Student struggles and the E-Verify debate, with a sports gala

Vol. 153, No. 7, October 7, 2011. 16 pages. View this issue

Money and opportunity ran through the news pages. Nalea J. Ko reported on the Legal Workforce Act, which would require employers to use E-Verify, and on Asian Pacific American advocates who say its error rates hurt workers. Christine Fukushima covered UC Berkeley students protesting a satirical bake sale aimed at California’s Senate Bill 185, and Christine McFadden profiled students dealing with rising tuition. In the commentary pages, Floyd Mori wrote about JACL’s economic model, and Bill Yoshino described the organization’s three program pillars.

Other stories looked at history and remembrance. Photographs from the Heart Mountain camp were donated to Washington State University, and a date was set for the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony honoring the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team. A Fort Missoula courtroom used for wartime loyalty hearings was dedicated, and a Fresno memorial was rededicated. JACL’s Salute to Champions gala honored sports figures, and the Jabbawockeez were profiled.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• They Were Concentration Camps, by Yoshie Tanabe, page 2. A reader responds to a previous commentary about the JA WWII experience, citing quotes from FDR, Congressman John Rankin, Justice Tom Clark, and President Truman that referred to the camps as concentration camps. The letter writer expresses continued sadness about the historical injustice and thanks the paper for its coverage.
• A Winning Economic Model, by Floyd Mori, page 2. National Director Floyd Mori reflects on his career in economics, politics, and business, drawing lessons from the film ‘Moneyball’ about maximizing limited resources for maximum results. He argues JACL must modernize its economic and communications model to remain relevant and effective as a civil rights organization.
• Pledge of Allegiance, by Fred Shinoda, page 2. A reader criticizes John Tateishi’s pride in changing the Pledge of Allegiance wording and suggests JACL instead campaign to remove ‘In God We Trust’ from currency. The writer also questions why the organization is losing members given its 28-member national board.
• The Score Update, by Phillip Ozaki, page 2. Membership Coordinator Phillip Ozaki provides an update on a membership recruitment contest, noting board members who have scored points recruiting new or upgraded members. He encourages readers to upgrade their memberships and provides contact information before the contest deadline of Oct. 24.
• PANA: Gazing at the North-South Dimension, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Harry Honda recounts the history and recent Cancun convention of the Pan American Nikkei Association (PANA), which connects Nikkei communities across North, Central, and South America. The 2011 convention drew 285 participants from 17 countries and featured youth leadership, cultural workshops, and a re-election of PANA’s president.
• Traveling to Japan, by Gil Asakawa, page 8. Gil Asakawa writes about his upcoming trip to Japan with his wife and mother, planning to support the country’s recovery post-earthquake by spending money there despite skipping the devastated Tohoku region. He reflects on the differing relationships Sansei and Yonsei Japanese Americans have with Japan and reconnecting with his own roots and family.
• JACL’s Three Pillars, by Bill Yoshino, page 10. Midwest regional director Bill Yoshino outlines JACL’s three main program pillars: Social Justice Advocacy, Leadership Training and Development, and Cultural Heritage and Preservation. He details specific programs under each pillar, from monitoring hate crimes to teacher training workshops on JA incarceration history.

JACL

• Gala Honors Sports Leaders, by P.C. Staff, page 2. JACL honored outstanding sports figures including Rep. Eni Faleomavaega, NBA pioneer Wat Misaka, MLB manager Don Wakamatsu, and posthumously Tsueno ‘Cappy’ Harada at its Sept. 29 ‘Salute to Champions’ gala in Washington, D.C. NBC Philadelphia news anchor Denise Nakano served as emcee for the event.
• Dynamic Leader in Wasatch Front North JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Marion Hori revived the struggling Wasatch Front North JACL chapter in Utah, growing membership from about 25 to 75 through fundraisers and social events after being urged to lead by her husband. Her dedication is rooted in her family’s WWII incarceration history and a deep multi-generational commitment to JACL.

National

• APAs Criticize Bill Mandating E-Verify to Weed Out Undocumented Workers, by Nalea J. Ko, page 3. The Legal Workforce Act, which would mandate employers use the E-Verify system before hiring, is drawing criticism from Asian Pacific American advocates who say it disproportionately harms AAPI workers due to high error rates in the system. Critics cite personal accounts of workers wrongly flagged as ineligible, while supporters argue the bill is necessary given high unemployment rates.
• Heart Mountain Internment Photos Donated to Washington State, by Nicholas K. Geranios, Associated Press, page 6. A massive collection of about 2,000 photographs taken by George Hirahara and his son Frank at the Heart Mountain internment camp has been donated to Washington State University by Frank’s daughter Patti Hirahara. Half of the collection will be made available online starting October 2012 thanks to a National Park Service grant, and the photos are considered the largest collection from the camp.
• Army Officer Discharged Under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Will Re-enlist, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 6. Korean American Army veteran Dan Choi, who was discharged in 2010 for coming out as gay, plans to re-enlist now that ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ has been repealed. Choi, honored by JACL for his activism against the policy, had famously handcuffed himself to the White House fence in protest.
• Date Set For Gold Medal Ceremony, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 6. A Congressional Gold Medal ceremony honoring Japanese American WWII veterans of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and Military Intelligence Service will be held Nov. 2 in Washington, D.C. The National Veterans Network is hosting related events including a gala dinner and a ceremony at the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism.
• WWII ‘Loyalty Hearing’ Courtroom Dedicated, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 7. A restored Fort Missoula courtroom used for WWII ‘loyalty hearings’ of over 1,000 Issei men was dedicated Sept. 24, preserving a piece of history where the government screened Japanese immigrant men for potential disloyalty. None of the men detained were ever charged with disloyalty, and the site is working with the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center on a related exhibit.
• Grants Available For NPS Grant Program, by P.C. Staff, page 12. The National Park Service is accepting applications through Nov. 1 for grants to preserve and interpret WWII Japanese American confinement sites, with nearly $7 million already awarded to 66 projects since the program began in 2006. Eligible uses include research, interpretive centers, oral histories, and land purchases at several historic camp sites.

In-Depth

• Protesting Pastries for Affirmative Action, by Christine Fukushima, page 4. UC Berkeley students protested the Berkeley College Republicans’ ‘Increase Diversity Bake Sale,’ a satirical event pricing pastries by race to mock California Senate Bill 185, which would allow consideration of race in university admissions. The article explores differing perspectives from students and examines how affirmative action bans have affected Asian American and Filipino American enrollment at UC campuses.
• Asian American Students Struggle With Rising Tuition, by Christine McFadden, page 5. Rising tuition costs and budget cuts at universities across the country are forcing Asian Pacific American students to take on extra jobs, more loans, or delay their education. The article profiles several students at Oregon State, University of Connecticut, Pacific Lutheran University, and Stanford who describe financial struggles from cuts to grants, work-study programs, and health insurance requirements.
• Sculptor Helps Resurrect Landmark Ohio Jesus Statue, by Nalea J. Ko, page 11. Japanese American sculptor Tom Tsuchiya is creating a new 50-foot fireproof statue of Jesus to replace the ‘Touchdown Jesus’ statue destroyed by lightning at Ohio’s Solid Rock Church. Tsuchiya, known for sports statues around Cincinnati, discusses his artistic background, his Japanese heritage’s influence on his work, and other projects including a recycled-materials sculpture.

Arts & Entertainment

• The Jabbawockeez Unmasked, by Nalea J. Ko, page 9. The Jabbawockeez, an Asian American-influenced dance crew who won ‘America’s Best Dance Crew’ in 2008, discuss their journey to a residency show at Las Vegas’ Monte Carlo Resort, extended through Spring 2012. Members reflect on their heritage, evolving masks, and how the group opened doors for Asian American dancers on television.
• S.F. Arts School Named After JA Artist, by P.C. Staff, page 14. A San Francisco public arts high school has been renamed the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts in honor of its founder, acclaimed Japanese American wire sculpture artist Ruth Asawa. Asawa, known for public fountains including works in San Francisco’s Japantown, was unable to attend the renaming ceremony due to illness.

Community

• Fresno Assembly Center Memorial Rededicated, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 10. A memorial at the former WWII Japanese American assembly center site in Fresno was rededicated Oct. 5, featuring storyboards, banners, and a wall inscribed with internees’ names. The $180,000 project was funded by a state grant and community contributions, commemorating the more than 5,000 JAs who passed through the site in 1942.
• S.J. JACL’s Community Recognition Dinner to be Held Oct. 15, by P.C. Staff, page 10. San Jose JACL’s 9th Annual Community Recognition Dinner will honor local leaders including the founders of San Jose Taiko and other community figures on Oct. 15. KTVU reporter Jana Katsuyama will emcee the event, which will also feature a silent auction to benefit chapter programs.
• Placer JACL Continues Fundraising for WWII Monument, by P.C. Staff, page 10. Placer JACL still needs to raise about $40,000 to complete a memorial honoring JA WWII veterans from Placer and Sacramento Counties, featuring inscribed bricks and a bronze plaque telling the internment story. The chapter is selling raffle tickets for a bronze scale model with the drawing to be held on Veterans Day.
• Restoration Effort Underway at Gresham Japanese Garden, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 11. A Japanese garden in Gresham, Oregon, donated by the Gresham-Troutdale JACL in 1975, is being restored after years of neglect through volunteer efforts led by resident Tomiko Takeuchi. The Gresham Sister City Association has adopted the garden, and organizers hope to have it ready by Obon season.
• Japanese Americans Lead 9/11 10th Anniversary Sacramento Memorial, by Andy Noguchi and Twila Tomita, page 12. A diverse gathering of 150 people, including JA camp survivors, Muslim, Sikh, and other community members, held a 9/11 10th anniversary memorial at Sacramento’s Buddhist Church of Florin to honor victims and support communities facing backlash. Speakers included former camp incarcerees, CAIR-SV’s executive director, Sikh community representatives, and former Sacramento Mayor Anne Rudin.
• Senzaki Wins GLAS JACL Scholarship, by P.C. Staff, page 12. Tenaya Senzaki of Altadena, a 2011 Tournament of Roses princess and Pasadena High School graduate with a 4.0 GPA, won the Greater L.A. Singles JACL’s 2011 Hana Uno Shepard Memorial Scholarship. She is attending UC San Diego and considering a major in psychology.
• Florida Memorial Dedicated in Honor of WWII Japanese American Veterans, by P.C. Staff, page 13. A memorial honoring the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team was dedicated Sept. 2 in Boynton Beach, Florida’s Veterans Bicentennial Park. The dedication included tributes from a rescued ‘Lost Battalion’ veteran and fundraising contributions from individuals like Aiko Yamamoto, whose brother is honored with an adjacent memorial bench.
• Buddhist Church Organizes Japan Relief Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 13. The Buddhist Church of Stockton coordinated the largest one-time collection of relief goods sent from the West Coast following the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan, gathering over 18,000 pounds of donated items. About 8,135 pounds were ultimately shipped to the Sendai Betsuin Church of Japan due to governmental restrictions.

Obituaries

• Sumiye (Uchida) Takeno, page 15. Sumiye Takeno, born in Florin, California in 1922, was incarcerated at Manzanar during WWII where she worked as an assistant nurse and met her future husband Roy Takeno. She later devoted herself to the JACL’s Mile High Chapter in Denver and is survived by her daughter and extended family.
• Tadako T. Mori, page 15. Tadako T. Mori, 96, of South Seattle, was interned at Minidoka during WWII and later worked as a feature writer for newspapers and master gardener. She is survived by seven children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and numerous siblings and extended family.
• Mable Kazuko Tsugawa, page 15. Mable Kazuko Tsugawa, founder of Tsugawa Nursery in Woodland, Washington, passed away Aug. 27 at age 84. She is survived by her husband George of 61 years and five children, along with numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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.