Interracial marriage and the Miyagawa love story, plus Watada letters

Vol. 143, No. 9, November 3, 2006. 12 pages. View this issue

The love story of Dick Miyagawa and Marion Smithback ran across the front page and page 12. Lynda Lin told how the Nisei boxer and his Norwegian American wife married twice because anti-miscegenation laws did not recognize their union. Marion died Oct. 18 at 84. Lynda Lin also reported on San Francisco’s JROTC programs, which faced a possible ban over the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, and on the Nikkei Senior Garden planned in the San Fernando Valley. Caroline Aoyagi-Stom wrote about Mack Miya’s closing gym in Toronto and the effort to preserve the Castroville Japanese school.

Readers wrote four letters and columns about 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, and the JACL Honolulu chapter planned a panel on his case. Cory Shiozaki’s documentary about trout fishing at Manzanar got a feature on page 9. The National pages covered immigrant rights marches in New York and a voter intimidation complaint. Page 5 reported plans for a Pinedale memorial.

What’s in this issue

National

• Judy Miyagawa’s Parents: A Nisei Boxer and a Norwegian Homemaker’s Love Story, by Lynda Lin, page 1. Dick Miyagawa, a Nisei boxer, and his Norwegian American wife Marion married twice because their interracial union was not legally recognized due to anti-miscegenation laws. Marion passed away Oct. 18 at 84, years after Dick’s death in 2001, and their family continues to celebrate their enduring love story.
• Longstanding Military Leadership Program Faces Uncertain Future, by Lynda Lin, page 1. San Francisco’s JROTC programs, which serve a predominantly APA student population, face a possible ban due to the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. Supporters argue the program builds leadership skills among Asian American youth, while opponents call it a recruitment tool with no place in schools.
• Affirmative Action Ballot Measure Stirs Debate, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Michigan voters will decide this November on a ballot measure to ban the state government from using race and gender in college admissions, hiring, and contracting decisions. The measure is opposed by both gubernatorial candidates and various business, labor, and religious groups, though polls show it has a chance of passing.
• Army Recycling World War II Buildings at Fort Lewis, Washington, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Fort Lewis is partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to salvage materials from hundreds of dilapidated World War II-era buildings instead of sending them to landfills. The pilot project aims to help the base achieve zero net waste by 2025 while recovering valuable old-growth lumber and other materials.
• Zia to Receive Justice in Action Award at Lunar New Year Gala, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. Author and activist Helen Zia will be honored with the 2007 Justice in Action Award by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund at its Lunar New Year Gala in New York City. The award recognizes achievements in advancing justice and equality.
• First L.A. Unified School Named After Asian American, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. Charles H. Kim New Elementary School is the first Los Angeles Unified school to be named after an Asian American. Kim, a Korean immigrant, became the first Korean American millionaire and helped establish Los Angeles’ Koreatown district.
• Thousands of Immigrant Rights Advocates Take to New York Streets Demanding Fair Immigration Reform, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. Over 75 New York-area immigration rights groups and more than 2,000 protesters marched in Times Square demanding full legalization and an end to deportations after Congress failed to pass immigration reform. The coalition presented a platform of demands including keeping families together and clearing immigration backlogs.
• APA Groups Call for Investigation in Anti-Latino Voter Intimidation, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Asian Pacific American groups joined Latino organizations in requesting an investigation into Congressional candidate Tan Nguyen’s mailers that allegedly warned Latino immigrants they could be deported if they voted. Nguyen has denied approving or having knowledge of the mailer, which is under investigation by state and federal authorities.
• Limited English Voters Need Equal Access at Polls, Advocates Say, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. A coalition of Asian Pacific American groups will monitor over 100 San Francisco polling places to ensure limited English proficient voters can access language assistance during the November election. The San Francisco Department of Elections provides translated materials and bilingual poll workers at precincts meeting certain thresholds.
• JROTC Program Draws Support and Criticism Amid Ban Vote, by Lynda Lin, page 6. San Francisco’s JROTC program, with roughly 90 percent APA participation at Lowell High School, faces a school board vote to eliminate it due to the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. Supporters argue the program builds crucial leadership skills for Asian American youth who lack role models, while critics call it a military recruitment tool that discriminates against LGBT individuals.
• Enduring Love: The Miyagawa Family Legacy, page 12. The article continues the story of Dick Miyagawa, an NCAA boxing champion who overcame WWII internment and anti-miscegenation laws to build a lasting marriage with his wife Marion. Their son Rick and daughter Judy share memories of their parents’ devotion, noting the family plans to scatter both their ashes together along the Hawaiian coastline.

Community

• Final Chapter for Mack Miya, Former ‘World’s Strongest Man’ Pound for Pound, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. Japanese Canadian bodybuilding legend Mack Miya, 83, is being forced to close his Toronto gym, Mack’s Gym, due to health problems and a landlord raising rent. Despite the closure, Mack plans to continue training and hopes to pursue a book deal about his storied career.
• Communities Work to Preserve Historic Castroville Japanese School, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. Former students and the local Hispanic community in Castroville, California are working together on a redevelopment project to restore the historic Japanese language school building. The project, themed ‘Kodomo No Tame Ni’ (For the Sake of the Children), aims to build a community center, ball fields, library and museum on the site.
• A Luxurious Place for Senior JAs to Call Home, by Lynda Lin, page 1. The San Fernando Valley Japanese American Community Center is developing the Nikkei Senior Garden, a $16.5 million assisted-living facility for Japanese American seniors, after a seven-year planning process. The project has become financially complicated, requiring a $2.3 million hard money loan collateralized against the Community Center, sparking community controversy.
• Pinedale ‘Remembrance Plaza’ Moves a Step Closer to Reality, page 5. The Pinedale Assembly Center Memorial Project Committee has reached an agreement with the City of Fresno and a developer to create Remembrance Plaza, a memorial honoring the over 4,800 Japanese Americans confined at the site during WWII. A groundbreaking ceremony is planned for Feb. 19, 2007, the 65th anniversary of Executive Order 9066.
• Vets Encouraged to Wear Medals for Veterans Day, page 5. The Veterans Pride Initiative, launched by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and veteran organization leaders including Japanese American veterans Yeiichi Kelly Kuwayama and Grant Hirabayashi, encourages veterans to wear their military medals on Veterans Day. The campaign is modeled after a similar Australian and New Zealand tradition of honoring military service.
• JACL Honolulu Event to Feature Panel on Watada Case, page 5. The JACL Honolulu chapter is sponsoring an event on Nov. 19 featuring Bob Watada, father of 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, and law professor John Van Dyke discussing the constitutionality of Watada’s refusal to deploy to Iraq. The event aims to address the divisive debate within the Japanese American community over Watada’s court martial case.
• Fellowship Available for Future Scientists, page 5. The Biotechnology Institute is accepting applications for its 2007 Minority and Indigenous Fellows Program, a mentoring program for minority graduate students and early career scientists. The program includes training in Boston and attendance at the International BIO Convention, with all costs covered by the Institute.

Commentary

• Vacations, Vacations, Vacations!!!, by Edwin Endow, page 2. JACL Credit Union V.P. of Membership Edwin Endow explains a new points-based vacation rewards program available to all JACL members through the Credit Union. Members can earn points through memberships, loans, and other services to receive free vacation vouchers, with accumulated vouchers redeemable for a cruise.
• Iraq is a War of Choice, by F.U. Takeda, page 2. A letter writer expresses support for 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, arguing that the issues surrounding his refusal to deploy were settled at the Nuremberg Trials. The writer contends the Iraq War is a war of choice initiated by President Bush and urges scrutiny of the PNAC doctrine.
• Reader Admonishes P.C. for Watada Coverage, by Howard Okamoto, page 2. A veteran and JACL member criticizes the Pacific Citizen for its extensive coverage of 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, arguing that Watada breached his oath as an officer by refusing deployment. The writer contends the newspaper should not use its platform to promote one individual’s personal political views.
• JACL Mid-Columbia Chapter to Disband, by Cli. Nakamura, page 2. The JACL Mid-Columbia chapter in Hood River, Oregon, organized in 1931, has decided to disband after 75 years due to a dwindling membership. The chapter had been held together in recent years by two non-Japanese women married to Sansei members.
• Watada Should Suck It Up, by Curt Oda, page 2. The writer refutes another reader’s constitutional arguments supporting Ehren Watada and argues that Watada made an error joining the military if he had reservations about war. The writer asserts Watada’s refusal to deploy constitutes aiding the enemy and calls on him to accept the consequences of his actions.
• The Way I Walk, by Yumi Sakugawa, page 8. Columnist Yumi Sakugawa reflects on her experiences being identified as Japanese by strangers while traveling in Asia, exploring the phenomenon of ethnic guessing games common among Asian Americans. She recounts an amusing encounter with a British man in Singapore who claimed he could tell she was Japanese by the way she walked.

Sports

• Japanese Champ Defends Hamburger-Eating Title in U.S., page 7. Japanese competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi won his third straight Krystal hamburger-eating contest, setting a new world record by eating 97 hamburgers in eight minutes. Kobayashi, who also holds the hot dog-eating world record, beat runner-up Joey Chestnut who ate 91 burgers.
• Ando Surprising Winner Over Meissner and Asada, by Barry Wilner, page 7. Japanese figure skater Miki Ando won gold at Skate America, bouncing back from a disappointing 15th-place finish at the Turin Olympics with a personal-best free skate score. Ando’s win completed a sweep for Japan after countryman Nobunari Oda won the men’s title, while American Kimmie Meissner took silver and Japan’s Mao Asada struggled to third.
• S. Korea’s Hong Earns Maiden LPGA Victory at Kolon-Hana Bank, page 7. South Korea’s Hong Jin-joo won the Kolon-Hana Bank Championship in her first attempt at a U.S. LPGA event, finishing at 11-under 205 despite a closing double bogey. The victory continued South Korea’s dominance on the LPGA tour, marking the fifth consecutive year a South Korean has claimed the title.

Arts & Entertainment

• Not Just Another Big Fish Story, by Lynda Lin, page 9. Filmmaker Cory Shiozaki is producing a documentary about former Manzanar internees who risked punishment to sneak out and fish for trout as a taste of freedom during WWII incarceration. Shiozaki, an experienced fishing guide and Hollywood cameraman, has collected oral histories and fishing artifacts from survivors for the in-progress film.

Obituaries

• In Memoriam — 2006, page 11. This compilation lists Japanese American community members who passed away in 2006, including their survivors and family details. The list includes WWII veterans from the 442nd RCT and MIS among the deceased.
• Ruth Rae (Kawazoye) Rauskin, page 11. Ruth Rae Rauskin passed away Oct. 9 at her home in Sun City, Arizona at age 77, predeceased by her husband of 26 years, Adam T. Rauskin. She was an avid bowler and golfer who is survived by five brothers and four sisters along with many nieces and nephews.

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