Poston restoration, Nihonmachi and Little Tokyo preservation

Vol. 149, No. 8, October 16, 2009. 16 pages. View this issue

Preserving places that tell the Japanese American story ran through this issue. Christine McFadden reported on the Poston Restoration Project, a coalition racing to save the 16 remaining buildings at the former World War II camp and to build an onsite museum. Nalea J. Ko covered the Nihonmachi Little Friends campaign to restore a pre-war San Francisco building built by Issei women, and Little Tokyo stakeholders’ worries about Metro’s Regional Connector plans. Floyd Mori’s column urged readers to help save Minidoka from a proposed power line.

Elsewhere, the House passed the hate crimes expansion bill, which JACL called long overdue. Harry K. Honda wrote about COPANI XV in Uruguay, and Peter Shigeki Frandsen offered a column on generations. Readers will also find a Q & A with Kalpen Modi, scholarship winners, JACL fellows, and a story on Cambodian Americans testifying about war crimes.

What’s in this issue

In-Depth

• Bringing Poston Back to the Present, by Christine McFadden, page 3. Members of the Poston Restoration Project are racing to preserve the 16 remaining buildings at the former WWII internment camp, which has the largest surviving infrastructure of the 10 main camps. The diverse coalition of former internees, Colorado River Indian Tribes members, and researchers uncovered the camp’s history and continues fundraising and educational efforts to build an onsite museum.
• A Piece of American History in Japantown’s Heart, by Nalea J. Ko, page 4. San Francisco’s Nihonmachi Little Friends is nearing the end of a seven-year fundraising campaign to restore a pre-WWII building built by Issei women who commissioned architect Julia Morgan despite Alien Land Law restrictions. A legal fight after the YWCA tried to sell the building in 1996 led to a 2002 settlement giving ownership to NLF, which now serves over 200 children in a bilingual childcare program.

Community

• Little Tokyo Sounds Off About Metro’s Expansion Plans, by Nalea J. Ko, page 5. Little Tokyo stakeholders are raising concerns about Metro’s Regional Connector Transit Corridor project, which could impact businesses and the historic character of the neighborhood during construction. Metro is considering four options with varying costs, and JACL PSW passed a resolution opposing all current options unless proper mitigations are implemented.
• GLAS JACL Awards Scholarships, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 7. The Greater L.A. Singles JACL awarded scholarships to five honor students at its annual Hana Uno Shepard Memorial Scholarship and Fundraiser Dance. Kurt Ikeda received $1,000, while Matthew Arakaki, Yu-Jen Kao, Natalie Labrador and Layne Sakamoto each received $875.
• A Park Called ‘Okamoto’, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 7. A park in Elk Grove, Calif. will be named the Derr-Okamoto Park in honor of longtime residents Pete and Sue Okamoto, co-creators of the city’s Veterans Day Parade. The couple were interned at Jerome and Tule Lake during WWII before returning to Elk Grove to lead the Boy Scouts.
• APA Leaders Call Attention to Domestic Violence Issues, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 10. In recognition of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, APA community leaders and organizations are launching education campaigns and training sessions to combat domestic violence and the silence that enables abusers. California legislators Mike Eng and Alberto Torrico have introduced bills aimed at protecting victims and monitoring abusers.
• Monterey Peninsula JACL Honors Book Translator, by David Yamada, page 10. The Monterey Peninsula JACL hosted events honoring Takako Ishida for translating the chapter’s history book, ‘The Japanese of the Monterey Peninsula,’ into Japanese. Ishida traveled from Hiroshima to attend and donated 500 copies of the translated edition, with proceeds benefiting the chapter’s Heritage Center Project.
• L.A. Middle School Named After Young Oak Kim, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 15. A new Los Angeles public school, the Young Oak Kim Academy, was dedicated to the Korean American WWII and Korean War hero who became the first APA U.S. Army officer. Kim, who died in 2005, was also founding chairman of the Go For Broke National Education Center.

National

• Colorado Group Wants a Plaque for Ralph Carr, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 6. Colorado community leaders are raising funds to place a plaque on the Ralph Carr Memorial Highway honoring the former governor who opposed Japanese American internment during WWII. Carr’s stance cost him his political career, but he is remembered as a hero by JAs including Mitchie Terasaki, whom he personally helped get a government job.
• Hate Crimes Expansion Bill Passes House, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 6. The House passed a bill expanding hate crime laws to include sexual orientation, gender identity and disability, attached to a defense-policy bill that President Obama has promised to sign. JACL, a longtime advocate for the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, called the vote long overdue and drew parallels to hate crimes faced by Asian Americans.
• National Newsbytes, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 6. A roundup of national news briefs covers a bus driver’s conviction in a fatal California crash, a new APA center at Cornell University, progress on the Budokan of Los Angeles project, a National Guard discrimination lawsuit appeal, Obama’s reaffirmation on ‘don’t ask don’t tell,’ opposition to an Oakland ‘Geisha’ bar, and a new Yale scholarship fund honoring Annie Le.’
• Takeuchi Receives Innovation Award, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 7. Dr. Esther S. Takeuchi of the University at Buffalo was honored with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest U.S. government honor for inventors. She received the award during an Oct. 7 White House ceremony.
• Chin is Nominated for U.S. Court of Appeals, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 7. President Obama nominated Judge Denny Chin for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. If confirmed, Chin would be the only currently active APA federal appellate court judge in the country.
• APAs Win NYC Primary Runoff, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 7. Margaret Chin beat incumbent Alan Gerson in a Manhattan Democratic primary and could represent Chinatown on the city council. Queens Councilman John Liu won the Democratic primary runoff for comptroller and may become the first APA to hold citywide office in New York City.
• Q & A With Kalpen Modi, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 7. Kalpen Modi, the White House’s point person for Asian Pacific Americans in the Office of Public Engagement, answered questions submitted by JACL youth members about his job and APA issues. He discussed challenges of the role, the importance of health care reform for AAPIs, and ways for young APAs to get involved with the administration.
• Cambodian Americans Testify About War Crimes, by Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press Writer, page 11. Cambodian refugees across the U.S. are giving testimony about Khmer Rouge atrocities to be used in an international war crimes tribunal underway in Phnom Penh. Survivors like Roth Prom, who lost family members and a child to the regime, are speaking publicly for the first time to seek justice and preserve history for future generations.
• Rhode Island’s Immigration Law Clinic Fills a Void, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 12. Roger Williams University School of Law launched a new immigration law clinic where students represent detained immigrants facing deportation under a professor’s supervision. The clinic reflects growing demand for immigration lawyers following increased enforcement after 9/11 and high-profile detention deaths like that of Hiu Lui Ng.
• APAs Lead Tsunami Relief Efforts, by P.C. Staff and Associated Press, page 12. Samoan Americans across the country are organizing relief efforts and fundraisers following the Sept. 29 tsunami that killed at least 160 people in American Samoa. Community leaders have created networks to collect and transport donations of food, water and supplies to affected regions.

Commentary

• Uruguay For COPANI XV, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Harry Honda recounts attending the 15th Biennial PANA Convention in Montevideo, Uruguay, describing the reception, workshops on Nikkei identity and immigration, and business decisions including electing a new APN president and choosing Cancun for the 2011 convention. The piece details presentations from scholars and delegates across South America on Nikkei diaspora topics.
• Circle of Life, by Peter Shigeki Frandsen, page 8. Peter Frandsen reflects on generational differences, comparing his grandparents’ frugal WWII-era habits to his own generation’s more comfortable upbringing. He wonders what stories his own children and grandchildren will tell about him and hopes his generation can prove more resilient than expected.
• Help Save Minidoka, by Floyd Mori, page 13. JACL National Director Floyd Mori writes about the threat facing the Minidoka National Historic Site from a proposed power line that would pass over the internment camp memorial. He urges members to contact the Secretary of the Interior and Congress to preserve the site’s historical value over economic expediency.

Arts & Entertainment

• ‘America’s Next Top Model’ Contestant Says the Show Needs More APAs, by Nalea J. Ko, page 9. Korean American model Jennifer An, a contestant on the ‘under 5’7″‘ cycle of America’s Next Top Model, discusses being the only APA on the show and the underrepresentation of Asians in the modeling industry. An also opens up about coping with ptosis, a medical eyelid condition, while competing on the show.

JACL

• JACL Announces New D.C. Fellows, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 10. Phillip Ozaki and Jean Shiraki have begun 10-month fellowships in the JACL Washington, D.C. office as the Norman Y. Mineta Fellow and Daniel K. Inouye Fellow, respectively. Ozaki will focus on public policy advocacy while Shiraki will work on closing health care disparities for APAs.
• JACL PSW Honors Leaders Who Worked Together, by Craig Tomiyoshi, page 13. At its 13th annual awards dinner, JACL PSW honored community leaders and organizations, including NCRR and CAIR, for building bridges between the Japanese American and Muslim American communities. The event also paid tribute to Todd Sato, a JACL volunteer who passed away in June.
• Start Preparing for the Next D.C. Leadership Conference, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 13. JACL chapters and districts are encouraged to identify candidates for the 2010 JACL/OCA D.C. Leadership Conference to be held March 5-9 in Washington, D.C. The four-day conference introduces attendees to the national policy-making arena and is co-convened with OCA National.

Obituaries

• Locke’s ‘Mom’ and ‘Mayor’ Fought Anti-Asian Land Laws, by Pacific Citizen Staff, page 15. Connie King, honorary mayor of the historic Chinese American settlement of Locke, California, died Sept. 25 at age 86 after decades fighting to reverse racist Alien Land Laws. King finally received the deed to her home in 2004 and was remembered as a feminist and civil rights leader.

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