A memorial opens, and old wartime resolutions come undone

Vol. 133, No. 2, July 20, 2001. 8 pages. View this issue

Remembrance of the World War II years ran through this eight-page issue. The front page showed the ribbon-cutting for the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism in Washington, with Congressman Bob Matsui, and reported that Stockton had unanimously rescinded a 58-year-old resolution against the return of Japanese Americans to California. Martha Nakagawa covered the IDC/PNW bi-district conference, where a panel with Frank Abe, Bill Hosokawa, Mits Koshiyama and Fred Shiosaki debated JACL’s wartime actions, and where delegates voted to give non-citizens full JACL membership. Art Koga wrote about JACL’s financial crisis.

Elsewhere, Senator Daniel Inouye planned a Senate redress bill for Japanese Latin Americans. Satsuki Ina spoke at the bi-district luncheon, and Bill Marutani and Christina Shigemura wrote columns. More than 500 people rallied in San Francisco’s Japantown over the possible sale of the YWCA building, and Manzanar offered summer tours.

What’s in this issue

National

• Stockton Rescinds 58-Year-Old Anti-Japanese Resolution, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 1. Stockton officials discovered and unanimously rescinded a 58-year-old resolution opposing the return of Japanese Americans to California, found by the city clerk after Upland rescinded a similar law. The resolution, passed in 1943, reflected wartime sentiment against Japanese Americans being released from concentration camps.
• 40 AA Students Say They Are Victims of Racial Profiling by Seattle Police, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. Asian American leaders including JACL supported 40 students who say they were racially profiled and detained by Seattle Police during a summer leadership program. National JACL Executive Director John Tateishi called it one of the worst cases of racial profiling against Asian Americans in recent memory.
• 100th/442nd/MIS World War II Memorial Foundation to Get $1 Million, page 3. California’s Budget Conference Committee approved Assemblymember Nakano’s request for $1 million to fund the 100th/442nd/MIS World War II Memorial Foundation. The funds will support a teacher training curriculum, oral history program, kiosks, and a film about the celebrated 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
• Inouye to Introduce JLA Redress Bill in Senate, page 3. Senator Daniel Inouye announced he will introduce a Senate companion bill to HR 619, the Wartime Parity and Justice Act of 2001, which seeks redress for Japanese Latin Americans and other Japanese Americans denied compensation under the 1988 Civil Liberties Act. The bill also calls for full funding of the education mandate in the original act.
• National Newsbytes, page 3. Brief national news items cover Chinatown residents’ concerns over new developments in Boston, a $192.5 million Coca-Cola discrimination settlement, an arrest in a Japantown murder case in San Francisco, and Native Hawaiians organizing to push for federal recognition legislation known as the Akaka Bill.

JACL

• IDC/PNW District Hosts Panel Discussion on WWII Resistance, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. A panel titled ‘WWII, JACL, Nikkei Patriotism and Protest’ at the IDC/PNW bi-district conference featured Frank Abe, Bill Hosokawa, Mits Koshiyama, and Fred Shiosaki debating JACL’s wartime actions and treatment of resisters. The discussion began contentiously but ended on a more conciliatory note regarding reconciliation between veterans and resisters.
• Vote to Allow Non-citizens Full Membership in JACL, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. At the IDC/PNW joint council meeting, attendees unanimously passed a resolution to eliminate JACL’s ‘Special member’ category and grant non-citizens full membership rights. The resolution, sponsored by the Salt Lake City chapter, will be presented to the national board for further consideration.
• Satsuki Ina Keynoter at Bi-District Luncheon, page 5. Psychotherapist Dr. Satsuki Ina spoke at the bi-district awards luncheon about the psychological trauma suffered by Japanese American internees, comparing their experience to that of an abused child who internalizes blame. She urged the community to move past divisive loyalty questions and toward collective healing.
• JACL Unveils Education Webpage, page 5. JACL launched a new education webpage, funded by the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, detailing the Japanese American experience during World War II. The organization plans to release an updated curriculum guide and educational CDs for California teachers.
• Bi-District Awards Honorees, page 8. The bi-district conference recognized several honorees including Sapphire pin recipients Terry Yamada and Don Maekawa. Special recognition awards went to Maya Hata Lemon for her work getting Minidoka named a national historic site, and Steve Finley for honoring Medal of Honor recipients William Nakamura and James Okubo.

Commentary

• By the Board: Crisis and Opportunity, by Art Koga, page 1. JACL National Secretary/Treasurer Art Koga discusses the organization’s ongoing financial crisis and frames it as an opportunity to reassess JACL’s structure and relevance. He notes efforts to manage endowment funds and reduce operational costs while continuing to serve members and chapters.
• The Ultimate Power, by Christina Shigemura, page 6. Columnist Christina Shigemura reflects on an offensive jacket depicting a sexualized Asian woman to explore themes of self-representation, connecting the issue to the Native Hawaiian sovereignty movement. She argues Japanese Americans in Hawaii should use their institutional power to support Native Hawaiian self-determination as defined by Native Hawaiians themselves.
• ‘Pearl Harbor,’ The Movie, by Bill Marutani, page 6. Columnist Bill Marutani reflects on the newly released movie ‘Pearl Harbor’ and the historical conflation of the attack with the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans. He also shares personal reflections on visiting Hiroshima after the war and grappling with feelings about the atomic bombings.

Community

• Over 500 Rally in San Francisco Over Potential Sale of YWCA Building, page 3. More than 500 people rallied in San Francisco’s Japantown to protest the potential sale of the YWCA building, which was purchased by Issei women in the 1920s and placed in trust for the Japanese community. The YWCA disputes the trust’s existence and the matter is headed to a November court hearing.
• Awards, Appointments, Announcements, page 3. Several Japanese Americans received notable appointments and awards, including Lon Hatamiya to California’s Small Business Reform Task Force, Irene Hirano to the Kresge Foundation board, and Rose Ochi to the LA Police Commission. Other honorees include Dr. Joseph Jen, Connie Kondo Rowden, and H. Cooke Sunoda for their professional achievements.
• Seattle Presents Seven Scholarships, page 4. Seattle JACL awarded seven scholarships to local students at a ceremony at the Wing Luke Museum, including the Aki Kurose Legacy Scholarship to Jennifer Fung. Six additional students received Tazuma/Tamesa Memorial Scholarships totaling $4,000.
• Nisei Vets Serve as Grand Marshals in Hood River Parade, page 5. WWII veterans Mam Noji and George Akiyama were honored as Grand Marshals in Hood River, Oregon’s Fourth of July parade for their military service. Both men, whose families settled in Oregon in the 1900s, said the warm reception was vindication after facing hostility upon returning home from the war in 1945.
• Venice-Culver Community Law Day Set for July 29, page 5. The Venice-Culver JACL chapter is co-sponsoring a free Law Day event covering estate planning, healthcare rights, IRAs, and long-term care partnerships, with a Japanese translator available. The event will be held at the Venice Japanese Community Center.
• Manzanar Historic Site to Offer Summer Tours, page 5. The National Park Service and Friends of the Eastern California Museum are offering guided tours of the Manzanar National Historic Site through August 26. The site, which commemorates the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans, is undergoing restoration including plans to convert the 1944 auditorium into a Visitor Center.

Obituaries

• Obituaries, page 7. This issue’s obituary listings include tributes to several community members including Isamu Hashiguchi, a WWII MIS veteran Jordan Hiratzka, and 442nd RCT veteran Joe Kadowaki. Various other individuals are remembered including Corky Kawasaki, Toyo Kus, and Martha Toriya, a WWII Women’s Army Corps veteran.
• Harry N. Sekiya, page 7. Harry Sekiya, 81, passed away June 23 in Salt Lake City after a career serving with the MIS in New Guinea and the Philippines during WWII, where he earned a battlefield commission as a 2nd lieutenant. He is survived by his son Ronald and brother George.

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