JACL Legacy Fund, redress and hate crimes in 1990

Vol. 111, No. 9, September 28, 1990. 8 pages. View this issue

The new JACL Legacy Fund led the news. National director Bill Yoshino described a campaign to raise $10 million for JACL’s program of action on anti-Asian violence, textbook accuracy, media portrayal and redress completion, while Tom Arima reported that Dr. Frank Sakamoto, the new National 1000 Club Chair, hoped to double that club’s membership. Redress also ran through the issue: JACL took over monitoring tasks from JACL/LEC, an In-Depth piece described the computer system behind redress checks, and an editorial urged recipients to consider giving to the Legacy Fund. Hate crimes drew attention too, from a vandalized church in Arizona to a column by Jim Tokeshi.

Columns by Bill Hosokawa, Bill Marutani, Clifford Uyeda and Jin Konomi fill the commentary pages, with a translated piece on ethnic Koreans in Japan by Makoto Kyo. Community items include a groundbreaking for low-income housing in Little Tokyo and the Southeastern Idaho chapter’s 50th anniversary. Veterans news from the Kona reunion appears on page 7.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• National 1000 Club Goals Set, Dr. Sakamoto Confirmed as Chair, by Tom Arima, page 1. Dr. Frank Sakamoto, newly confirmed as National 1000 Club Chair, aims to double membership by forming active 1000 Club groups in each chapter and district. The article details the committee structure, the Life Membership Fund, and the National 1000 Club’s support for the Legacy Fund and other JACL initiatives.
• JACL Legacy Fund Aim to Deal with Issues in the ’90s, page 1. JACL national director Bill Yoshino outlines a new Legacy Fund campaign aiming to raise $10 million to fund JACL’s program for action addressing anti-Asian violence, textbook accuracy, media portrayal and redress completion. The fund, launching in October, will allocate portions of earnings to chapters and districts for ongoing programs.

National

• Anti-Chinese Vandals Hit New Church in Phoenix With Hate Slogans, Bullet Holes, page 1. A Chinese-American church in Chandler, Arizona was vandalized with anti-Chinese graffiti and struck by gunfire, the second such attack in weeks. Community leaders and civil rights groups link the incident to a broader rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and violence nationally.
• Fund Raiser for Matsui Scheduled in Capital, page 3. A fundraiser to support Rep. Robert T. Matsui was scheduled for Oct. 1 at Sfuzzi Restaurant in Union Station, Washington D.C. The event, honoring Matsui’s service to the Asian American community, featured honorary chairmen including Sen. Daniel Inouye and Rep. Norman Mineta.
• Mineta Cited by Frequent Flyer Magazine, page 7. Rep. Norman Y. Mineta was cited by Frequent Flyer magazine as a top leader on aviation policy over the past decade, the only Member of Congress so honored. Mineta continues to be active in aviation and surface transportation policy as a senior House committee member.

Community

• San Diego JACL Kicks Off 3½-Page HI Ad Campaign, page 1. San Diego JACL became the first chapter to reserve advertising space for the 1990 Holiday Issue, securing 3½ pages of bulk rate space. The article details deadlines and submission guidelines for chapters participating in the Holiday Issue ad campaign.
• Little Tokyo Landmark Hotel Restoration to Start, page 2. The San Pedro Firm Building in Little Tokyo will celebrate a restoration project groundbreaking that will create 42 units of low-income housing. The project involves the Little Tokyo Service Center and L.A. Community Design Center along with city officials.
• Yuppie Yaki II Picnic to Be Geared for Sansei, page 2. Keiro Services is hosting a Sunday picnic called Yuppie Yaki II at the Police Academy to raise Sansei awareness of ways to get involved with Nikkei senior community needs and activities. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 7.
• Asian Bar Association of Washington to Host Fall Series on Community Law, page 2. The Asian Bar Association of Washington will host a Community Law Program in Seattle’s International District featuring mock legislative sessions, criminal trials and mediation of civil matters. Sessions run Tuesdays from Oct. 2 through Nov. 20 at the Asian Counseling and Referral Service office.
• Hawaii’s 1991 Dental Convention in January, page 2. The Hawaii Dental Association will hold its 88th Annual Scientific Session Jan. 20-25, 1991 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, featuring national dental experts. Jon Suzuki, DDS, Ph.D., will discuss diagnosis and treatment of periodontitis for dental hygienists.
• Riverside Nikkei in Local Election, page 3. Mark A. Takano, a Riverside-born teacher, is running for a seat on the Riverside Community College board of trustees among 11 candidates vying for two seats. A Harvard graduate, Takano has been recognized by the Los Angeles Times Magazine as an exceptional teacher piloting a Vietnam War history curriculum.
• All-Imperial Valley Reunion Set April 20, 1991, page 3. The fourth All-Imperial Valley reunion will be held April 20, 1991 at the Holiday Inn Torrance Gateway, with a golf tournament the previous day. Registration and hotel information are provided for attendees.
• Southeastern Idaho JACLers to Gather for 50th Anniversary at IDC Convention, page 6. JACL members from Rexburg, Idaho Falls, and Pocatello will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their Southeastern Idaho chapter’s formation at a Nov. 3 event in Jackpot, Nevada. The celebration will include a banquet, keynote speakers including national JACL president Cressey Nakagawa, and recognition of golden wedding anniversary couples.
• The Newsmakers, page 6. This roundup highlights achievements of several Japanese Americans including Mas Fukai’s appointment to the L.A. County Transportation Commission, Sadako Tengan’s teaching award in Chicago, and Miyono Nelsen’s new marketing director role at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas. Other honorees include journalists William Wong and Paul Kitagaki, and CPA Jay Fukushima.
• NCWNPDC to Host Kondo Retirement Fete, page 7. George Kondo and his wife Chie will be honored at a retirement party following his tenure as JACL regional director, scheduled for Oct. 19 at the Cathedral Hill Hotel in San Francisco. The event will be emceed by John Tateishi and Wendy Tokuda.

Incarceration & Redress

• LEC Structure: JACL to Continue Redress Monitoring, page 2. Under a new agreement, JACL will take over many redress tasks previously performed by JACL/LEC, which is phasing down its activities but remaining semi-active for legislative needs. JACL will monitor ORA activities and Congress on redress funding through the Washington Office, while the LEC board trimmed to a seven-member executive committee.

In-Depth

• Computer Power at Work for Redress, page 3. The fifth in a series on the Office of Redress Administration details how ORA developed a computer system to manage over 120,000 individual records for accountability, case tracking, and payment processing. Administrator Robert Bratt oversaw rapid development of the system, which now supports verification and mailing of redress checks through coordination with the Treasury Department.
• Ethnic Koreans Seen as ‘Moral Deficit’, by Makoto Kyo, page 5. This translated piece from Gekkan Asahi examines discrimination against ethnic Koreans in Japan, focusing on the 1989 pachinko industry political scandal that triggered a wave of violence and intimidation against Korean residents, including children. The author, a third-generation Korean in Japan, reflects on employment discrimination and hopes for future tolerance.

Obituaries

• Noted Architect Kawana Dies at Age 60, page 3. Koichi Kawana, a renowned landscape architect of Japanese gardens and UCLA professor, died at his Santa Monica home following a prolonged illness. Born in Sapporo, he designed Japanese gardens throughout the U.S. including at the L.A. County Museum of Art and was featured in National Geographic.
• Henry K. Makino, 69, Chemist, page 8. Henry Makino, a veteran Honeywell chemist who was interned at Minidoka during WWII and served in Military Intelligence, died of cancer. He was a graduate of Macalester College, longtime Twin Cities JACL chapter president, and active in Japan America Society and Minnesota Nikkei Project.
• Kearney Kozai, 65, Design Engineer, page 8. Kearney Kozai, a retired Boeing design engineer of 30 years and Hawaii native who served in Pacific military intelligence during WWII, died of a heart attack while playing golf, a game he loved. He was a curling enthusiast who once competed in a national championship.
• James Y. Shigeta, 79, 4-H Leader, page 8. James Shigeta, a Maui-born state 4-H Club leader who served the University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension Service for 40 years, died Aug. 30. He served in MIS in the western Pacific and Okinawa during WWII and later led several veterans and community organizations in Hawaii.

Commentary

• Checks Addressed ‘Dear Recipient’, page 4. This editorial discusses the arrival of redress payment notification letters to the oldest WWII evacuees, noting the money is a solatium rather than compensation for losses. It encourages recipients to consider contributing some of the funds to the JACL Legacy Fund, a new $10 million endowment.
• Nisei Saga in Military Intelligence Secrets, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa challenges the commonly held belief that the story of Nisei linguists in WWII military intelligence was kept secret until decades later. He cites numerous wartime newspaper articles, WRA pamphlets, and postwar publications that publicized Nisei intelligence contributions well before 1972.
• Seaweed: Konbu, Nori & Wakame, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Bill Marutani explores the history and nutritional benefits of Japanese seaweed varieties including konbu, nori, and wakame, describing their uses in cuisine and health benefits like vitamin B content and potassium iodine. He also notes Japan’s specialized seaweed imports from Norway and France for uses beyond food.
• Censorship, by Any Other Name, by Clifford Uyeda, page 5. Clifford Uyeda criticizes JACL’s handling of the Deborah Lim report on wartime JACL activities, arguing that summarizing the 140-page report into 25 pages effectively censored its findings. He contends JACL should have released the full report with its comments appended rather than issuing a restatement of old positions.
• Hate Crimes — An Unfinished Task, by Jim Tokeshi, page 5. Jim Tokeshi discusses a Los Angeles Times report showing a 32% rise in hate crimes against Asians in L.A. County in 1990, tripling from the prior year. He argues JACL and similar organizations must confront societal ignorance that conflates Asian nationals with Asian Americans, fueling discrimination.
• Resolution 13, by M. Sumida, page 5. A letter to the editor criticizes the National JACL Board’s handling of the wartime activity controversy and calls for an Ombudsman Committee to ensure compliance with 1988 resolutions. The writer compares poor JACL management to government officials operating without accountability.
• Memory Revived, by Deana Abe, page 5. A reader recounts her husband Lewis Abe’s personal experience refusing to sign naturalization papers at Ft. Benning in 1945, an incident recalled from a previous P.C. historical feature. She notes how the story brought back vivid memories after 45 years.
• Spit Wad and the ‘Kamideppo’, by Jin Konomi, page 5. Jin Konomi reminisces about making and using homemade bamboo paper-wad shooters called kamideppo as a child in Fukuoka, Japan, contrasting the simple pleasures of childhood in prewar Japan with today’s abundance of toys. He reflects fondly on the resourcefulness required in a Third World Japan.

Military & Veterans

• JACL-LEC Awards Plaques to Veterans Groups, page 7. At the 15th National AJA Veterans Reunion in Kona, Hawaii, JACL-LEC awarded plaques to three Hawaiian Nisei veteran organizations and filmmaker Katriel Schory for their support of redress and constitutional principles. The ceremony took place before roughly 1,700 attendees at the Kona Surf Resort.

Arts & Entertainment

• Creators of ‘Miss Saigon’ to Open L.A. Auditions, page 7. The Miss Saigon creative staff will hold open auditions in Los Angeles for Asian singer-actors for the upcoming Broadway production. Auditions require contemporary pop or theatrical songs and will be held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

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