The 2011 ‘Extraordinary APAs’ issue: profiles of 18 community leaders

Vol. 152, No. 8, May 6, 2011. 20 pages. View this issue

Profiles of extraordinary Asian Pacific Americans filled this special issue. Executive editor Caroline Y. Aoyagi-Stom explained how the P.C. editorial board chose the honorees, who included Sen. Daniel Inouye, Judge Dale Ikeda, Dr. Paul Terasaki, Tani Cantil-Sakauye and Tom Ikeda of Densho, whose work preserves oral histories of the Japanese American incarceration. Also on page 2, National Director Floyd Mori announced his retirement, and page 18 carried tributes to his tenure.

Other profiles covered Wat Misaka, Eric Shinseki, Helen Gym, Donna Fujimoto Cole, Naomi Hirahara and Ted Namba, who named Fred Korematsu as his inspiration. Page 7 listed honorees for the 42nd JACL national convention in Los Angeles, and Sonya Kuki urged support for the paper’s Spring Campaign.

What’s in this issue

Commentary

• Pacific Citizen’s Most ‘Extraordinary APAs’, by Caroline Y. Aoyagi-Stom, page 2. The executive editor introduces the annual ‘Extraordinary APAs’ special issue, explaining how honorees were selected at the P.C. editorial board meeting. The issue profiles 18 extraordinary APAs including Sen. Daniel Inouye, Judge Dale Ikeda and Dr. Paul Terasaki.
• Helping Mobilize APAs for 82 Years, by Sonya Kuki, page 2. The author reflects on recent incidents of intolerance, including an anti-Muslim rally in Yorba Linda and a racist YouTube video by a UCLA student, to argue civil rights remain a pressing issue. She calls on readers to support the Pacific Citizen’s Spring Campaign to continue its mission of informing and mobilizing the APA community.
• Helen Gym, page 6. Community activist Helen Gym discusses her fight for justice after Asian American students were beaten in alleged racial attacks at South Philadelphia High School, and her advocacy against a casino development in Philadelphia’s Chinatown. She reflects on the importance of building multiracial coalitions and honoring the roots of the term ‘Asian American.’
• Kuki: Supporting the Pacific Citizen’s Legacy, by Sonya Kuki, page 18. Continuing her earlier column, Sonya Kuki argues that ongoing civil rights struggles, from marriage equality to immigration reform, make the Pacific Citizen’s reporting essential for the Asian American community. She urges readers to support the paper’s Spring Campaign to continue its 82-year legacy of mobilizing the APA community.

JACL

• Floyd Mori Announces Retirement, by P.C. Staff, page 2. National JACL Executive Director Floyd Mori announced his retirement at the April 16 national board meeting, planning to leave before year’s end. Mori, who took the role in 2007, is credited with raising JACL’s national profile, strengthening partnerships, and improving the organization’s finances.
• JACL Announces Honorees for 42nd Los Angeles Convention, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The JACL announced honorees for its 42nd national convention in Los Angeles, including Alan Nishio, Paul Osaki, Traci Kato-Kiriyama, Lt. Dan Choi, Father Vien Nguyen, and Lisa Hasegawa. Each honoree is recognized for community leadership, activism, or advocacy work benefiting Japanese American and broader APA communities.
• Ron Yoshino, page 13. Longtime Chicago JACLer Ron Yoshino served as convention chair for both the 1986 and 2010 national JACL conventions in Chicago, the latter being the last biennial convention. He discusses the challenges of organizing large events and his admiration for civil rights leader Min Yasui.
• Retirement: Floyd Mori’s Legacy, page 18. Following Floyd Mori’s retirement announcement, JACL leaders including President David Kawamoto and former president Larry Oda praised his fundraising efforts, national visibility work, and partnerships with corporate America and civil rights organizations. Colleagues credit him with strengthening JACL’s financial position and stature in Washington, D.C.

Arts & Entertainment

• Tamlyn Tomita, by Nalea J. Ko, page 3. Actress Tamlyn Tomita discusses her role on ‘Law & Order: L.A.’ as a Japanese American coroner and how Hollywood casting has slowly become more sensitive to ethnic heritage. She also reflects on her family’s internment history, community involvement with Nisei Week, and dealing with anti-Japanese sentiment after the 2011 tsunami.
• Naomi Hirahara, page 9. Award-winning mystery author Naomi Hirahara discusses her Mas Arai detective series and her passion for writing about Japanese American characters. She reflects on the challenges Asian American authors face in finding readership and the importance of Asian Americans supporting their own artists.

National

• Tani Cantil-Sakauye, by Lynda Lin, page 4. Tani Cantil-Sakauye, the first Asian Pacific American chief justice of the California Supreme Court, discusses her humble beginnings as the daughter of farm workers and her family’s WWII incarceration history. She reflects on leading the Judicial Branch through budget challenges and honoring her ancestors’ sacrifices.
• Sen. Daniel Inouye, page 4. Sen. Daniel Inouye, a WWII Medal of Honor recipient and the highest-ranking Asian Pacific American ever to serve in a political position, discusses his extraordinary career from being labeled an ‘enemy alien’ after Pearl Harbor to becoming President Pro Tempore of the Senate. He reflects on representing Hawaii for decades and his gratitude toward constituents’ trust.
• Eric Shinseki, page 5. Eric Shinseki, the first Asian American U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs and former Army Chief of Staff, has a military career spanning four decades including two tours in Vietnam. As VA Secretary, he has focused on ending veteran homelessness and securing benefits for Filipino WWII veterans.
• Donna Fujimoto Cole, page 8. Donna Fujimoto Cole, founder and CEO of Cole Chemical, built her Houston-based company from $5,000 in savings into a business with over $53 million in sales. She successfully urged the Texas Board of Education to include the story of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and MIS in its curriculum.
• Paul Terasaki, page 8. Dr. Paul Terasaki, a renowned UCLA scientist who developed a tissue typing technique used internationally for organ transplant matching, donated $50 million to UCLA in 2010, a record amount for the university. Incarcerated at Gila River as a child, Terasaki went on to establish the UCLA Kidney Transplant Registry and found the company One Lambda.
• Dale Ikeda, page 9. Fresno County Superior Court Judge Dale Ikeda was instrumental in building the Pinedale and Fresno Assembly Center memorials honoring incarcerated Japanese Americans. He discusses the 18-month negotiation process to secure the Pinedale memorial site and his admiration for his late uncle, Fumio Ikeda.
• Ted Namba, page 12. Arizona optometrist and JACLer Ted Namba helped fight Arizona’s controversial immigration law SB 1070, warning it would enable racial profiling. He discusses the challenges of uniting diverse immigrant communities and cites Fred Korematsu as his inspiration for civil rights activism.
• Mako Nakagawa, page 14. Retired Seattle educator Mako Nakagawa authored the ‘Power of Words’ resolution, approved at the 2010 national JACL convention, to eliminate WWII euphemisms like ‘internment.’ A former internee herself, she draws on her own family’s incarceration experience at Puyallup, Minidoka and Crystal City to advocate for accurate terminology.
• Paul Watanabe, page 16. Paul Watanabe, director of the Institute of Asian American Studies at UMass Boston, served on the U.S. Census Bureau’s Advisory Committee on the Asian population to help ensure an accurate count of APAs in the 2010 Census. He is admired by his family for his dedication to causes and his encyclopedic knowledge.

Sports

• Wat Misaka, page 5. Wat Misaka, the first person of color to play basketball in the NBA, recalls his brief stint with the New York Knicks in 1947 and his subsequent quiet career as an engineer. His family emphasizes that his work ethic and loyalty after basketball are just as noteworthy as his athletic accomplishments, and he was recently inducted into the University of Utah Hall of Fame.

Community

• Tom Ikeda, page 6. Tom Ikeda, founder of Densho, has spent 14 years using digital media to preserve oral histories of the Japanese American WWII incarceration. His family’s own internment at Minidoka and his uncle’s death serving in the 442nd inform his personal connection to the work.
• Ed Nakade, page 10. Cortez JACL chapter president Ed Nakade helped establish a memorial at the former Turlock Assembly Center honoring Japanese Americans incarcerated there during WWII, including his own parents. The memorial, dedicated May 1, was made possible through years of persistence and community collaboration with student activist Kayla Canelo.
• E. Ken Tokutomi, page 10. Placer County JACL treasurer E. Ken Tokutomi helped raise over $80,000 for a memorial honoring WWII veterans, including a bronze statue depicting the rescue of the ‘Lost Battalion.’ Colleagues describe him as an energetic, dedicated leader who has served the community since his college years.
• Hero Shiosaki, page 11. Hero Shiosaki, a 91-year-old Pocatello-Blackfoot JACL member and 442nd RCT veteran, has spoken to thousands of students about his wartime experiences since retiring in 1990. Last year he helped install a memorial marker honoring three Japanese American railroad workers who drowned in 1906 in eastern Idaho.

Obituaries

• Fumio Ikeda, page 15. Fumio Ikeda, a Clovis, California community leader and WWII Military Intelligence Service veteran, died March 28 at age 90. He was a leader in the Clovis JACL, co-founded the Clovis Judo Club, and was honored as a Clovis Living Legend and Hall of Fame inductee.
• Elyse Mikiko Yamauchi, page 15. Elyse Mikiko Yamauchi, a longtime Metro State College administrator and adjunct faculty member in Ethnic and Asian American Studies, died April 21, 2011 in Denver from cancer complications. She served on the Board of the Mile-Hi Chapter JACL and was a published author with a PhD in Ethnic Studies.
• Kaoru ‘Bill’ Honda, page 15. Kaoru ‘Bill’ Honda, 94, of Santa Barbara, died April 17, 2011 after a brief illness, surrounded by family. A U.S. Postal Service retiree of 32 years and avid athlete, he was inducted into the Japanese American National Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 1997.
• Elsie Michiko Dozen, page 15. Elsie Michiko Dozen died April 25, 2011 at age 86, predeceased by her husband Fred Dozen and sister Sue Okabe. She is survived by three children, several grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and a sister.

In-Depth

• Tom Ikeda Continued: Preserving Oral Histories, page 17. Tom Ikeda has personally conducted over 150 oral history interviews for Densho, out of the 500 the organization has collected, providing a window into the lived experience of Japanese American incarceration. His wife and daughter describe how his passion for preserving these stories has profoundly impacted his family and the community.

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.