Celebrating 90 Years PHOTO: ATHENA MARI ASKLIPIADIS #3346 / VOL
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THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER OF THE JACL July 12-25, 2019 The Kingi family today. Pictured (from left) are Elaine, Robert, Kim, Ronnie, Ricky and Rick. » PAGE 6 L.A. LIFE: PART 3 Kingi’s Kajukenbo continues a multigenerational family’s legacy in Inglewood, Calif. » PAGE 4 » PAGE 8 JACL National Discussion Begins Convention on JACL Resolution Programming Lineup R-3 Celebrating 90 Years PHOTO: ATHENA MARI ASKLIPIADIS WWW.PACIFICCITIZEN.ORG #3346 / VOL. 169, No. 1 ISSN: 0030-8579 2 July 12-25, 2019 NATIONAL HOW TO REACH US STRENGTHENING AND BUILDING JACL Email: [email protected] Online: www.pacificcitizen.org Tel: (213) 620-1767 STAFF CAPACITY FOR THE FUTURE Mail: 123 Ellison S. Onizuka St., Suite 313 Los Angeles, CA 90012 By Jeffrey Moy, Over the past year, the National been collaborating with STAFF JACL National President Board has taken steps to improve Allison Haramoto, Executive Editor Allison Haramoto internal processes and systems in David Inoue, Pacific Senior Editor hope everyone is having a order to improve communication Citizen Editorial Board Digital & Social Media relaxing summer and is ex- and efficiency as we move forward. Chair Rob Buscher and George Johnston cited for this year’s upcoming One key piece that we have worked VP for General Opera- Business Manager Susan Yokoyama INational Convention. We have a with staff to accomplish is stream- tions Marissa Kitaza- Production Artist great agenda in place, emphasizing lining financial processes, in par- wa to ensure that we are Marie Samonte opportunities to engage with great ticular, ensuring that the Pacific all on the same page in moving more closely as one organization. Circulation speakers, learn from other mem- Citizen budget is managed by the forward. I look forward to having a Eva Ting bers and reconnect with friends business manager like every other Although we recognize that in great discussion around this and The Pacific Citizen newspaper from around the country. JACL program. the past there have been attempts other issues in Salt Lake City with (ISSN: 0030-8579) is published As with any convention, we also As we worked on this issue, it to take action against the Pacific you all in the near future as we semi-monthly (except once in have some important business to became clear that more could be Citizen, this is simply not one of continue to consider ways to December and January) by the Japanese American Citizens discuss, including Constitution done to streamline our operations those cases. strengthen and sustain JACL for League, Pacific Citizen, 123 Ellison and Bylaw amendments. I wanted in order to allow Pacific Citi- As always, the Pacific Citizen years to come. S. Onizuka St., Suite 313 to take a moment to address zen staff to focus on what’s most staff and Editorial Board will In the meantime, continue to Los Angeles, CA 90012 Periodical postage paid at L.A., CA CBL-2, a bylaw amendment the important in their roles: making maintain independence with re- reach out to myself and other POSTMASTER: Send address National Board is proposing in sure we are able to continue to gard to content. This move helps National Board members with changes to National JACL, 1765 hopes of unifying and strengthening produce this wonderful resource take some operational business off your questions and comments. Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94115 the relationship between JACL and for our members. their plates while also providing an JACL President: Jeffrey Moy the Pacific Citizen program. Over the past few months, I’ve opportunity for JACL staff to work See you soon! n Executive Director: David Inoue P.C. EDITORIAL BOARD Rob Buscher, chairperson; Ron Kuramoto, MDC; Marcia Chung, Readers can now access and search digital issues dating CCDC; Nancy Ukai, NCWNPDC; P.C. ONLINE Sheldon Arakaki, PNWDC; Kayla back to the newspaper’s inception in 1929. Watanabe, IDC; John Saito Jr., PSWDC; Juli Yoshinaga, Youth Rep. ARCHIVES NOW he Pacific Citizen staff is pleased to the most part, nearly every issue since 1929 is SUBSCRIBE announce that the newspaper’s now completely searchable and accessible.” Get a one-year subscription of the online archives are now available on its For now, however, the archive is not yet com- Pacific Citizen newspaper at: Twebsite (www.pacificcitizen.org) under the patible on the Safari search engine — impro- www.pacificcitizen.org or call AVAILABLE (213) 620-1767 heading “Digital Archives.” vements and adjustments are still being made. ADVERTISE The digital archive includes the most up- “The P.C. is a valuable research resource. To advertise in the Pacific Citizen, to-date collection of the newspaper’s issues, We’re still working on completing the final pro- call (213) 620-1767 or e-mail: arranged by decades beginning in the 1920s. duct, but for now, we wanted to launch what we [email protected] Readers can also now search key words and do have so that readers don’t have to wait any LEGAL titles within each issue, as well as download and longer to access issues,” said Haramoto. “By the No part of this publication may be print completed PDFs. time this archive is completed, the newspaper’s reproduced without the express “After what has amounted to years of work legacy will live on forever.” permission of the Pacific Citizen. Editorials, letters, news and the by the P.C. staff, the newspaper’s archives are The digital archive has been made possible opinions expressed by columnists now available on our own website, free for thanks to donations made by Tsutomu Ige, other than the national JACL all readers to access,” said Executive Editor Spring Campaign contributors and a grant from president or national director do Allison Haramoto. “Staff is still scanning and the JA Community Foundation. not necessarily reflect JACL policy. Events and products advertised in uploading a few missing years that are, at the the P.C. do not carry the implicit moment, only available on microfilm, but for — P.C. Staff endorsement of the JACL or this publication. We reserve the right to edit articles. © 2019 Periodicals paid at Los Angeles, Calif. and mailing office. JACL MEMBERS Change of Address If you’ve moved, please send new information to: National JACL 1765 Sutter St. San Francisco, CA 94115 (415) 921-5225 ext. 26 Allow 6 weeks for address changes. To avoid interruptions in delivery, please notify your postmaster to include periodicals in your change of address (USPS Form 3575) COMMENTARY July 12-25, 2019 3 FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Japanese American resistance and patriotism. JACL MUST REPRESENT THE FULL The push for redress was clearly an act of resistance to the government, which forced it to acknowledge the wrong it had inflicted JAPANESE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE upon our community. Politically, redress probably would have and very different circumstances. rights movement and Vietnam, so resistance been impossible to achieve without the By David Inoue, We must still honor those who led the organi- was not a normal path of action. Our society still stories of Japanese American soldiers fighting JACL Executive Director zation at the time for their leadership through enforced Jim Crow laws with little resistance. for a country where many still saw them as one of the most challenging times in our Those who chose the path of resistance truly the enemy. mong the resolutions to be debated nation’s history, not just our own community. were revolutionary, and we must celebrate that. Redress also highlights the capacity to at National Council this year during We can still celebrate the leadership that Still, because of decisions made by JACL apologize. the JACL National Convention is was provided by Mike Masaoka and others. leadership, we did not recognize the potential As the Japanese American Citizens Aone regarding a JACL apology to those in- His efforts to highlight the loyalty and patrio- for patriotism through resistance, and as a League, we do not represent only the stories of carcerated at Tule Lake, largely as a result tism of Japanese Americans was immensely result, those who resisted were segregated Japanese Americans who served our country of responses of “No” to questions 27 and 28 successful in establishing an unimpeachable and stigmatized both in the JACL and in the through their military service, but also we must on the loyalty questionnaire. The rift in the image of Japanese Americans as Americans eyes of our government and our nation as a represent the stories of those who chose to Japanese American community has been to counter much of the racism at the time. whole. It is for this that we can and should demonstrate their loyalty to our constitutional deep and long lasting. It is that vision of unimpeachable patriotism apologize as an organization. ideals through resistance. Hindsight is 20/20. We now know the full that has enabled JACL to achieve many succes- Ultimately, we need to look at where the What we cannot do as an organization is extent of the government’s duplicity in plan- ses in Washington, D.C., since World War II. real conflict exists. The government was the faithfully represent those stories without ning the incarceration of Japanese Americans. What we can also do is recognize that one forcing these decisions on the JACL and acknowledging the role that JACL did have However, given what the JACL leadership knew the decision to put forth one perspective of the community that we represented, splitting in further disenfranchising those who resisted at the time, we can without uncertainty say that American patriotism ignored and marginali- us against one another. as a matter of conscience, adding to the pain they made good and appropriate decisions with zed those who resisted to demonstrate their The real conflict was not one of loyal vs.