Santa Anita’s Japanese American history, and a JACL debate over Watada

Vol. 145, No. 7, October 5, 2007. 16 pages. View this issue

Santa Anita racetrack led the October 5, 2007 issue. Lynda Lin wrote about the Okimoto family’s months at the Santa Anita Assembly Center during World War II, and about worries that the track’s debt-driven revitalization plans could put preservation of that history at risk. A second front-page story followed a proposed feedlot near the Minidoka Internment National Monument in Idaho, where former internees spoke at hearings. Four commentary pieces by Ernest M. Kimoto, Don Ino and Leo H. Hosoda took up the JACL board’s resolution on Lt. Ehren Watada.

Elsewhere in these 16 pages: a Heart Mountain campaign for an Interpretive Learning Center, the new Masaoka Fellow, Floyd Mori’s thanks for the national JACL gala, and a call for a JACL name change. John Tateishi wrote about Toyota and NASCAR. National briefs covered the Jena 6, a hate crimes bill and the failed habeas corpus measure.

What’s in this issue

In-Depth

• Is There Room for JA History in the Sport of Kings?, by Lynda Lin, page 1. The Okimoto family’s history at the Santa Anita Assembly Center, where thousands of Japanese Americans were held during WWII, is examined amid the racetrack’s revitalization plans and $700 million debt crisis. Critics worry that Magna Entertainment Corp.’s restructuring and potential sale of ownership stakes could threaten the site’s fragile JA historical preservation efforts.

National

• Worshipping Under a New Blended Identity, by Lynda Lin, page 1. A Japanese American congregation and a mostly white Caucasian church in Chatsworth, Calif. officially merged in May after years of sharing facilities and pastors. The merger brought growing pains as both congregations navigated cultural identity, tradition, and a new power dynamic in the united Chatsworth West United Methodist Church.
• Nurse Files Suit Against H&M for Racial Slurs, by Elaine Low, Special to the Pacific Citizen, page 1. Frannie Richards, a retired Air Force reserve staff sergeant, filed a discrimination complaint against H&M after an employee shouted racial slurs at her in a Chicago store. The incident follows the suspicious drowning death of an Asian American fisherman in Chicago, raising concerns about rising anti-Asian sentiment in the city.
• Online Forum Reaches Out to HIV-Positive APA Youth, page 1. William Ching, a 21-year-old UC Berkeley student, tested positive for HIV in July and found few resources for APA youth living with the virus. Frustrated by the lack of support, he launched the HIV Youth Project, an online community forum for HIV-positive APA youth.
• Idaho Commissioners Mull Over Proposed Controversial Feedlot, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 3. Jerome County Commissioners in Idaho held marathon public hearings on a proposed 13,000-heifer feedlot near the Minidoka Internment National Monument. Former internees and residents testified against the project, citing pollution concerns and threats to the historic site’s heritage, with a decision expected Oct. 9.
• Pentagon: Dropping Yee’s Porn, Adultery Reprimand was a Mistake, by Gene Johnson, AP Legal Affairs Writer, page 4. The Pentagon’s inspector general concluded the Army largely handled the case of Muslim chaplain Capt. James Yee properly, though two mistakes were cited, including a general improperly dismissing Yee’s reprimand. Yee, who was detained 76 days in a 2003 espionage probe and later cleared, disputes the findings and calls the report a cover-up.
• Stamp Committee to Review Nisei Veterans, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 4. A grassroots campaign to honor Nisei WWII veterans with a postage stamp received word that the proposal will be reviewed by the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee for stamps to be printed in 2010 or later. The campaign, led by Wayne Osako, also seeks to feature the Tuskegee Airmen and Navajo code talkers in the same stamp series.
• National Newsbytes, by Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press, page 4. A roundup of national news briefs covers the murder trial of a Wisconsin man accused of killing a Hmong hunter, Mattel’s apology to China over toy recalls, a hate crime against an APA high school student in Ohio, a Columbia University student’s disputed arrest, and a series of hate crimes against Asian fishermen near Toronto.
• JACL Expresses Concern Over Unfair Treatment of ‘Jena 6’, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 5. The JACL expressed concern over the unequal treatment of six black teenagers in Jena, La. charged in the beating of a white classmate after racial tensions grew from an earlier incident involving nooses hung on a tree. JACL’s National Youth Student Council drew parallels to their own experiences with discrimination and called for fairness under the law.
• U.S. Senate Democrats Try to Advance Hate Crime Bill; Opponents Say it will Fail, by Associated Press and P.C. Staff, page 5. The Senate attached a hate crimes measure to a defense authorization bill in an effort to force President Bush to sign it into law, despite his veto threat. The JACL has long supported the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 and urged members to lobby senators for its passage.
• Oregon Family’s License Plates Deemed Offensive to APAs, by Associated Press, page 7. An Oregon family named Udink was ordered to surrender their vanity license plates (UDINK1, UDINK2, UDINK3) after a DMV panel determined the name could be interpreted as an offensive racial slur toward Asians. The family says their Dutch surname has been used for years without complaint and questions the state’s authority to censor family names.
• HIV Project (continued), page 11. William Ching and Henry Lao, both young HIV-positive Asian Americans, share their experiences of isolation and difficulty finding culturally relevant support after their diagnoses. Through the HIV Youth Project website, they hope to build community and encourage others to share their stories without shame.
• Habeas Corpus Restoration Measure Fails Despite Support, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 16. The Senate narrowly rejected legislation that would have restored military detainees’ right to challenge their detention in federal court, falling four votes short of the 60 needed. JACL leaders expressed disappointment but pledged to continue working toward restoring habeas corpus rights, drawing parallels to WWII-era civil rights violations.

Commentary

• Re: Nat’l JACL Resolution on Watada, by Ernest M. Kimoto, page 2. A former Marine Corps Judge Advocate and Vietnam veteran praises the JACL board’s resolution on Lt. Ehren Watada for focusing on fairness rather than military legal technicalities. He acknowledges disagreement with Watada’s refusal of orders but honors his service, while also calling attention to the many Asian Pacific Islander service members who died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• A Demonstration of Courage, by Don Ino, page 2. The writer praises the national JACL board for approving a resolution supporting Lt. Ehren Watada, framing it as a matter of civil rights and moral responsibility. He argues that ending the war in Iraq is the best way to support troops and that Watada’s stance reflects courageous moral reasoning.
• JACL Should Take a Neutral Stand on Watada, by Leo H. Hosoda, page 2. A WWII and Korean War veteran argues that JACL should remain neutral on the Watada case since it involves military law and Watada is a service member, not a civilian. He expresses distress that support for Watada contradicts the spirit of a recent JACL veterans’ salute event.
• A JACL Name Change, by David Kawamoto, page 2. The writer references Mike Masaoka’s 1942 explanation of the JACL acronym’s meaning and suggests it may be time to add a progressive tagline reflecting the organization’s representation of the broader APA community. He cites the 25th anniversary of Vincent Chin’s killing as a reminder of the need for greater inclusivity.
• If We Must Change, Let’s Keep it JACL, by Fujiko Kitagawa, page 2. The writer expresses reluctance about changing the JACL’s name but suggests that if change is necessary, the acronym JACL itself should be retained. She notes that her grandchildren, though only half Japanese, are proud of their Japanese heritage.
• It’s a Wander-ful Life, by Yumi Sakugawa, page 8. Columnist Yumi Sakugawa reflects on her decision to teach English in Japan, joining a global subculture of young, wandering English teachers, while living with relatives in the house where her mother grew up. She contemplates her mother’s own decades-earlier migration to America and whether she might follow a similar path in reverse.
• NASCAR: A Barometer of America, by John Tateishi, page 8. Former JACL national director John Tateishi examines the backlash against Toyota’s entry into NASCAR racing, comparing it to earlier anti-Japan sentiment when Toyota built a plant in Kentucky. He argues the negative reaction reflects a broader, troubling rise in anti-Asian sentiment across the country.

Community

• So. Calif. JA Community Center Hoping to Rebuild, by Lynda Lin, page 3. The East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center’s social hall, built in the 1930s, was closed in July 2007 due to water and termite damage that made it structurally unsound. The center is now raising $1.5 million to build a bigger, soundproof replacement hall to serve its JA organizations, language school, and temple.
• APAs in the News, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 5. A roundup of community news briefs highlights San Jose JACL’s upcoming recognition dinner honorees, San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew’s suspension amid fraud charges, four APAs receiving MacArthur ‘genius grants,’ and other honors including a JCCH gala and State Controller John Chiang’s leadership award.
• Heart Mountain Foundation Launches Campaign for Interpretive Center, page 6. The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation launched a campaign for a $5.4 million Interpretive Learning Center on the site of the former Heart Mountain Relocation Center, recently designated a National Historic Landmark. Former Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and former Sen. Alan Simpson, who met as boys at the camp, serve as honorary campaign co-chairs.
• U.S. Dept. of Commerce Unveils Official Mineta Portrait, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 6. The U.S. Department of Commerce unveiled the official portrait of Norman Mineta, who served as Commerce Secretary before becoming Transportation Secretary, on the 20th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act’s passage. Mineta was the first Asian American appointed to a Presidential Cabinet and the first to serve in both Democratic and Republican Cabinets.

JACL

• Nina Fallenbaum Selected as New Masaoka Fellow, page 6. Nina Kahori Fallenbaum was named the recipient of the 2007-2008 Mike M. Masaoka Congressional Fellowship and will work in Sen. Daniel Inouye’s office beginning in 2008. The fellowship, established in 1988, develops leaders for public service among college seniors and graduate students.
• Many Thanks for a Successful Gala, by Floyd Mori, page 7. National JACL Director Floyd Mori thanks the many individuals and sponsors who contributed to the successful inaugural national JACL gala in Washington, D.C., honoring figures like Sen. Daniel Inouye and Sen. Larry Craig. The event featured George Takei as emcee and violinist Tamaki Kawakubo, raising funds and visibility for the organization.

Arts & Entertainment

• This Birdie Can Sing, by Lynda Lin, page 9. Nineteen-year-old Laotian American singer Birdie (Souphak Xaphakdy) is gaining local fame in Minnesota’s Twin Cities thanks to the area’s large Hmong population, aiming to become the first Laotian American pop star. Despite a dramatic debut performance mishap, she continues pursuing her music career with her debut CD ‘Underground Pop Xposed.’

Sports

• High School Coach Improperly Recruited Samoan Players, page 10. An investigation found that an assistant football coach at Fresno’s Franklin High School improperly recruited more than a dozen players from American Samoa, providing them housing and helping falsify residency documents. The school district disputes the report’s ethnic focus, while the California Interscholastic Federation considers possible penalties.
• Kwan Named to U.S. Delegation for Opening Ceremonies, page 10. Figure skater Michelle Kwan was named to the 10-person U.S. delegation for the Special Olympics World Summer Games opening ceremonies in Shanghai. Kwan serves as the country’s first special sports envoy, a diplomatic role aimed at improving the U.S. image abroad.
• Suspicious Death the Latest Problem for Japan’s National Sport, page 10. Japanese police are investigating the trainer of a 17-year-old sumo wrestler, Takashi Saito, who died under suspicious circumstances after what may have been a violent beating during practice. The case has added to sumo’s troubles following grand champion Asashoryu’s suspension, prompting a full government investigation into the sport.

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