Watada, nooses and the fight for Asian American studies

Vol. 145, No. 9, November 2, 2007. 16 pages. View this issue

The case of 1st Lt. Ehren Watada ran through this issue. Caroline Aoyagi-Stom looked at how his refusal to deploy to Iraq still divided Japanese American veterans on Veterans Day, and Rev. Dr. Barbara A. Bellus gave a first-person account of his court-martial. Elaine Low reported on students at Syracuse University who have pushed for an Asian American studies program, and a story on page 3 covered New York’s move to make displaying a noose a felony, with JACL voicing concern.

Also inside: the DREAM Act failing a Senate vote, a Jerome County decision against a feedlot near the Minidoka Internment National Monument, and Hisami Yoshida’s profile as a prison superintendent. JACL pages announced a call for Day of Remembrance art marking 20 years since the Civil Liberties Act, and a new Inouye Fellowship.

What’s in this issue

In-Depth

  • Students’ Fight for Asian American Studies an Uphill One, by Elaine Low, page 1. Ellee Kim and other Asian American students at Syracuse University have struggled for years to establish an Asian American studies program despite APAs being the largest minority group on campus. Administrators say there isn’t sufficient faculty, while students argue their organized efforts have been repeatedly dismissed.
  • With a Pending Lawsuit, a Broken Home for JA Buddhists, by Lynda Lin, page 1. Little Tokyo’s Jodo Shu Betsuin congregation, mostly Nisei members, is suing its Japanese parent organization JNABM after being expelled from their temple in 2003 amid allegations of slander and assault. The legal battle, compared to a Catholic church suing the Vatican, centers on disputed property and personal items left behind at the temple.
  • She’s the Woman in Charge of All the Men (continued), by Lynda Lin, page 12. The continuation details Hisami Yoshida’s path from student activist to prison superintendent, including her work developing environmental and vocational programs for inmates at Cedar Creek. Colleagues and family describe her unconventional path and her drive to balance authority with fairness as a female APA leader in corrections.
  • With a Pending Lawsuit, a Broken Home for JA Buddhists (continued), by Lynda Lin, page 13. The continuation details allegations of a cultural misunderstanding and an altercation between Betsuin trustees and visiting ministers from Japan that led to the congregation’s 2003 expulsion. The dispute over religious property, including ashes and tablets stored at the temple, remains unresolved as both sides await trial.
  • Students’ Fight for Asian American Studies an Uphill One (continued), by Elaine Low, page 16. The continuation details the history of student campaigns for Asian American studies at Syracuse dating to the 1990s Denny’s incident, and administrators’ claims of insufficient faculty resources. Students like Jonathan Han and Carina Lui continue advocating despite repeated setbacks, expressing hope that future students will succeed where they have not.

Community

  • She’s the Woman in Charge of All the Men, by Lynda Lin, page 1. Hisami Yoshida became the first APA woman to head a prison in Washington state when she was named superintendent of Cedar Creek Corrections Center in September. A former student activist and mother of two, she reflects on being a minority woman leading over 400 male inmates.
  • In the News, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 5. A roundup of community achievements including Grace Amemiya’s Iowa Asian Alliance award, a Capitol portrait unveiling for Congressman Dalip Singh Saund, author Charles Yu’s National Book Foundation honor, Victor Uno’s appointment to the Port of Oakland commission, tributes to veteran Sus Satow, JAVA and 442nd honors, and Paul Tsukiyama’s appointment in Hawaii.
  • Trustees Finally Approve S.F. Chinatown Campus, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 6. After 30 years, the San Francisco Board of Trustees voted 6 to 1 to approve a two-building City College Chinatown campus design, exempting it from city zoning laws. A nearby Hilton Hotel and homeowners association opposed the project and may sue over traffic and shadow concerns.
  • Historic Town of Locke Celebrates New Park and Monument, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 6. The town of Locke, California, the only U.S. town built by and for Chinese immigrants, celebrated the unveiling of a new community park and monument with over 500 attendees. State Senator Leland Yee served as keynote speaker at the event marking completion of Phase II of the ongoing preservation project.
  • Author of Japanese-Language Book on WWII Nisei Draft Resistance in Exclusive Bay Area Appearance, page 7. Professor Yukio Morita of Kanazawa University visited the San Francisco Bay Area to discuss his new Japanese-language book documenting Nisei draft resisters during WWII. Draft resisters Mits Koshiyama and Ken Yoshida joined the presentation, moderated by Nichi Bei Times editor Kenji Taguma.

National

  • This Veterans Day, Watada Issue Still a Lightning Rod for Controversy, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. As the Japanese American community honors its WWII veterans on Veterans Day, the case of 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, who refused deployment to Iraq, continues to divide opinion. Some veterans feel his actions tarnish the legacy of the heroic Nisei soldiers, while others see him as continuing a tradition of principled resistance.
  • DREAM Act, Affecting Children of Illegals, Fails Senate Test, by Associated Press and P.C. Staff, page 3. Legislation that would have given some children of illegal immigrants a path to legality failed a crucial Senate vote 52-44, falling short of the 60 votes needed to advance. APA groups including JACL had lobbied for the bill’s passage, while Republican opponents called it a form of amnesty.
  • N.Y.: Display of Noose Could be a Felony, by Associated Press and P.C. Staff, page 3. Following a rash of noose incidents nationwide, the New York state legislature moved to make displaying a noose in a threatening manner a felony. JACL expressed concern over the increase in hate symbol incidents across the country, comparing nooses to swastikas and the slur ‘Jap.’
  • A Daughter’s Testimony Could Result in Family’s Deportation, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. Tam Tran, 24, testified before Congress in support of the DREAM Act, after which ICE detained her family on suspicion of violating an old deportation order. The family, Vietnamese refugees born in Germany, now face possible deportation to Vietnam and remain under house arrest with their status in limbo.
  • APA Groups: Articles on Clinton’s Chinatown Donors are Biased, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. Asian Pacific American groups criticized Los Angeles Times and New York Post articles examining Chinatown donations to Hillary Clinton’s campaign as biased and irresponsible ethnic profiling. Critics said the reporting unfairly generalized an entire ethnic community based on individual cases involving low-income donors.
  • House Passes Native Hawaiian Bill, by Associated Press and P.C. Staff, page 4. The House passed the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act 261-153, which would allow Native Hawaiians to form a governing entity to negotiate with state and federal governments. The White House threatened a veto, arguing the bill divides Americans along racial lines, while CAPAC and Hawaii’s congressional delegation praised its passage.
  • EEOC Forms Federal Group to Examine APA Work Issues, page 4. The EEOC announced formation of an Asian American and Pacific Islander Work Group to study discrimination and promotion issues facing APAs in the federal workplace. The group will produce a report examining the gap between Gallup poll findings on discrimination and low rates of formal complaints filed by APAs.
  • National Newsbytes, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 4. A roundup of national news briefs including a Fort Irwin soldier suing the Army for conscientious objector status on Buddhist-Taoist grounds, Trader Joe’s phasing out Chinese food imports, a hate crime case in the killing of Satender Singh, UC Berkeley’s new East Asian studies library, and a planned lawsuit against ABC over a ‘Desperate Housewives’ slur against Filipino doctors.
  • Son of Indian Immigrants Bobby Jindal Becomes Louisiana’s First Non-White Governor Since 1870s, by Associated Press and P.C. Staff, page 5. Bobby Jindal, a 36-year-old Republican and son of Indian immigrants, won Louisiana’s governorship outright with 53 percent of the vote, becoming the state’s first non-white governor since the 1870s. Some in the Indian American community expressed mixed feelings given his conservative stances on abortion and hate crimes laws.
  • Unprecedented Coalition of Over 60 AA Organizations File Legal Brief Supporting Equal Marriage Rights, page 5. A coalition of more than 60 Asian American organizations filed an amicus brief supporting equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples in the California Marriage Cases before the state Supreme Court. JACL, noted as the first non-gay national civil rights organization to support marriage equality in 1994, was among the supporters.
  • This Veterans Day, Watada Issue Still a Lightning Rod for Controversy (continued), by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 11. The continuation details divided opinions among JA veterans and community members about Ehren Watada, with some veterans like Leo Hosoda condemning his refusal to deploy while JAVA president Robert Nakamoto insists it doesn’t taint the WWII veterans’ legacy. Watada supporters including NCRR and AAVVO compare his stand to historic civil rights struggles, while JACL’s national board voted to support his right to a fair trial.

Commentary

  • Rites and Sugihara: One is the Same, by Ceci Hiramoto Galeota, Esq., page 2. A letter writer compares 1st Lt. Ehren Watada’s resolution to the story of Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese diplomat who saved Jews during WWII by violating orders. The writer argues both men broke rules of conduct for moral reasons, yet the JACL’s coverage lacked this correlation.
  • JACL for Asian Americans, by Ceci Hiramoto Galeota, Esq., page 2. A letter writer proposes renaming the Japanese American Citizens League to ‘JACL for Asian Americans’ given declining JA population and JACL membership numbers. The writer argues this would preserve JACL’s historic roots while broadening its mission to support civil rights of other Asian Americans.
  • A Courageous Decision: Commissioners Reject Feedlot Near Minidoka Monument, by Karen Yoshitomi, page 2. Jerome County Commissioners in Idaho voted 2-1 to deny an application for a 13,000-heifer feedlot proposed less than two miles from the Minidoka Internment National Monument. The author, JACL’s Pacific Northwest regional director, testified in opposition and describes the community coalition that fought the proposal.
  • Witnessing the Watada Court Martial, by Rev. Dr. Barbara A. Bellus, page 6. A first-person account describes the February court-martial of 1st Lt. Ehren Watada that ended in mistrial after the judge disputed the meaning of a stipulation of fact, despite no defense testimony occurring. A federal judge later granted a stay of Watada’s second court-martial citing double jeopardy concerns.
  • It’s Raining Mochi, by Yumi Sakugawa, page 8. The columnist recounts attending a Japanese mochi-throwing ceremony celebrating a newly constructed building, where crowds gathered to catch mochi cakes, coins and snacks thrown from the rooftop. She reflects on the communal tradition and her own modest haul of three rice cakes compared to her aunt’s eight.
  • Judge Mukasey, a White House Candidate, by John Tateishi, page 8. The columnist examines Michael Mukasey’s confirmation hearings for U.S. Attorney General, focusing on his handling of the Osama Awadallah material-witness case and his ambiguous stance on presidential authority to bypass federal law. Tateishi criticizes Mukasey as another administration loyalist following Ashcroft and Gonzales.

JACL

  • DOR Organizers Seek Art Submissions to Mark 20th Anniversary of Redress, page 7. Organizers of the 2008 Day of Remembrance event are seeking art submissions themed around grassroots activism to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. The event, organized by NCRR, JACL PSW and the Japanese American National Museum, will be held Feb. 16, 2008.
  • JACL Youth Hold Biannual Retreat, by Meilee Wong, JACL Mineta Fellow, page 7. Members of the JACL National Youth/Student Council met in Chicago for a biannual retreat, planning events for the 2008 national convention in Salt Lake City and discussing creation of a new youth director position. National Director Floyd Mori encouraged greater youth involvement in shaping a ‘new JACL.’
  • JACL Seeks Applicants for Inouye Fellowship, page 7. JACL announced a new Daniel K. Inouye Fellowship focused on public policy advocacy and healthcare issues, based in the Washington, D.C. office. Applicants must hold a four-year degree, be JACL members, and submit a resume, writing sample and references by the application deadline.

Arts & Entertainment

  • Dare to Hula, Leave Your Shame at Home, by Lynda Lin, page 9. Filmmaker Lisette Marie Flanary’s documentary ‘Na Kamalei: The Men of Hula’ captures a group of male hula dancers competing under demanding teacher Robert Cazimero. The film challenges stereotypes about hula and masculinity, showing emotional male dancers preparing for a major hula competition.

Sports

  • Tokyo to Tallahassee: Yamaguchi Playing Big Role for Seminoles, by Associated Press, page 10. Mami Yamaguchi, a junior soccer player from Tokyo, has become a star forward for Florida State, tied for the Division I lead in goals and among the nation’s top scorers. Despite early struggles adapting to American culture and language, she has broken school records and aims for a national championship.

Obituaries

  • In Memoriam – 2007, page 15. A listing of Japanese American community members who recently passed away, including WWII and Korean War veterans, spanning various California cities and other states. Entries include survivors and family details for individuals such as Satoru Arita, Akira Minamide, and Masaichi Tom Sugamura.

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