Vol. 100, No. 25, June 28, 1985. 12 pages. View this issue
The opening of Gordon Hirabayashi’s coram nobis trial in Seattle led this issue. Stan Shikuma reported that his attorneys charged the government with suppressing, altering and destroying evidence before the Supreme Court in 1943, and that testimony from Edward Ennis showed loyalty reports were never given to the Court. Coverage continued on page 8 with the cross-examination of Ennis and a look at the witnesses still to come, including Peter Irons and Aiko Herzig. The front page also pictured Rep. Robert T. Matsui presenting a $1,000 donation to LEC leaders on redress strategy.
Elsewhere, a planned class action against L.A. County over promotions of Asian employees was covered on pages 1 and 5. Bill Marutani wrote about Anne Frank, and Bill Hosokawa remembered Bob Okazaki. Karleen Chinen of the Hawaii Herald wrote of George Hoshida, whose family was reunited at Jerome. Gwen Muranaka’s essay asked whether the golden door is still open to refugees.
What’s in this issue
Incarceration & Redress
- Government Suffers Setback as Hirabayashi Trial Starts, by Stan Shikuma, page 1. Attorneys for Gordon Hirabayashi opened his coram nobis trial in Seattle, charging the government suppressed, altered and destroyed evidence used against him in his 1943 Supreme Court case. Judge Voorhees excluded a block of government evidence and an amicus brief, while testimony from former Justice Dept. official Edward Ennis revealed that intelligence reports attesting to Japanese American loyalty were never given to the Supreme Court.
- Hirabayashi Trial: Cross-Examination Reveals Government Contradictions, page 8. Continued coverage of the Hirabayashi trial describes cross-examination of witness Edward Ennis and outlines remaining witnesses for both sides, including Peter Irons and Aiko Herzig for the defense. Committee co-chair Roger Shimizu expresses confidence that the case will prove the WW2 internment should never have happened.
National
- JA Employees to Sue L.A. County, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 1. Tom Ohgi and Wally Shishido, longtime L.A. County Health Services employees, plan to file a class action suit alleging Asian employees have been systematically denied promotion to supervisory positions despite strong records. Attorneys from the Asian Pacific American Legal Center and APLDEF say the county uses a discriminatory quota system based on population rather than qualified applicants.
- Lawsuit: Support Needed for Asian County Workers, page 5. Continuing coverage of the L.A. County lawsuit details community leaders’ calls for support through letter-writing, education and fundraising campaigns. APLDEF chair Dr. Mitsuo Inouye noted the organization was formed after a similar successful case involving pharmacist Carole Fujita.
Community
- ‘Woman Warrior’ Nominees Sought, page 2. The Pacific and Asian American Women Bay Area Coalition is accepting nominations for its Third Annual Woman Warrior Awards, honoring five women for achievements and community service. Nominees must live or work in Bay Area counties, and the awards luncheon will be held Oct. 26 at the Presidio Officers’ Club.
- Three Community Leaders to Be Honored at Service Award Dinner, page 3. Sachio Kano, Takayo Kato and Judge Robert Takasugi will be honored at the Japanese American Community Service Awards dinner July 12 in Los Angeles, with the Arco Foundation receiving an organizational award. The article details each honoree’s decades of community service, from vocational rehabilitation work to civil rights advocacy and judicial achievement.
- Long Beach Carnival Coming, page 3. The Long Beach Harbor District Community Center will hold its annual carnival/festival June 29-30 featuring ondo dancing. Details on times and contact information were provided for attendees.
- Chapter Pulse: Mile High, Houston, East Los Angeles, Philadelphia, page 5. Denver’s Mile-Hi JACL honored 79 Nikkei high school graduates with Matthew Uyemura receiving the top award; Houston’s Southwest Chinese Journal will expand to cover all Asian groups and rename itself the Houston Asian American Journal; East L.A. JACL announced scholarship recipients; and Philadelphia-area JACL chapters announced their annual picnic details.
Commentary
- Anne Frank, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Columnist Bill Marutani reflects on Anne Frank’s diary and her enduring faith in humanity’s goodness, contrasting it with his own wariness shaped by the WW2 incarceration of Japanese Americans. He criticizes those who deny the severity of the camps and draws parallels between Nazi persecution and the treatment of Japanese Americans during the war.
- Much to Be Learned, by Dick H. Yamashita, page 4. The author warns of growing strain in U.S.-Japan relations due to trade disputes and American legislators’ limited understanding of Japanese history and culture. He argues for greater American efforts to understand Japan’s traditions and its evolving role in world affairs.
- Is the Golden Door Still Open?, by Gwen Muranaka, page 5. In this award-winning essay, San Pedro High School student Gwen Muranaka questions whether America still lives up to the ideals of the Statue of Liberty, citing the Reagan Administration’s restrictive asylum policies toward Central American refugees. She argues that while American patriotism and humanitarian efforts have grown, the nation continues to selectively close its doors to immigrants who don’t fit certain standards.
- They Deserved Better, by Bill Hosokawa, page 9. Bill Hosokawa remembers Bob Okazaki, who died at 83, lamenting that Okazaki and others like him were denied U.S. citizenship due to discriminatory laws despite being raised as Americans. He cites other talented Nisei-raised individuals who were forced into careers in Japan because of their alien status under U.S. law.
Obituaries
- In Memory of George Hoshida, by Karleen Chinen, Hawaii Herald, page 4. George Hoshida, a Hawaii internee known for his drawings of WW2 camp life, died April 22 at age 77, just before a book he illustrated was to receive an award. The article recounts his arrest in 1942, his family’s hardships including placing a disabled daughter in an institution, and their eventual reunion at Jerome internment camp.
Arts & Entertainment
- The Dynamic Duo, by Bob Shimabukuro, page 8. Columnist Bob Shimabukuro highlights dancers Brenda Aoki and Sachiko Nakamura of SoundSeen, who will tour and train in Japan and Hawaii with Yuriko Doi’s Theater of Yugen, including rare Noh and Kyogen training reserved traditionally for Japanese men. He also announces the Pacific Citizen’s upcoming move to a new office address.
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