Lois-Ann Yamanaka, Day of Remembrance events and a Nikkei conference

Vol. 132, No. 5, March 16, 2001. 12 pages. View this issue

A conversation with Hawaii novelist Lois-Ann Yamanaka led the issue. Tracy Uba talked with her about “Father of the Four Passages,” her new book about a young mother raising an autistic son, and about her choice to write in prose poems rather than pidgin. Also on the front page, Martha Nakagawa reported that the Pan American Nikkei Association planned to hold its Copani XI conference in New York City, and JACL’s Blue Ribbon Committee met in Los Angeles at the call of National President Floyd Mori to look at the organization’s future structure.

Day of Remembrance ceremonies filled page 5, from Utah to Salinas to Sacramento, where more than 1,000 people watched “A Farewell to Manzanar” with author Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston present. Elsewhere, law students pressed to remove Alien Land Laws from three state constitutions, and Art Shibayama’s fight for redress for Japanese Latin Americans was covered. Bill Marutani, Christina Shigemura and Ryan Chin wrote the columns.

What’s in this issue

Arts & Entertainment

• Q&A with Writer Lois-Ann Yamanaka, by Tracy Uba, page 1. Pacific Citizen interviews Hawaii novelist Lois-Ann Yamanaka about her new book ‘Father of the Four Passages,’ which tells the story of a young mother raising an autistic son while confronting past trauma. Yamanaka discusses her decision to write in prose poems rather than pidgin, her poetry background, and criticism she faced over characterization in her earlier novel ‘Blu’s Hanging.’
• A Taste of French Cuisine at Maison Akira, by Lyndsey Shinoda, page 12. This restaurant profile features Chef Akira Hirose of Maison Akira in Pasadena, who trained in France and previously ran an acclaimed restaurant in Japan before opening his upscale French restaurant with Japanese influences in 1998. The article describes Hirose’s background, his signature miso marinated grilled Chilean sea bass dish served to the Emperor and Empress of Japan, and his community involvement.

JACL

• First Time in 20 Year History, PANA to Hold Conference in NYC, by Martha Nakagawa, page 1. The Pan American Nikkei Association will hold its biennial Copani XI conference in New York City for the first time, focusing on Nikkei identity among youth and women, e-commerce technology, and unveiling a major study on Nikkei experience in the Americas. PANA USA East president Francis Sogi announced the conference expects a large turnout including many younger attendees.
• JACL’s Blue Ribbon Committee Convenes in L.A., by P.C. Staff, page 1. A hand-picked management team of Japanese American business experts met in Los Angeles to discuss JACL’s future structure and operations, convened by National President Floyd Mori. The committee, including Tom Iino, Sandra Sakamoto, Beth Renge and Alan Kumamoto, was formed to examine ways to avert future financial crises facing the organization.
• NAPALC Announces Partnership with Legal Resource Center, by P.C. Staff, page 6. NAPALC announced a partnership with the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center to increase delivery of linguistically appropriate legal services to APA communities in the Washington D.C. metro area. The project, funded by the Open Society Institute, will develop interpreter programs and a centralized intake system with area legal service organizations.
• Formal Opening of Memorial to Patriotism Set for June 29, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The National Japanese American Memorial Foundation announced June 29 as the date for the formal opening of the completed Memorial to Patriotism in Washington, D.C., following construction delays that prevented completion in time for the November dedication. Events will include a ribbon-cutting, reception, and gala dinner featuring Sen. Daniel Inouye as speaker.
• AJA WWII Memorial Alliance Busy Compiling Biographies of KIAs, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Americans of Japanese Ancestry WWII Memorial Alliance is compiling biographies of the 827 WWII Japanese American soldiers killed in action for an ‘Echoes of Silence’ CD-ROM educational project. Chairman Jim Yamashita is seeking family and friends of the fallen soldiers to provide biographical information to complete the profiles.
• New York City Slated to Host Biennial PANA Conference, by Martha Nakagawa, page 7. This continuation piece details the history and founding of the Pan American Nikkei Association, tracing its origins to a 1979 symposium in Lima, Peru and the involvement of founders Carlos Kasuga, Charles Kubokawa and others. The article also covers findings from the International Nikkei Research Project, which found Brazil has the largest Nikkei population globally followed by the United States and Japan.

National

• Student Group Pushes to Erase Vestiges of Racist Alien Land Laws, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. Law students at the University of Cincinnati’s Immigration and Nationality Law Review are campaigning to remove century-old Alien Land Laws still embedded in the constitutions of Florida, New Mexico and Wyoming, which barred Asian immigrants from owning property. The group has already succeeded in getting Wyoming’s law repealed, while efforts continue in New Mexico and Florida.
• APA Groups Fear Another Undercount in Census 2000, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 1. Asian Pacific American and civil rights groups expressed concern that minorities may be undercounted in the 2000 Census after the Census Bureau recommended using raw data instead of statistically adjusted numbers for redistricting. Groups like NAPALC and APALC urged the Bush administration to allow more time to release corrected data reflecting an accurate count of APAs and other minorities.
• MANAA Protests Use of ‘Chinaman’ on ‘The Simpsons’, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. The Media Action Network for Asian Americans protested Fox’s use of the slur ‘Chinaman’ in a Simpsons episode, leading producer Mike Scully to agree to change the dialogue in reruns. A Los Angeles radio station mocked MANAA’s response, prompting MANAA President Guy Aoki to appear on-air to explain the organization’s mission and the history behind the term.
• Japanese Peruvian Returns to Camp Seeking Justice for Internment, by Associated Press, page 3. Art Shibayama, deported from Peru to a U.S. internment camp during WWII, is now the subject of a documentary and continues fighting for equal reparations denied to Japanese Latin Americans. Legislation pending in Congress, the Wartime Parity and Justice Act, would provide $20,000 per victim and an official apology, similar to redress given to Japanese Americans in 1988.
• Supreme Court Posthumously Admits Takuji Yamashita to the Bar, by Associated Press, page 3. The Washington Supreme Court posthumously admitted Issei Takuji Yamashita to the state bar nearly a century after he was denied admission due to his race, despite graduating from University of Washington law school in 1902. Yamashita later lost his business holdings during WWII internment and returned to Japan, where he died in 1959.
• FBI: Race Still Most Common Motive for Hate Crimes, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 4. FBI data show racial prejudice remained the most common motivation for hate crimes in 1999, accounting for 4,295 of reported incidents. Blacks were the most frequent victims, and 17 people were murdered in hate crimes that year.
• APAs in the News: Awards, Appointments, Announcements, by P.C. Staff, page 4. This roundup covers various Asian Pacific American election results, appointments and honors, including local California election outcomes, Katherine Cheung’s aviation legacy honor, and Paul Isaki’s appointment as chief of staff to Washington Gov. Gary Locke. It also mentions T. Ted Yoneda’s appointment to a juvenile justice commission.
• National Newsbytes, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 4. This briefs roundup covers the Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C., a federal judge’s rejection of affirmative action claims at the University of Michigan, nine Nisei receiving honorary diplomas 59 years after being forced into internment camps, Korean slave labor lawsuits against Mitsui and Mitsubishi, a Hawaii hate crimes bill, and the premiere date for the film ‘Pearl Harbor.’
• NAPALC Opposes Campaign Donation Legislation, by P.C. Staff, page 6. NAPALC is urging Asian Pacific Americans to oppose new legislation introduced by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson that would prohibit legal permanent residents from making campaign contributions and expenditures. The bill is seen as potentially being attached to the McCain/Feingold campaign finance reform bill and raises constitutional concerns about free speech and equal protection.

Community

• Seattle Earthquake Does Little Damage to APA Communities, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Asian Pacific American community in Seattle suffered relatively minor damage from the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the Pacific Northwest on Feb. 28. JACL’s regional office, the Wing Luke Museum, and businesses like Uwajimaya and David Ishii bookstore reported only minor damages with no serious injuries.
• Utah Chapters Host DOR Ceremony, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Utah’s three JACL chapters honored Japanese American railroad and mine workers at this year’s Day of Remembrance ceremony in Salt Lake City, marking the last group to qualify for redress under the Civil Liberties Act. National Executive Director John Tateishi and historian Lon Kurashige were among the speakers reflecting on the historic redress movement.
• Northern California Chapters Sponsor DOR, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Chapters from the greater Monterey Bay area organized a Day of Remembrance event at the former Salinas Assembly Center site, featuring speakers, a documentary, and student projects about the internment experience. The event honored the significance of the site and included performances and presentations from local students and community members.
• Sacramento Chapter Observes 25th Anniversary of ‘A Farewell to Manzanar’ at DOR 2001, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Sacramento JACL chapter marked the Day of Remembrance with a screening of ‘A Farewell to Manzanar’ on its 25th anniversary, drawing more than 1,000 attendees to the Crest Theater. Author Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and several cast members attended, and various local officials presented commemorative resolutions.
• Eden Township Chapter Elects Executive Board Members, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Eden Township JACL chapter announced its newly elected 2001 executive board members, including Lance Gima as president and Ron Sakaue as vice president. The board also includes officers serving as recording secretary, corresponding secretary, and co-treasurers.
• Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation Presents Workshops, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation is co-sponsoring a June workshop/symposium in Cheyenne exploring the WWII draft resistance movement at the Heart Mountain camp, including the largest mass draft trial in U.S. history. The event will bring together researchers, resisters and their families to discuss this significant chapter of Japanese American history.
• Quixotics Rise for a 2001 Reunion, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Members of the Quixotics, a group of Nisei bachelors who socialized in Little Tokyo in the late 1940s and 1950s, held a rare reunion with their spouses at Reikai’s Kitchen. Co-founder David Nakagawa and other members gathered to reminisce about the club’s history and its founding by the late Dick Fujioka.
• New Resources Address Domestic Violence in APA Community, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Family Violence Prevention Fund is distributing culturally specific posters and materials to clinics and hospitals to raise awareness about domestic violence among Asian Pacific Americans and other minority communities. The materials aim to encourage dialogue between healthcare providers and patients who may be victims of abuse.
• Gardeners’ Book Signing, by Martha Nakagawa, page 12. A book signing was held for ‘Greenmakers: Japanese American Gardeners in Southern California’ at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Little Tokyo. Editor Naomi Hirahara and contributors including gardener Futoshi Hirano and Mary Kurihara, whose son’s photo appears on the cover, participated in the event co-sponsored by the Southern California Gardeners’ Federation.

Commentary

• Reigi-Sahō (11), by Bill Marutani, page 8. In this installment of his East Wind column, Bill Marutani continues his exploration of Japanese etiquette (reigi-sahō), covering proper use of oshibori towels and correct seating arrangements and posture in a traditional Japanese room. He reflects on how rules of conduct vary by gender, age and social context, and how customs shift over time.
• Let Us In! Repeal SP-1 and SP-2 Now!, by Christina Shigemura, page 8. Shigemura argues for the repeal of UC policies SP-1 and SP-2, which ban consideration of race, ethnicity and gender in admissions, contracting and hiring at University of California campuses. She contends the policies, championed by former Gov. Pete Wilson, diverted attention from underfunding of the UC system and fostered a climate that emboldened racist attitudes on campus.
• JACL: The Leaders of Tomorrow, by Ryan Chin, page 8. In this JACL Corner column, Vice President for Public Affairs Ryan Chin discusses how the organization is using its website to help members track legislation and contact elected officials on civil rights issues. He encourages JACL chapters to link to the national website’s issues section to boost grassroots engagement and legislative advocacy.
• JAVA President Clarifies Position, by S. Phil Nakao, page 11. In this letter to the editor, the JAVA president explains his vote to retain Mike Masaoka’s name and the American Creed on the National Japanese American Memorial, clarifying he was not among protesters opposing Masaoka. He emphasizes his wartime MIS service and his commitment to ensuring the memorial’s military history was factually accurate.

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