Gila River and Mama, a Vietnam bike trip, and the Little Tokyo sale

Vol. 147, No. 1, July 4, 2008. 16 pages. View this issue

A documentary about Gila River led this July 4, 2008 issue. Claire Mix is producing “Gila River and Mama: The Ruth Mix Story” about her mother, who at 15 helped smuggle goods to Japanese American internees at the camp, and the story runs on pages 1, 12 and 16. Lynda Lin reported on young Asian Pacific Americans who raised money for 180 bicycles and traveled to Vietnam to deliver them, and on the sale of the Little Tokyo Shopping Center to Korean American investors. The 20th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act and redress shaped the JACL pages. John Tateishi looked back on the campaign’s 1978 start in Salt Lake City.

Other pages cover plans for the JACL National Convention, including the Sayonara Banquet awards, and a stalled San Jose Japantown redevelopment. Also inside are the Topaz Museum’s search for architects, a Manzanar school reunion, JACL chapter scholarship winners, and sports and arts coverage, including Ann Kaneko’s film about Peru.

What’s in this issue

National

• APA Youth Journey to Vietnam for ‘A Day of Independence’, by Lynda Lin, page 1. A group of young Asian Pacific Americans from the Washington, D.C. and Virginia area raised money to buy 180 bicycles for needy children in rural Vietnam. Despite heat and fatigue, they traveled to personally deliver the bicycles and visit orphanages.
• Sale of Little Tokyo Shopping Center Sparks Ethnic Tension Debate, by Lynda Lin, page 1. The sale of the Little Tokyo Shopping Center to Korean American investors has raised concerns about the historic Japanese American identity of the neighborhood. Community members worry the new owners may convert the center to a Korean-themed or mainstream retail space.
• ‘Chink Mobile’ and Other Racial Epithets Sprayed on Korean Church Van in Georgia, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 1. Vandals spray-painted racist graffiti, including swastikas and slurs like ‘Chink mobile,’ on a Korean church van and property in Suwanee, Georgia. The JACL condemned the incident, warning that such hateful symbols should not be dismissed as youthful mischief.
• Environmental Impact Report Stalls Project to Revitalize S.J. J-town, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. An environmental impact report has halted a plan to revitalize San Jose’s Japantown due to density concerns involving traffic and parking. Developers and city officials are negotiating a reduced housing plan while community members work to preserve important neighborhood amenities.
• UC Berkeley Students Speak Out Against Administration’s Proposed East Asian Language Budget Cuts, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. A student coalition called CSEALKS presented over 7,000 petition signatures to UC Berkeley administrators opposing proposed budget cuts to East Asian Languages and Korean Studies programs. Administrators would not guarantee protection for the programs despite student testimonials about their cultural and academic importance.
• Family Ties Bring U.S. Nuclear Site Manager Back to Nagasaki, by Shannon Dininny, Associated Press Writer, page 3. Shirley Olinger, a nuclear engineer overseeing cleanup at the Hanford nuclear site that produced plutonium for the Nagasaki bomb, returned to Nagasaki with her mother Kazuko Ozaki, who survived the war nearby. The trip allowed Olinger to connect with her family’s history and Japan’s wartime legacy.
• Brazil’s Japanese Celebrate Centennial, by Stan Lehman, Associated Press Writer, page 4. Japanese Brazilians celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants’ arrival in Brazil aboard the steamship Kasato Maru in 1908. The community, now 1.5 million strong, has profoundly influenced Brazilian agriculture and culture while largely maintaining its traditions across generations.
• Electoral Glossary Now Available in Asian Languages, page 4. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission released glossaries of election terminology in five Asian languages, including Japanese, to help voters with limited English proficiency. APIAVote worked with the EAC on the project to improve political participation among Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
• National Newsbytes, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 4. This roundup covers a mistrial in a Sacramento hate crime beating death case, senators urging the U.S. to press Thailand on Hmong refugee deportations, police officers cleared in the Michael Cho shooting, Sikh community protests over attacks on students, and a court ruling favoring a Chinese Muslim detainee at Guantanamo Bay. Each brief highlights a civil rights or community issue affecting Asian American and allied communities.
• Coalition Calls for Federal Support of Culturally Based Teaching, page 5. The Campaign for High School Equity held a Congressional briefing promoting culturally based teaching as a way to close the achievement gap for minority students, including Southeast Asian Americans. Advocates argue that integrating native language and culture into curricula improves academic outcomes and prepares students for a global economy.
• APAs are Less Likely to Get Lifesaving Colorectal Cancer Screening, page 5. A UC Davis study found Asian Pacific Americans are among the least likely groups to undergo colorectal cancer screening, with disparities not fully explained by typical socioeconomic factors. Researchers recommend further study of cultural factors and improved outreach programs to boost screening rates among APAs.
• Vietnam Bicycle Project Youth Overcome Setbacks to Deliver Aid, page 11. Young Asian Pacific Americans nearly missed their trip to Vietnam after their travel agent disappeared with their money, but parents purchased new tickets so the group could fulfill their bicycle donation commitments. The teens have been visiting rural villages, enduring heat and fatigue to deliver bicycles and aid to needy children and families.
• Little Tokyo Shopping Center Sale Raises Questions on Korean American Presence in J-Towns, page 13. The $35.5 million sale of the Little Tokyo Shopping Center to Korean American investors has intensified debate over ethnic identity and development in the historic neighborhood. Community leaders express concern over the new owners’ silence and hope to engage them in dialogue to preserve Little Tokyo’s Japanese American heritage.

In-Depth

• Daughter Hopes to Fulfill Mother’s Last Wish with ‘Gila River and Mama: The Ruth Mix Story’, by Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, page 1. Claire Mix is producing a documentary about her mother Ruth, who as a 15-year-old volunteer nurse’s aide at Gila River internment camp helped smuggle goods to Japanese American internees alongside her own mother. Ruth passed away in 2007, and Claire hopes to complete the film and honor her mother’s wish to tell this story.
• Ruth Mix’s Story: A Nurse’s Aide Who Risked Her Life at Gila River, page 12. Ruth Mix, a 15-year-old volunteer nurse’s aide at Gila River internment camp, along with her mother Frida, smuggled goods and risked being tried for treason to help Japanese American internees. Her daughter Claire is now producing a documentary preserving Ruth’s testimony before her death from breast cancer in 2007.
• Finding Gila River Internees to Complete ‘Gila River and Mama’, page 16. Claire Mix is working with former Gila River internees, including Hy Shishino and Mas Inoshita, to gather additional stories and funding for her documentary about her mother Ruth’s wartime experiences. Despite her own health struggles, Claire remains determined to honor her mother’s wish to tell the story of Japanese American internment at Gila River.

JACL

• Nat’l JACL to Honor Community Members at Sayonara Banquet, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The JACL National Convention’s Sayonara Banquet on July 19 will honor Tom Tamaki with the Ruby Pin Award, and Neil King, Franklin Odo and Raymond Uno with President’s Awards. The honorees are recognized for their lifelong contributions to the Japanese American community.
• 20th Anniversary of Redress Focus of Upcoming Nat’l JACL Convention, page 7. The upcoming National JACL Convention in Salt Lake City will focus heavily on the 20th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and the historic Redress Movement. A plenary session titled ‘Redress, Then and Now’ will feature panelists discussing the legislative history and its relevance to the post-9/11 Muslim community.
• Former AJC Director Ernest Weiner to be Honored at JACL Nat’l Convention, page 7. Ernest H. Weiner, retired executive director of the American Jewish Committee for Northern California, will be honored at the JACL National Convention for his role in supporting the Redress campaign. Weiner suggested pursuing a commission approach to redress and helped make AJC the first major organization to endorse the effort.

Community

• UCLA Asian American Studies Center Director to Retire Next Year, page 5. Don Nakanishi will retire as director of the Asian American Studies Center at UCLA after 18 years leading the center and 35 years at the university. He plans to continue working on East Los Angeles advancement, writing, and educational and political engagement.
• White House Honors Two APAICS Members, page 5. David L. Kim and William Marumoto of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies received the President’s Volunteer Service Award, the nation’s highest honor for community service. Both have long histories of service to Asian American organizations and community boards.
• AAJA Announces Winners of Top Awards, page 5. The Asian American Journalists Association presented top awards to Dith Pran, Simon Li and Dori Maynard at its gala scholarship and awards banquet in Chicago. The honorees were recognized for their significant contributions to journalism.
• 442nd Veteran Retires, Receives Award from Secretary of Defense, page 5. Seikichi Kaneshiro received the Outstanding Civilian Career Service award from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates after 66 years of service and retired from his post at Anderson Air Force Base in Guam. Gates praised Kaneshiro as an example of extraordinary service.
• High School Student Masunaga Selected as U.S. Senate Page, page 5. Colette Masunaga, a 16-year-old student from Hawaii, was selected as a U.S. Senate Page by Sen. Daniel Inouye. She is one of 30 pages working in Washington, D.C. this summer.
• Topaz Museum Board Seeks Architects, page 6. The Topaz Museum board is seeking architects and exhibit designers to create a new complex in Delta, Utah, commemorating the history of the Topaz Internment Camp alongside two other local museums. The complex will include a restored recreation hall allowing visitors to experience conditions internees lived under.
• NH Diversity Group Honors Sen. Inouye and JAVA, by Associated Press and P.C. Staff, page 6. The New Hampshire Cultural Diversity Awareness Council honored Sen. Daniel Inouye and the Japanese American Veterans Association with its Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ‘Keeping the Dream Alive’ award. Former Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta presented JAVA’s award at the Capitol Hill ceremony.
• JA Veterans Group to Add More Names to Korean War Memorial, page 6. Four newly discovered names of Japanese American soldiers killed in the Korean War will be added to the JA Korean War Memorial in South Korea, bringing the total to 251. The memorial will be rededicated during a September tour organized by Japanese American Korean War Veterans.
• Get Your Family Story in the Nanka Nikkei Voices, page 6. The Nanka Nikkei Voices committee is seeking submissions for its fourth volume, focusing on the Japanese American family. The publication collects first-person stories from Japanese Americans in Southern California about family life, values and customs.
• Manzanar School Reunion Committee Announces Kaji as Keynote Speaker, page 6. Bruce Kaji, founding president of the Japanese American National Museum and former Manzanar internee, will be the keynote speaker at the Manzanar School Reunion’s annual dinner banquet. The reunion, themed ‘Manzanar…Continue The Legacy,’ will be held in Las Vegas in October.
• JACL Chapters Announce Scholarship Winners, page 16. Several JACL chapters, including San Gabriel Valley, Las Vegas, Twin Cities, Puyallup Valley and San Jose, recently awarded scholarships to deserving high school and college students. San Jose JACL’s scholarship luncheon also featured a presentation marking the 20th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.

Sports

• Pacquiao Becomes First Asian Boxer to Win Major Titles at Four Weights, page 5. Manny Pacquiao defeated WBC Lightweight Champion David Diaz, becoming the first Asian boxer to win major titles in four weight classes. He previously won world titles at 112, 122 and 130 pounds and knocked out Marco Barrera in 2003.
• No Longer a Novelty Through Age or Game, Wie Tries to Start Over, page 10. Michelle Wie, now 18, is working to rebuild her golf career after wrist injuries derailed her 2007 season, competing again at the U.S. Women’s Open through qualifying rather than a special exemption. She reflects on the humbling experience and her determination to prove she can become a stronger player.
• Yao Ming Aiming for July Return to Play, page 10. NBA star Yao Ming returned to light training with China’s national basketball team ahead of the Beijing Olympics after recovering from a stress fracture in his foot. Yao acknowledged the immense pressure of competing in his home country’s Olympics and the tough competition his team faces in the preliminary round.

Commentary

• A Historic Return, by John Tateishi, page 8. Former JACL national director John Tateishi reflects on the 30th anniversary of the launch of the JACL’s redress campaign from Salt Lake City in 1978. He recounts the strategic, grassroots effort that led to the Commission hearings and eventual passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
• Slow Down, Shut Up, by Yumi Sakugawa, page 8. Columnist Yumi Sakugawa describes life in the slow, quiet Japanese city of Kimitsu, contrasting it with the fast pace of big cities like Tokyo. She reflects on learning to live fully in the present, inspired by her elderly relatives who tend farms and appreciate simple daily moments.

Arts & Entertainment

• A JA in Peru: Ann Kaneko’s Film Explores Life After Fujimori, by Lynda Lin, page 9. Filmmaker Ann Kaneko’s documentary ‘Against the Grain: An Artist’s Survival Guide to Peru’ examines Peruvian artists’ self-expression following the fall of Alberto Fujimori’s regime. The film, which took over five years to make, explores themes of political voice and identity relevant to both Peruvian and American artists.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.