Okei-san’s gravesite, and a push to preserve Gold Hill Ranch

Vol. 144, No. 6, April 6, 2007. 12 pages. View this issue

The Wakamatsu Colony and the grave of Okei-san led the news. Caroline Aoyagi-Stom wrote about Tom Fujimoto and a group of Japanese Americans who have cleaned her gravesite every year since 1970, and about local groups working with the American River Conservancy to buy and preserve the Gold Hill Ranch site. Her second feature covered the Japanese American Living Legacy and its recorded oral histories. Elsewhere, historians Margo Anderson and William Seltzer found that the Census Bureau passed information on Japanese Americans to security agencies in World War II, and an Oregon bill by Rep. Brian Clem sought honorary degrees for former students forced out of school.

The issue also reported on a hate crimes bill backed by JACL, a bill to expand the Minidoka National Historic Site, and the Masaoka Fellowship deadline. Commentary came from Floyd Mori, Larry Grant, Cheryl Watamura Martinez and Yumi Sakugawa, and sports and arts coverage closed the 12 pages.

What’s in this issue

In-Depth

• A Pioneering Japanese Colony to be Resurrected, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. Tom Fujimoto and a dedicated group of Japanese Americans have traveled annually since 1970 to clean the gravesite of Okei-san, a pioneering Japanese colonist who died in 1871. Local JA groups are now working with the American River Conservancy to purchase and preserve the Gold Hill Ranch site where the Wakamatsu Colony once stood.
• Telling the Untold JA Stories, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. The Japanese American Living Legacy organization, founded by Susan Uyemura and Natalia Yamashiro, records oral histories of lesser-known JA community members including MIS officers, POWs, and Japanese Argentinean immigrants. The all-volunteer group has grown into a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a growing archive housed at Cal State Fullerton.

National

• Study Finds Census Bureau Reported JAs to U.S. Security Agencies in WWII, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 1. Historians Margo Anderson and William Seltzer discovered documents showing the Census Bureau provided confidential information about Japanese Americans to U.S. surveillance agencies during WWII, despite decades of denials. JACL National Director Floyd Mori called the revelation another affront to Japanese Americans, drawing parallels to concerns about similar treatment of Arab Americans today.
• An Oregon State Bill Seeks to Right a WWII Injustice, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. Oregon State Rep. Brian Clem sponsored House Bill 2823, dedicated to his late father-in-law Hideo Suzuki, which would grant honorary college degrees to former Japanese American internees who were forced to leave school during WWII. The bill passed the House Education Committee and awaits further votes in the Oregon legislature.
• AA Community Rallies Around 17-Year-Old Teen Beaten on New York MTA Bus, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. Filipino American teen Marie Stefanie Martinez was beaten by a group of youths on an MTA bus after being mistaken for Chinese, while the bus driver allegedly did nothing to help. The Asian American community is demanding the NYPD investigate the attack as a hate crime and is calling for accountability from the MTA amid a civil lawsuit filed by Martinez.
• Civil Rights Groups Applaud the Reintroduction of Hate Crimes Bill, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. HR 1592, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007, seeks to expand hate crime definitions to include sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability, and is backed by JACL and over 210 organizations. The bill passed the House last year but died in the Senate, and advocates hope for swifter passage this time.
• JACL to Host Event to Honor John Tateishi, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. JACL will honor its former national redress director John Tateishi, recognizing his decades of service to the organization and the Asian American community. The article notes his historic role in securing redress for Japanese Americans interned during WWII.
• Bill Seeks to Expand Minidoka National Historic Site, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. A new bill introduced by Idaho lawmakers seeks to expand the Minidoka National Historic Site to include Hermann Farm and an eight-acre site on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The Bainbridge Island site will become home to the Nidoto Nai Yoni memorial commemorating the first JA evacuation of WWII.
• Wisconsin Man Pleads Not Guilty to Killing Hmong Hunter, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 3. James Nichols pleaded not guilty to fatally shooting and stabbing Hmong hunter Cha Vang in Wisconsin, a case that has reignited racial tensions in the region. The trial is set to begin Oct. 1, with some Hmong speculating the killing was retaliation for a 2004 incident involving a Hmong hunter who killed six white hunters.
• Bill Seeks to Strike ‘Oriental’ from the State Statute, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 3. Arizona community leaders are supporting Senate Bill 1295, which would replace the term ‘Oriental’ with ‘Asian’ in state statutes where it appears four times. The bill has cleared the Senate and awaits consideration by the House Rules Committee.
• Japanese Court Rejects Compensation Suit by Chinese WWII Slaves, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 3. A Japanese court dismissed a lawsuit seeking $1.56 million in compensation for Chinese men forced to work as slave laborers at a Japanese mine during WWII. The suit was filed against the Japanese government and Mitsubishi Metals Corp. by seven Chinese men from Shandong province.
• Change in Anti-terror Laws Sought to Aid Hmong, by Frederic J. Frommer, Associated Press, page 4. A Senate spending bill for the Iraq war includes a provision, authored by Sen. Patrick Leahy, clarifying that Hmong refugees who fought alongside Americans are not considered terrorists under the Patriot Act and Real ID Act. The provision has bipartisan support and aims to resolve unintended consequences affecting Hmong immigration status.
• Congressional APA Caucus Backs Law Benefiting Filipino Veterans, by Associated Press and P.C. Staff, page 4. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, led by Rep. Mike Honda, is backing legislation to reverse a 1946 law and restore veterans’ benefits to Filipino soldiers who fought alongside U.S. forces in WWII. The bill would affect an estimated 20,000 surviving veterans in the Philippines and United States.
• Organizations Call for Historic Nat’l APA Mobilization to D.C., by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 4. Asian Pacific American organizations are calling for a national mobilization to Washington, D.C. on April 30-May 1 in support of comprehensive immigration reform. JACL Executive Director Floyd Mori emphasized the organization’s long history of advocacy on immigration issues since its 1929 founding.
• Akaka Announces Book on WWII JA Interpreters, by Associated Press and P.C. Staff, page 6. Sen. Daniel Akaka announced the publication of a 514-page Army book documenting the contributions of Japanese American military interpreters and translators during WWII, titled ‘Nisei Linguists.’ The book was prepared in response to a request from Akaka and Sen. Daniel Inouye to document the linguists’ critical wartime roles.

Commentary

• A Worthwhile Experience: The JACL/OCA D.C. Leadership Conference, by Floyd Mori, page 2. Floyd Mori recounts the JACL/OCA D.C. Leadership Conference held March 2-6, which brought together JACL and OCA leaders to learn about government, public policy, and leadership development. The conference included meetings with lawmakers like Norman Mineta and Mazie Hirono, and Mori encourages future participation from JACL chapters.
• Support the Spring Campaign 2007, by Larry Grant, page 2. Larry Grant highlights the redesigned Pacific Citizen website and the newspaper’s various funding sources, including JACL member dues, subscriptions, advertising, and Spring Campaign donations. He urges readers to donate to this year’s campaign, which will fund improvements to the PC’s website.
• A View from Abroad — Ehren Watada, by Cheryl Watamura Martinez, page 8. Writing from Western Europe, Cheryl Watamura Martinez discusses how the case of Lt. Ehren Watada, who refused deployment to Iraq, has drawn significant international attention and sympathy. She argues that differences between WWII and the Iraq War undermine claims that Watada’s actions dishonor JA WWII veterans.
• Nanking Revisited, by Yumi Sakugawa, page 8. Yumi Sakugawa revisits the legacy of Iris Chang’s ‘The Rape of Nanking’ as the 70th anniversary of the Nanking Massacre approaches, noting multiple film projects now in development about the atrocity. She reflects on continued historical denial by Japanese officials and the lasting emotional impact of viewing graphic wartime photographs.

Community

• 65th Anniversary of Imprisonment of Bainbridge Island’s Japanese Americans, by Associated Press, page 6. Bainbridge Island commemorated the 65th anniversary of the forced removal of its Japanese American residents, the first group sent to internment camps after Pearl Harbor. The event also celebrated progress on the $5 million Nidoto Nai Yoni memorial, with 96-year-old survivor Fumiko Hayashida in attendance.

JACL

• JACL Extends Deadline for Masaoka Fellowship, by P.C. Staff, page 6. JACL announced the deadline for Masaoka Fellowship applications has been extended to May 1 for this year, though the deadline will become April 1 in future years. The fellowship, named for JACL leader Mike M. Masaoka, places recipients in the office of a member of Congress for three to three and a half months.

Sports

• Wakamatsu Happy Biding Time as Rangers’ Third Base Coach, by Associated Press and P.C. Staff, page 7. Don Wakamatsu, passed over for the Texas Rangers managerial job, has taken on the role of third base coach after building trust with new manager Ron Washington. Wakamatsu remains optimistic about future opportunities to manage in the major leagues.
• Japanese Star Shows Personal Side, by Associated Press and P.C. Staff, page 7. Boston Red Sox rookie pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka displayed his sense of humor and personal interests during a lunch interview with reporters, discussing his favorite movies, actors, and pitchers. Teammate Hideki Okajima also shared his growing friendship with Matsuzaka since joining the team.

Arts & Entertainment

• Olivia Cheng is Iris, by Lynda Lin, page 9. Chinese Canadian journalist Olivia Cheng pursued and won the lead role portraying historian Iris Chang in ‘The Woman Who Couldn’t Forget: The Iris Chang Story,’ after extensive research and personal outreach to Chang’s widower. Cheng shares personal parallels with Chang, including her own struggles with depression, as she prepares to portray Chang’s tragic story.

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