Vol. 113, No. 12, October 18, 1991. 8 pages. View this issue
The effort to make Manzanar a national historic site ran through the front page. Senator John Seymour co-sponsored S621, more than 500 letters backed the bill, and the Manzanar Committee rejected a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power proposal for an alternate memorial site. Also on page 1, the Florin Chapter of JACL received a human rights award for its support of Arab and Muslim Americans during the Persian Gulf War.
Page 2 covers the 50th anniversary reunion of the Military Intelligence Service language school, with ten members of the first class expected. Bill Hosokawa’s column looked at a book title that became a bestseller in Japan, and Tim Gojio reviewed the book itself. Chapter news from Fresno, San Mateo and Sequoia fills page 3, including a pledge to the JACL Legacy Fund. Page 5 describes a five-volume set on the evacuation.
What’s in this issue
Community
- Florin Chapter Gets Human Rights Award, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Florin Chapter of JACL received a human rights award for its support of Arab and Muslim Americans persecuted during the Persian Gulf War. Chapter members organized press conferences, statements, and resolutions with local officials to oppose discrimination, drawing parallels to their own wartime internment experiences.
- Japanese American Exhibit Planned for Imperial Valley, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Imperial County Japanese American groups are organizing a Japanese American Gallery in the new Pioneers Museum near El Centro, California, to document Nikkei history in the Imperial Valley dating to the early 1900s. The committee, co-chaired by Tim Asamen and Pro Nimura, is raising $24,000 for the display and seeking artifacts and photographs from area residents.
- San Mateo Chapter Gardening Tips and Kiku Matsuri Plans, by P.C. Staff, page 3. San Mateo JACL’s newsletter featured gardening expert Eugene Omi’s tips on growing mums for the annual Kiku Matsuri on Nov. 3 in Concord. A chartered bus is scheduled to take seniors to the all-day excursion.
- Sequoia, Inc. Plans New Year’s Eve Dinner-Dance, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The annual JACL New Year’s Eve dinner-dance in the Palo Alto area will be held at the Holiday Inn with a prime rib or chicken dinner menu. Music will be provided by Ed Oliveira’s band and a DJ service, though the ‘dance only’ admission option has been discontinued.
National
- Bush Veto of Unemployment Act Criticized, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Bush vetoed an unemployment benefits act that would have provided $6.4 billion in extended benefits. The veto drew criticism from advocates for the unemployed.
- Man Gets 4 Years in Jim Loo Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Lloyd Ray Piche was sentenced to four years in prison for violating the civil rights of Jim Loo and six other Asian men. Judge James Fox ordered Piche to pay over $28,000 in restitution to the Loo family and serve five years of supervised probation.
Incarceration & Redress
- Manzanar Group Rejects Alternate Plan for Memorial, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Manzanar Committee announced its opposition to a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power proposal to sponsor an alternate memorial site if the bill to make Manzanar a national historic site fails to pass. The committee argued Manzanar has national significance and criticized DWP’s spending priorities amid water rate increases and deficits.
- Sen. Seymour Co-Sponsors Manzanar Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Senator John Seymour (R-Calif.) co-sponsored S621, a bill to establish Manzanar as a national historic site, boosting its chances for passage. More than 500 letters supporting the bill were submitted to the Senate Committee in September, organized by the Los Angeles Community Coalition to Commemorate 50 Year Remembrance.
Military & Veterans
- MIS Reunion Draws Ten From Initial Class of Nov. ’41, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Ten surviving students and teachers from the first Army Japanese language school class, which opened Nov. 1, 1941 at Crissy Field in San Francisco, will attend the MIS 50th anniversary reunion Oct. 29-Nov. 1. The four-day event will be held in San Francisco and at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, with about 600 people expected to attend.
- Keynote Speakers Are Announced, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Judge Robert Y. Thornton, former Oregon attorney general, will give opening remarks at the MIS dinner on Oct. 29 at the Miyako Hotel in San Francisco. Thornton, who worked closely with Nisei soldiers during WWII, received Japan’s Order of the Sacred Treasure in 1976 and co-authored a book on crime prevention in America and Japan.
JACL
- JACLers From More Than 20 Local Chapters Recognized, by P.C. Staff, page 3. JACL members from more than 20 chapters in the Pacific Northwest and PSW districts are being recognized for their service. Special recognitions include individuals such as Richard Matsuishi, Glenn Kumekawa, and others from various chapters.
- Fresno JACL Chapter News, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fresno JACL pioneer member Fred Hirasuna pledged generosity to the JACL Legacy Fund following the second round of redress checks, praising JACL’s decade-long effort toward redress. The Fresno JACL Board also established a chapter civil rights fund and raised $900 for the Central California Nikkei Foundation.
Commentary
- Media Hoopla Flips Over on Book Title, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Columnist Bill Hosokawa discusses Glen S. Fukushima’s analysis of how the obscure book ‘The Coming War With Japan’ became a bestseller in Japan due to media hype, despite being little known in the U.S. The column also shares reflections from Japan JACL chapter members Clay West and Susan Korns-Hautefeuille on the 1990 JACL convention and the need for new leadership voices.
Arts & Entertainment
- Authors Predict Eventual U.S.-Japan Conflict Again, by Tim Gojio, page 5. A book review of ‘The Coming War with Japan’ by George Friedman and Meredith LeBard argues that economic and political tensions could lead to a second U.S.-Japan war. The reviewer, a former Washington JACL representative, warns that Japanese Americans must stay politically engaged to prevent history from repeating the WWII internment experience.
In-Depth
- 5-Volume Set on Evacuation in the Works, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Meckler Publishing is completing a five-volume set on Japanese American evacuation history in association with California State University Fullerton’s Oral History Program, edited by Arthur A. Hansen. The volumes cover internees, administrators, and analysts who studied the WWII evacuation and resettlement experience.
- Journal Focuses on Area’s Ethnic Diversity, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Journal of Orange County Studies devoted its fall 1989 issue to ‘Ethnic Diversity in Orange County,’ including an Arthur A. Hansen review of a 1987 book on internee artists at Poston. The issue also covered Mexican, Chinese, and Southeast Asian communities in the region.
Obituaries
- Dora Midori Okamoto, 69, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Dora Midori Okamoto, born in Seattle, died in San Clemente, Calif. on September 15, 1991. She is survived by her husband Mas, daughters Lynda Sugino and Kathy Tanaka, sons Tim and Don Okamoto, three grandchildren, and siblings.
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