Redress fully funded and a civil rights veto, November 1990

Vol. 111, No. 14, November 2, 1990. 8 pages. View this issue

Redress was the main news of this eight-page issue. In the final hours of the 101st Congress, a budget compromise ensured the full $500 million in redress entitlement funds, and Congress also passed a compromise legal immigration bill. The Senate fell one vote short of overriding President Bush’s veto of the Civil Rights Act of 1990, which JACL’s Paul Igasaki called a disappointment. Jerry Enomoto’s column looked back on his path through the redress movement, and a Q&A explained redress check cashing.

Elsewhere, the Onizuka Challenger memorial was dedicated in Little Tokyo, and Bill Hosokawa visited the Morikami Museum in Florida. The Japanese American National Museum neared 70% of its Phase I goal, and a plaque was planned at the Fresno Assembly Center site. The 45 years ago column recalled the closing Minidoka camp.

What’s in this issue

National

• Redress Fully Funded; Immigration, Vietnamese Fishing Bills Are Passed, by P.C. Staff, page 1. In the final hours of the 101st Congress, a budget compromise ensured the full $500 million in redress entitlement funds would be available, and Congress also passed a compromise legal immigration bill and a rider protecting Vietnamese American fishermen. JACL welcomed the immigration bill’s immediate protective floor for family unification but noted concerns about numerical caps that would reduce family preference visas in coming years.
• Senate Sustains President’s Veto of Civil Rights Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Senate failed by one vote to override President Bush’s veto of the Civil Rights Act of 1990, killing JACL’s top legislative priority for the session. JACL Washington Representative Paul Igasaki expressed disappointment, saying women and religious/national minorities would be hurt most, and vowed to try again in the 102nd Congress.
• UC Berkeley’s ‘Diversity Project’: No Single Ethnic, Racial Group on Campus Comprises a Majority, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A ‘Diversity Project’ study of 230 UC Berkeley students found the campus is ‘Balkanized’ into ethnic groupings with limited cross-racial mingling, especially among underclassmen. Researchers attributed tensions partly to the competitive admissions process and recommended freshman seminars to improve integration.
• Blue Cross Display Ad Offends JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL expressed concern over a Blue Cross of California ad declaring ‘the biggest threat to the American economy may have 4 wheels, but it isn’t Japanese,’ calling it insensitive amid rising Japan-bashing. NCWNP regional director Joy K. Morimoto asked Blue Cross to reconsider the ad and show better judgment in future advertising.
• Dale Minami Panelist on Minority Forum in Texas, by P.C. Staff, page 2. In response to growing hostility between minority groups, civil rights leaders including Dale Minami, Roy Innes, and Rep. Craig Washington will participate on a panel examining roots of the violence. The panel is scheduled for Nov. 10 at the South Texas School of Law during the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association convention.
• Asian Scavenger Sparks Hot Debate in Wisconsin, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Green Bay homeless shelter director criticized the arrest of Tru Vang, a 56-year-old Laotian refugee cited for violating an anti-scavenging ordinance in Madison. Charges were dropped after the mayor and others called the arrest a misapplication of the ordinance amid a state recycling law.
• Asian-Majority Assembly District in Los Angeles Seen as Possibility, page 3. UCLA professor Paul Ong identified three potential Los Angeles County ‘pockets’ where an Asian-majority state Assembly district could be created during 1991-92 reapportionment. Advocates like Stewart Kwoh and Don Nakanishi say significant organizing and consensus-building will be needed to achieve such a district.
• Two Asians Win in Nevada Primaries, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Cheryl Lau won the Republican nomination for Nevada Secretary of State and Bob Wong ran unopposed for a state Assembly seat, adding to a growing list of Asian American Republican candidates in 1990. Republican National Committee Co-Chairman Jeanie Austin praised them as strong role models.
• Congress Approves Mineta Minority Health Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Congress passed and sent to the White House the Minority Health Improvement Act, authored by Rep. Henry Waxman and co-sponsored by Rep. Norman Mineta. The bill includes provisions of the Asian-Pacific Islander Health Improvement Act calling for bilingual health care and improved data collection.

Community

• 1990-91 Tournament of Roses Court Diverse, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The 1990-1991 Tournament of Roses court is one of the most ethnically diverse in history, featuring three Asian descent princesses including Japanese American Andrea Sae Uyeda. The court also includes Chinese, Indian and Black princesses.
• Onizuka Memorial Dedicated in Little Tokyo, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Astronauts and dignitaries gathered in Little Tokyo to dedicate the Onizuka Challenger Space Shuttle Memorial, a one-tenth scale replica of the Challenger on Astronaut E.S. Onizuka Street. Merchants and friends raised funds for the memorial, which features plaques telling its story.
• Welcome Reception Set for Tokeshi Nov. 8, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A welcome reception and open house will be held for newly appointed PSWDC regional director Jimmy Tokeshi on Nov. 8 at the JACCC. A JACL spokesperson praised his strong community ties.
• Sacramento Area JACLers to Fete Kondo, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Four Sacramento Valley JACL chapters will host a ‘Salute George Kondo’ dinner on Nov. 13 at the Red Lion Hotel. The Sacramento JACL will also install its 1991 chapter officers at the event.
• San Jose Elections, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The San Jose JACL will hold its election night potluck dinner on Nov. 9 at the Issei Memorial Building. Members are asked to bring dishes based on surname groupings.
• 1991 Applications Available: Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Program, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Applications are now open for the 1991 Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, which places participants in prefectural offices or schools in Japan to assist with international activities and English instruction. The application deadline is Dec. 20, with details available through the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles.
• Architect-Engineer Awards Dinner Speaker Announced, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Warren Furutani, L.A. Board of Education member, will deliver the keynote address at the 13th annual Asian American Architect-Engineer Awards banquet on Nov. 8 in Chinatown. His speech, titled ‘Forward to the 21st Century,’ will address empowerment and networking of Asian Pacific Americans.
• Central Cal District Convention Nov. 18 at Torninos; Golf on Nov. 10, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Central California District Council will hold its annual banquet on Nov. 18 at Torninos, featuring keynote speaker Cressey Nakagawa, alongside a golf tournament on Nov. 10 at Sherwood Forest golf course. Registration fees and deadlines are outlined for both events.
• San Jose JACL Deadline for PCYA Applicants Near, by P.C. Staff, page 6. San Jose JACL will again sponsor one student to attend the 1991 Presidential Classroom for Young Americans in Washington, D.C. Applicants must be Japanese descent seniors or juniors with JACL member parents, and the application deadline is noted.
• S.F. Bay Area Nikkei Singles Offer Scholarships, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The San Francisco/Bay Area Nikkei Singles group is offering two $500 scholarships to students from single-parent households attending or planning to attend higher education institutions. Application forms are available by writing to the scholarship committee.
• J.A. Optimists Election, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Dr. Henry I. Okamura, a longtime Silver Lake resident, was elected to lead the Japanese American Optimist Club, which was chartered in 1954. The brief item notes club leadership details.

Incarceration & Redress

• Redress Presentation in Hawaii, by Photo by Allan Beekman, page 1. At Hawaii’s State Capitol, Governor John Waihee addressed a redress audience on Oct. 15. Elderly redress recipients were seated alongside local civic dignitaries.
• Arlo Smith Hails Redress Apology as ‘Historic,’ Korematsu Comments, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Francisco DA Arlo Smith called the government’s redress apology a historic occasion as checks began reaching former internees. Fred Korematsu praised the apology as restoring his faith in the Constitution and endorsed Smith over Dan Lungren for state attorney general.
• Redress Eligibility Process for Nisei Veterans Simplified, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Office of Redress Administration issued a revised, simplified 3-page eligibility procedure for military service members seeking redress, clarifying that veterans may qualify under one or both eligibility categories and eliminating the proof-of-birth requirement. The article outlines the multi-step process for filing claims based on deprivation of liberty or loss of property.
• Questions & Answers on ‘Redress Cash Checking’: The Nine Most Commonly-Asked Questions, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Washington JACL Office, in consultation with ORA, answers detailed questions about redress payment distribution schedules, holdback checks, procedures for deceased recipients’ checks, and bank check-cashing problems. The piece explains budget-dependent payment timelines and clarifies ORA form numbers and Help-Line procedures.
• For the Record: Redress Ceremony Recipients, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This listing documents redress recipients and Department of Justice honorees at ceremonies held in Chicago, Fresno, and Seattle in mid-October 1990. It includes names and ages of elderly Issei recipients along with community honorees at each event.
• Fresno Assembly Center Memorial Plans Underway, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held Oct. 24 for a memorial plaque at the site of the 1942 Fresno Assembly Center, which housed about 10,000 Japanese Americans before their relocation to Jerome, Arkansas. A formal dedication is planned for February 1991.

Arts & Entertainment

• Visual Communications Commemorating Its 20th Anniversary at Nov. 17 Gala, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Visual Communications, the oldest Asian Pacific media arts organization in the U.S., will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a video and musical fundraiser on Nov. 17 at the Japan America Theatre, featuring musicians from Hiroshima. Proceeds will help match challenge grants from the California Community Foundation and government agencies.
• Maxine Hong Kingston’s ‘Talking Story’ on PBS-TV, by P.C. Staff, page 2. An hour-long PBS special profiling author Maxine Hong Kingston, narrated by B.D. Wong, will air Nov. 26. The special explores Kingston’s storytelling roots growing up hearing tales from her Chinese immigrant mother in Stockton, California.

In-Depth

• $7 Million Raised for Museum’s Phase I, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Japanese American National Museum is approaching 70% of its Phase I fundraising goal of $10.2 million, with nearly $7 million raised toward creating a permanent home in the renovated Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. Phase II aims to raise $13.9 million more to expand facilities by 65,000 square feet.

Commentary

• A More Sensitive Term, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial discusses how newspapers strive to use less offensive terminology for disabled and ethnic groups, noting shifts like ‘handicapped’ over ‘crippled’ and ‘African American’ over earlier terms. It notes a similar shift toward euphemisms is emerging in Japan’s press for disability-related terms.
• Monitor, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This recurring feature presents a reader letter expressing bitter anti-Japanese sentiment tied to WWII grievances, alongside a State Department note that Japan’s Gulf War financial contribution was the largest of any nation outside the region. The items are presented without further editorial comment.
• In The Pacific Citizen 45 Years Ago, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This historical recap notes JACL’s 1945 decision to file a brief in Fred Oyama’s Alien Land Law case, a Japanese American art exhibit in Chicago, an incident at the closing Minidoka camp, and Dr. Chitoshi Yanaga joining Yale’s faculty. These items are drawn from the paper’s archives 45 years prior.
• From the Frying Pan: A Visit to the Morikami Museum, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa recounts the history of the Morikami Museum and Japanese Garden in Florida, founded by George Morikami of the Yamato Colony, and describes its growth with a new museum groundbreaking funded by diverse donors. He reflects on how the museum thrives despite few Japanese Americans living in the area, demonstrating that appreciation of Japanese culture isn’t limited to ethnic Japanese or West Coast communities.
• Camp Doctors, by Col. K.W. Sasagawa (Ret.), page 4. A letter to the editor highlights the contributions of Dr. California S. Ushiro, who served at Tanforan and Topaz and volunteered to serve as Regimental Surgeon with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The writer wanted to add to prior recognition given to other camp doctors.
• Redress Names, by RNT, page 4. A reader writes expressing a desire for privacy, asking that their name be omitted from published lists of redress recipients. The editor responds clarifying that names are published only with prior permission from ORA, except for those interviewed by media.
• Perspectives: ‘And Justice for All’, by Jerry Enomoto, page 4. Jerry Enomoto reflects on his personal journey through the redress movement, from testifying before Congress a decade earlier to witnessing the 1988 signing of the Civil Liberties Act and finally attending the 1990 ceremony presenting apology letters and redress checks to elderly Issei. He expresses gratitude to fellow JACL/LEC Board members and sadness that his own mother did not live to see the achievement.

Obituaries

• Takashi Matsuda, 69, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Takashi ‘Tak’ Matsuda, a Nisei metallurgical engineer and WWII Army Intelligence veteran, passed away Oct. 24 at age 69. He was known for his research on Manjiro, his extensive library, teaching Japanese at UCLA, and is survived by his wife, children, and siblings.
• Bertram Kambara, 64, Jurist, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Bertram Kambara, a former Hawaii state attorney general and retired Circuit Court Judge, was the first lawyer of Japanese ancestry to argue a major case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1965. He died in late September, having never married and having cared for his elderly mother until her death.
• Tom Kiyosaki, 68, Coach, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Tom Kiyosaki, a Maui-born 442nd veteran and former football player and coach, died Oct. 12 of a heart attack at 68. He coached at Maui High and Farrington, later becoming vice-principal and executive secretary of the Hawaii High School Association.
• John K. Yamamoto, 83, Linotypist, by P.C. Staff, page 6. John K. Yamamoto, a longtime linotypist for the Nisei press including the Rafu Shimpo and Pacific Citizen, died Oct. 17 at age 83. Honolulu-born, he is survived by his wife and children.

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