Y. to Host Forum for Women, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The New York JACL will sponsor ‘Bridge: A Women’s Exchange of Ideas and Lifestyles’ to foster dialogue between Nikkei and Japanese national women in New York. The forum will be held at the Japanese American Association and all interested women are invited.
• San Mateo Fun Night, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The San Mateo JACL will hold its Monte Carlo Fun Night at the San Mateo Buddhist Temple Hall. Admission donation is $5.
• Aging, Retirement Series Slated for L.A. and Seattle, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A four-part pre-retirement series titled ‘The Nisei Today: Decisions and Change’ will be held in Los Angeles covering topics like health, estate planning, and nutrition, sponsored by JACL chapters and the Western Region Asian American Project. Seattle JACL will also host a Nisei Aging and Retirement Workshop featuring speakers on wellness, retirement planning, and widowhood.

Arts & Entertainment

• L.A. Dancer to Solo With Ballet of Canada, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The National Ballet of Canada announced Yoko Ichino of Los Angeles as a first soloist for its 1982-83 season. Ichino previously performed with the American Ballet Theater and the Stuttgart Ballet.

Military & Veterans

• 100/442/MIS Museum Fdn. to Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The 100th/442nd/MIS Museum Foundation is forming a permanent organization to maintain archives and memorabilia of Nisei WWII veterans, holding a conference Nov. 20 in San Francisco. A related reception and tour of the ‘Go For Broke’ exhibit will also be held in Los Angeles.

Commentary

• Presidential IRC, by Floyd Shimomura, page 4. JACL National President Floyd Shimomura discusses the need for JACL to redefine its role regarding U.S.-Japan relations as Japan’s growing economic and cultural presence in America blurs old distinctions between domestic and international issues. He announces the elevation of the International Relations Committee to a Presidential Committee reporting directly to him and the National Board.
• Scapegoats Again, by Ron Ikejiri, page 4. Ikejiri examines rising anti-Japanese sentiment in America tied to economic anxieties, including a Virginia dealership’s racist billboard, and draws parallels to the WWII internment era rooted in similar mistrust. He calls for Americans to recognize dynamic ethnic identities rather than clinging to stereotypes that harm Japanese American and other children.
• Redress: Moving Apace, by Min Yasui, page 4. JACL National Redress Chair Min Yasui reports that the National Board reaffirmed his appointment and approved a $100,000 redress budget, with John Tateishi retained as National Redress Director. Yasui urges JACL members nationwide to build grassroots support and contacts in preparation for an eventual legislative push following the CWRIC’s final report.
• Heart Mountain Country—40 Years Later, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Hosokawa revisits the former site of the Heart Mountain War Relocation Center in Wyoming, now transformed from desert into rich farmland cultivated by former evacuees’ labor and irrigation canals. He describes the Heart Mountain Memorial Park built by local residents like Chester and Mary Ruth Blackburn to honor the camp’s history and the weathered honor roll of Nisei veterans.
• Something Lost in Translation, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Marutani humorously recounts his search for good beef jerky and his reaction to oddly worded packaging describing ‘the carcass contained,’ reflecting on humorous mistranslations in Japanese products sold in America. He also reflects on how American attempts to translate into Japanese could be equally comical, referencing his own linguistic misadventures in Japan.

JACL

• PNWDC Tightens Belt, Increases District Dues, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Pacific Northwest District Council of JACL voted to raise district dues by 50 cents and reduced its committees from 15 to six to conserve funds, meeting in Spokane for possibly the last time east of the Cascades. The council also discussed redress legislation, new leadership appointments, and prospects for a new Olympia chapter.
• Shimomura to Visit Dntwn. L.A. JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Downtown L.A. JACL and JACCC will co-host an informal reception for National JACL President Floyd Shimomura at the JACCC on Nov. 21. The event will allow Los Angeles JACL and community members to meet and exchange ideas with Shimomura.
• Detroit JACL to Hold Elections, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Detroit JACL will hold its fall membership and general elections meeting at Wayne State University. The meeting is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 7.
• New JACL Scholarships Named for Kido, Yatabe, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The National Board of JACL named two new $500 undergraduate scholarships after past National Presidents Saburo Kido and Dr. Thomas T. Yatabe, both key figures in JACL’s founding. The scholarships are funded through the National Undergraduate Scholarship Endowment totaling more than $25,000.
• Peninsula Redress Committee Sets Forum at Stanford Univ., by P.C. Staff, page 8. Douglas Ota of San Mateo JACL has been selected to chair the Peninsula Redress Committee, succeeding James Shizuru, as the group prepares a forum on redress remediation at Stanford University’s Annenberg Auditorium. Speakers will include JACL’s Ron Wakabayashi, NCRR’s Bert Nakano, NCJAR’s Rev. Lloyd Wake, and Washington Representative Ronald Ikejiri.
• Chapters Seek PCYA Applicants, by P.C. Staff, page 8. San Jose and West Los Angeles JACL chapters announced application deadlines and eligibility requirements for the 1983 Presidential Classroom for Young Americans program. The program covers tuition, accommodations, meals, and activities for selected high school students sponsored by their chapters.
• PSWDC to Be Honored by CRCSU, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The JACL’s Pacific Southwest District Council will receive the Community Relations Conference of Southern California’s Membership Trophy at its 37th Annual dinner for outstanding leadership in civil rights advocacy. CRCSC is a coalition of 88 organizations and over 2,000 individuals focused on human relations and fair practices.

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