Pacific Citizen Sansei Farmer Hopeful Youth Lnill Return to the Family
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I (Japan Air) $1.50 $2.30 #29911 Vol. 136, o.8 0030-8579 MAY 2-15,2003 N ISSN: National Publication of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) 34th Annual Manzanar Pilgrimage CC/PSW/NCWNP TRI-DISTRICT CONFERENCE Recognizes Jerome, Poston Camps By MARTHA NAKAGAWA Sansei Farmer Hopeful Youth lNill Assistant Editor Return to the Family Business At the 34th annual Manzanar By CA ROLINE AOYA GI Pilgrimage, the Jerome and Executive Editor Poston War Relocation Authority camps were recognized, and a rep VISALIA, Cali f.-Tad Kozuki resentative from Nikkei for Civil is part of a rare group these days in Rights and Redress' (NCRR) 9/11 the Central California Va lley. committee shared some of the A third-generation Japanese activities they've been involved in American farmer, Kozuki, 63, and to ensure that what happened to his two brothers have been run Japanese Americans during World ning the fa mily farm in Parlier, a War II does not happen again to city just south of Fresno, for more Muslim and Arab Americans. than fo ur decades now but so far Representing Jerome was Joe their kids, eight in total, have no Yamakido, the only known draft interest in continuing the family resister from the Jerome camp in business. Arkansas. Ya makido refused to It's a trend Kozuki sees through- PHOTO: CAROLINE AOYAGI serve in the U.S. military until his . out the valley here. As one of the Irene and Tad Kozuki at the recent tri-district conference in Visalia. family was released from Jerome. youngest JA farmers in the area, For his stand, he was sentenced to he sees his many JA neighbors younger people at -63. It makes it three years at the Te xarkana feder PHOTO: MARTHA NAKAGAWA getting older and older but no Jerome internee Joe Yamakido Finances difficult because [the community] al penitentiary where he nearly . young people to take over the JACL (left) and his son, Tyler, hold up keeps on getting older and older," lost his life in a prison fight, which far ms. Focus of National the camp banner at the 34th said Kozuki. "The joke is that if started after a convict called "A lot of the Japanese families annual Manzanar Pilgrimage. Board Forum we keep on going to the funerals, Yamakido a "dirty Jap." here, their children don't want to as long as we keep going, we're Ya makido slapped the convict, clothes had been tom off except come back. I'm one of the By CA ROLINEAO YA GI alright." and the convict's friends jumped for his boxer shorts. Yamakido Executive Editor Farming isn't a profession that into the fray. While other convicts was the only one to be tossed into JA parents often encourage their shouted "Kill that Jap. Kill that solitary confinement following the MORIMEMO VISALIA, Calif.-As kids to pursue. Instead, young Jap," Yamakido, who held a black fight. Save the Date: expected, the status of JACL's people are encouraged to go onto belt in judo, never went down, "This pilgrimage is very impor current financial situation was college and pursue professions although by the time the fight tant," said Ya makido. "This is a Nat'l Dinner the main topic of discussion JACL's such as medicine, engineering, broke up, all of Ya makido's reminder of what could happen Set for Sept. during the national board forum law or accounting. when our civil rights are taken 13 at the CCIPSWINCWNP tri And that's exactly what many o( away. Civil rights is something we By FLOYD MORI district conference April 25-27. JACL Nat'l President the younger JAs here are doing. have to fight for constantly. Many of the conference . Many leave the countryside to ''Tod ay, after Sept. 11, I know attendees wanted to know how t study at a college or university in that national security is an impor On Sept. 13, he national JACL JACL's finances are currently t larger cities such as Los Angeles, tant issue and I'm not saying tha� and he Pacific Southwest district doing and what the national San Diego or San Francisco, and we should jeopardize our nation's are hosting a dinner at the Wilshire board intends to do to improve the majority of them decide to security, but I think it's equally Grand Hotel the situation. stay. important that we keep the gov in Los "Financially we're paying Angeles. "An ernment accountable so that the See FINANCES/page See KOZUKVpage • civil rights of innocentAmericans American 11 11 aren't taken away like ours were Testimonial: during World War II." A Salute to Calif. Assembly Debates AJR 30 Ted Kobata, a JACL member, the Japanese represented Poston. In camp, American Condemning Cong�essman Coble Kobata worked as one of the National Leaders," will honor the four recreation department leaders Th e CaliforniaAssembly debat of these Arab Americans are prob Japanese Americans who are our before going out to harvest sugar ed on May 1 Assembly Joint ably intent on doing harm to us." best known and most highly rec beetsin Idaho. When the draftwas Resolution 30, which condemns The resolution was introduced ognized leaders: the Hon. Norman reinstated for camp internees in statements made by North by Assemblymembers Carol Liu, 1944, Kobata appeared for his Carolina Congressman Howard Wilma Chan, Judy Chu, George See MORI MEMO/page 9 physical but was not accepted into Coble. Nakano and Leland Yee. Principal coauthor in the state . active combat duty. While most 2003 As of press time, the result of JACL NATIONAL the debate was not available. Senate is John Va sconcellos. See PILGRIMAGE/page 12 YOUTH CONFERENCE The resolution, introduced on Coauthors in assembly: Patty April 10, calls for the following: Berg, Rudy Bermudez, Joseph condemns the statements made by Canciamilla, Ed Chavez, Rebecca Coble; urges him to apologize; Cohn, Ellen Corbett, Lou Correa, Inside the � and encourages him to resign as Manny Diaz, John Dutra, Mervyn Pacific Citizen chair of the Subcommittee on Dymally, Marco Antonio Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Firebaugh, Dario Frommer, Jackie Letters to the Editor ... 2 Security of the Judiciary Goldberg, Loni Hancock, Jerome Committee of the U.S. House of Horton, Hannah-Beth Jackson, National News . Representatives. Christine Kehoe, Paul Koretz, 3·4 Coble touched off a firestorm John Laird, Mark Leno, Lloyd Tri-District . ... Feb. 4 when he said during a Levine, Sally Lieber, John 5·6 WKZL-FM radio show that he Longville, Sports and supported the Nikkei internment Alan Lowenthal, Barbara camps during World War II. Matthews, Cindy Montanez, Gene "We were at war," Coble had Mullin, Joe Nation, Gloria Negrete Entertainment ... .....7 June 20.22, 2003 said on the air. "They (Japanese McLeod, Fabian Nunez, Jenny Washington University Americans) were an endangered Oropeza, Nicole Parra, Fran Columns ....... .....8 St. Louis, MO species. For many of these Pavley, Sarah Reyes, Mark Ridley Japanese Americans, it wasn't safe Thomas, Simon Salinas,. Joseph Calendar ....... ...10 for them to be on the street." Simitian, Darrell Steinberg, Juan Coble added, "Some (Japanese Vargas and Lois Wolk. Obituaries 7 .... ......11 Americans) probably were intent Coauthors in the senate: Dede WEEKS on doing harm to us, just as some Alpert and Debra Bowen .• , , . PACIFIC CITIZEN, MAY 2-15, 2003 2 . Howard Coble to the ttl- Republican National Com ""nacillO .t!et.teu � . SPRING CAMPAIGN Y . mittee when they asked for me clUzen Edit.or, ·An Invaluable Resource . to renew my membership and 7 Gupania Circle, for contributions. I wrote them Monterey Park, CA 91755 that I would not support them JACL Must Face Reality By DENI UEJIMA payroll and make up the short Tel: 3231725-0083, 800/966- until Coble stepped down. I cut PSW P.C. Editorial Board 6157, Fax: 3231725-0064 Over 50 years ago, I heard Mike fall not covered by the national Representative the census report from my local E-mail: [email protected] Masaoka give an eloquent speech JACL budget. paper about the lack of �n P.e. and I knew that JACL's fightJor As you are aware, the Asian Pacific American anchor Executive Editor: The Citizen Spring justice would not be in vain. Being Pacific had to go to a semi-monthly on our local NBC TV station Caroline Y. Aoyagi incarcerated in concentration Campaign is very important ... publication schedule. At one Assistant Editor: since Tritia Toyota left, inform camps was the most horrific critical at time there was a possibility that Martha Nakagawa ing them I would watch any of occurrence in our young lives and this time. I the P.e. would become a Office Manager: Brian Tanaka the other six stations with an am not a Production Assistant: most of us Nisei were determined monthly, but a decision was APA anchor. I also e�mailed my writer famil Margot Brunswick to fight back. JACL aggressively made to maintain a semi friends - APAs and non-APAs developed an offensive. iar with pub Writer/Reporter: Tfacy Uba monthly schedule as long as - to contact the station. The Circulation: Eva Lau-Ting You ng men who were sti l in lishing or ! possible and eventually return article in the P.e. about the camp in 1943-44 were recruited o writing � to being a weekly. In order to growing number of Hapas Publisher: Japanese American work in defense plants m columns as meet our expenses now and Citizens League (founded helps me keep informed about 1929) Cleveland, Chicago and Detroit. Gil Asakawa, through the summer months 1765 Sutter Street, San Francis trends.