Census Bureau’s WWII role, newspaper sales and Hosokawa’s farewell

Vol. 130, No. 12, March 24, 2000. 8 pages. View this issue

Japanese American leaders, including JACL, called on the U.S. Census Bureau to apologize and fully disclose its role in helping the War Department locate Japanese Americans during World War II. Census Director Kenneth Prewitt called the bureau’s cooperation “regrettable” but denied individual records were released, a defense John Tateishi called an insufficient technicality. Martha Nakagawa also reported that the Fang family, who publish Asian Week, bought the San Francisco Examiner. A page 3 article described the exhibition “America’s Concentration Camps” on the World War II incarceration, now open at the California Historical Society.

Columnists Beth Au, Emily Murase and Christina Shigemura wrote on Wen Ho Lee, the Nikkei 2000 conference and Kanaka Maoli land and sovereignty. Bill Marutani and many letter writers responded to Bill Hosokawa’s retirement after 48 years of columns. JACL pages covered the June national convention in Monterey, including its workshops, a donation, and a Steinbeck Center tour.

What’s in this issue

National

• Fang Family Purchases San Francisco Examiner, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. The Hearst Corp. announced it is selling the San Francisco Examiner to the Fang family, prominent Chinese Americans who also publish Asian Week and other papers. The acquisition makes the Fangs one of the few publishers of color to own a major metropolitan daily newspaper in the nation.
• JACL Leaders Demand Census Bureau Apology Over WWII Role, page 1. Japanese American leaders including JACL are calling on the U.S. Census Bureau to apologize and fully disclose its role in helping the War Department locate Japanese Americans for evacuation during WWII, ahead of a report confirming these facts. Census Director Kenneth Prewitt acknowledged the bureau’s cooperation was ‘regrettable’ but denied individual records were released, a defense JACL’s John Tateishi called an insufficient technicality.
• OHA Seeks to Preserve ‘Hawaiian-Only’ Voting System, page 1. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs asked the Legislature to convert to a private entity in order to preserve its Hawaiian-only voting system following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Rice v. Cayetano ruling. The February ruling made it illegal to hold state-sponsored elections based on race, prompting the OHA and Gov. Ben Cayetano to seek clarification on how trustees should be chosen going forward.
• Federal Government Releases Guidelines on Multiple Race Responses, page 3. The Office of Management and Budget released guidelines on how federal agencies will treat multiracial census data for civil rights enforcement and administrative reporting purposes. Civil rights groups including the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium expressed concern that mixed-race Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders may be placed into a ‘balance’ category, causing valuable community data to be lost.

In-Depth

• America’s Concentration Camps: Exhibition on WWII Incarceration of JAs Featured at California Historical Society, page 3. The award-winning exhibition ‘America’s Concentration Camps: Remembering the Japanese American Experience,’ created by the Japanese American National Museum, opens at the California Historical Society, detailing the WWII incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans. The exhibit addresses the controversial use of the term ‘concentration camp’ and includes historic photographs, video footage, and personal artifacts curated with community input.

JACL

• Tour of National Steinbeck Center to Take Place During JACL National Convention, page 4. The West Valley JACL chapter will host a tour of the National Steinbeck Center in Monterey during the JACL national convention in June. The center celebrates author John Steinbeck’s life and works including ‘Cannery Row’ and ‘The Grapes of Wrath.’
• Calif. Bank & Trust Donates $10,000 to Nat’l Convention, page 4. California Bank and Trust donated $10,000 to support JACL’s 2000 National Biennial Convention in Monterey. The bank also partners with JACL’s membership department on a JACL Visa credit card program that returns a portion of proceeds to the organization.
• National Convention Workshops Set, page 4. A variety of workshops will be offered during the JACL national convention on Friday, June 30, covering topics such as APA leadership, hate crimes, redress history, workplace discrimination, and aging issues. Registration costs $20 before April 30 and $25 thereafter.
• NJAMF Plans Upcoming Dedication Ceremony, page 5. The National Japanese American Memorial Foundation is planning a monument dedication celebration set for Nov. 9-11 and is seeking public assistance. Organizers are asking for information on soldiers killed in action and others whose names should be inscribed on the memorial wall.

Commentary

• The Road Less Traveled, by Beth Au, page 5. A regional director reflects on her move to Los Angeles and her work addressing APA community issues, including the case of Dr. Wen Ho Lee, who she argues was subjected to racial profiling and denied due process. She urges readers to sign an OCA petition calling on President Clinton to ensure fair treatment for Lee and to adopt zero tolerance for racial profiling.
• Open Letters, by Bill Marutani, page 5. Bill Marutani reflects on Bill Hosokawa’s decades of columns and deep knowledge of the Nikkei community, arguing that Hosokawa’s departure removes an essential perspective for understanding the community’s history. He recounts examples of Hosokawa’s contributions and expresses hope he will return to writing occasionally.
• Tourist Fantasy and Kanaka Maoli Reality, by Christina Shigemura, page 6. The author contrasts glossy tourist depictions of Hawaii with the harsh realities faced by Kanaka Maoli, including poverty, disproportionate imprisonment, and loss of land following the 1893 overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani. She details land ownership disparities and the growing sovereignty movement seeking to establish a Native Hawaiian nation.
• A Bridge Across the Pacific: An Open Invitation to Shape Our Nikkei Future, by Emily Murase, page 6. The Nikkei 2000 conference will feature symposia, working sessions, and speakers including Senator Daniel Inouye and former Congressman Norman Mineta, addressing topics from community building to health care needs. The conference culminates in caucus groups developing a community action agenda and an interfaith dialogue.
• Re: Hosokawa’s Finale, by Bill Hosokawa readers (multiple letter writers), page 7. Multiple readers wrote in expressing sadness and criticism over the Pacific Citizen board’s handling of Bill Hosokawa’s retirement from his ‘From the Frying Pan’ column after 48 years. Letter writers, including Barry Saiki and George Yasukochi, praised Hosokawa’s influence and urged the paper to honor his legacy and reconsider becoming more independent from JACL leadership.
• Re: McCain Statement, by Frank M. Yamada, Chauis Kubota, page 7. Readers debated JACL’s criticism of Sen. John McCain’s use of the racial slur ‘gook,’ with some defending McCain due to his war experience while others, including Chauis Kubota, argued the term remains racially insensitive regardless of context. Supporters of JACL’s stance compared it to how the Black community would not tolerate racial slurs from law enforcement.
• Reader Wants More Coverage Outside California, by Yvonne Kinoshita Ward, page 7. A reader from the Pacific Northwest Council criticizes the Pacific Citizen for regional bias toward California coverage despite being a national publication. She argues that if JACL and the Pacific Citizen want to be considered national organizations, they must give more attention to Japanese Americans outside of California.

Community

• Asian American Donor Program to Hold Marrow Drive, page 5. Sam Arreola, an Asian American diagnosed with leukemia, awaits a stem cell transplant amid a shortage of Asian American donors on the national registry. The Asian American Donor Program is hosting a marrow/stem cell donor drive called ‘Hearts Beat to the Drums!’ to address this disparity.

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