Vol. 130, No. 22, June 2, 2000. 8 pages. View this issue
The case of Wen Ho Lee, the former Los Alamos scientist facing a 59-count federal indictment, led this issue. Martha Nakagawa reported on a UCLA forum where his daughter, Alberta Lee, described shackled visits and monitored calls, and where speakers set the case beside other racial profiling cases. Washington state passed a bill creating a Civil Liberties Public Education Fund, a two-year effort led by State Rep. Kip Tokuda. A resolution calling for review of the inscriptions at the National Japanese American Memorial gathered nearly 500 signatures, and Harry Honda’s column took up the Mike Masaoka quote at the center of that dispute.
Roger Oda toured the Japantowns of the Central Coast ahead of the JACL national convention in Monterey. Bob Fuchigami wrote about a booklet on Amache, and Brian Niiya remembered Los Angeles’s Holiday Bowl. Gary Mayeda, Marie Matsunami and Arthur Koga were profiled as candidates for national JACL office. Eight pages also cover Taiko, scholarships and the Uyesugi trial in Honolulu.
What’s in this issue
National
- Wen Ho Lee Case Examined From Personal, Legal and Historical Perspective at UCLA Forum, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. Alberta Lee, daughter of accused former Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee, gave an emotional account at a UCLA forum of her family’s ordeal since his arrest on a 59-count federal indictment, describing shackled visits, monitored calls and delayed mail. The forum also examined the case from legal and historical angles, including arguments for and against Lee’s guilt and comparisons to other racial profiling cases.’
- Washington State Signs Civil Liberties Public Education Fund Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. After a two-year legislative battle, Washington state passed a bill creating the Washington State Civil Liberties Public Education Fund, modeled after California’s CLPEF, to fund educational materials about the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans. State Rep. Kip Tokuda led the effort, securing $150,000 in funding despite opposition, with support from Gov. Gary Locke and several legislators.
- Resolution Calls for Review of Memorial Inscriptions, by Tracy Uba, page 1. A group called JAvoice.com Committee for a Fair and Accurate Memorial has gathered nearly 500 signatures on a resolution urging a formal review of inscriptions planned for the National Japanese American Memorial in Washington, D.C. The dispute centers on a modified Mike Masaoka quote that critics say does not adequately reflect the JA community’s diverse wartime experiences.
- Uyesugi to Use Insanity Defense as Xerox Hawaii Murder Trial Begins, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The trial of Byran Uyesugi, accused of killing seven co-workers at a Xerox warehouse in Honolulu in the worst mass killing in Hawaii’s history, began with the defense arguing he was legally insane at the time. Prosecutors countered that Uyesugi intended to kill and therefore was not legally insane, while testimony detailed his history of mental illness and workplace grievances.
- APA Media Coalition Disappointed by TV’s Fall Line-up, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Asian Pacific American Media Coalition expressed disappointment with the new fall television lineups from ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, noting only six APA actors were cast among 30 new shows and none in lead roles. The coalition specifically criticized CBS’s cancellation of Martial Law, the only show featuring an APA actor in a lead role.
- President Clinton Names Norman C. Bay as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico, by P.C. Staff, page 3. President Clinton announced his intent to nominate Norman C. Bay, currently interim U.S. attorney for New Mexico, to the permanent position. Bay has a lengthy career as a federal prosecutor handling violent crime and narcotics cases, and holds degrees from Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School.
- President Clinton Acknowledges Contributions of APAs in Washington, D.C., by P.C. Staff, page 3. President Clinton spoke before Asian Pacific American leaders during the Leadership Academy for Asian Pacific American Elected Officials, praising their contributions and renewing his vow to get Bill Lann Lee confirmed as assistant attorney general for civil rights. Vice President Al Gore also met privately with APA leaders at the conference, which aims to help officials advance their political careers.
JACL
- Nat’l Candidates Outline Vision, by P.C. Staff, page 1. This is the third in a series profiling candidates for national JACL offices, based on their nomination forms. This installment features Gary Mayeda, a candidate for Vice President for 1000 Club and Membership Services, detailing his JACL background, leadership philosophy, and qualifications.
- Candidates Outline Vision, by P.C. Staff, page 8. This continuing feature profiles national JACL candidates Marie Matsunami, running for a board position, and Arthur Koga, a candidate for Secretary/Treasurer, detailing their backgrounds, leadership philosophies and qualifications. Both candidates discuss JACL’s mission around civil rights, education, and fiscal responsibility.
Community
- CAUSE Political Institute 2000 Conference Set for June 23-25, by Martha Nakagawa, page 3. The Chinese Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE) Political Institute 2000 conference, aimed at encouraging Asian Pacific American participation in politics, will be held June 23-25 in Los Angeles. Political figures including Judy Chu and Wen Chang discussed the lack of APA representation in local government and the value of the training program.
- Philadelphia JACL Hosts ‘Distant Voices’, by P.C. Staff, page 4. “Distant Voices,” a dramatic reading of WWII diary entries by Kibei Hiroaki Nishimura, was performed for an audience of 120 at a Philadelphia-area church, sponsored by the Philadelphia JACL. The play, written by Danny Peak, traces the incarceration experience from Los Angeles to Heart Mountain to Tule Lake, and is slated to be performed again at the upcoming Tule Lake reunion.
- Stockton JACL to Hold Scholarship Awards Luncheon June 11, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Stockton JACL will hold its 2000 Scholarship Awards Luncheon on June 11, honoring numerous student recipients of various named scholarships. Nelson Nagai will present a slide show titled “Citizens for Life” about Executive Order 9066, followed by a panel discussion with several community members.
- Greater Portland H.S. Seniors Recognized, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Greater Portland area community organizations recognized graduating high school seniors of 2000 at a banquet at the Multnomah Athletic Club, with Japan’s Consul General Toyojiro Soejima offering congratulations. Keynote speaker Garret Hongo urged students to value their history, and numerous scholarship winners from organizations including the Japanese Ancestral Society and Portland JACL were announced.
- Jewish Community Honors Sacramento JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Jewish Community Relations Council honored the Sacramento JACL chapter for its leadership following hate crime arsons at three temples in June 1999. Within 48 hours of the arsons, the chapter organized a rally raising $10,000 and partnered on a citywide campaign using the Hebrew word “chai” as a symbol of unity.
In-Depth
- Exploring Japantowns Along the Central Coast, by Roger Oda, page 4. Ahead of the JACL national convention in Monterey, this piece explores the history of Japantowns in the Monterey Bay region, which hosted a thriving Japanese American population of 3,000 in the 1920s. It details the distinct communities in Watsonville, Monterey, Salinas, and San Juan Bautista, each shaped by immigrants from different regions of Japan working in fishing and agriculture.
Arts & Entertainment
- Collegiate Taiko Concert 2000, by Lyndsey Shinoda, page 5. Collegiate taiko groups from UC Irvine, Stanford University, Washington University and host UCLA’s Kyodo Taiko performed at the Collegiate Taiko Invitational at the Japan America Theatre in Los Angeles. The event concluded with all groups combining their distinct styles into a finale that wowed the packed audience.
Commentary
- Had There Been a Zadankai on Masaoka’s Inscription, by Harry Honda, page 6. Harry Honda discusses Marshall Sumida’s concept of a “zadankai,” a Japanese round-table discussion technique, and how it could be applied to the debate over Mike Masaoka’s quote on the national Japanese American memorial. The column closes with a quoted 1944 wartime letter from Masaoka describing the sacrifices of the 442nd Regiment in France.
- Holiday Bowl, RIP, by Brian Niiya, page 6. Brian Niiya reflects on the closing of Los Angeles’s famed Holiday Bowl, a bowling center that served as a hub for the Japanese American community since 1958. He traces the history of JA bowling leagues, the discrimination they faced from mainstream bowling organizations, and the cultural significance of the center’s decline alongside demographic shifts in the Crenshaw neighborhood.
- On JACL, VFW Chapters and WWII Draft Resisters, page 7. A letter writer recounts his role in raising the issue of JACL apologizing to WWII draft resisters, detailing the 1990 JACL resolution and subsequent efforts by PSWD board members Ruth Mizobe and Trisha Murakawa to pass an apology resolution. The writer also describes opposition from a JA veterans group and notes which JA veteran organizations have acknowledged the validity of the draft resistance.
- Amache CCLPEF Project, by Bob Fuchigami, page 7. Bob Fuchigami describes the completion of a California Civil Liberties Public Education Program grant focused on the Amache concentration camp in Colorado, producing a booklet and a photo binder. He invites JACL chapters meeting certain criteria to request copies of the materials before a June 10 deadline.
Obituaries
- Shig Wakamatsu, 85, Lifelong JACLer of 60-plus Years, Succumbs May 28, by Harry K. Honda, page 7. Shig Wakamatsu, a longtime JACL leader from the Pacific Northwest and Chicago, passed away May 28 after serving in numerous national JACL leadership roles including national president from 1958-60. He also chaired the Japanese American Research Project since 1962 and is survived by his wife Dorothy and son Brent.
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