Bill Lann Lee’s renomination and the 1999 Day of Remembrance

Vol. 128, No. 6, March 19, 1999. 12 pages. View this issue

President Clinton’s renomination of Bill Lann Lee as assistant attorney general for civil rights ran on the front page and again on page 6. Karen Narasaki of the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium praised the decision, while Senator Orrin Hatch doubted the Senate would confirm him. Narasaki also wrote a column on the pursuit of the President. The front page also covered protests against The Gap and Nike over sweatshop conditions, and a look at early JACL history on the Monterey Peninsula.

Day of Remembrance events were reported from Sacramento, where about 900 people gathered, and from Utah, where Governor Michael Leavitt signed a proclamation for February 19. Preserved tapes of the 1981 redress hearings and the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 were covered on page 5. Page 3 reported fundraising for a Terminal Island monument and for the Go For Broke monument in Los Angeles. Columns by Bill Hosokawa, Bill Marutani and Mika Tanner fill page 8.

What’s in this issue

National

• Clinton Renominates Bill Lann Lee as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 1. President Clinton renominated Bill Lann Lee to be assistant attorney general for civil rights, a post he has held on an acting basis since his previous nomination was rejected. Karen Narasaki of the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium praised Clinton for not backing down under conservative pressure, while Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch expressed doubt the Senate would confirm Lee.
• Gap Sweatshop Protesters Rally Nationwide, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Protesters rallied against The Gap and Nike over alleged sweatshop conditions in overseas factories, with demonstrations in New York, Cambridge, and several California cities. The Gap issued a statement saying it does not and will not tolerate such conduct in factories where it does business.
• Clinton Renominates Bill Lann Lee to Assistant Attorney General, page 6. Continuing coverage of Lee’s renomination detailed opposition from Senator Orrin Hatch, who called for a different, more confirmable candidate. Karen Narasaki and other civil rights advocates praised Lee’s record as acting head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
• Sex Slavery Museum Reveals More of Japan’s Wartime Atrocities, by Associated Press, page 8. A new museum in South Korea about Japanese military sexual slavery during WWII has drawn thousands of visitors, including many from Japan. The Japanese government has refused direct compensation to victims, instead offering payments through a private fund, which most South Korean victims have declined.

JACL

• Tabata Family Recalls Early JACL History on Monterey Peninsula, page 1. James Tabata recounted the early days of JACL organizing on the Monterey Peninsula, describing informal social gatherings that grew into a need for representation of Japanese American interests. He noted the challenges the community faced prior to and during World War II.
• South Bay JACL Holds Installation and Awards Luncheon, page 4. Over 60 people attended the JACL South Bay chapter’s installation luncheon at Ports O’ Call Restaurant in San Pedro, where National JACL President Helen Kawagoe installed 1999 officers including new president Al Muratsuchi. Community Service Awards were presented to longtime members Ernest Tsujimoto and Ted Hasegawa for their decades of service.
• Monterey Peninsula’s History Backdrop for Year 2000 Convention, page 10. The article traces the history of the Monterey Peninsula JACL chapter, crediting members like Jack Harris for preserving a historic Issei-built hall and producing a chapter history book. The chapter is now preparing for the year 2000 convention while seeking to recruit younger members and diversify its base.
• Monterey Peninsula JACL Installs Officers, page 10. The Monterey Peninsula JACL chapter held its annual banquet and installation of officers at the Bayonet/Black Horse Golf Club in Seaside, Calif., with Larry Oda installed as president. The evening featured a documentary video about the Salinas Assembly Center produced by graduate student Yolanda Gutierrez.

Community

• Terminal Islanders Seek Public Support for Monument, page 3. The Terminal Islanders Club is raising funds to build a memorial honoring the Japanese American fishing village that once thrived on Terminal Island before being bulldozed after WWII removal. The club has raised $148,000 through state legislation and seeks another $150,000 in private donations to complete the $300,000 monument, designed with a bronze fisherman statue and historical plaques.
• Yaohan USA Plans to Change Trade Name to Mitsuwa Marketplace, by Martha Nakagawa, page 3. Yaohan USA Corp. announced it is changing its trade name to Mitsuwa Marketplace across its nine U.S. locations, following its split from its financially troubled Japan-based parent company. The name change, meaning ‘three circles,’ is expected to be completed by year’s end while service and employees remain the same.
• Peru-born Nikkei Yoshimoto Heads PANA-USA, page 4. Peru-born Nikkei leader Yoshimoto now heads PANA-USA’s 1999 board of directors, succeeding businessman Noritoshi Kanai. The organization is planning events in Lima to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Peru.
• Iijima-Hall Named Glendale, Ariz. New Dean of Instruction, page 7. Psychologist and higher education administrator Christine C. Iijima-Hall accepted a position with Glendale Community College as dean of instruction. She has received multiple awards for her professional achievements.
• Workshop to Focus on Nikkei Funerals, page 11. A workshop titled ‘Celebrating the Culmination of Life in our Asian Communities’ was held at the Buddhist Church of Oakland to explore Asian American views on death and funeral rituals. The event featured panels of ministers and a funeral director discussing death rituals and funeral planning options.

Military & Veterans

• Hawaii Club 100 Raises More Than $130,000 for ‘Go For Broke’ Veterans’ Monument, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Club 100, a Hawaii-based veterans association, raised over $130,000 in six weeks for the 100th/442nd/MIS WWII Memorial Foundation’s ‘Go For Broke’ monument in Los Angeles, set to be unveiled June 5. The club will be recognized as a Gold Circle Donor for exceeding its $60,000 fundraising goal.
• Korean War Veterans Install New Officers, page 12. The Japanese American Korean War Veterans (JAKWV) held their third annual installation dinner at the Golden Dragon Restaurant in Los Angeles’ Chinatown, with a capacity crowd witnessing the swearing in of officers. Min Tonai was reinstalled as vice president among other officer installations.

Incarceration & Redress

• Sacramento Celebrates Day of Remembrance, by Toko Fuji, page 4. Sacramento JACL’s 1999 Day of Remembrance event drew about 900 attendees in downtown Sacramento. National JACL President Helen Kawagoe and National Director Herb Yamanishi were among the speakers at the annual commemoration.
• Utah Governor Proclaims Day of Remembrance, page 4. Utah Governor Michael Leavitt signed a proclamation recognizing February 19 as Utah Day of Remembrance at a ceremony sponsored by three Utah JACL chapters attended by more than 50 people. Judge Michael Kwan spoke about the importance of remembering camp experiences to prevent such injustices from recurring.
• CWRIC Hearing Tapes Preserved and Made Available to Public, page 5. Visual Communications and the National Coalition for Redress/Reparations preserved 13 recordings of the 1981 Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians hearings held in Los Angeles, transferring aging VHS tapes to digital Betacam with a $30,000 CLEPF grant. The tapes, along with a companion guide, capture emotional testimony that became pivotal to the redress movement and the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
• Program Sponsors Japanese American Internment Education Grants, page 5. The California Civil Liberties Public Education Program began its fiscal year 1999 grant cycle to sponsor educational activities about the WWII exclusion and internment of Japanese Americans. Informational meetings are being held in March in cities including Oakland and San Jose to explain grant application procedures.
• National Memorial Campaign Enters Critical Stage, page 5. A national memorial to Japanese Americans is entering a critical fundraising stage as organizers push to complete the project. The article discusses the ongoing campaign efforts to secure necessary funding.

Commentary

• Utahns Rally for Bill Lann Lee’s Confirmation, page 6. Utah civic leaders called on Senator Hatch to allow Bill Lann Lee’s nomination to reach a full Senate vote, citing his exemplary civil rights career. Speakers referenced Hatch’s 1991 precedent of allowing Clarence Thomas’s confirmation to proceed despite committee deadlock.
• The Frying Pan: Reflections on Bill Hosokawa’s New Book, by Bill Marutani, page 8. Bill Marutani reviews Bill Hosokawa’s new book, ‘Out of the Frying Pan: Reflections of a Japanese American,’ describing how it weaves personal history with social critique of Nikkei values. Marutani reflects on his own similar childhood experiences with language and identity.
• Jargon Shmargon, by Mika Tanner, page 8. Mika Tanner criticizes academic writing in Asian American Studies for becoming overly dense, abstract, and inaccessible to the community activists it should serve. She argues scholarship should remain grounded and useful to the ‘doers’ who work for social change rather than isolating itself in academia.
• Chinese Adoptions and America’s Future with Asia, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Bill Hosokawa reflects on the growing trend of Chinese baby girls being adopted by American families, pondering its potential long-term effects on U.S.-China relations. He questions what this development might mean for America’s broader Asia policy, including its relationship with Japan.
• Ending the Pursuit of President Clinton by the Radical Right, by Karen Narasaki, page 9. Karen Narasaki argues that the impeachment pursuit of President Clinton was politically motivated by conservatives seeking to roll back civil rights gains and government funding for education, arts, and the environment. She credits Clinton with defending civil rights programs, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Bill Lann Lee’s nomination despite his personal flaws.
• Live Animal Markets, by Eric Mills, page 9. A letter to the editor clarifies details about Assemblyman Mike Honda’s bill AB 238 regarding live animal markets, noting it has only been introduced, not passed. The writer argues for a ban on live animal sales, citing environmental and humane concerns, and calls for amendments regulating humane treatment.
• Letter: Response to Mika Tanner’s ‘Beyond Barbed Wire’ Column, by W. Watanabe, page 9. A fourth-generation Japanese American writes to challenge Mika Tanner’s suggestion that internment history has been adequately addressed, arguing many people remain unaware of internment and the kidnapping of Japanese Latin Americans. The writer contends that continued education about JA and Chinese American history should continue alongside studies of other Asian groups.
• Letter: Re: Rabbit in the Moon, by Douglas Unatsu, page 9. A JACL member reflects on watching the documentary ‘Rabbit in the Moon,’ which portrayed anti-JACL sentiment during WWII internment. The writer argues the film ignored the heroism of the 100th/442nd/MIS veterans and calls for reconciliation between opposing factions within the Japanese American community.

Obituaries

• Dennis Toyomura, 72, Architect, page 11. Dennis Toyomura, a renowned Honolulu architect who proposed an environmentally sound floating electricity plant for Hawaii, died on Feb. 7 at age 72. He was honored by the American Institute of Architects in 1996 and devoted much time to civic and cultural organizations, and is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren.

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