Lee Tonouchi, the Pearl Harbor film and the Manzanar pilgrimage

Vol. 132, No. 9, May 18, 2001. 12 pages. View this issue

Hawaii-born writer Lee Tonouchi, known as “Da Pidgin Guerrilla,” was interviewed on the front page about his debut short fiction book, “Da Word,” and the interview continues on page 10. The front page also reported that John Tateishi attended a private screening of Disney’s “Pearl Harbor” and found it was not the anti-Japanese film he feared. Tracy Uba wrote that story. Martha Nakagawa covered the 32nd annual Manzanar pilgrimage and the new superintendent of the Manzanar National Historic Site, Frank Hays, and she reported on French honors for Nisei veterans.

Other pages cover legislation for a JACL anti-hate crimes program, scholarship winners from several chapters, and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Commentary from Christina Shigemura, Wayne Osako and Keith Kamisugi appears on pages 8 and 11, along with a letter about the Heart Mountain resisters. A roundup of new books is on page 9.

What’s in this issue

Arts & Entertainment

• Lee Tonouchi, a.k.a. “Da Pidgin Guerrilla,” Gets Silly While Promoting His New Book, “Da Word”, page 1. Pacific Citizen interviews Hawaii-born writer Lee Tonouchi about his debut short fiction collection ‘Da Word,’ which showcases the Pidgin dialect and challenges the dominance of standard English in literature. Tonouchi discusses his path to becoming an advocate for Pidgin, his literary magazine Hybolics, and his views on writers like Lois-Ann Yamanaka who have helped popularize Pidgin writing.
• VC FilmFest Turns Sweet 16, page 5. The 16th annual Visual Communications Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film & Video Festival will showcase nearly 100 films and videos, opening with ‘Green Dragon’ and closing with a rare screening of ‘Farewell to Manzanar’ featuring cast and crew in attendance. The festival includes international works and a premiere of the documentary series ‘Once Upon a Camp’ at the Japanese American National Museum.
• U.S.-Japan Exchange Fellows to Display Artwork at JANM, page 8. An art exhibition featuring installations by three American artists—Beliz Brother, Mei-ling Hom and Kim Yasuda—who participated in the U.S.-Japan Creative Artists Exchange Fellowship Program opened at the Japanese American National Museum. The fellowship, run jointly by the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission and National Endowment for the Arts, has sent over 80 artists to Japan since 1979.
• The Bookshelf, page 9. This roundup reviews numerous new books relevant to Japanese American and Asian American history and culture, including ‘Paper Bullets,’ ‘Pearl Harbor Hinge,’ ‘Dusty Exile,’ ‘Resistance,’ and ‘Henry Sugimoto: Painting an American Experience,’ among many others. Topics range from wartime internment and resistance to art, immigration history, and children’s literature.
• NAATA Reveals PBS Lineup, page 10. The National Asian American Telecommunication Association released its May public television lineup featuring seven new programs including ‘Sewing Woman’ by Arthur Dong and ‘Yellow’ by Chris Chan Lee, alongside twelve previously aired programs. The programming explores diverse Asian Pacific American experiences from historical to contemporary themes.
• Video on 100th/442nd Wins National Telly Award, page 12. The documentary ‘The Silent Glory,’ which chronicles the heroism of the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II, won the prestigious Telly Award for outstanding non-network and cable television production. Executive producer Zed Merrill noted the soldiers fought two wars—one against tyranny abroad and one against discrimination at home.
• ‘Beyond Barbed Wire’ to Air on PBS for APA Heritage Month, page 12. PBS will broadcast the award-winning documentary ‘Beyond Barbed Wire’ for the third consecutive year in May, celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month by profiling the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, 100th Infantry Battalion and Military Intelligence Service. The film, narrated by Noriyuki ‘Pat’ Morita, has received acclaim from Variety, the Los Angeles Times and Entertainment Weekly.

JACL

• Legislation Establishing API Anti-Hate Crimes Program Within JACL Sails Through Committee, page 1. Legislation to establish an Asian Pacific Islander Anti-Hate Crimes program within JACL has advanced through committee, targeting API high school students, college students and community members with training workshops, CD-ROMs, brochures and workbooks. National JACL Executive Director John Nakano called it a comprehensive effort to reach the entire API community for the first time.
• JACL Commends Transformation of Former Aryan Nation’s Headquarters to Fight Hate, page 3. JACL praised the Carr Foundation, led by Greg Carr, for purchasing the former Aryan Nations compound and transforming it into an educational facility to combat hate, calling it a model that should become the norm. JACL National Director John Chin commended the leadership and vision behind converting the site from a hate group headquarters into an anti-hate educational institution.
• Assemblymembers Nakano, Chan and Liu Proclaim May As APIA Heritage Month, page 5. California Assemblymembers George Nakano, Wilma Chan and Carol Liu introduced a resolution recognizing May as Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month, which passed unanimously through voice vote. Nakano, chair of the newly formed API Legislative Caucus, noted the community’s growth and historical contributions to the state and country.
• Go For Broke to Celebrate 2nd Monument Anniversary on June 9, page 5. The Go For Broke Educational Foundation will celebrate the second anniversary of its monument with a tribute ceremony followed by the premiere of Lane Nishikawa’s film ‘Forgotten Valor’ and a reception at the Japan America Theatre. The event, funded by the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, will serve as a fundraiser for the foundation’s education programs.

National

• JACL Gets Inside Glimpse of ‘Pearl Harbor’, by Tracy Uba, page 1. JACL National Executive Director John Tateishi attended a private screening of Disney’s upcoming film ‘Pearl Harbor’ and reported that the movie was not the anti-Japanese portrayal he feared, though it does include one objectionable scene featuring a JA dentist depicted as a spy. Tateishi noted producers had been receptive to his concerns, including adding a JA doctor character to balance the narrative.
• Bush Nominates Matt Fong as Undersecretary of the Army, page 3. President Bush nominated former California State Treasurer Matt Fong as Undersecretary of the Army, a position that would make him the first Asian Pacific American to hold that post if confirmed. Fong would join Gen. Eric Shinseki as one of two APAs in prominent military leadership roles, with Senate confirmation hearings expected in late May or early June.
• USDA Honors Prominent Asian American Farming Families During National Asian Heritage Month, page 3. The U.S. Department of Agriculture honored five prominent Asian American farming families, including the Higashi, Tanimura, Nishizu, Takahashi and Sakata families, for their contributions to American agriculture during National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman praised the families for developing markets throughout the Pacific Rim for U.S. commodities.
• APA Heritage Month 2001: A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America, page 3. President George W. Bush issued a proclamation designating May 2001 as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, recognizing the contributions of Asian/Pacific Americans to the nation’s culture, economy and history. The proclamation highlights the community’s growth from fewer than 15 million in 1970 to approximately 10.5 million in 2000.
• Man Gets Death Penalty for Racially Motivated Killings, page 4. Richard Baumhammers, a former immigration attorney, was sentenced to death for killing five people in a racially motivated shooting spree in Pittsburgh’s suburbs in April 2000. His victims included a Jewish neighbor, two Asian men, an Indian man and a black man, and his attorneys argued he suffered from delusions despite prosecutors calling his actions calculated and selective.
• Feds Probe Cincinnati Police After Riots, page 4. The Bush administration opened a civil rights investigation into the Cincinnati Police Department following the April shooting of an unarmed black man, Timothy Thomas, which sparked days of rioting. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the inquiry would examine possible patterns of excessive force and other conduct violating constitutional rights.
• Governor Signs Hate Crimes Bill into Law, page 4. Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act into law despite concerns about its divisiveness, strengthening penalties for crimes motivated by race, religion, color, gender, disability or sexual preference. The bill was named after a black man dragged to death by white supremacists in Jasper in 1998.
• Committee Reaches Compromise on Hate Crime Resolution, page 4. A Alaska House-Senate conference committee agreed to a compromise hate crimes resolution condemning ‘wrongful discrimination’ after changing the word ‘unlawful’ to ‘wrongful.’ The resolution responds to a January incident in Anchorage involving Alaska Natives and calls for investigation of similar incidents.
• Ethnic Groups Look to Influence Redistricting, page 4. An alliance of ethnic organizations met at UCLA to discuss unifying their influence over California’s redistricting process following 2000 Census results showing the state lacks an ethnic majority for the first time. The state Legislature must redraw congressional, Assembly, Senate and Board of Equalization districts to reflect population growth, expanding congressional districts from 52 to 53.
• Attack at Asian Restaurant Kills Couple, page 4. A brief news item reports an attack at an Asian restaurant that killed a couple, with their 5-month-old son present at the time of the incident. Police were called to the scene following the attack.
• Don Nakanishi Appointed to Smithsonian Blue Ribbon Panel, page 4. Congressman Bob Matsui announced the appointment of Dr. Don Nakanishi, director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center, to the blue ribbon panel for the National Museum of American History’s Behring Center. The commission will advise Smithsonian officials on themes and presentation methods for the museum in the 21st century.
• Brett Akagi Receives Award for Excellence in TV Photography, page 4. Brett Akagi won a 2001 national first-place award from the National Press Photographers Association for his coverage of spot news at TV station KARE in Minneapolis. Akagi, a Sansei from Ulysses, Kansas, is a 1988 graduate of Fort Hays State University and has worked at KARE-TV since 1999.
• Mike Honda Gains Seat on Science Committee, page 4. Rep. Mike Honda gained a seat on the House Science Committee, which oversees research, technological development and national space policy, a fitting role given his Silicon Valley district. Honda has proposed technology-driven bills including the National Education Technology Corps Act to recruit volunteers from tech companies to support schools.
• Hawai’i Lt. Gov. Hirono Receives Georgetown University Law Center Alumna Award, page 4. Hawaii Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono received a 2001 Alumna Award from Georgetown University Law Center at a dinner in Washington, D.C., part of a forum commemorating 50 years of women at the law school. Hirono, a 1978 graduate, said lawyers and politicians have a responsibility to improve the quality of life for the people they serve.
• Boxer Launches Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Webpage, page 10. U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer launched a special webpage featuring interactive interviews with Asian Pacific American leaders and cultural celebrations in honor of Heritage Month. The page includes interviews with figures like DOT Secretary Norman Mineta and Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation Vice President Ginny Yamate.
• Pearl Harbor (continued) – Backlash Concerns and Community Response, page 10. The continuation of the Pearl Harbor article discusses concerns from Guy Aoki of MANAA about potential backlash against Japanese Americans following the film’s release, with a press conference planned in Los Angeles to coincide with the Honolulu premiere. Tateishi expressed concern about talk radio hosts exploiting the film’s hype to cause harm to the JA community.

Community

• French Consulate Honors JA WWII Veterans, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. Ten Nisei World War II veterans, including 84-year-old Jack Tagawa, were honored with ‘Diplomas of Gratitude’ at a private reception at the French Consulate General in Los Angeles for aiding the French government during the war. The French government is working with U.S. agencies to locate and recognize all qualified veterans who fought in or over France during WWII.
• Nakano Dedicates New Signage for Sadao S. Munemori Memorial Interchange, page 3. Calif. State Assemblyman George Nakano dedicated new signage for the Sadao S. Munemori Memorial Interchange at the 405 and 105 Freeways, adding the words ‘Medal of Honor—World War II.’ Nakano funded the signage and was joined by veterans from the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team along with Munemori’s niece, Janet Nakakihara.
• John Saito Elected Block Captain, page 4. John Jiro Saito was elected block captain for Burnside Circle by the Burnside Neighborhood Homeowners Association in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. Saito, who was interned during WWII in Arizona and later worked for Los Angeles County, became active with JACL in the redress movement and served as JACL PSW regional director from 1979 to 1990.
• CCDC Announces Scholarship Recipients, page 5. The JACL Central California District Council announced its 2001 scholarship and citizenship award recipients, including winners of the Kino Miyahara, Union Bank, Matsuye Okada, CCDC-JACL, Tom Shimasaki and Issei Memorial scholarships. Citizen Achievement awards were also given to several students for scholarship, leadership and community involvement.
• Arizona Chapter Holds Scholarship Awards and Graduates Luncheon, page 5. The Arizona JACL chapter held its 40th annual Sara Hutchings Clardy Scholarship Awards and Graduates Luncheon, awarding $700 scholarships to several recipients including college graduates in fields like global business and criminal justice. High school graduates from multiple schools were also honored at the event.
• 2001 Ed Iwasaki Scholarship Winners Feted, page 5. Four recipients of the second annual Ed Iwasaki Memorial Fund Scholarships were honored at a reception in San Jose’s Historic Japantown, including students headed to Stanford, UC San Diego and the University of Pennsylvania. Each awardee received recognition for their academic achievements.
• Tri-District Hosts a Variety of Workshops, page 7. A tri-district JACL conference hosted workshops covering topics including medication safety for seniors, planned giving, Asian Pacific American cultural values, caregiving, interpersonal conflict resolution, and the legacy of Nisei veterans. Speakers included Jack Christy, John Gallapaga, Lucy Kishiue, John Yamada, Dr. Ronald Kiyuna and Carol Kawamoto.
• Update on Heart Mountain Fund, page 12. An update on the Heart Mountain Relocation Center Memorial Association’s Heart Mountain Fund reveals that after the organization dissolved in 1999, its assets were transferred to the Park County Chapter of the Wyoming Historical Society as a certificate of deposit designated for restoration and preservation work on the chimney at Heart Mountain. The fund’s history traces back to a 1978 memorial dedication and subsequent donations collected at the site.

In-Depth

• Topaz and Gila River Highlighted at 32nd Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, by Martha Nakagawa, page 6. More than 450 attendees gathered for the 32nd annual Manzanar pilgrimage, which featured new historical signage, a prayer run from Los Angeles, and honored the late Shiro ‘Shi’ Nomura for his decades of work collecting camp artifacts. The Manzanar National Historic Site Advisory Commission also met to discuss updates including a returned headstone, new construction, and educational programming challenges.
• Frank Hays Takes Over as Superintendent of Manzanar Historic Site, by Martha Nakagawa, page 6. Frank Hays became the new superintendent of the Manzanar National Historic Site after 20 years with the National Park Service, having previously managed natural resources at Grand Canyon National Park. Hays described the Manzanar cemetery and rock garden as deeply moving, reflecting on the resilience of those who created beauty amid harsh internment conditions.
• Manzanar Cemetery Mapped Out and Researched by Archeologist, page 7. National Park Service archeologist Jeff Burton has researched and documented the graves at the Manzanar cemetery, detailing the individual stories behind numbered graves including infants, elderly internees, and those who died of various illnesses. The research reveals personal histories such as that of Midori Takayama and others whose bodies were later removed or whose families were transferred to Tule Lake.

Commentary

• The Necessity of Field Trips, page 8. The author criticizes LA Unified School District Superintendent Roy Romer’s declaration that field trips are a waste of time, arguing that many students from low-income families rely on school field trips for enriching educational experiences they wouldn’t otherwise receive. Without such trips, children risk being deprived of valuable learning opportunities, including simple pleasures like seeing cherry blossoms.
• Cherry Blossoms / Stranger Than Fiction / Learning, by Christina Shigemura, page 8. A sixth-grade teacher reflects nostalgically on cherry blossom trees from her childhood home while criticizing the pressure placed on students and teachers by standardized testing requirements like the Stanford 9. She notes the disconnect between the test’s demands and the actual skills students gain, questioning the value of such high-stakes testing.
• Citizen Involvement, by Wayne Osako, page 8. The author argues that JACL and the Japanese American community must increase civic engagement through voter registration, get-out-the-vote efforts, and public service, citing declining voter turnout and underrepresentation of Asian Americans in government. The piece calls for JACL to add ‘citizen involvement’ as an official program and to build coalitions with groups like the League of Women Voters and Anti-Defamation League.
• Talks Collapse on Japanese YWCA, Trial Date Set, by Patty Wada, page 9. Mediation between the Soko Bukai (Japanese American Christian Churches of San Francisco) and the San Francisco YWCA ended without resolution, setting a trial date of Nov. 5 over ownership of the former Japanese YWCA building. The building was purchased by Issei women in the 1920s under a trust agreement that was allegedly violated when the YWCA attempted to sell the property in 1996.
• TONOUCHI (continued) – Interview on Pidgin Writing and Projects, page 10. The continuation of the interview with Lee Tonouchi discusses his magazine Hybolics, his grandmother’s reactions to his writing career, and his upcoming projects including plays with Yokanaan Kearns and work for East-West Players. Tonouchi reflects on being approached by publishers for Pidgin-related projects and his views on Pidgin’s place in Hawaii literature.
• Letter to the Editor – Heart Mountain and VFW Dispute, page 11. A letter writer describes years-long efforts to correct what they view as false statements by VFW members regarding Heart Mountain resisters, sharing personal accounts of the suffering experienced by Issei families of draft resisters. The writer concludes that attempts to get the VFW to acknowledge facts instead of what they call mendacity have failed.
• JACL Should Reject Philip Morris Donation, by Keith Kamisugi, page 11. The San Francisco JACL chapter urges the national board to reject a financial contribution from Philip Morris, arguing the tobacco company is attempting to buy respectability from minority organizations while its products cause harm. The NCWNP district voted in opposition to the donation, and the writer calls on JACL members to oppose accepting the tobacco money.
• Re: ‘Pearl Harbor’, page 11. A letter writer praises John Tateishi and JACL for engaging with Disney about potential negative backlash from the ‘Pearl Harbor’ movie, calling it a valuable role for the organization. The writer expresses hope that Disney might help counter any hate stemming from the film with positive publicity about Japanese Americans.

Obituaries

• Obituaries, page 11. This section lists obituaries with narrative details for several individuals including Minoru Morikawa of Culver City, Jensuke John Nakamura of Los Angeles, Yoneko Kamatani of Walnut, Ichiro Sotowa of Rosemead, Masaru Sugii of North Hollywood, and Kunio Yamamoto of La Palma. Each entry details survivors and biographical information about the deceased.

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.