A West Coast port lockout, the 2002 elections and Navy language teachers

Vol. 135, No. 10, November 15, 2002. 12 pages. View this issue

A 10-day lockout of 29 West Coast ports and its toll on Asian Pacific American business owners led this 12-page issue. Martha Nakagawa reported on Megatoys CEO Charlie Woo, whose holiday merchandise sat offshore. Election results followed, with Alan Nakanishi and Leland Yee joining the California State Assembly and a page listing how APA candidates fared in several states. Caroline Aoyagi told how the U.S. Navy honored 138 teachers from its Japanese Language School in Boulder, Colorado, many recruited from incarceration camps (often called internment camps), and a continuation on page 9 carries their personal stories.

In the JACL pages, John Tateishi urged the Senate to reject “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Floyd Mori made the year-end giving appeal. Readers will also find Macy’s response to complaints over “Buddha” boxer shorts, a grant to preserve California’s Japantowns, and the inaugural Japanese American Sports Hall of Fame. Harry K. Honda wrote about rural JACL chapters, and Hiroshi Kashiwagi visited a Tokyo study group.

What’s in this issue

National

• Port Dispute Affecting APA Businesses, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. A 10-day lockout of 29 major West Coast ports severely impacted Asian Pacific American business owners like Megatoys CEO Charlie Woo, who saw sales drop sharply as merchandise sat offshore. Business owners and elected officials discussed the labor dispute between the ILWU and Pacific Maritime Association, hoping for quick resolution as the Taft-Hartley cooling-off period continues.
• California State Assembly Adds Two More AAs, Hirono Loses Bid in Hawaii, and Mink Wins Posthumously, by Associated Press, page 1. Alan Nakanishi and Leland Yee were elected to California’s State Assembly, raising the number of Asian Americans in the body to six alongside incumbents Nakano, Chan, Chu, and Liu. Democrats retained firm control of California even as national trends favored Republicans elsewhere.
• U.S. Navy Honors WWII Japanese Language Teachers, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. Sixty years after serving as teachers at the U.S. Navy Japanese Language School in Boulder, Colorado, during WWII, Ariaki Inouye and 137 fellow sensei were finally honored with Distinguished Public Service Awards from the Department of the Navy. The teachers, many recruited from internment camps, trained naval students who became translators, interrogators, and code-breakers, playing a pivotal role in shortening the war.
• Macy’s Responds to Complaints Over ‘Buddha’ Boxer Shorts, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Asian American groups protested Macy’s department store’s sale of boxer shorts featuring a cartoonish Buddha image with the phrase ‘Rub me for luck,’ calling it racially and religiously offensive. Macy’s responded with a letter of apology and agreed to stop selling the item after complaints from JACL and the Buddhist Churches of America.
• Illinois Killer Sentenced to 35 Years, page 3. Douglas Vitaioli was sentenced to 35 years for the 1999 murder of Naoki Kamijima at a Crystal Lake, Illinois general store, after pleading guilty to first-degree murder. The initial hate crime charge was dropped due to insufficient evidence, though JACL Midwest Director William Yoshino called Vitaioli dangerous and expressed relief for the victim’s widow.
• Gov. Davis Announces Grant for Preservation of California’s Japantowns, page 3. Governor Gray Davis announced a $1 million grant toward preserving California’s remaining historic Japantowns in San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles. The grant is part of a larger $4 million fund from Proposition 40 supporting museums and historic preservation projects reflecting the state’s diversity.
• FBI Investigates Anti-Muslim Leaflets, by Associated Press, page 3. Hundreds of threatening leaflets were found at an Islamic center in Honolulu, prompting an FBI hate crime investigation. The leaflets contained violent threats against Muslims, reflecting what the Council on American-Islamic Relations says is a rise in anti-Islamic hate speech.
• How APAs Fared in 2002 Elections, page 4. A comprehensive listing of election results shows how Asian Pacific American candidates performed across multiple states including California, Hawaii, Colorado, and others in the 2002 midterm elections. The results cover races for U.S. Congress, state legislatures, and other offices.
• Candlelight Vigil Held for Slain Bronx Store Clerk, page 5. A candlelight vigil was held for Li-Qiang Shu, a South Bronx liquor store clerk beaten to death during a robbery attempt, as Asian American groups protested the Bronx DA’s decision not to pursue homicide charges against the suspects. Shu, a former Shanghai high school teacher, immigrated to the U.S. six years earlier and is survived by his son.
• National Newsbytes, page 5. A roundup of national news briefs covers minority student test score improvements in Virginia, a Denver police racial profiling report, the postponed trial of a man accused of killing a Sikh after 9/11, federal charges against a hate group leader in Portland, and controversy over anti-Hirono remarks at a Hawaii political rally. Each brief details separate incidents involving civil rights and discrimination issues affecting Asian Americans and other minorities.
• Teachers Honored for WWII Language School Service, page 9. This continuation piece details the personal stories of several Japanese language teachers who served at the Navy’s Boulder language school during WWII, including Issei recruited directly from internment camps like Thomas Matsuzawa and Fumiko Imai. Curator Pedro Loureiro worked to document their previously unrecognized contributions, which historians say provided a humanizing counter-narrative during wartime propaganda.

JACL

• A Letter From the JACL President, by Floyd Mori, page 1. JACL National President Floyd Mori issues the organization’s annual end-of-year giving appeal, reflecting on the year’s accomplishments including advocacy on civil liberties and the resisters ceremony. He asks members for generous donations to support operations, including a needed roof repair at headquarters.
• JACL Urges Senate to Reject ‘Under God’ in Pledge, by John Tateishi, page 3. JACL National Executive Director John Tateishi sent a letter to Senator Tom Daschle urging rejection of the phrase ‘under God’ in the Pledge of Allegiance, arguing it violates separation of church and state. The letter emphasizes that the phrase excludes non-Christian Americans and was added due to political pressure in the 1950s.
• Go for Broke Educational Foundation Launches ‘In Our Heroes’ Footsteps’, page 6. The Go For Broke Educational Foundation launched a program allowing relatives of WWII Japanese American veterans and children under 18 to have their names engraved on footsteps surrounding the Go For Broke Monument in Little Tokyo. The engravings cost $250, with discounted rates for foundation members, honoring the legacy of Nisei WWII veterans.

Commentary

• Re: PSW Awards Dinner, by Wm Ucha, page 2. A PSWD Governor responds to a Pacific Citizen article that attributed lower attendance at the PSWD annual awards dinner to a community rift over a JACL resolution. The writer argues attendance issues stemmed from conflicting events and other factors, and praises the dinner committee’s continued fundraising success.
• Thank You, page 2. A letter thanks numerous donors who contributed to the successful Heart Mountain Reunion VIII Auction held alongside the Sayonara Banquet, with Randy Horiuchi serving as auctioneer. The letter also thanks Sandra Yamate and Polychrome Publishing for a successful book signing/barbeque event benefiting Heart Mountain.
• ‘Under God’ — How Sad!, by Chip and Susy Larouche, page 2. Portland JACL members respond to a letter criticizing the national board’s vote on the 9th Circuit ruling regarding ‘under God’ in the Pledge of Allegiance. They defend the board’s right to vote their conscience and note that democracy involves debate and accepting outcomes gracefully.
• Re: JACL Statement on Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks, by Stanley N. Kanzaki, page 2. A reader from New York critiques the JACL’s statement on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks for not adequately condemning the attackers or describing the full horror of the event. He shares his reflections on visiting Ground Zero and the resilience of New Yorkers.
• Uncovering a JACL Treasure ‘Hidden From Our Midst’, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Harry Honda chronicles the history of 63 rural JACL chapters founded by Nisei farming communities between 1928 and 1962, prompted by attending Fort Lupton JACL’s 60th anniversary. He details the founding history of the Fort Lupton chapter and its ties to the local Japanese American farming community in Colorado.
• Asian American Kenkyu-kai Tokyo, by Hiroshi Kashiwagi, page 8. Author Hiroshi Kashiwagi recounts his visit to a meeting of the Asian American Kenkyu-kai in Tokyo, a group of journalists, writers and scholars interested in Asian American issues, where he read translated selections of his poetry and prose. He describes meeting distinguished scholars and writers, including Mayumi Nakazawa, biographer of activist Yuri Kochiyama.

Community

• San Jose Rededicates Mineta Airport, page 3. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta attended the official rededication ceremony for the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport with his wife Deni. The airport was renamed in his honor by the San Jose City Council a year earlier.

Sports

• Ina Gets Four-Year Suspension in Drug-Test Dispute, page 7. Three-time Olympic pairs figure skater Kyoko Ina was suspended for four years by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for refusing a drug test, though she disputes the characterization and plans to appeal. Ina claims a series of miscommunications led to the situation, and she has never tested positive for banned substances.
• JA Sports Hall of Fame Inaugurated, page 7. Five athletes including Kristi Yamaguchi, Wat Misaka, Wally Yonamine, Tommy Kono, and Ann Kiyomura Hayashi were honored as the inaugural class of the Japanese American Sports Hall of Fame at a ceremony in San Francisco. The honorees were recognized for breaking racial barriers in their respective sports during eras of discrimination.
• Chang Helps Hawaii Clinch Bowl Bid, page 7. Quarterback Timmy Chang threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns to lead Hawaii to a 40-31 victory over San Jose State, clinching the first bowl bid in the nation this season. The win extended Hawaii’s streak to four straight games and guaranteed them a spot hosting the inaugural Hawaii Bowl.

Arts & Entertainment

• JA Extras Needed for Ralph Lazo Film, page 7. Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress and Visual Communications are seeking extras for ‘Stand Up for Justice,’ a film about Ralph Lazo, a Mexican American teenager who voluntarily joined his Japanese American friends at Manzanar during WWII. The film will shoot a train scene in Fillmore, California, and no pay is offered though meals will be provided.

Obituaries

• Chang-Lin Tien, Former Berkeley Chancellor, Passes at 67, by Associated Press and Pacific Citizen Staff, page 11. Chang-Lin Tien, the first Asian American to head a major U.S. university as UC Berkeley’s chancellor, died at age 67 following complications from a brain tumor and stroke. Tien was renowned as a heat transfer scientist, contributed to space shuttle tile insulation development, and was a prominent advocate for affirmative action.
• Asian American Rights Advocate Tom Ohno Passes at 74, page 11. Tom Tomeo Ohno, former Twin Cities JACL president and co-founder of its scholarship program, died at age 74 after suffering cardiac arrest during surgery. Ohno was interned at Minidoka during WWII and spent decades educating students and community members about the Japanese American internment experience.
• Issei Activist Shosuke Sasaki Passes at 90, page 11. Shosuke Sasaki, a noted activist who emigrated to the U.S. as a child and graduated from the University of Washington, passed away from natural causes at age 90. He was prominent in the redress movement and worked to combat derogatory racial terminology used by media in the 1950s, later working as a Wall Street stock analyst and portfolio manager.

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