Mixed-race census category, redress rulings and Amache memorial

Vol. 124, No. 9, May 2, 1997. 12 pages. View this issue

Whether the next Census should add a “Multiracial” category led the front page, with testimony before a House subcommittee chaired by Rep. Steve Horn and a mention of golfer Tiger Woods. Deirdre Howard’s column on the word “Hapa” took up the same theme of mixed heritage. Redress also had space: Cherry Kinoshita reported a ruling on eligibility cut-off dates, and Kerry Hada wrote about a memorial to Gov. Ralph Carr and the Amache camp at the Colorado State Capitol. Bill Marutani continued his account of the National Japanese American Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Elsewhere, the final list of 246 Nikkei names for a Korean War veterans memorial in Little Tokyo was announced. Takahiko Kido wrote about defending his father at the Tokyo war crimes trial. Bill Hosokawa looked at political cartoons, and Jeryl Levin answered a column defending Executive Order 9066. Chapter news, book reviews and a KCET television lineup fill the later pages.

What’s in this issue

National

• Tiger Woods: Call me ‘Cablinasian’ — A Racial Category for the Next Census, page 1. A House subcommittee chaired by Rep. Steve Horn heard testimony on whether to add a ‘Multiracial’ category to the federal Census, an issue the Office of Management and Budget has reviewed for four years with recommendations expected by July. The debate touched on golfer Tiger Woods, who described himself as ‘Cablinasian’ reflecting his mixed Asian, Caucasian, black and American Indian heritage.

Community

• Welcome Center for Terminal Island Japanese Fishing Village Recommended, page 1. Assemblywoman Grace Napolitano introduced AB 898 to create a fund for a Japanese-American Fishing Village Memorial visitors’ center on Terminal Island, and ACR 19 to seek State Historical Landmark designation for the site. JACL Pacific Southwest Regional Director Albert Muratsuchi offered assistance in passing the legislation honoring the prewar Fish Harbor community.
• Imperial Valley JACL Holds Annual Friendship Dinner, by David Kawamoto, page 3. The Imperial Valley JACL, successor to the original Brawley chapter founded in 1929, held its annual ‘Friendship Dinner’ attracting nearly 300 attendees including local officials and professionals. The chapter elected new officers and held a fundraising auction of homemade pies, though members worry about the chapter’s future given the declining Sansei population in the area.
• Gail Matsui Heads French Camp JACL, page 3. Gail Matsui was installed as 1997 president of the French Camp JACL along with her cabinet at a New Year party, with plans to complete an oral history project by the chapter’s 50th anniversary in 1998. Guest speaker Georgiana White discussed the Japanese American historical collection at the CSU Sacramento Library.
• ‘Diamonds in the Rough’ Opens at State Capitol, page 3. An exhibit on Japanese Americans in baseball, ‘Diamonds in the Rough,’ opened at the California State Capitol with over 250 attendees including state senators and assemblymembers. The exhibit began as a personal hobby of Fresno filmmaker and historian Kerry Nakagawa and will run through Aug. 8.
• ‘Silent Reminder’ Feature at Marin JACL Installation, by Moss Fujii, page 3. Dennis Sato was re-elected president of the Marin County JACL, with installation performed by national VP Lori Fujimoto, and dinner guests were entertained by a chapter dramatization of the play ‘Silent Reminder’ about internment legacies. The chapter is also seeking names of prewar Marin County residents for an oral history video project and supports a scholarship fund with the Asian Alliance.
• Teachers Workshop on Internment Camp Life Draws Nearly 100, page 4. Nearly 100 teachers attended an Albany, California workshop on Japanese American internment camp life sponsored by the National Coalition for Redress & Reparations. Speaker Sox Kitashima, 78, continues to share her internment experiences with Bay Area classrooms to educate children against repeating such racism.
• Oregon Doctoral Study Finds Californians Aren’t Welcome, page 9. A UC-Riverside doctoral student’s survey of 319 Oregonians found many hold prejudiced views against Californians moving into the state, with 68 percent believing Californians would cause negative community changes. The researcher, Glenn Tsunokai, based his study on his own family’s experience after buying a home in Brookings, Oregon.
• Canadian WWII Veteran’s Vanity Plate Issue Boils, page 10. A dispute arose in Canada over WWII veteran Oswald Luce’s ‘JAP POW’ vanity license plate, which was revoked after complaints and changed to ‘JPN POW.’ Japanese Canadian community leaders including Jennifer Hashimoto and John Kitamura spoke out against the offensive term, while the controversy also drew supportive letters for Luce’s original plate.
• Regional Telephone Executive Steps Down, page 11. Dennis Oka retired after more than 30 years in the local-regional telephone business, having served on various community boards in Washington state. He resigned from his positions effective November 1.
• NJAHS to Move, page 12. The National Japanese American Historical Society is relocating from its San Francisco base at 1855 Folsom St. to Pier 1 at Fort Mason in the Marina District. President Thomas Sakamoto appointed Bill Hirose and Robert Rusky to lead the Capital Fund Drive for the move, with extensive remodeling planned for exhibition and artifact storage space.

In-Depth

• Fujimori and the ‘Hostage Watch’ in Peru, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. A detailed day-by-day compiled account of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement’s 1996 hostage-taking at the Japanese ambassador’s residence in Lima, Peru, including the raid, negotiations, hostage releases, and international reactions. The piece draws on multiple news sources and details the involvement of Japanese corporate and community figures among the hostages.
• Maboroshi No Hikoku – A Shadow Defendant, by Takahiko Kido, page 6. Takahiko Kido, son of Marquis Koichi Kido and defense counsel at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, details the political maneuvering by MacArthur and Allied prosecutors regarding whether to indict Emperor Hirohito as a war criminal. Kido describes his father’s decision to submit his personal diary as evidence to protect the Emperor while facing prosecution himself as a substitute defendant.

Incarceration & Redress

• Ishida-Type Cases Get Extension, by Cherry Kinoshita, page 1. A redress report to the PNW district council detailed a new ruling extending eligibility cut-off dates for children born to parents who voluntarily evacuated during WWII, moving the date from Jan. 2, 1945 to Jan. 20, 1945. The report also noted ‘visiting mothers’ have now been declared eligible for redress payments by the Office of Redress Administration.
• Amache Camp, Gov. Ralph Carr Memorial in Permanent Place, by Kerry Hada, page 4. A permanent memorial honoring Colorado Governor Ralph L. Carr and the Amache internment camp was dedicated on the grounds of the Colorado State Capitol on September 18, 1996. Carr was the only western governor to publicly defend the constitutional rights of Japanese Americans during WWII, a stance that likely cost him a U.S. Senate seat.
• Eternal Torch 2, by Bill Marutani, page 8. Bill Marutani continues his account of planning for the National Japanese American Memorial in Washington, D.C., describing the memorial site’s design process and the board of the National Japanese American Memorial Foundation. He describes plans to incorporate symbolic soil from internment camps and military training sites into the memorial grounds.

Military & Veterans

• Korean War Veterans Memorial: List of 246 Nikkei Names for the Wall in Final Check, page 1. The Japanese American Korean War Veterans released their final list of 246 names of those killed or missing in action during the Korean War, to be engraved on a granite wall unveiled May 24 at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Little Tokyo. The dedication marks the first-ever reunion of Nikkei Korean War veterans over Memorial Day weekend.

JACL

• Registration for Tri-District Confab Due, page 3. Registration deadline was extended to May 9 for the June 6-8 Tri-District JACL Conference themed ‘Betting on the Future’ at the Stardust Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The conference will feature workshops on communications, leadership development, financial planning and other topics for nearly 80 participating chapters.
• PSW Office to Offer Summer Internship, page 5. The JACL Regional Office in Los Angeles announced a $1,500 stipend for a 10-week summer internship covering research on immigrant rights, Japanese Latin American redress, media coverage, affirmative action and hate crimes. Applications with resume, writing samples and references were due by May 9.

Commentary

• Shame Again on Column by Estrada, by Jeryl Levin, page 4. The author criticizes Chicago Tribune columnist Richard Estrada for defending Executive Order 9066 and claiming Japanese Americans were interned partly for their own protection and due to espionage concerns. The piece refutes these claims, noting no wholesale internment occurred for German or Italian Americans and no evidence of espionage was ever produced.
• Defining the Term ‘Hapa’, by Deirdre Howard, page 5. JACL Administrative Assistant Deirdre Howard explains the Hawaiian origins of the word ‘Hapa’ and its evolving use among Sansei and multiracial Japanese Americans. She argues that while older generations may view the term negatively, it has become an empowering label for multiracial individuals searching for identity.
• Political Cartoons—Masterstroke or Fiasco?, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Bill Hosokawa examines the double standard in political cartooning, noting that while President Clinton and other figures are regularly caricatured harshly, a National Review cover depicting Clinton, Hillary Clinton and Al Gore with ‘Asian features’ drew JACL protest. He questions why some ethnic stereotypes like the Irish leprechaun or Italian stereotypes are accepted while others provoke outrage.
• Ft. Sam’s AJAs, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Harry Honda recounts meeting Nisei veterans at a Fort Sam Houston reunion in Las Vegas who had volunteered for secret chemical warfare tests in 1943, exposing themselves to mustard gas and Lewisite. He also notes an untold story of 12 Nisei soldiers killed when the U.S. Army Transport Hawaii was sunk by Japan in January 1942.
• Buddhahead and Damn Proud of It!, by Akemi Kayleng, page 9. The author reflects on maintaining traditional Japanese values around finances and self-sufficiency while living an otherwise Americanized life, contrasting her approach with more assimilated peers. She argues her conservative, ‘Buddhahead’ upbringing has given her strengths that many more Americanized women lack.
• Letters: Re: Design of Patriotism Memorial and Other Topics, by Various, page 9. Several letters address topics including support for the Washington D.C. Japanese American memorial design, a request for information on Japanese railroad workers for the California State Railroad Museum, clarification on the Hawaiian spelling of ‘Hapa,’ and personal stories from readers including a Sansei Latina from El Paso and commentary on Judge Lance Ito.

Arts & Entertainment

• Filmmaker Renee Tajima-Peña Fights Racism on the Big Screen, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 7. Award-winning Sansei filmmaker Renee Tajima-Peña discusses her career documenting Japanese American and Asian American experiences, including her Oscar-nominated film ‘Who Killed Vincent Chin?’ and her latest work ‘My America… or Honk If You Love Buddha.’ She expresses frustration with a perceived lack of support from JACL and the Japanese American community for Asian American filmmakers.
• Book Review: Japan’s Secret War, by Harry K. Honda, page 10. A review of Robert K. Wilcox’s book ‘Japan’s Secret War’ about Japan’s WWII atomic bomb program, noting the book’s detailed account of Japanese scientists and the industrial complex in northern Korea. The reviewer criticizes the book’s lack of recognition for MIS veterans’ contributions to uncovering this history.
• AJA History, Packed and Illuminating, by Harry K. Honda, page 10. A review of Paul R. Spickard’s book ‘Japanese Americans: the Formation & Transformations of an Ethnic Group,’ praising its detailed historical tables and observations. The review highlights the book’s closing thoughts on whether Japanese American ethnic identity will persist or fade in future generations.
• Asian Pacific American Themes on TV Set for May, page 10. KCET-TV in Los Angeles scheduled a month of Asian Pacific American heritage programming including the premiere of Huell Howser’s ‘Something Strong Within,’ featuring rare home movie footage discovered by the Japanese American National Museum. Other programs include ‘The Year of My Japanese Cousin,’ ‘Nagasaki Journey,’ and ‘Honor Bound: a Personal Journey.’

Obituaries

• Lt. Col. Benjamin Obata, page 11. Lt. Col. Benjamin Obata, 79, died March 29 in Washington, D.C.; he grew up in Vacaville and Oakland, was evacuated to Gila River, and served in the Military Intelligence Service in Okinawa and occupied Tokyo. He was active in JACL, JAVA, GFBNVA and ACICV, and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
• U. Alexis Johnson, page 11. Foreign Service officer U. Alexis Johnson, 88, died at a convalescent center after a career spanning four decades including ambassadorships to Japan, Thailand and Czechoslovakia. He was remembered for hosting the 1967 Tokyo embassy reception for the first National JACL-sponsored group tour to Japan.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.