Minidoka pilgrimage and Rep. Coble’s remarks on internment

Vol. 137, No. 2, July 18, 2003. 12 pages. View this issue

A pilgrimage to Minidoka opened this 12-page issue. Members of the Intermountain and Pacific Northwest JACL districts held their bi-district conference in Twin Falls, Idaho, and joined more than a hundred former internees at the camp site. Jeff Itami, Massie Tomita and Mary Hirata shared their stories. The paper also reported that Rep. Howard Coble backed out of a meeting with JACL about his remarks defending the World War II incarceration (often called internment), and that FOX agreed to cancel a Charlie Chan film series after protests over its game show ‘Banzai.’ Bill Yoshino asked why people should join JACL.

Elsewhere, Raymond Uno wrote about the Heart Mountain reunion in Salt Lake City, and a new monument at the camp site listed 799 veterans. Harry K. Honda covered opposition to a proposed jail near Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo. Congressman Mike Honda was named a gala honoree, and chapter scholarship winners and sports news fill the later pages.

What’s in this issue

JACL

• IDC/PNW Host Bi-District, Take Part in Minidoka Pilgrimage, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 1. Members of the Intermountain and Pacific Northwest JACL districts gathered in Twin Falls, Idaho for their biennial bi-district conference and joined over a hundred former internees for a pilgrimage to the Minidoka internment camp. The event included workshops, tributes to Nisei veterans, and stories from former internees Jeff Itami, Massie Tomita and Mary Hirata, plus a presentation by artist Roger Shimomura.
• Congressman Mike Honda to be Honored at Nat’l JACL Gala Dinner, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Congressman Mike Honda will be honored at the National JACL Gala Dinner in Los Angeles alongside Norman Mineta, Daniel Inouye, Robert Matsui, and a tribute to the late Patsy Mink. Honda’s career includes Peace Corps service, teaching, internment at Amache during WWII, and advocacy for Japanese American redress and civil rights.

Commentary

• Why Join JACL?, by Bill Yoshino, page 1. Midwest Regional Director Bill Yoshino discusses the continuing relevance of JACL in combating intolerance and ignorance, citing recent incidents of racial slurs reported to him. He outlines JACL’s educational programs, including the Anti-Hate Program and Japanese American Curriculum Guide, and urges members to renew memberships and support the organization’s civil rights mission.
• We Are Going to Make It, by Grace Kimoto, page 2. CCDC Pacific Citizen Editorial Board member Grace Kimoto reflects on the dedication of the small P.C. staff working with limited resources to produce the newspaper. She calls on JACL members to help recruit new members and support the organization’s mission amid tight national budget constraints.
• A Jail Next to a Buddhist Temple?, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Harry Honda details the controversy over Los Angeles city plans to build a new police headquarters and jail near Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo, which community leaders strongly oppose. The Little Tokyo Community Council held a workshop to gather community input on alternative uses for the site, with residents citing concerns about impacts on the temple’s senior center, day care, and community services.
• The Last Hurrah?, by Raymond Uno, page 9. Raymond Uno recounts the successful Heart Mountain Reunion held in Salt Lake City, which included tours, a Women’s Conversation session, an Open Forum, and a keynote address by Norman Mineta, plus honors for Resisters of Conscience and veterans. He also previews the Heart Mountain Class of ’48’s final planned reunion event in Las Vegas in August.

National

• Rep. Coble Reneges on Agreement to Meet With JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C., has backed out of an agreed meeting with JACL representatives to discuss his controversial remarks defending the WWII internment of Japanese Americans. JACL executive director John Tateishi criticized Coble’s reversal as arrogant disregard for the Asian Pacific American community, noting the California Senate had already condemned Coble’s remarks.
• FOX Criticized for Airing of ‘Banzai,’ Agrees to Cancel Charlie Chan Film Series, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. FOX faced criticism from JACL and MANAA for airing the game show spoof ‘Banzai,’ which features offensive stereotypes of Japanese people, though the network agreed to cancel its planned Charlie Chan Mystery Tour after community protests. FOX executives met with JACL and MANAA representatives but said the first six ‘Banzai’ episodes were already sold and could not be pulled, though they offered to collaborate on future episodes.
• Consumer Advocates and APA Community Show Support for AB 309, a New Consumer Protection Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 3. AB 309, a California consumer protection bill, would require businesses negotiating contracts in languages other than English to provide translated contracts, extending protections beyond Spanish to Chinese, Tagalog, Korean and Vietnamese. The bill is supported by consumer advocates, the Asian Business Association, Assemblymember Judy Chu, and Attorney General Bill Lockyer following cases like that of victim Hua Bai.
• Davis Encourages Teaching of Southeast Asian History, by P.C. Staff, page 3. California Gov. Gray Davis signed legislation encouraging 7th-12th grade educators to teach about the roles Southeast Asian communities played in the Vietnam conflict and the Secret War in Laos. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Sarah Reyes, aims to recognize the contributions of Hmong, Laotian and Vietnamese communities who helped protect U.S. soldiers’ lives.
• Metropolitan Housing Market Study Shows APIs Face Housing Discrimination, by P.C. Staff, page 3. An 11-city HUD study found that one in five Asians and Pacific Islanders face discrimination when trying to buy or rent homes, a rate similar to that faced by African Americans and Hispanics. The study, the first of its kind measuring housing discrimination against APIs, used paired testing methodology across major metropolitan areas.
• Rep. Wu Calls for Equal Employment Opportunity Practices at Los Alamos Lab, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Congressman David Wu, D-Ore., called on the Department of Energy to consider equal employment opportunity practices when awarding the contract to manage Los Alamos National Laboratory. Wu previously released a report documenting racial and gender disparities in employment at DOE weapons labs, inspired partly by the Wen Ho Lee case.
• National Newsbytes, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 4. This roundup covers a Michigan affirmative action ballot initiative effort, the FBI China espionage case involving Katrina Leung, Takeru Kobayashi’s third straight hot dog eating contest win, minority staffing disparities in Minnesota’s congressional offices, a fourth suspect charged in a Massachusetts hate crime attack on a pizza delivery man, and $64.8 million approved for native Hawaiian programs.
• Father Convicted of Attempted Murder of Infant Son, by Associated Press, page 12. A Honolulu jury convicted Anthony Chatman, 33, of attempted murder for attacking his 6-month-old son, causing severe brain damage. Chatman was also convicted of bribing and intimidating the baby’s Japanese mother, Asahi Suzuki, into recanting statements to police that blamed him for the child’s injuries.

Community

• Pacific Corner: Chapter Scholarship Awards, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Several JACL chapters including San Fernando Valley, Watsonville-Santa Cruz, Sequoia, and Riverside awarded scholarships to graduating high school and college students. Recipients included Tyler Harris, Jake Aoki (Kee Kitayama Memorial Scholarship), Melanie Yasuko Gee (Harry & Elsie Yoshida Memorial Award), and Gabriel Murillo (Dr. Hideo Inaba Memorial Scholarship), among many others.
• ‘Minidoka Remembered’ Set for Seattle, Aug. 1-3, by P.C. Staff, page 12. A reunion of former Minidoka internees, families and friends is planned for Seattle, featuring keynote speaker artist Roger Shimomura and author Ken Mochizuki, along with exhibits of paintings by Kenjiro Nomura and photography by Emily Momohara. The event commemorates the internment camp that held 10,000 Japanese Americans during WWII, now designated a National Park unit.

Sports

• Avalanche Sign Kariya, Selanne to One-Year Deals, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 7. Former Anaheim teammates Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne took major pay cuts to sign one-year contracts with the Colorado Avalanche in pursuit of a Stanley Cup. Both players expressed excitement about joining a talented roster including Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Rob Blake and Adam Foote.
• China’s Basketball Association Says Xue Not Ready for NBA, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 7. China’s Basketball Association said Xue Yuyang, selected in the NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks and traded to Denver, is not yet ready to play in the NBA despite the honor of being drafted. The CBA said Xue needs more training and experience with the national team before being allowed to play professionally in the U.S.
• Matsui Voted to All-Star Team as a Rookie, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 7. Hideki Matsui was voted onto the AL All-Star team in his rookie season with the New York Yankees, becoming the AL’s top rookie in June with a .394 batting average and 29 RBIs that month. He will play alongside fellow Japanese star Ichiro Suzuki in the All-Star outfield.
• Aree Song Tops Among Teens, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 7. Seventeen-year-old Aree Song was the highest-scoring teenager at the U.S. Women’s Open, finishing at 1-over 285 as low amateur, just two strokes off the leaders. The tournament also featured young golfers Michelle Wie, Irene Cho, Jane Park and Morgan Pressel among the 14 teenagers who qualified.

In-Depth

• Internees Honor Veterans, Keep Memory of Camp Alive, by Associated Press and Pacific Citizen Staff, page 9. A new monument was dedicated at the Heart Mountain internment camp site listing 799 veterans’ names, replacing an eroded older memorial, including two Medal of Honor recipients. Wyoming Gov. David Freudenthal, JACL President Floyd Mori, and journalist Bill Hosokawa spoke at the ceremony honoring internees and veterans who served despite their wartime imprisonment.

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