A new JACL representative in Washington, and the Redress education fund

Vol. 122, No. 9, May 3, 1996. 16 pages. View this issue

H. Robert Sakaniwa, 32, became JACL’s full-time Washington, D.C. representative on April 1, and the front page carried a long interview with him. Redress news ran alongside it: the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund Board held its first meeting under the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and elected Dale Minami chair. Minami answered common questions about the Fund’s $5 million and how grants will work. The issue also covered hate crimes, including a sentence in a Novato stabbing case and a racial slur by a California assemblyman that JACL denounced.

On the commentary pages, Bill Hosokawa reviewed Snow Falling on Cedars, and Harry K. Honda wrote about immigration law. Denny Yasuhara and Travis Nishi made the case for restoring a weekly Pacific Citizen. Plans for the 34th Biennial JACL Convention in San Jose, Aug. 6-11, are on page 6. A page 14 obituary remembers Chester A. Blackburn, a friend of Heart Mountain.

What’s in this issue

National

• Robert Sakaniwa Views Role as JACL D.C. Representative, by P.C. Staff, page 1. H. Robert Sakaniwa, 32, became JACL’s full-time Washington, D.C. representative on April 1, 1996, succeeding interim representative Leigh-Ann Miyasato. In an extensive interview, Sakaniwa discusses his background, his experience as an aide to Congressman Walter Tucker, and his vision for JACL’s future in the nation’s capital.
• Maximum Sentence Not Given to Man Convicted of Hate Crime, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Robert Page received an 11-year sentence, short of the possible 13 years, for stabbing Chinese American Eddie Wu multiple times in a Novato, Calif. hate crime, prompting outrage from Marin JACL leaders who called the sentencing a slap in the face. Page had told police he intended to kill a Chinese person and join a white supremacist group.
• California Assemblyman’s Racial Slur Denounced by JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Sacramento JACL vice president Lori Fujimoto demanded a public apology from Assemblyman Steven Kuykendall after he used a racial slur referring to killing ‘Japs’ during a WWII hero ceremony. Fujimoto called for the assemblyman to establish dialogue with the Asian Pacific American community and learn about Japanese American history.
• Arizona Hate Crimes Bill Vetoed, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Arizona Gov. Fife Symington vetoed a bill that would have allowed judges to increase sentences for hate crimes, citing concerns about constitutional review and disagreeing with hate as a sentencing rationale. Attorney General Grant Woods criticized the veto, and the bill was notable for being the first to cite sexual orientation as a protected class in state law.
• Restrictive Family Immigration Amendments Voted Down, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Two Senate amendments that would have restricted family immigration by reducing quotas and placing spouses and children under fixed limits were defeated on April 25. Advocacy groups including OCA and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance celebrated the defeat as a victory against anti-immigration sentiment.

JACL

• JACL National Board Meeting Issues: Board Motions, Voting, by P.C. Staff, page 1. At its April 6-7, 1996 meeting in San Francisco, the JACL National Board acted on numerous issues including committee chair ratifications, budget approvals, and audit committee recommendations. The article lists key motions passed regarding finances, personnel, and convention guidelines.
• Here’s the Lineup for the 34th Biennial JACL Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The 34th Biennial JACL National Convention will be held Aug. 6-11 in San Jose at the Fairmont Hotel, featuring walking tours, a Welcome Luau Mixer, Awards Luncheon with George Takei as toastmaster, and Sayonara Banquet with Rep. Robert Matsui hosting a reception. The convention theme is ‘For the Sake of the Children,’ with youth programs, the Minoru Yasui Oratorical Competition, and keynote speaker former Congressman Norman Mineta.
• JACL Membership Figures, by P.C. Staff, page 8. JACL’s official membership count stands at 112 chapters and 22,295 members, representing a loss of about 2,300 memberships from the previous year. The article details regional membership changes, noting Northern California represents over 38% of total JACL membership while several chapters dissolved entirely.

Incarceration & Redress

• Civil Liberties Public Education Board to Dispense $5 Million Fund, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Civil Liberties Public Education Fund Board held its first meeting April 1, 1996, in Washington, D.C., to organize disbursement of the $5 million allocation from the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. Congressman Robert Matsui swore in board members who adopted a mission statement focused on educating the public about the internment experience, with Dale Minami elected chair.
• Questions About the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund, by Dale Minami, page 1. Committee chair Dale Minami addresses common questions about the Fund’s delayed start, its available $5 million, and the urgency of distributing grants before board members’ terms expire. He also discusses administrative costs, office location plans, and the criteria and application process being developed for grants.

Community

• Booster Tours While in San Jose Area, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The ‘San Francisco Fun’ tour for convention boosters includes visits to the Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco Japantown, Nob Hill, Chinatown, and Fisherman’s Wharf. The tour also highlights a traveling exhibit of 140 Japanese folk art treasures called ‘Mingei’ at the Asian Art Museum.
• Chicago JACL Plans Scholarship, Intergenerational Events, by P.C. Staff, page 12. Award-winning writer David Mura will keynote the Chicago Chapter’s 39th Annual Scholarship Luncheon on June 8, discussing Japanese American identity and his new book ‘Where the Body Meets Memory.’ The chapter also promotes its Sponsor-a-Grad program supporting scholarship recipients.
• Participants to Explore Cultural Identity, by P.C. Staff, page 12. A panel discussion titled ‘Uniquely Invisible: An Exploration of Identity Through Intergenerational Dialogue’ will bring together Nisei, Kibei, Sansei, and Yonsei panelists on May 19 in Chicago. The event, co-sponsored by the Chicago JACL Chapter and Japanese American Service Committee, will explore questions of Japanese American identity across generations.
• Event Targets APA Professionals, by P.C. Staff, page 12. ‘Aspire 96: Generations of Leadership Building a Better Future,’ a national conference for young Asian Pacific American professionals, will be held May 24-27 at the San Francisco Airport Hilton. The conference expects over 500 participants and features more than 40 speakers on topics ranging from career management to identity and entertainment industry issues.
• Personally Speaking: Ann Yabusaki, by Mei Nakano, page 13. Sansei psychologist Ann Yabusaki will become President and Dean of Rosebridge Graduate School of Integrative Psychology in Concord, California, starting July 1, making her the only Japanese American woman to hold such a position in the Bay Area. Her decision was influenced by attending the NGO Forum on Women in Beijing, which convinced her that women must have courage to assume leadership roles.
• PSW Gets Civil Rights Speaker, by P.C. Staff, page 14. Joe R. Hicks will be keynote speaker at the Pacific Southwest District Council’s ‘Eyes to the Future’ Leadership Conference on May 31-June 2 near LAX airport. Hicks, who has worked to combat hate crimes for 15 years, is a founding member and executive director of the Multi-Cultural Collaborative of Los Angeles.

Commentary

• Novel Brings Awareness of Evacuation, by Bill Hosokawa, page 10. Hosokawa reviews David Guterson’s bestselling novel ‘Snow Falling on Cedars,’ praising its authentic portrayal of the Japanese American Evacuation experience woven into a love story and murder mystery. He notes the book’s commercial success, having sold nearly a million copies, and credits it with raising national awareness of the Evacuation’s impact on real communities like Bainbridge Island.
• Immigration Problems—A 100 Years Ago, by Harry K. Honda, page 10. Honda recounts the 1886 Supreme Court case Yick Wo v. Hopkins, in which a Chinese laundry owner successfully challenged discriminatory San Francisco ordinances, establishing that 14th Amendment protections extend to all persons regardless of nationality. He connects this history to contemporary immigration debates and notes how the precedent was overlooked during WWII Japanese American internment cases.
• Seeks Information on Missing Nisei Grads, by Mary Nell Chandler, page 10. A reader seeks help locating missing Nisei classmates from the June 1946 class at East High School in Cleveland, Ohio, for a planned 50th reunion. She lists eight names of classmates the reunion committee hopes to contact.
• Seeks Author of Book on Non-Nikkeis in MIS, by Aaunah Jani Wogan, page 10. A reader references Don Richardson’s book about non-Nikkei MIS members and seeks to contact him regarding his father Otis Richardson’s work organizing a Student Nisei group at Los Angeles City College in the early 1940s. The letter was forwarded to a Chicago contact for follow-up.
• Defends U.S. Military Against Charge of Racism, by Frank Nekoba, page 10. A retired colonel takes issue with a Pacific Citizen article describing racism as ‘pervasive’ in the U.S. military, arguing the armed forces have been at the forefront of eliminating institutional racism since integration. He contends that racism in the military is individualized rather than institutional, unlike the article’s characterization.
• The Importance of a Weekly PC, by Denny Yasuhara, page 11. JACL President Denny Yasuhara argues for a dues increase to restore the Pacific Citizen to weekly publication, emphasizing its role as a vital communications link binding chapters together and providing timely information about anti-Asian violence and community news. He cites a recent hate crime incident in Lewiston, Idaho as an example of why prompt, regular reporting is essential.
• 1997: A Call to Action, by Travis Nishi, page 11. Central California District Governor Travis Nishi discusses the need to tie JACL’s Program for Action to realistic budget constraints, presenting three budget scenarios ranging from status-quo to a dues increase funding both programs and a weekly Pacific Citizen. He urges members to engage in budget discussions before the National Convention when decisions will need to be finalized quickly.

Military & Veterans

• RIP: Raymond Drebin, by P.C. Staff, page 13. The Van Johnson character in the 1952 MGM film ‘Go For Broke!’ was based on the late Raymond Drebin, 76, of Seattle, a 100th Infantry Battalion officer with two Purple Hearts, the Silver Star and Bronze Star. Drebin later worked for Metro overseeing right-of-way acquisitions in Seattle’s Lake Washington region.

Obituaries

• Chester A. Blackburn: Friend of Heart Mountain Evacuees, by P.C. Staff, page 14. Chester A. Blackburn, a World War II veteran who befriended Japanese Americans imprisoned at the Heart Mountain WRA camp, died April 20 at age 87 in Cody, Wyoming. He helped organize a committee that got the campsite listed on the National Register of Historic Places and built a memorial park there.

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