Vol. 143, No. 3, August 4, 2006. 12 pages. View this issue
Lt. Ehren Watada was the lead story. Executive Editor Caroline Aoyagi-Stom interviewed him just after the U.S. Army officially charged him for refusing deployment to Iraq, and a second interview installment on page 6 covers his views on the role of a soldier. A page of letters showed readers divided on his stand. Aoyagi-Stom also told the story of Ellen Yamamoto, who learned at age 59 that she was adopted and is Korean American. Lynda Lin wrote about young Asian Pacific Americans taking on homes and support for immigrant parents, and about Eddy Zheng, who faces deportation.
Other pages cover immigration and civil rights: a postcard campaign urging Congress to support immigration reform, and the extension of the Voting Rights Act. A bill was filed to make the Bainbridge Island ferry dock memorial a satellite site of the Minidoka National Monument. Soji Kashiwagi wrote about a meeting at Tule Lake, and JACL chapters announced their scholarship winners.
What’s in this issue
Military & Veterans
- Exclusive: One on One With Ehren Watada, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. Executive Editor Caroline Aoyagi-Stom interviews 1st Lt. Ehren Watada shortly after the U.S. Army officially charged him for refusing deployment to Iraq. Watada discusses his decision, his upcoming pre-trial hearing, and his lack of regrets despite facing three charges.
- An Interview With Watada on His Controversial Decision, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 6. This continuation of the Watada interview explores his views on the role of a soldier, comparisons to WWII Nisei veterans, and messages to critics among JA veterans’ organizations. He also discusses the support of his family and fellow soldiers’ mixed reactions to his controversial stand against deployment to Iraq.
Community
- An Identity Shift, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. Ellen Yamamoto discovered at age 59 that she was adopted and is actually Korean American rather than Japanese American, after finding discrepancies in old family photos and her birth certificate. The revelation forced her to reconcile her lifelong Japanese American identity with her newly discovered Korean heritage and birth family history.
- JAMsj to Stay Put at Current Site, Proceed with Expansion Plans, page 3. The Japanese American Museum of San Jose decided against relocating to a City Corporation Yard site and will proceed with its original capital expansion plans at its current Fifth Street location. The museum will close Aug. 31 for construction, though its library/research center will remain open.
- APAs in the News, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. This roundup highlights Dr. Yuet Wai Kan receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America, Nisei Week Foundation naming its 2006 Community Pioneers, and Kerry Yo Nakagawa receiving the Tony Salin Memorial Award for his work preserving Japanese American baseball history.
National
- Zheng Faces Deportation After Judge Denies Relief, by Lynda Lin, page 1. Eddy Zheng, a former convict turned community youth educator, faces deportation after an immigration judge denied his application for relief, and he must decide whether to appeal within 30 days. Supporters including Yuri Kochiyama have rallied behind him, but Zheng must weigh legal costs and his elderly parents’ health in making his decision.
- Bush Signs Voting Rights Act Extension; APA Groups Hail Victory, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 1. President Bush signed legislation extending the Voting Rights Act for 25 years, drawing praise from Asian Pacific American groups for strengthening language assistance provisions important to APA voters. The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress amid a series of high-profile signing ceremonies.
- Lamm Gets Slammed for Comments on Racial Minorities, page 3. Former Colorado Gov. Dick Lamm faced criticism after saying racism and discrimination are not excuses for minority underachievement, comparing work ethic and grades between Asian and Black/Hispanic students. Community leaders condemned the remarks, but Lamm defended his position on civil rights and affirmative action laws.
- DJ Apologizes for Racist Prank Calls, page 3. A Toledo radio DJ known as “Lucas” was suspended without pay for making racially insensitive prank calls to Chinese and Japanese restaurants, and the station’s program director was fired. Lucas issued an on-air apology stating he did not intend to offend the Asian community.
- Schaefer Refuses to Apologize for Remarks, page 3. Maryland Comptroller William Donald Schaefer refused to apologize to a Korean American group for remarks linking South Korean immigrants to a North Korean missile firing. He met privately with the delegation but declined to sign a prepared letter of contrition.
- LAUSD Superintendent Cites WWII Internment in Speech, by Associated Press, page 3. LAUSD Superintendent Roy Romer compared Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s campaign for school takeover to the U.S. government’s WWII propaganda campaign justifying Japanese American internment, drawing sharp criticism from JA leaders including Warren Furutani. Romer later apologized for the comments but maintained his criticism of the mayor’s plan.
- Former Army Chaplain Says He was Unfairly Detained at Border, by Associated Press, page 3. Former Army Capt. James Yee, previously accused of spying while serving as a Muslim chaplain at Guantanamo before being cleared, says he was unfairly detained and questioned for two hours at the Canadian border. He speculated the FBI had been called during the stop, though customs officials said such inspections are routine.
- NYC Diversity Presents New Set of Challenges, by Associated Press, page 4. New York City’s Asian American communities have grown increasingly diverse and complex, now encompassing around 50 languages and dialects from more than two dozen countries, challenging community organizations serving these groups. Advocates say building a pan-Asian identity, despite linguistic differences, is key to increasing political and social power.
- APA Communities Unite to Launch National Picture Postcard Campaign, page 4. Asian Pacific American organizations launched the “We Are America” Picture Postcard Campaign to send tens of thousands of postcards to Congress urging support for immigration reform. The campaign builds on momentum from mass immigration reform mobilizations and highlights that 67 percent of the 15 million APAs in the U.S. are immigrants.
- JA Woman Discovers Adoption and a New Identity, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 5. This continuation details Ellen Yamamoto’s discovery that her adoptive mother was a full-blooded Korean woman who took on a Japanese identity, and that the woman she thought was her aunt was actually her birth mother. Ellen traveled to South Korea to meet relatives and search for her birth father, ultimately deciding to embrace her Korean American identity while dealing with complex family emotions.
In-Depth
- Under One Roof — The Second Generation’s Burden, by Lynda Lin, page 1. Young Asian Pacific American professionals are increasingly buying homes and taking on financial responsibilities for their immigrant parents and siblings, as illustrated by the Vo and Trieu families. The trend reflects a growing national pattern of multigenerational households and the financial and emotional burdens placed on second-generation APAs.
- One Roof (continued), by Lynda Lin, page 7. This continuation profiles the Trieu family and others who pooled resources across siblings to buy homes for their multigenerational families, detailing complex payment arrangements and emotional tensions of shared living. Experts note that multigenerational households have risen sharply, with young APAs often deferring independence to support their parents.
Commentary
- Readers Continue to Speak Out on Watada, page 2. A collection of letters to the editor presents diverse viewpoints on 1st Lt. Ehren Watada’s refusal to deploy to Iraq, ranging from strong support comparing him to WWII draft resisters to sharp criticism calling him dishonorable. Veterans, JACL members, and community members weigh in on the legal, moral, and historical implications of his stance.
- Coloring Outside the Box, by Yumi Sakugawa, page 8. Columnist Yumi Sakugawa reflects on her week volunteering for Unicamp, where she observed children clustering along racial lines despite adult efforts to promote intermixing. She draws parallels to her own experience with racial identity in adolescence and college, and shares a story about two girls from different backgrounds comforting each other during a storm.
- A Meeting at Tule Lake, by Soji Kashiwagi, page 8. Playwright Soji Kashiwagi recounts a moving encounter at the Tule Lake Pilgrimage where Nisei author Mary Matsuda Gruenewald apologized to his family for the JA community’s historic condemnation of
Incarceration & Redress
- Bipartisan Coalition Files Bill to Honor Internees, page 3. U.S. Reps. Jay Inslee and Mike Simpson filed legislation to make the Bainbridge Island Eagledale Ferry Dock memorial a satellite site of the Minidoka National Monument, honoring the first Japanese Americans sent to WWII internment camps. The bill would codify a Department of Interior study and comes after years of fundraising for the memorial called “Nidoto Nai Yoni.”
JACL
- JACL Chapters Honor Young Scholars, page 4. San Jose JACL, San Fernando Valley JACL, and Twin Cities JACL chapters announced their 2006 scholarship recipients, awarding a combined total of over $20,000 to graduating high school students. Recipients were honored at chapter luncheons and award ceremonies for their academic achievements.
Sports
- Zenimura Enshrined by Baseball Reliquary, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 7. Kenichi Zenimura, known as the “father of Japanese American Baseball,” was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of Eternals alongside Josh Gibson and Fernando Valenzuela. Zenimura brought baseball to WWII internment camps and Japan, leading the Fresno Athletic Club for over 50 years and once playing alongside Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
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