FROM BASEBALL and BEYOND a New Book Brings to Life the Groundbreaking MLB Baseball Career of Masanori ‘Mashi’ Murakami
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THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF THE JACL Aug. 21-Sept. 3, 2015 MURAKAMI MASANORI OF COURTESY : Page 6 PHOTO FROM BASEBALL AND BEYOND A new book brings to life the groundbreaking MLB baseball career of Masanori ‘Mashi’ Murakami. Award-Winning LGBT Equality Rally Little Tokyo Honors Author on His New in San Gabriel Draws Sei Fujii With Children’s Book Page 5 Much Support Page 8 Monument Page 9 #3261 / VOL. 161, No. 4 ISSN: 0030-8579 WWW.PACIFICCITIZEN.ORG 2 Aug. 21-Sept. 3, 2015 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR HOW TO REACH US LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Email: [email protected] Online: www.pacificcitizen.org Dear Editor and Dear Editor, Tel: (213) 620-1767 Nina F. Ichikawa, Fax: (213) 620-1768 At the risk of giving undeserved attention to Americans on the West Coast were rounded up and Mail: 250 E. First St., Suite 301 Thank you so much for Donald Trump and the political spectacle created incarcerated. This may be one of the most horrifying Los Angeles, CA 90012 responding to me about the by his campaign, I feel compelled to respond to his examples of the criminalization of an entire immigrant STAFF National Archives’ article that racist and anti-immigrant rhetoric in the context of community. Executive Editor Allison Haramoto I wrote, which was published the history of scapegoating, disenfranchisement and We, as People of Color and their allies, have the in the Pacific Citizen (June criminalization of immigrants in the United States. responsibility to respond to both public and private Assistant Editor 5-18, 2015). Trump’s recent comments characterizing Mexican acts of racism and hatred, even if these attacks are Tiffany Ujiiye This article was written in immigrants as “criminals” and “rapists” that should not made on our particular racial or ethnic group. Business Manager the hope that readers, like be purged from the country fit a pattern of abuse It is only in doing so that we are able to support Susan Yokoyama yourself, would respond and that has been used not only against Mexicans and the groups that are unfairly targeted and build Production Artist share your own stories about Mexican Americans, but against many groups of coalitions among diverse communities to work Marie Samonte what can be found in WRA immigrants in the history of our country. toward equality and fair treatment for all people Family Japanese incarceration Circulation Since the founding of this country, various ethnic in this country, regardless of citizenship status, Eva Ting files. groups have been targeted with the same attitudes country of origin or race. The Pacific Citizen newspaper I hope your letter, which of xenophobia, intolerance and fear, often with Interethnic solidarity is a powerful tool to coun- (ISSN: 0030-8579) is published was published in the Pacific amazingly similar depictions and rhetoric. ter intolerance. Investing in interethnic community semi-monthly (except once in December and January) by the Citizen (July 24-Aug. 6, From Irish and Eastern European newcomers building, especially at the grassroots level, is more 2015), inspires other families Japanese American Citizens to the East Coast in the 19th century to Chinese, effective than particular groups working alone to League, Pacific Citizen, to request their own family Japanese and Filipino workers in the West Coast advocate for themselves. 250 E. First St., Suite 301, Los Angeles, CA 90012 records from the NARA in and more recently immigrants from Mexico and As Martin Luther King so aptly said, Washington, D.C. Periodical postage paid at L.A., CA Central America throughout the country, waves of “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice every- POSTMASTER: Send address I personally was amazed in anti-immigrant sentiment and discourse leading to where.” As Asian Americans, we can look to civil changes to National JACL, 1765 Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94115 finding so much information discriminatory laws have been pervasive. rights activists such as Yuri Kochiyama, who dedi- in my own family files of In the mid-1800s, the Irish were seen as being cated her life to advocating not only for Japanese JACL President: David Lin things I had known and did violent alcoholics, illiterate, greedy and having Americans but for African-Americans and other National Director: Priscilla Ouchida not know about my family in large, unruly families. They were turned away from communities of color. P.C. EDITORIAL BOARD Heart Mountain since three places of employment with the pronouncement that In times when racism rears its ugly head, let us, as Carol Kawamoto, chairperson; generations of my family lived Leona Hiraoka, EDC; Jody Mitori, “No Irish Need Apply.” individuals, organizations and community groups, MDC; Roberta Barton, CCDC; there. It also brought chills The Chinese were also the target of intense and stand with our neighbors and brothers and sisters Jim Duff, NCWNPDC; Gabrielle down my spine in reading often violent acts of racism beginning in the 1800s. to promote a humane and accurate depiction of Nomura, PNWDC; Gil Asakawa, the actual documents at the IDC; John Saito Jr., PSWDC; A newspaper editorial cartoon in 1899 entitled “The the groups under attack. Then we can say that im- Nicole Gaddie and Kota Mizutani, National Archives as well as Yellow Terror in All its Glory” shows a menacing migrants are workers, parents, children, teachers, youth reps. what my husband’s mother and crazed caricature of a Chinese man dressed in friends, neighbors, students and activists who will SUBSCRIBE went through there. traditional garb, with his hair in a distinctive queue. not tolerate being depicted as “criminals.” Get a one-year subscription of the It is readers, like yourself, Pacific Citizen newspaper at: He is brandishing a smoking gun with a knife For readers who are interested in learning more www.pacificcitizen.org or call that makes these efforts clenched in his mouth while standing over a white about the accurate history of immigrant communi- (213) 620-1767 worthwhile. young woman bloodied and lying lifelessly on the ties in the United States, I point you to Ronald Taka- ADVERTISE Thank you so ground. The message is clear, the Chinese are dan- ki’s “A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural To advertise in the Pacific Citizen, much for your call (213) 620-1767 or e-mail: gerous “criminals” and “rapists” who are culturally America” and Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History [email protected] letter. alien and threaten the white race. of the United States.” LEGAL No part of this publication may be The anti-immigrant spotlight was then cast on Sincerely, With much the Japanese as they became settled and gained reproduced without the express appreciation, permission of the Pacific Citizen. more economic strength, particularly in Califor- Aimee Mizuno, Editorials, letters, news and the nia. Existing racial animosity climaxed with the JACL Board Member, opinions expressed by columnists Patti Hirahara start of World War II when Japanese and Japanese other than the national JACL president Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif. or national director do not necessarily reflect JACL policy. Events and products advertised in the P.C. do not carry the implicit endorsement of the JACL or this publication. We reserve The P.C.’s mission is to “educate on the past Japanese American experience and preserve, the right to edit articles. © 2015 Periodicals paid at Los Angeles, promote and help the current and future AAPI communities.” Calif. and mailing office. JACL member? Y N JACL MEMBERS Name ................................................................................................................................ Change of Address If you’ve moved, ........................................................................................................................... Address please send new information to: City .................................................................................................................................... National JACL 1765 Sutter St. San Francisco, State ............................................................... 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To avoid interruptions in delivery, please notify your postmaster to include periodicals in your change of address Your donations will help build and preserve a cohesive library of the Pacific Citizen to educate future generations (USPS Form 3575) COMMENTARY Aug. 21-Sept. 3, 2015 3 NIKKEI VOICE BEING JA IS A CELEBRATION OF BEING AMERICAN By Gil Asakawa uring a recent trip to San Francisco to lead in a short-lived ABC sitcom this year, and that attend the annual conference of the Asian network’s “Fresh Off the Boat,” the comedy that American Journalists Assn., I squeezed in showcases an AAPI family, is filming a second Dtwo readings from the new revised edition of my season. book, “Being Japanese American.” The two events So, it made sense when Stone Bridge reached out reminded me why I wrote the book in the first and asked me to update the book with new text, place and why I love speaking to JA audiences. additional historical photos and interviews with I love being JA! more JAs, Japanese Canadians and mixed-race The first edition was published in 2004, but a