Bill Lann Lee’s recess appointment and the Masaoka memorial debate

Vol. 131, No. 8, August 11, 2000. 8 pages. View this issue

President Clinton’s recess appointment of Bill Lann Lee as assistant attorney general for civil rights led this 8-page issue. The move bypassed Senate confirmation, and JACL leaders praised it while Republicans called it partisan. Three commentaries by Bob Sato, Don Matsuda and a donor writing as Toame argued over whether Mike Masaoka’s name and quotation belong on the National Japanese American Memorial. Mas Hashimoto wrote about JACL’s changing leadership, and Bill Marutani about Japanese Latin Americans rounded up during World War II.

Other pages include an interview with Tule Lake resister Kentaro Takatsui, a report on the Issei Oral History Project publishing its first books, and a profile of former BMX racer Wade Nomura by Lyndsey Shinoda. Tom Oshidari wrote about his induction into the Stockton Black Sports Hall of Fame. Chapter news covers Houston and French Camp JACL scholarships and a Sept. 16 awards dinner.

What’s in this issue

National

• President Bypasses Congress, Appoints Bill Lann Lee Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 1. President Clinton made a recess appointment naming Bill Lann Lee as assistant attorney general for civil rights, bypassing Senate confirmation after years of Republican opposition. JACL leaders praised the move while Republicans criticized it as partisan, and Lee will serve through the end of Clinton’s term.
• Uyesugi Gets Life in Hawaii Xerox Killings, page 1. A Hawaii court sentenced Byran Uyesugi, a 15-year Xerox employee, to life in prison for fatally shooting seven co-workers in November’s mass killing. He was convicted on multiple counts of murder in June.
• Filipino WWII Vets Celebrate Signing of Justice for Filipino Veterans Bill, by Tracy Uba, page 1. California Governor Gray Davis signed AB 1978, allowing Filipino WWII veterans who served under the American flag to retain state benefits even if they return to the Philippines. The bill-signing ceremony in Los Angeles drew Philippine dignitaries, state officials and celebrities including Lou Diamond Phillips.
• Judge Says Wen Ho Lee Entitled to Use Some Version of Classified Data, by Associated Press, page 3. A federal judge ruled that former Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee can use some version of the classified nuclear secrets he downloaded to argue they were not highly sensitive, aiding his defense against 59 counts related to mishandling nuclear weapons data. Prosecutors and the Department of Energy must now craft unclassified substitutes for the material to allow Lee to mount his defense.
• Chinese Delegate from Hawaii Represents GOP’s Emerging AA Voice, by Associated Press, page 3. Kate Zhou, a China-born delegate to the Republican National Convention from Hawaii, argues she represents the party’s future as a fiscal conservative with moderate social views. Zhou fled Communist China’s persecution of her family and became active in Hawaii Republican politics to counter the state’s one-party Democratic dominance.
• Colleges Veer Away from Race-Based Admissions, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Schools nationwide are scaling back affirmative action policies in response to legal challenges and constitutional concerns, even as minority enrollment gains have been made in recent years. A federal judge declared the University of Georgia’s admissions policy unconstitutional, following similar rollbacks in California and Washington state.
• Three Filipinos Sue Japanese Companies for WWII Slave Labor, page 3. Three Filipino individuals filed a lawsuit against Japanese companies in San Francisco over forced labor during World War II. The suit is part of a broader wave of litigation seeking compensation for wartime slave labor.

Sports

• Former BMX Pro Racer Nomura Reflects Back on Career, by Lyndsey Shinoda, page 1. Sansei Wade Tatsunobu Nomura became a top-ranked BMX racer in the late 1970s and early 1980s despite being smaller and older than most competitors. Now featured in the Japanese American National Museum’s sports exhibit, he reflects on his injuries, family support, and continuing landscaping career.
• Memoir of a Nisei Black Sports Hall of Famer, by Tom Oshidari, page 6. Tom Oshidari, a Japanese American, was inducted into the Stockton Black Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the 1961 Edison High School basketball team, becoming the first non-black athlete inducted. He reflects on his modest role on a talented team and his lifelong commitment to youth sports development.

Community

• Gov. Davis Appoints Kathryn Doi as Counsel to the Secretary for the California Trade and Commerce Agency, page 3. Kathryn Doi, a Davis, California native, was appointed counsel to the secretary of the California Trade and Commerce Agency after previously serving as staff counsel for the state’s Commission on Judicial Performance. Her career includes work at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and a congressional internship arranged by former Congressman Norman Mineta.
• Sacramento JACL Co-sponsors Greater Sacramento Region Reunion 2000, page 4. The Sacramento JACL is co-sponsoring a regional reunion on Sept. 10 that will debut the history book ‘Japanese Americans — Story of a People 1869-2000.’ Speakers will include Cherry Tsutsumida of the National Japanese American Foundation and Congressman Robert Matsui.
• French Camp Chapter Awards Scholarship, page 4. The French Camp JACL chapter awarded its Year 2000 Chapter Scholarship to Roxanne Komure, valedictorian of Lincoln High School in Stockton. Komure will attend UC Davis as a biological sciences major.
• APAIT Begins Speakers Bureau, page 4. The Los Angeles Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team (APAIT) launched a free speakers bureau for schools and organizations after data showed AIDS cases among Asian/Pacific Islanders increased 6 percent between 1998 and 1999, even as overall cases declined. Officials cite delayed treatment and low testing rates as key factors driving the disparity.
• Nikkei Concerns 25th Anniversary Celebration, ‘Richness of the Past — Strength for the Future’, page 4. Nikkei Concerns, formerly Issei Concerns, will celebrate 25 years of service to the Asian elderly community with a gala dinner featuring entertainment and a silent auction. The organization operates Seattle Keiro, a 150-bed skilled nursing facility providing culturally appropriate care.

In-Depth

• Issei Oral History Project Begins Publishing Manuscripts, page 4. The Issei Oral History Project, which conducted interviews with Japanese immigrants between 1969 and 1979, has published three books from its 200-manuscript collection documenting Issei experiences during the Depression and World War II. The project, led by Reverend Heihachiro Takarabe, will transfer its manuscripts to California State University, Sacramento’s Special Collections.
• Resistance Leader Joins JACL: An Interview with Kentaro “Ken” Takatsui, page 5. In this interview, Tule Lake resister Kentaro Takatsui recounts his role in encouraging young men in Block 42 to refuse to answer the wartime loyalty questionnaire, leading to his arrest and imprisonment in isolation camps for nearly a year. Takatsui discusses his lack of resentment toward 442nd veterans, his complex relationship with JACL, and how the organization’s apology resolution affected him and his daughter Wendy Hiroto.

JACL

• Yamaki Keynote Speaker at Sept. 16 JACL Awards Dinner, page 4. California Appointments Secretary Michael Yamaki will deliver the keynote address at the JACL Pacific Southwest District’s Annual Awards Dinner in Torrance, which will honor community leaders including Helen Kawagoe and Col. Young O. Kim. Proceeds will support JACL efforts to train young Asian Pacific Islander American leaders.
• Houston JACL Awards Scholarships, page 4. The Houston chapter of JACL honored two high school seniors with scholarships: Chris Yamazaki received the Ray Okamura Memorial Scholarship and Risa Nishimoto received the George Hara Memorial Scholarship. Both students plan to pursue international studies at their respective universities.

Commentary

• Japanese Latin Americans, by Bill Marutani, page 6. Bill Marutani’s column examines the U.S. government’s wartime roundup and internment of innocent Japanese Latin Americans, particularly from Peru, and the postwar attempts to deport them. The piece highlights the story of one Issei businessman from Peru caught up in these injustices.
• ‘Winds of Y2000’ Driving the Waves, by Mas Hashimoto, page 6. Mas Hashimoto reflects on the JACL’s evolution from a wartime organization shaped by internment hysteria to a respected national civil rights group, tracing the contributions of Issei, Nisei, and now Sansei/Yonsei leadership. He notes the symbolic significance of the National JACL Convention’s apology to resisters of conscience as marking a generational leadership transition.
• Let NJAMF Decision Stand, by Bob Sato, page 7. Bob Sato defends the inclusion of Mike Masaoka’s name and quotation on the National Japanese American Memorial, arguing that Masaoka’s wartime leadership and postwar legislative achievements should be honored despite criticism from a vocal minority on the NJAMF board. He contends critics fail to understand the context of wartime hysteria under which Masaoka operated.
• NJAMF Must Listen to Dissenting Voices, by Toame, page 7. A donor to the National Japanese American Memorial expresses disappointment that NJAMF ignored objections from Hawaii veteran groups opposing the inclusion of Mike Masaoka’s quotation on the monument. The writer requested a refund of a $1,000 donation after receiving no response from NJAMF regarding the veterans’ concerns.
• Listen to the Hawaii Vets, by Don Matsuda, page 7. Don Matsuda, president of Club 100, supports the AJA Veterans Council’s opposition to inscribing Mike Masaoka’s name and quote on the D.C. memorial, arguing the quote’s tone contradicts the fighting spirit of the 100th and 442nd. He asserts that Hawaii’s AJA community, not Masaoka, was primarily responsible for the formation of these famed units.

Obituaries

• Obituaries, page 7. This week’s obituary listings include detailed tributes to community members such as Margaret Fujimoto, Takayo Kato, Kenso Kiyohiro, and others who passed away, noting their survivors and community ties. Entries span cities across California and beyond, reflecting the breadth of the Japanese American community served by the paper.

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.