Vol. 139, No. 4, August 20, 2004. 12 pages. View this issue
The JACL national convention in Honolulu, held August 10 to 15, filled this 12-page issue. Matthew Kelley, founder of the MAVIN Foundation, received the Vision Award, and the national council adopted a budget for the next biennium. Caroline Aoyagi and Lynda Lin reported on the Sayonara Banquet, a veterans tribute luncheon with Sen. Daniel Inouye and Major General Robert G. Lee, and the council’s vote to open JACL membership to non-citizens. Resolutions passed on the Census Bureau’s data sharing, racial slurs on road signs, and redress for Japanese Latin Americans.
Other pages cover convention workshops on Pidgin English and U.S.-Japan relations with Secretary Norman Mineta, four plenary sessions led by attorney Dale Minami, and the Min Yasui Oratorical Contest won by Miyoko Conley. Several awards are covered, including JACLer of the Biennium Mas Hashimoto and the Edison Uno Civil Rights Award to Ismael Ahmed. The banquet also marked JACL’s 75th anniversary.
What’s in this issue
JACL
- MAVIN’s Kelley Honored With Vision Award, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. Matthew Kelley, 25-year-old founder and president of the Seattle-based MAVIN Foundation, was honored with the Vision Award at the JACL national convention in Honolulu. Kelley, a Hapa of Korean American heritage, has grown MAVIN from a magazine into a national nonprofit dedicated to multiracial issues.
- JACL Adopts New Budget for Next Biennium, by Pacific Citizen staff, page 1. The 2005-2006 budget presented at the JACL national convention was adopted unanimously by national council with few amendments, mainly due to Resolution 2 on teaching Japanese American history in schools. The biennial budget projects $4,235,768 in total revenue and program costs, with JACL Business Manager Clyde Izumi reporting total investments of $7,488,426.
- JACL Looks Towards Future at Sayonara Banquet, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. At the Sayonara Banquet closing the biennial national convention, JACL leaders including Executive Director John Tateishi and outgoing President Floyd Mori emphasized the importance of empowering youth to lead the organization into the future. Speakers stressed balancing this forward focus with honoring the values and lessons of JACL’s past.
- JACL Revises Resolutions to Continue Fight for Social Justice, by Lynda Lin, page 1. JACL passed three resolutions at the national convention opposing racism by governmental bodies, including an emergency resolution against the U.S. Census Bureau sharing data on Arab Americans with Homeland Security, and a resolution to rename “Jap Lane” in Texas. Seven proposals were submitted total, with the passed resolutions giving JACL a mandate to fight for social justice in the coming biennium.
- JACL Honors All Veterans at Tribute Luncheon, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 1. JACL held a tribute luncheon honoring Japanese American WWII veterans including the 442nd Regiment, 100th Battalion, MIS, and 1399th Engineering Battalion, as well as other WWII veterans like the Tuskegee Airmen and Navajo Code Breakers. Sen. Daniel Inouye and Major General Robert G. Lee spoke about patriotism and the sacrifices made by segregated units during the war.
- JACL Honors Some of Its Own at Awards Luncheon, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 3. Mas Hashimoto of the Watsonville-Santa Cruz JACL chapter received the JACLer of the Biennium award for his decades of civil rights activism and educational work, including creating the “Liberty Lost” reenactment. The Watsonville-Santa Cruz chapter also won the George Inagaki Chapter Citizenship Award for its community programs.
- National Council Ratifies Constitution/Bylaws Amendments, by Lynda Lin, page 3. The JACL national council voted to ratify amendment CB4, opening membership to non-citizens as full members while barring them from national office, seventy-five years after JACL’s founding. Outgoing president Floyd Mori praised the change as an important step toward making JACL more inclusive, though he wished all restrictions had been removed.
- Oratorical Contest Participants Talk Issues, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Miyoko Conley won the Min Yasui Oratorical Contest with a speech on hate crimes, receiving a laptop while other participants received iPods. The contest aims to inspire young people to discuss issues affecting Asian Pacific Americans.
- JACL Banquet Honors Veterans, Civil Rights Leaders and Celebrates 75th Anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 5. At the Sayonara Banquet, keynote speaker Secretary Norman Mineta praised Hawaii’s diversity and JACL’s outreach to Arab and Muslim communities post-9/11. The event also featured awards including the JAs of the Biennium to Paul Igasaki, Jean Wakatsuki-Houston, and Tom Ikeda, the Edison Uno Civil Rights Award to Ismael Ahmed, and Presidential Awards to Sen. Daniel Inouye and Colbert Matsumoto, along with a celebration of JACL’s 75th anniversary.
- JACL Resolutions Target Census Bureau, Racial Slurs and Redress for Japanese Latin Americans, by Lynda Lin, page 9. JACL’s national council passed resolutions opposing the Census Bureau’s data sharing with Homeland Security, expanding efforts to remove racial slurs from road signs following the Jap Road renaming victory, and supporting redress for Japanese Latin Americans excluded from the 1988 Civil Liberties Act. Executive Director John Tateishi emphasized JACL’s obligation to challenge such injustices wherever they occur.
- Additional Awards Presented at Luncheon Recognize Chapter and Individual Achievement, by P.C. Staff, page 9. The Lake Washington JACL chapter was runner-up for the chapter award after growing membership 7.5 percent, while filmmaker Stan Nakazono won the Ruby Yoshino Schaar Playwright Award for his work depicting Japanese American internment. Masaoka Congressional Fellows Evan Okamura and Carly Hamaguchi were also recognized, with Okamura urging JACL to create more opportunities for youth involvement.
In-Depth
- Pidgin Meets Royalty in Hawaii, by Lynda Lin, page 4. Convention workshops highlighted diversity themes, featuring local writers Lee A. Tonouchi and Kent Sakado discussing Pidgin English as a legitimate language, alongside a panel with Japanese Ambassador Ryozo Kato and Secretary Norman Mineta on U.S.-Japan relations. Panelists explored the dual identities of Japanese Americans and the importance of maintaining connections to Japan.
- Community Leaders Weigh In on Issues Facing JACL, by Lynda Lin, page 4. Four plenary sessions at the convention addressed JACL’s relevancy on issues like the Patriot Act, Hapa identity, and affirmative action. Attorney Dale Minami opened with a keynote on JACL’s civil rights history and the need to continue fighting for justice beyond just Japanese Americans.
- JACL Honors All Veterans at Tribute Luncheon With Personal Reflections From Sen. Inouye, by Caroline Aoyagi, page 8. Sen. Daniel Inouye, a Medal of Honor recipient and 442nd veteran, gave a moving keynote recalling wartime experiences including discovering concentration camps holding fellow Japanese Americans’ families and facing racism after returning home. Major General Robert G. Lee also spoke about how the bravery of segregated WWII units like the 442nd hastened desegregation of the U.S. Armed Forces.
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