Nisei resisters, teaching the JA story, and the Racial Privacy Initiative

Vol. 133, No. 1, July 6, 2001. 8 pages. View this issue

Nisei draft resisters and the effort to bring the Japanese American story into classrooms shaped this eight-page issue. Martha Nakagawa reported on the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation conference on the draft resistance movement, where National JACL President Floyd Mori said he came away with a clearer understanding of the resisters. Caroline Aoyagi covered the MDC/EDC/MPDC Tri-District Conference in Cincinnati, including a teacher workshop, an education panel and a banquet talk by law professor Frank Wu. Tracy Uba reported on Ward Connerly’s Racial Privacy Initiative, which would bar California agencies from compiling racial data.

Elsewhere, Montgomery County named a new elementary school after Sen. Spark M. Matsunaga, and the ACLU honored Gordon Hirabayashi and Fred Korematsu. Upland rescinded a wartime resolution against the return of Japanese Americans, and Idaho will revisit a racial slur in the name of a peak. Brian Niiya wrote about a proposed recreation center in Little Tokyo, and John Tateishi explained this year’s fund drive.

What’s in this issue

National

• National JACL President Attends Heart Mountain Conference on Nisei Resisters, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. National JACL President Floyd Mori attended an educational conference hosted by the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation focused on the Nisei draft resistance movement during World War II. Mori said the experience deepened his understanding of the resisters and encouraged JACL chapters to develop more dialogue with them.’
• Connerly’s Racial Privacy Initiative Sparks Fear Among Minority Groups, by Tracy Uba, page 1. Ward Connerly launched a California ballot initiative, the ‘Racial Privacy Initiative,’ to prohibit government agencies from compiling racial data, alarming Asian American, African American and Latino groups who fear it will hurt efforts to ensure equal representation. JACL and other organizations argue the measure could be more damaging than Proposition 209 by eliminating the ability to track and address inequities.
• ACLU Awards Hirabayashi and Korematsu, page 3. The ACLU presented its 2001 Roger N. Baldwin Medal of Liberty to Gordon Hirabayashi and Fred Korematsu for their wartime legal challenges to Japanese American internment. The award, which includes a $25,000 cash prize, was presented at the ACLU’s Biennial Conference in Miami.
• JACL Urges Barring Internet Hate Items, page 3. JACL sent letters to Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com urging the e-commerce companies to prohibit the sale of hate-related items on their websites. The organization pointed to Yahoo! and eBay’s earlier policies banning such items as a model other companies should follow.
• Initiative: Racial Privacy Measure Sparks Debate Over Impact, by Tracy Uba, page 4. Continuing coverage of Ward Connerly’s Racial Privacy Initiative details arguments from supporters like ACRC’s Kevin Nguyen, who says racial categories are outdated, and critics who warn the measure would undermine efforts to track disparities affecting minorities. The piece cites declining minority enrollment at UC Berkeley since Prop. 209 as evidence of the potential harm.

JACL

• Workshop Strives to Train the Teachers, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. More than 40 people from the Midwest, Eastern and Mountain Plains districts attended a workshop on training teachers during the MDC/EDC/MPDC Tri-District Conference in Cincinnati. Participants learned how to bring the story of Japanese Americans into America’s schools, an effort seen as especially important in areas with smaller JA populations.
• A Great Story: The Japanese American Experience, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. The MDC/EDC/MPDC Tri-District conference in Cincinnati focused on education and the legacy of the Japanese American story, featuring panelists Dr. Roger Daniels, Dr. Edwin Yamauchi, Dr. Michael Carrafiello and moderator Dr. Sharon Ishii-Jordan. Panelists discussed how much of JA history beyond WWII, including immigrant pioneers, Kibei experiences and Hawaii JAs, remains largely untold in American education.
• Dr. Ina to Keynote at PNW-IDC Bi-District Luncheon, page 4. Dr. Satsuki Ina, producer of ‘Children of the Camps,’ will keynote the PNW-IDC Bi-District Conference awards luncheon in Seattle, discussing healing from the trauma of WWII incarceration. The conference will also feature JACL National Executive Director John Tateishi and a panel including Bill Hosokawa, Fred Shiosaki, Frank Abe and Mits Koshiyama.
• 2001 JACL Youth Conference to be Held in Seattle July 13-15, page 6. The JACL National Youth/Student Council will hold its 2001 conference in Seattle, focusing on transforming leadership in the Asian Pacific American community through unity, identity and diversity. The event will feature workshops on topics like Hapa issues, APA LGBT issues, and political empowerment, plus a keynote by Washington State Rep. Velma Veloria.
• Resisters Conference Addresses Contentious History at Heart Mountain, page 7. Organizers of the Heart Mountain conference on Nisei resisters discussed efforts to keep the event focused on education rather than personal attacks, given the controversial history between JACL and resisters following the 2000 national convention apology. The article also covers plans to address an offensive VFW-sponsored sign near Heart Mountain that mischaracterizes the camp, with new historical markers proposed.
• Teachers Workshop Builds Speakers’ Bureau for Classroom Outreach, page 7. Continuing coverage of the JACL National Education Committee’s teacher training efforts describes plans to develop a speakers’ bureau of former internees to share firsthand accounts in classrooms. The Washington, D.C. chapter’s decade-old speakers’ bureau has already reached nearly 700 students and teachers with JA history.

Commentary

• Working Together, by John Tateishi, page 1. JACL National Executive Director John Tateishi explains the decision to run the annual fund drive appeal through the Pacific Citizen this year rather than through direct mail. He describes how the funds support JACL’s daily work and its responses to community issues as they arise.
• Racism — A Never-ending Struggle, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. Law professor Frank Wu spoke at the MDC/EDC/MPDC Tri-District Conference banquet about the persistent ‘perpetual foreigner’ stereotype facing Asian Americans, sharing a personal story of being questioned at the Canadian border while his white girlfriend was not. Wu discussed a survey revealing significant racial prejudice against Chinese Americans and urged continued coalition-building among Asian American and other minority groups.
• JACL’s Non-action Wise, page 2. A letter to the editor defends JACL’s decisions not to take action on issues like ‘comfort women,’ the ‘Rape of Nanking,’ and Japan’s fingerprinting of foreigners, calling these choices intelligent rather than merely ‘safe.’ The writer, a former fingerprint refuser, argues JACL is right to be selective about which causes it supports based on its members’ direct experiences.
• Racism Continued: Wu on Coalition Building, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 5. Continuing from page one, Frank Wu discusses the ‘perpetual foreigner’ phenomenon and a Committee of 100 survey revealing persistent prejudice against Chinese Americans. Wu argues that Asian Americans must build coalitions not only among themselves but with other minority groups to continue fighting racism.
• Little Tokyo Story, by Brian Niiya, page 6. Columnist Brian Niiya writes about the decades-long effort to build a gymnasium/recreation center in Little Tokyo, now threatened by the Los Angeles Children’s Museum’s plans to move into the same space. He argues the rec center would benefit the community by drawing families downtown and supporting youth involvement in JA institutions.
• About PANA’s Convention in New York City, by Harry Honda, page 6. Harry Honda provides detailed logistical information for attendees of the Pan-American Nikkei Association’s COPANI XI convention in New York City, including registration fees, dress code, and event schedules. He also gives historical background on PANA’s biennial conventions alternating between North and South American host countries since 1981.
• Tateishi: Regional Staff and Fund Drive Support JACL’s Work, by John Tateishi, page 7. Continuing his column, John Tateishi explains how JACL’s regional staff and membership dues support the organization’s ongoing advocacy work, including responses to recent incidents and events like the release of the movie ‘Pearl Harbor.’ He emphasizes that membership strength underpins the JACL’s ability to carry out its mission.

Community

• Saying No to Tobacco, by Dileep G. Bal, page 2. A letter commends JACL’s National Board of Directors for refusing corporate funding from tobacco companies like Phillip Morris, which has targeted Asian American communities with marketing campaigns. The writer urges other national organizations to follow JACL’s lead in resisting tobacco industry influence.
• Montgomery County Makes History by Naming School After APA, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 3. The Montgomery County Board of Education voted 5-3 to name a new elementary school after the late U.S. Sen. Spark M. Matsunaga, marking the first school in the Washington, D.C. area named for an Asian Pacific American. The decision followed lobbying by the county’s APA community after a naming committee had initially favored a different candidate.
• Support Needed to Rename ‘Chinks Peak’, page 3. The Idaho Geographic Names Advisory Council will revisit a proposal to rename ‘Chinks Peak’ to ‘China Peak’ in September after public protest over last year’s vote against the change. The council will also review renaming landmarks containing terms like ‘squaw’ and ‘papoose.’
• Cities Rescind Anti-JA Resolutions, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Stockton, Calif. is expected to follow Upland’s lead in rescinding wartime resolutions that opposed the return of Japanese Americans after internment. Upland’s city council unanimously rescinded its resolution and replaced it with one honoring JA WWII sacrifices, following advocacy by resident Nobu Ikeda.
• JACL Corner: Chapter Scholarship and Installation News, page 4. Several JACL chapters, including Fremont, Puyallup Valley, Sacramento, Salt Lake/Mount Olympus, Santa Maria Valley and South Bay, held scholarship luncheons and dinners honoring graduating high school seniors. The roundup also notes new officer installations at the Puyallup Valley JACL chapter.

In-Depth

• JA Story: Educators Discuss the Untold History of Japanese Americans, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 5. Continuing coverage from the Tri-District conference education panel explores how Japanese American history beyond WWII internment—including early immigrants, Kibei, Hawaii JAs, and the resisters of conscience—remains under-documented. Panelists emphasized the need for continued research and education as the JA community’s demographics and story evolve.

Obituaries

• Tom Masamori, 79: JACL’s 2000 Ruby Pin Recipient, page 7. Tom Masamori, a longtime JACL leader and recipient of the organization’s Ruby Pin and Sapphire Service Pin, passed away on July 1 at age 78. A 442nd combat medic during WWII, he was active in Denver’s Mile-Hi JACL chapter for over 40 years and helped establish memorials honoring Japanese Americans in Colorado.
• Rev. Goldwater, Buddhist Priest Who Aided Japanese Americans During World War II, Passes, by Joyce Nako, page 7. Rev. Julius A. Goldwater, a Buddhist priest who ministered to Japanese Americans and helped protect Buddhist temple property during WWII internment, died June 11 at his home in Los Angeles. The writer, a former interviewee of Goldwater’s for an oral history project, reflects on his teachings about American values, honesty and individuality.

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