Vol. 115, No. 12, October 16, 1992. 8 pages. View this issue
Nearly 2,000 people gathered in the Arizona desert to dedicate a memorial monument at Poston, honoring those held there during the World War II incarceration (often called internment). Harry K. Honda reported on the ceremony, and inside are the details of the bronze panels and the camp’s history. The front page also carried Gwen Muranaka’s reports on the upcoming trial of Bradley Mills in the beating death of Luyen Nguyen, a University of Miami premed student, and on a Los Angeles conference about the Future of the Nikkei Community. Congress approved a resolution authorizing a Nikkei monument in Washington, D.C.
Karen Narasaki’s column credited the JACL’s grass roots network for the passage of H.R. 4551, the redress bill, and urged continued advocacy. Other pages include a JACL statement for Columbus Day, an evaluation of the convention’s host chapter role after Denver, Bill’s column on bicultural habits among Nisei, and Jin Konomi’s look at the surname Japón in a Spanish town.
What’s in this issue
National
- Trial Set for Man Accused in Death of Vietnamese Student, by Gwen Muranaka, page 1. Bradley Mills, 19, is set to stand trial for second-degree murder in the beating death of Luyen Nguyen, a University of Miami premed student who was killed after being called racial slurs at a party. Six other defendants have requested a joint trial, and Mills’ attorney argues he did not participate in the fatal portion of the beating.
Community
- Filling in the Gap: Future of Nikkei Community Conference Examines Generation Gap, by Gwen Muranaka, page 1. At the Future of the Nikkei Community conference in Los Angeles, a ‘Generation Gap Talk Show’ panel featuring Kenji Ogawa, Lori Ota, Mako Jitodai, and Evelyn Yoshimura debated what unites and divides the Japanese American community. The discussion covered biracial identity, community institutions, and the lack of a unified Japanese American agenda.
- Personally Speaking: Organizations and Sports Notes, by Gwen Muranaka, page 5. This roundup covers Nicholas Platt’s appointment as Asia Society president, the JAHSSC’s community service awards honoring Sue Kunitomi Embrey, Harry K. Honda, and others, plus sports notices for hockey player Paul Kariya and U.S. Judo Federation championship results. Several East Bay Judo Institute students earned national honors in the competition.
Incarceration & Redress
- 2,000 Gather to Help Dedicate Poston Memorial, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. Nearly 2,000 people gathered in the Arizona desert to dedicate a memorial monument at Poston honoring internees who suffered hardships during WWII incarceration. Speakers included Daniel Eddy Jr. of the Colorado River Indian Tribes, Rev. Lloyd K. Wake, and George S. Oki Sr., with the monument featuring bronze panels detailing Poston’s history.
- Washington, D.C., Monument for Nikkei Okayed by Senate, page 1. Senate and House Joint Resolution 271 authorizing a Nikkei monument in Washington, D.C. was approved, with the House version introduced by Rep. Norman Y. Mineta and the Senate version by Sen. Daniel Inouye. The memorial will honor Japanese American men, women and children who were unjustly evacuated and interned, as well as veterans of the 100th/442nd, MIS, and nurses.
- Poston Notes: Monument Fund, School Renaming, and Camp Relics, page 4. As of Sept. 30, $36,000 remains to be raised for the Poston Memorial Fund, with donations directed to a Union Bank account. The former Poston II school, now Le Pera School, continues in use, and former residents plan a 50th anniversary gift; concrete cisterns from the camp sewer plant remain visible at Poston III.
- Poston Dedication Ceremony Details and Bronze Panel Inscriptions, page 4. The article details the Oct. 6 Poston monument dedication, describing the 30-foot concrete spire topped by an origami crane and six bronze panels depicting the camp’s history, from its founding through the war and its 1945 closure. Daniel Eddy Jr. of the Colorado River Indian Tribes reflected on the transformation of the once-desolate land into fertile farmland.
JACL
- Political Empowerment Workshop Lets Nikkei Practice Mock Legislative Session, page 1. Participants in a mock legislative session at the Future of Nikkei conference role-played state assembly members debating California ballot propositions on term limits and budget reform. The exercise, which included Rose Ochi, Trisha Murakawa, and others, aimed to teach attendees how legislation is passed and how to get involved politically.
- JACL Issues Statement Commemorating Native Americans on Columbus Day, page 4. JACL issued a statement and resolution recognizing shared experiences between Japanese Americans and Native Americans, including forced removal and relocation to government-designated areas. The resolution, adopted at JACL’s national convention, pledges JACL to join Native Americans in commemorating indigenous vitality 500 years after Columbus’s landing.
- Convention Process: Evaluating the Host Chapter’s Role, page 6. Following the Denver convention, the author met with Mile Hi Chapter members to evaluate the event and discuss the division of responsibilities between the National Board and local host chapters for future JACL conventions. Recommendations included site selection, committee structures, and financial arrangements, with a proposal for an ad hoc committee led by Taniguchi to formalize convention guidelines.
Arts & Entertainment
- Media Molds Perceptions, Say Conference Speakers, by Gwen Muranaka, page 3. A panel featuring actress Tamlyn Tomita, newscaster Emerald Yeh/Toyota, and a Touchstone Pictures executive discussed how media images affect Asian American self-perception and public perception, citing stereotypes in casting and coverage of the Pearl Harbor anniversary. Panelists urged support for Asian American artists and technicians to improve industry representation.
Commentary
- Redress: A Grass Roots Effort, by Karen Narasaki, page 5. Narasaki credits the grass roots JACL network, including Cherry Kinoshita, Bill Hosokawa, and chapter members nationwide, for the passage of H.R. 4551, describing letter-writing campaigns and coalition-building with other organizations. She urges continued advocacy to secure entitlement payments for eligible non-Japanese spouses and funding for the redress education fund.
- Small Kid Time: Creatures of Bi-Racial Habits, by Bill, page 6. The columnist reflects on a Nisei friend group that automatically switches to Japanese to accommodate a non-English-fluent friend named Daizie, pondering why bicultural habits and deference to custom persist among Nisei. The piece muses on unspoken social dynamics of language and tradition within Japanese American social circles.
- Christianity in Nippon, page 6. The column examines the historical and current state of Christianity in Japan, noting that despite millions of Bibles printed annually and Christian-influenced Western weddings, only 2-3 percent of Japanese identify as Christian. It explores the coexistence of Shintoism, Buddhism, and Christianity in Japanese society and a modern movement to find commonalities between Buddhism and Christianity.
In-Depth
- Japón in Spain: Tracing a Japanese Diplomatic Mission’s Legacy, by Jin Konomi, page 7. Konomi explores the legend behind residents of Coria del Río, Spain, who bear the surname ‘Japón,’ tracing it to a 1613 diplomatic mission sent by daimyo Date Masamune and led by Hasekura Tsunenaga. The mission failed diplomatically, but its stranded members reportedly left descendants in the Spanish town, paralleling other historical instances of foreign armies leaving lasting genetic and cultural legacies.
Obituaries
- John J. Tani of Chicago Chapter Dies, page 8. John J. Tani, 44, a longtime member of the Chicago Chapter JACL, died following heart surgery on Sept. 25 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Tani, who witnessed Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech and served as chapter president, is survived by family members, and a memorial was held in Lombard, Illinois.
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