Maehara’s firing, redress payments and the 50th Nisei Week

Vol. 111, No. 4, August 17, 1990. 12 pages. View this issue

Students at Cal Poly Pomona protested the firing of student outreach employee G. Akito Maehara, and Alvina Lew reported on the demands for his reinstatement. Redress also ran through the issue: the Office of Redress Administration said over 19,000 cases for the oldest eligible Japanese Americans were ready for payment, and Washington state American Legion delegates rejected a resolution against further redress payments. Harry K. Honda covered the 50th Nisei Week and its parade in Little Tokyo.

In the commentary pages, Dr. Clifford Uyeda wrote on JACL’s treatment of the ‘No-No’ resolution, and Paul M. Igasaki and Cressey Nakagawa urged President Bush to sign the Civil Rights Act of 1990. Grant Ujifusa reflected on how JACL chapters won redress. Elsewhere were a Rohwer landmark nomination, San Jose’s Japantown centennial, and JACL track meets.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Students Protest Firing of Maehara at Cal Poly Pomona Student Outreach, by Alvina Lew, page 1. G. Akito Maehara, a Cal Poly Pomona student outreach employee, was terminated after participating in a protest supporting the Third World Student Coalition against campus police harassment of minority students. Student leaders and JACL’s Downtown L.A. chapter demanded his reinstatement and an independent investigation into the termination.
• 50th Annual Nisei Week Parade Dazzles Thousands in Little Tokyo, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. Los Angeles celebrated the 50th anniversary of Nisei Week with a grand parade featuring Japanese royalty Princess Sayako and a costumed corps of samurai generals from sister city Nagoya. Traditional ondo dancers, community marshals, and cultural award honorees highlighted the golden jubilee festivities.
• Redress Administrator Bratt to Speak at Gardena, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Robert Bratt, Director of the Office of Redress Administration, will speak on the schedule of redress payments at a meeting in Gardena on August 30. The event is sponsored by four South Bay area JACL chapters and the National Coalition for Redress and Reparations.
• San Jose’s Nihonmachi to Celebrate 100th, by P.C. Staff, page 2. San Jose’s Japantown will celebrate its centennial with week-long festivities from September 8 to 15, featuring walking tours, cultural demonstrations, and historical displays. The celebration will conclude with the Wesley Methodist Church’s Aki Matsuri featuring food booths and entertainment.
• NCCJ Conference on Asian Americans Assail Racial Stereotyping in So. Calif., by P.C. Staff, page 2. Educators at an NCCJ seminar at Cal Poly Pomona discussed harmful stereotyping of Asian Americans as they grapple with the region’s growing Asian population. Panelists including high school students and community leaders shared personal experiences with stereotyping and discussed media portrayals like the film Year of the Dragon.
• 50th Nisei Week Poster Available, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A numbered limited edition commemorative poster designed by Hisashi Otsuka was released for Nisei Week’s Golden Anniversary, depicting samurai warrior Miyamoto Musashi. Proceeds from the poster sales will support the Nisei Week Japanese Festival.
• A New Queen: Andrea Hom Named Miss Nikkei 1990, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Andrea Hom was crowned Miss Nikkei 1990 during a recent pageant, congratulated by L.A. County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn. Her grandmother Elsie Dohzen had formerly worked as a secretary in Hahn’s office.
• Japanese Executives Aid America’s Homeless, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Mitsui Mfrs. Bank Chairman Yutaro Hayashi joined the Union Rescue Mission’s Second Century Campaign leadership cabinet, becoming the first major executive of a Japanese-owned firm to support the $16 million homeless services campaign. Hayashi hosted a breakfast to encourage other Japanese business leaders including All Nippon Airways and Union Bank to support the effort.
• Asian Minorities Expected to Be Majority by 2010 in San Gabriel Valley, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Census specialist Jerry Wong told an NCCJ seminar that the Asian American population in San Gabriel Valley is projected to become the majority by 2010, having grown 79% in the 1980s. Wong emphasized that minorities will be needed to meet future labor market demands and argued the nation cannot afford a racist society.
• Yu-Ai Kai Receives $84,000 for Building, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The San Jose city council approved $34,000 in construction aid for the new Yu-Ai Kai senior community center, while the organization also received a $50,000 grant from the Knight Foundation. The new three-story center, over 13,000 square feet, is expected to be ready for occupancy by fall 1991.
• Japan Princess Sayako Visits L.A. Nisei Week, by P.C. Staff, page 8. Her Imperial Highness Princess Sayako of Japan visited Los Angeles at the invitation of Governor George Deukmejian and attended the 50th anniversary celebration of Nisei Week. She planned to visit other cities in the U.S. and Canada after her stop in Los Angeles.
• Nisei Week: 50th Anniversary Festival Highlights, by Harry K. Honda, page 9. The 50th Nisei Week festival featured taiko drummers, multi-ethnic marching bands, and pioneer honorees who were mostly Nisei rather than Issei for the first time. The coronation ball crowned Miss Gardena Valley JACL Sandra Alice Posey as queen amid a star-studded pageant emceed by George Takei and Tamilyn Tomita.
• Recognition Dinner Set for Sac’to Nisei Sept. 16, by P.C. Staff, page 9. The Sacramento Nikkei community will honor Toko Fujii for his many years of service at a gala recognition dinner on September 16 at the Red Lion Inn. Frank Hiyama chairs the dinner committee organizing the event.
• 1990 Kay Okamoto Volunteer Award Given to Katherine Nunotani, by P.C. Staff, page 9. Katherine Nunotani was selected as the recipient of the JACL San Francisco Chapter’s Kay Okamoto Volunteer Award, honoring her extensive behind-the-scenes volunteer work at fundraising events. The announcement was made at the Hamilton Senior Center’s 34th anniversary celebration, a facility Okamoto herself had volunteered at for over 30 years.
• L.A. Chinese Campaign to Save Cemetery Shrine, by P.C. Staff, page 9. The Chinese Historical Society of Southern California is working to protect a 19th century Chinese burial shrine at Evergreen Cemetery from being uprooted for new burial grounds. The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission is studying the historic 1888 shrine site as a potential landmark.

National

• American Legion Rejects Opposition to Redress Payment, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Washington state American Legion delegates unanimously defeated a resolution from Puyallup Post 67 seeking to oppose further redress payments to Japanese Americans. JACL members and Legion allies presented factual information refuting the resolution’s claims about the 1948 Evacuation Claims Act.
• Akaka, Saiki Square Off for Senate Race, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Daniel Akaka and Rep. Patricia Saiki formally entered the race for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of Sen. Spark Matsunaga. The race has drawn national attention because it could affect the balance of power in the Senate.
• Television Station Drops Cartoon Series, by P.C. Staff, page 1. KCAL Channel 9 discontinued a 29-year-old Dick Tracy cartoon series featuring stereotypical Asian and Latino characters Jo Jitsu and Go Go Gomez after pressure from Asian and Latino organizations. Station officials said only one private citizen had complained about the cartoons.
• Two Refuse to Discriminate And Are Fired, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit against Circle K Corporation on behalf of two white managers who were forced to resign after refusing to comply with orders to fire Asian American employees. Several white managers testified they were ordered to fire Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese workers.
• AIDS Increasing Among Asian/Pacifics, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Los Angeles County reported 121 AIDS cases among Asian/Pacific Islanders since 1981, including 20 Japanese cases, representing a 53 percent increase over the previous year. The Asian Pacific AIDS Education Project provides education and prevention services through several community agencies.
• Poll: Fewer Americans Remember Hiroshima, by P.C. Staff, page 3. A Gallup Poll found that one in four Americans does not know atomic weapons were used on Japan, with only 68 percent correctly recalling the 1945 bombings’ circumstances. Approval of Truman’s decision to drop the bomb has fallen from 85 percent immediately after the bombing to 53 percent today.
• Release of Student’s Killer Provokes Outrage in Oklahoma, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Thousands signed petitions urging Oklahoma officials to ensure justice for the accused murderer of Japanese student Chiharu Tango, who was found shot to death in February. Sarinrak Sattayarak of Thailand was charged with first-degree murder but released on bond, sparking outrage among Tango’s family and friends.
• California and Hawaii Lead in Number of Asian Judges, by P.C. Staff, page 12. A national survey by the Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago found California and Hawaii tied for the most Asian Pacific American judges with 44 each, followed by Washington with five. The survey identified 109 Asian Pacific American judges nationwide as of May 1990.

Incarceration & Redress

• Redress Payments Now Ready for Oldest WWII Internees, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Office of Redress Administration announced it has contacted all persons born before 1910 who may be eligible for redress payments, with over 19,000 cases ready for payment. ORA is processing cases by birth year in ten-year spans and urges those over 80 without contact to write directly to the office.
• Historic Landmark Status Sought Recipient Announced for Rohwer Relocation Center, by Barbara Takei and Yoshinori H.T. Himel, page 9. Advocates including JACL’s Midwest District Council and Mayor Rosalie Gould are seeking National Historic Landmark status for the Rohwer internment camp site in Arkansas, which retains 58 structures including a cemetery with deteriorating memorial monuments. The nomination faces objections including that Manzanar is already designated and concerns about the site being used for farming, with a final decision pending September 15.

Military & Veterans

• Top Gun: Mae Yamaki Honored by Navy, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Mae Yamaki was awarded the Department of the Navy Superior Civilian Service Award for 12 years of managing the Navy’s Shore Station Command Course in Newport, Rhode Island. She guided the program to become the premier course of its kind in the U.S. Navy.
• Documentary Videotape Completed Chronicling Dachau Liberation by Nisei, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Go For Broke National Veterans Association Foundation completed videotaped interviews with veterans of the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion who helped liberate Dachau Concentration Camp in April 1945. The footage includes a moving reunion between a Dachau survivor and one of her rescuers, and will be incorporated into a re-edited version of the film Yankee Samurai.

JACL

• Six Nikkei Named National Merit Scholarship Winners, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Six students with Japanese surnames were among 950 additional Merit Scholarship winners announced by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation for 1990. Winners hailed from California, Hawaii, and Alabama, pursuing fields including molecular biology, law, and electrical engineering.
• Smithsonian’s Exhibit on ‘Japanese Americans and U.S. Constitution’ Accomplishing Its Mission, by Harry K. Honda, page 6. At the JACL convention’s Mike M. Masaoka Public Service Award dinner, Dr. Tom Crouch spoke on behalf of absent honoree Dr. Roger Kennedy about the Smithsonian’s groundbreaking exhibit on Japanese American incarceration and the Constitution. The dinner also included tributes to the late Robert Pirosh, Edward Ennis, and Senator Spark Matsunaga for their contributions to Japanese American civil rights.

Commentary

• Little Tokyo’s JACCC & Theatre, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This editorial celebrates the tenth anniversary of the Japanese American Theatre at JACCC, noting how it has become a vital cultural center hosting performances from the Grand Kabuki troupe to local community groups. The theatre has helped transform Little Tokyo into a valuable cultural asset for the broader Los Angeles region.
• JACL’s Treatment of the ‘No-No’ Resolution, by Dr. Clifford Uyeda, page 4. Uyeda discusses the disappointment over JACL’s rejection of the Golden Gate Chapter’s resolution acknowledging the organization’s wartime error in branding dissidents as disloyal, at both the 1988 and 1990 conventions. He argues that answering ‘No-No’ had legitimate reasons unrelated to loyalty, and that JACL should follow the government’s example in healing old community wounds.
• Chicks, Chickies and Ladies, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Hosokawa reflects on receiving criticism for using the word ‘chicks’ to refer to women in a previous column, prompting a meditation on language sensitivity. He notes that not all women object to such terms, citing examples of women who go by nicknames like Chickie or Chick.
• Ethnic Labels, by Bill Marutani, page 4. Marutani explores the complexities of choosing appropriate ethnic labels, discussing terms like Pilipino versus Filipino, Afro-American versus Black, and American Indian. He also examines Japanese terms for Chinese and Korean people, acknowledging uncertainty about the most appropriate terminology.
• Civil Rights Act of 1990, by Paul M. Igasaki, page 5. Igasaki argues that the Civil Rights Act of 1990, passed by Congress, is essential for Asian Americans facing job discrimination and glass ceiling effects, and urges President Bush to sign rather than veto the bill. He addresses and refutes claims that the act would create hiring quotas, noting it primarily restores damage rights to women and religious/ethnic minorities.
• Reflections of the Redress Strategist, by Grant Ujifusa, page 5. Ujifusa credits JACL’s grassroots national network, not just prominent leaders like Spark Matsunaga, for the success of the redress campaign, emphasizing the importance of local chapters in mobilizing political support nationwide. He argues that local JACL chapters remain essential for developing future Sansei and Yonsei leadership and maintaining the organization’s dual identity mission.
• Additional Praises on Congressional Passage of Civil Rights Act of 1990 from Japanese Americans, by Cressey Nakagawa, page 5. National JACL President Cressey Nakagawa praised Congress’s passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1990, calling the ‘quota’ bill characterization a red herring designed to derail necessary anti-discrimination legislation. He urged President Bush to sign rather than veto the bill to reestablish national commitment against racial prejudice.
• Heroism of Submarine Captain Remembered, by Jin Konomi, page 5. Konomi recounts the story of Lieutenant Sakuma Tsutomu, who died heroically commanding a sinking Japanese submarine in 1910, writing calm final log entries even as he suffocated. Though largely forgotten in Japan, the author discovered that British naval officers still honor Sakuma’s memory at the Royal Navy’s Submarine Archives in Gosport.

Arts & Entertainment

• Rick Shiomi Wins ’90 Ruby Yoshino Schaar Award, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Canadian-born Sansei playwright Rick Shiomi won the $3,000 Ruby Yoshino Schaar Playwright Fund award for his play ‘Uncle Tadao,’ about the healing process of Redress across three generations. Shiomi’s extensive body of work includes the acclaimed play ‘Yellow Fever’ which has been performed in major cities across North America.

Sports

• Relays Title Still in Orange County JACL’s Hands & Feet, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Orange County JACL won the 39th annual PSW JACL Nisei Relays championship at Rancho Santiago College, continuing their dominance in the track and field competition. The event, one of two full-day JACL-sponsored youth track programs, featured veteran organizers including Robert Watanabe who has competed in nearly every Relays since 1951.
• Tri-City Tops No. Cal. Junior Olympics, by Steven T. Okamoto, page 10. Tri-City’s team won the JACL Northern California Junior Olympics at Chabot College, amassing about 500 points and setting 15 new records. Distance runner Tracy Shoemaker was named athlete of the meet for her record-setting performances in the 800 and 1,600-meter races.

Obituaries

• Robert S. Matsunaga, 56, Army G-2, by P.C. Staff, page 12. Retired Army warrant officer and intelligence specialist Robert S. Matsunaga died of cancer at the Hospice of Northern Virginia. The San Jose-born Nisei served as an imagery analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency after military service in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
• George Nakashima, 85, Woodworker, by P.C. Staff, page 12. Custom wood furniture designer George Nakashima, a Japanese American of the Biennium honoree in 1984, died at his home in New Hope, Pennsylvania. After being interned at Minidoka during WWII, he resettled in Pennsylvania where his distinctive furniture style graced the homes of many public figures.

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