{'IN DEPTH} With 'Buy American' Back, isAnti-Asian· Sentiment Around "the Corner? Remember Vincent Chin? Economic recovery at what cost? »page l

, . • . t . • ~ . " '. • I •• 2 MAR. 6-19, 2009 COMMENTARY/LETTER PACIHC iii crnZEN NAT!ONAl DIRECTOR'S REPORT ..:J!!i PAC I FI C ..CITIZEN A Memorable Tri-District 250 E. First Street, Ste. 301, By FLOYD MORI Los Angeles, CA. 90012 Tel: 213/620-1767, 800/966-6157 The JACL held its CCDCIPSWDCINCWNPDC Tri-District Fax: 213/620-1768 Comerence and a Day of Remembrance celebration Feb. 14 to 16 in E-mail: [email protected] Clovis, Calif. Hosted by the CCOC, the conference was held in con• www.pacificcitizen.org junction with the dedication of the Pinedale Executive Editor: Remembrance Plaza to commemorate the Caroline Y. Aoyagi-Stom Pinedale Assembly Center where Japanese Assistant Editor: Americans were held during World War II Lynda Lin before being shipped to the camps. Office Manager: Brian Tanaka Although 'some JACLers from PSW were Circulation: unable to attend the conference because of the COMMENTARY Eva Lau-Ting closure of the Grapevine due to snow, driving to the Fresno/Clovis area from Los Angeles on Publisher: Japanese American Citizens The Last Full Measure of Devotion Saturday morning was a pleasant drive with clear roads and good League (founded 1929) 1765 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94115, tel: 4151921- weather all the way. For those returning to Southern California on A recent visit to Italy, where my granduncle died during Monday after the conference, snow was still falling on the Grapevine 5225 fax: 4151931-4671, www.jacl.org fighting for his country, made me proud to be JACL President: Larry Oda and some took alternate routes. Those who attended the confer~nce wwn Nat'l Director: FIayd MOIi were well repaid with excellent learning experiences, which were part of his legacy of military service. Pacific Citizen Board of Directors: Margie very moving, along with outstanding and enjoyable social functions. Yamamoto, chairperson; Paul Niwa, EDC; By LT. JANELLE KURODA Lisa Hanasono, MDC; Kathy Ishimoto, Fourteen people had signed up for the golf tournament on Saturday morning. The opening general event was a catered barbecue dinner on . CCDC; Judith Aono, NCWNPDC; Justine s~­ Kondo, PNWDC; Jeff Itami, IDC; Ted Saturday evening followed by the showing of the "American Forty meters below the streets of Naples, Italy, I turn a comer and Namba, PSWDC; Naomi Oren, Youth. Pastime" film about baseball and the Topaz intemment camp. ble upon World War II-era graffiti illustrating an aerial attack and the infa• mous trio of those days: Adolf Hitler, Emperor Hirohito and Benito r------~ ------, Associate Producer Kerry Nakagawa was on hand at the viewing to NEWS/AD DEADLINE: FRIDAY answer questions. Mussolini. BEFORE DATE OF ISSUE. Marcia Chung is the new governor of the CCDC, following outgo• I am on an underground tour of Naples, making my way through the EditOrials, news and the opinions narrow passages that betray a secret world unknown to many modem day expressed by columnists other than the ing governor Bobbi Hanada. Alan Nishi is governor for NCWNP and national JACL president or national Alayne Yonemoto is the PSW governor. Judge Dale Ikeda and his Neapolitans. During the heavy aerial bombardments of WWII, up to director do not necessarily reflect JACL wife Debbie along with a host of volunteers put together an excellent .20,000 Neapolitans fled underground to these ancient caves once used by policy. Events and products advertised the Greeks and Romans. They lived in these caves and labyrinths for in the Pacific Citizen do not carry the conference with outstanding panelists. Dale has worked diligently implicit endorsement of the JACL or with a great committee to bring about the Remembrance Plaza, which months, often carving pictures depicting their lives into the walls. this publication. We reserve the right to is a beautiful memorial on the site of the former Pinedale Assembly Looking at the graffiti, I couldn't help but think of my granduncle, Jack edit articles. Center. Tanaka. ------~ Members of the coram nobis legal tearn who worked on the cases Growing up on a dairy fann in Pahala, Hawaii, my granduncle was a PACIFIC CITIZEN (lSSN: 0030-8579) is of Fred Korematsu, Gordon Hirabayashi and Min Yasui presented an house painter by trade. He enlisted in the U.S. Army when the call came published semi-monthly except once in out for Japanese American volunteers to form the looth Battalion. Jack December and January by the Japanese informative panel discussion. The then-young attorneys told of their American Citizens League, 250 E. Rrst firsthand experiences. They realized that their success would have a was a gunner in Bravo Company, and he was 27 years old when he made Street, Ste. 301, Los Angeles, CA. 90012 bearing on the success of.. the Redress Movement. Presiding Justice the ultimate sacrifice during the Battle of Monte Cassino in Central Italy OFFICE HOURS - Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-5 James Ardaiz was the moderator. ' . on Jan. 25, 1944. He was awarded a Purple Heart - one of many that p.m. Pacific Time. ©2009. The Redress panel moderated by Carole Hayashino consisted of earned his unit the nickname, "Purple Heart Battalion." Annual subscription rates: NON• former Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, John Tateishi, myself, Ken My grandparents instilled in me a sense of pride for what my uncle and MEMBERS: 1 year-$40, payable in other Nisei did during WWII despite challenges at home and abroad. advance. Additional foreign postage per year (1st class) - Canada and Mexico See MORVpage 13 These brave men paved the way for the advancement of all JAs. They $55, Japan and overseas·$60 (Subject inspired patriotism in all who followed, including my father, who served to change without notice.) Postage paid in the Army during the Vietnam War and my uncles, who fought in at Los Angeles, Calif. Vietnam and Korea. Permission: No part of this publication Letter to the Editor From the early age of seven, I knew that I wanted to serve my country may be reproduced without express per• as well. 'This devotion to public service continued throughout high school mission of the publisher. Copying for other than personal or internal reference and college, and it motivated me to- obtain my law degree. However, I use without the express permission of JACL Fails to Address Economic Problems never considered joining the anned forces until my first year of law P.e. is prohibited. school at Boston College. POSTMASTER: Send address changes I was disappointed with the writers and artides in the New While serving as an intern at the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney to: Pacific Citizen, clo JACL National General, I met a Navy reserve officer who discussed a career in the Judge Headquarters, 1765 Sutter St., San Year's Issup. Each writer seems to miss what is happening to the Advocate General's (JAG) Corps. I didn't feel that I could be of much Francisco, CA 94115. status of the Nikkei and the goals for the future. As of this y<;:ar, the United States and the world are experienc• service to the military because of my diminutive 4-foot-II-stature. As the ing ~eriotis economic woes - and the problems must inevitably discussion continued, I learned that I could serve my country by offering JACL MEMBERS have an impact on the Asian community. Young, educated Nikkei, legal assistance to sailors and marines, defending sailors in courts-martial Change of Address like other segments of American society, are no longer sure of their and providing legal counsel to commanding officers on rules of engage• futures. The pie has shrunk drastically, and groups are fighting for ment and military justice. Despite my initial reservations, I was up to the If you have moved., please a greater 'part of the reduced sources. challenge. Navy~JAG send infonnation to: In the view of this writer, the JACL leaders have missed the In the three years since I joined the Corp, I have served in National JACL opportunity to address more seriously these economic problems. three foreigil countries and experienced more than I could ever have Today we are summoned to come to grips with the urban crises, imagined. When the call came out asking for volunteers to relieve Army 1765 Sutter St. JAGs in Iraq, many of whom were on their second deployment, I was one Francisco, CA poverty, racially disadvantaged, education, housing, financing and San other problems. . of the first to raise my hand. I served with Multi-National Force-Iraq Task 94115 In effect - the JACL should be moving in the direction of Force 134 - Detainee Operations in Baghdad. Working with Iraqi attor• Allow 6 weeks for address changes. social activism. In 2009, it is high time for us who have accepted neys and our JAGs to achieve justice in a budding democracy was a great experience. To avoid interruptions in reoeiving the responsibility to pause and ask: if our community can properly Following my tour in Iraq, I returned to Norfolk as a defense attorney, your P.C, please notify your pa;trnas• be charged with the tasks. but I longed to return to the Middle East. Luckily, I secured a post in ter to include periodicals in your Bahrain. My duties as a staff judge advocate allowed me to experience a change of addres> (USPS Form 3575) TAKASUMI KOJIMA Berkeley, Calif. See KURODA/page 13 PACIFIC E--CmzEN TOP STORIES MAR. 6-19, 2009 3 With 'Buy American' Back, is. Anti·Asian Sentiment Around the Corner? In bad economic times, history has shown th~t the 'us' in the 'us versus them' does not include Asian Americans.

By LYNDA LIN Assistant Editor

On Sundays when the weather permits, Cincinnati resident Jim Berns likes to take American flags and homemade signs to busy street corners. There, he waves at passing cars while hold• ing up signs that say, ''Honk if you love the USA" and ''Buy made in the USA." ''Motorists go crazy with the signs," says Berns. ''Truckers blare their horns, Chevys toot and BMWs go silently by." The troubled economy has driven him to launch this one• man campaign. Like many Americans, the threat of unemploy• ment looms large for the longtime employee of the budget• strapped University of Cincinnati. Berns, 60, hopes a renewed commitment to buy American• made prOducts will boost the economy and keep Americans SIGNS OF THE TIMES: Graffiti working. It's calling on people's patriotism, he says. But some near an Indiana church (top) Asian Pacific Americans worry the resurgence of populist rhet• uses racist language. But other oric like ''Buy American" will lead to increased anti-Asian signs use a friendlier, more sentiment and worse - Americans violently turning against other Americans. patriotic tone. 'Supporting the "I think it's a slippery slope," says Roland Hwang, president home team is not a bad thing,' of American Citizens Justice, a Michigan-based APA civil said Jim Bems, (left), who has rights organization. The ''Buy American" slogan, which is taken to the streets to push his em~dded in the $787 billion stimulus package signed by message. President Barack Obama, creates an underlying "us versus them" mentality. "Such a mentality might get transferred to some zealot's self~ USA" on them. requirements ("Buy America") in the stimulus ensures that the justified violence against APAs, Latinos or other people of color "~uy American [is] just an excuse to be racist," said Lixiao materials used in infrastructure projects are produced by work• in these bad economic times," adds Hwang. Xu, a freshman from the State University of New York (SUNY) ers and companies in the United States to the maximum extent You don't have to go too far back into U.S. history for an Buffalo. possible," said Wayne Ranick, a USW spokesperson. ''This is example either. Once upon another economic recession, two A few months ago, Xu came across a Facebookcom "Jap the best and fastest way to get people back to work and create out-of-work autoworkers in 1982 Detroit misidentified 27- Crap" group where members weighed in on the value of demand in the marketplace." year-old Vincent Chin' to be of Japanese descent and said, American cars versus imports. Many used patriotic and often The USW is also pushing lawmakers to sign their ''Buy ''because of you motherf-----s we are out of work," before beat• racist language to prove their point, so Xu decided to join the American" resolution that promises to ensure federal econom• ing him to death with a baseball bat. debate. . ic recovery dollars go to cities and tax dollars are kept at home "You don't hate imports, you only hate Asian imports to help create jobs. To date, nearly 300 resolutions have been Now and Then: Us Versus Them because they are not made by' a white man," Xu wrote on the introduced, with more than 70 already approved, said Ranick Until now, economists called the time between 1979-1982 group's wall. "Buy American" has a certain amount of logic, said Frank. the worst recession after World War II. ''These incidences don't exist in a cultural vacuum," said "It creates a national 'we' united under a cause to save "It was a time of crises," said Frank Wu, a professor of law Dana Frank, the author of ''Buy American: The Untold Story of American jobs. But who are 'we'? Most people are not that and history at George Washington University in Washington, Econornic Nationalism" and a history professor at the aware of how transnational these large corporations are." D.C. "From World War II, there was a great sense that the U.S. University of California, Santa Cruz. Often supporters of cam• Even iconic American consumer products like Ford and could do anything. That was no longer true." paigns like these resort to nationalism and then racial stereo• Chevy have foreign-made components. But in this current Americans - who were still grappling with the aftermath of types that date back to thel800s when the first wave of Asian recession, economic nationalism is making a comeback When the Vietnam War and Watergate scandal- faced among other immigrants were perceived to "sneak" things in. asked if the movement could lead to a rise in anti-Asian senti• things an oil crisis, high unemployment and inflation rates. ''That's the way U.S .. history has unfolded. There's a long his• ment, Ranick points to evidence that we're in a more egalitari• Competition from Japanese cars led to mass layoffs in the auto• tory of Asian racism. Economic nationalism can turn into anti• an era. mobile industry and increased anti-Japan sentiment. Asian racism in a minute. It explodes so fast," said Frank. "Nobody associated with the USW or any other labor organ• Members of the United Auto Workers famously smashed "Anytime you're looking for a scapegoat, things are going to ization condones racism, violence and murder. While problems Toyota cars with sledgehammers at union picnics and distrib• get nasty." like this exist on a societal level, we like to believe much has uted ''Buy American" flyers with frequent references to Pearl changed as evidenced by our country recently electing an Harbor. Economic Nationalism Reemerging African American as president." With Chin's murder in 1982, it became clear that in the ''us Union members are also leading the charge to renew the But Wu thinks the threat is very real. Over 25 years ago versus them" mentality, APAs were counted as "them." commitment to "Buy American." A Feb. 9 Harris Interactive Chin's murder and trial caused national outrage. "Up until that "I fear it's coming back again," said Wu, who is writing a poll conducted for the Alliance for American Manufacturing moment it occurred did anyone care?" book on the Chin case. found it to be a popular cause - 84 percent favor "Buy ''The problem is our historical memory is so short. It's so Back then the scapegoat was Japan, now China is being American" requirements. easy to forget our past," said Tony Lam, a fIlmmaker whose blanied for running up the U.S. trade deficit and putting "Every time you turn around you see 'made in China' and 2008 documentary "Vrncent Who?" examined Chin's legacy in Americans out of jobs. stuff gets imported here. We're losing jobs," United the APA community. ''But we all know that whether it's Chinese or Japanese. They Steelworkers member Gregory Jones, of Lafayette, Indiana, Activists like Berns disavow any racism with "Buy think we all look the same," said Wu. told the Associated Press at a recent union-sponsored rally. American" campaigns. He says he's simply trying to raise The rhetoric is also making a comeback According to the U.S. Labor Department, nearly 600,000 awareness in these bleak economic times. Two years ago, he In December, O.c. Welch, the owner of a Hardeeville, South jobs were lost in January as the U.S. unemployment rate rose bought his home at a high and could lose it if things don't turn Carolina car dealership blasted consumers who bought from 7.2 percent to 7.6 percent. around. Japanese cars in a controversial radio ad. Welch, who called the The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 con• "I wish there were more Americans who see that this econo• cars "rice ready, not road ready," has since apologized for his tains a ''Buy American" govemment procurement provision my is like a train barreling towards the mountains," said Berns. comments. That same month, Detroit's WDIV-TV reported that with the intent to help jumpstart the economy. Union leaders "Supporting the home team is not a bad thing. We support our a man was caught on a security camera in a Woodhaven, Mich. say it's a step in the right direction. Olympic athletes. It would be a good idea to support our strip mall slashing the tires of four parked cars and writing ''Buy "Given these dire straits, including domestic-sourcing American workers as our home team." • 4 MAR. 6-19, 2009 TOP STORIES PACIFIC iJ CrnZEN Bull~ing. o!JA StudenJs Shows Need For Change In school, Katie and Justin DaVIS..' one of those things that schools don't tolerate" Ka t' Ie an d Jus t'In h were arassed and called raCISt Justrn, a freshman who loves playing foot- . Davis, of Burney, names until they decided to fight ball and baseb~, said sometimes the harass- back. ment forced him to question his identity. Calif., said they "I wished to actually be anything that were targeted wouldn't get me harassed," he said. because of their By LESLIE TAMURA K. In January, Justin had been harassed more ethnicity. It created Special to the Pacific Citizell than usual, according to his mother, Linda an identity crisis. Davis. Justin (right) said Starting a new school in the middle of the Justin's bullies chased him with snowballs, he wanted to 'be year can be tough, but the new kid, Katie yelling, "Peg the Asian." One student eyed anything that Davis, wanted nothing more than to make friends with her fellow fourth-graders. Justin as he held a butter knife to his own wouldn't get me throat, while making a slMhing mQtion across She had moved from a small community to harassed.' Burney, Calif. with her parents and younger his neck With his free hand. These students' names have been withheld for privacy issues. brother Justin. Her parents, both state park cation for 35 years. "Our job is to try and As for Katie and Justin, life has improved. "JuSt:ll called me at work," said Linda, now rangers, were transferred there in 2000. raise the awareness ... and hopefully in the Since January, some of the bullies "have laid a real estate agent. "He asked if I could come Katie's black hair, almond-shaped eyes and grand scheme of things make a positive dif- off completely," according to Justin. He now get him; he was afraid to be there when the mecliurn complexion had never drawn much ference." . looks forward to finishing high school with his lunch bell rang." attention. However, when she started school, The Davis family is moving forward. On Jan. 8, during her food sciences class, friends. her peers couldn't help but notice that there "It's not over," Linda said. 'The situation Katie was baking brownies when the same stu• Katie is finishing school at home. was something different about the new girl. has been handled because we demanded it, and dent, who had allegedly threatened Justin with She will be a high school graduate by They didn't know what to do with a girl who it took a very long time." a knife, started grabbing her brownies and call• March, and from there, she plans to move to was a quarter-Japanese mixed with "a little bit The Davis family's complaint to the ing her, ''World War II." spend her summer at a national park away of everything." Sheriff's Department is now with the district "I finally got mad," Katie said. from Burney. Within a year, questions about her race attorney. By March, they expect to leam more She yelled at him, "Shut the f--- up," to When asked about her future, if college is became name-calling - ''flat-face Jap" - about the case. part o~ her plan, the girl who tried to find her which often deteriorated to being spat on. which he responded, "You f------Asian b----." Angela Chan, staff attorney with the Asian place in a new town, a new school, says she is Katie wasn't alone in all of this. Her brother Over the next month, the Davis family filed Law Caucus in San Francisco, is monitoring still afraid. Justin, then a second-grader, also dealt with the a complaint with the sheriff, Katie left school the issue, although she does not represent the "Maybe a year without any school would physical and verbal harassment. and the administration responded to the racial family currently. get me to chill out a little bit after years of just For nine years, they endured the bullying. In harassment allegations, expelling one student "Schools have a legal responsibility to being so angry and hating [school] so much," January 2009, things intensified, coming to a for a year and suspending others. address racial harassment and discrimination," Katie said. ''I think I just need to relax and do head when the siblings became victims of "I take all reports of bullying or harassment Chan wrote in an e-mail. ''I am supportive of something I want to do, and be respected for alleged racially motivated threats. very seriously," wrote Larry Snelling, superin• the family filing a complaint." who lam." Bullying is not a new issue for Burney High, tendent of the Fall River Joint Unified District, nor is it new for Asian Pacific Americans in in an e-mail. ''I deal with the students who are doing the bullying swiftly." . . schools across the country. When State Assemblyman Ted Lieu, D• The Davis family, however, does not "SNAPPY ONE-liNERS ... MOVES AT AFAST CLIP.. . EAST WEST PLAYERS Calif., signed into law a statute providing stu• approve of the school's response. UGHTHEARTED .. .TAlENTED ENSEMBLE .. . TIM DANG, PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR 'There's a very serious problem at this WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM THE dents with more protection against bullies, the school," Linda said, "when you have staff that FLEET-FOOTED COMIC TIMING" S. MARK TAPER FOUNDATION legislation reminded students, parents and -LA Times does the things they do, and you have an ' ENDOWMENT FOR schools that bullying has real and negative EAST WEST PLAYERS consequences for all involved. administration that does not take action when things go wrong." PRESENTS "Bullying is a euphemism for child abuse• .' ~ J~ f psychological abuse perpetrated upon children Months earlier, in the fall of 2008, Linda MARCH IS!! . by other children," wrote Elizabeth Englander, said she complained to the vice principal, IXNAY Peggy Snelling, who is also married to the dis• director of the Massachusetts Aggression BY PAUL KIKUCHI Reduction Center, in an e-mail. It traurnatizes trict superintendent. DIRECTED BY JEFF UU the victims, the witnesses as well as the bullies. "I expected help," Linda said, "and we got nowhere." WORLD PREMIERE Growing Tensions NOW-MARCH 15, 2009 The unincorporated town of Burney is pre• A Community Problem dominately white, with a population of about "For years, I've told my kids, 'Kids are Raymond Kobayashi is in the prime 3,300. Burney High, located at 37571 cruel,'" said Bob Davis, Katie and Justin's of his sansei life when he is pulled Mountain View Road, serves seventh through father, ''but now r don't know what to say; we up to the Reincarnation Station .. twelfth graders. just need to listen to our kids more." But when he finds out he's being As the only two Asians in a school of 266, The Davis family'~ story is not unique. sent back as aJapanese American An average of 13 percent of students in the he refuses, which rudely prevents however, Katie and Justin say they have spent anyone else from returning to earth their academic careers on the bottom of the Fall River Joint Unified District have been harassed because of their race, ethnicity or as scheduled. Acomedy about a social "pecking order." usually polite Asian causing major "If you're the bottom," said Katie, now a national origin, according to the most recent havoc when he ixnays his next life. senior, ''you get eaten alive." California Healthy Kids Survey. And, she adds, no one at the school helped "Kids have reported that they're not feeling her, not even her teachers. safe at school," said Stephanie Papas, school On December 7,2006, Katie's social studies health education consultant for the Califomia teacher asked her to sit at the back of the class• Department of Education. room during a discussion about Pearl Harbor; Larry Snelling says he understands the seri• this teacher no longer works at the school. ousness of school bullying, and he hopes that Justin, now 16, also says he never got the in the future, a JACL representative will host help he wanted from the school. an "in-service" to raise staff and students' Burney High administrators declined to awareness of bullying and racial harassment. comment about the bullying of specific stu• "One of my main goals is to see all the stu• WWW.EastWestPlayers.org (213) 625-7000 dents due to privacy concerns, but school prin• dents and staff look forward to coming to David Henry Hwang Theatre at the Union Center for the Arts cipal, Thomas Puskarich said, "[Bullying] is school," wrote Snelling, who's worked in edu- 120 Judge John Aiso St., Little Tokyo district, downtown L.A. PACIfiC ~ CmzEN NATIONAL NEWS MAR. 6-19, 2009 5 Hawaii Same-Sex Civil Unions Delayed by Tie Vote By Associated Press and P.e. Staff that allowed gay marriage, but the Civil union backers wore gold state still offers domestic partner- stickers with the word "Equality" HONOLULU-Hawaii legisla• ships that guarantee the same rights written on them in green. tors have stalled a proposal to bring as marriage. ''Why is the world's most diverse same-sex civil unions to the islands, In 1994, JACL passed-a resolu- location still discriminating against but Democratic leaders plan a bold tion in favor of same-sex marriages its homosexual "brothers and sis• move to bring the issue to a vote of - the first national Asian American ters?" asked Bryan Oran, who iden• the full Senate. organization to do so - and contin- tified himself as a 19-year-old serv• The Senate Judiciary Committee ues to support the rights of same-'sex ice member of the military. voted 3-3 Feb. 25, which is short of couples. Those opposed to civil unions the majority needed to advance the Impassioned crowds swamped argued that they're the same thing as bill through the nonnal legislative the Hawaii Capitol and testified for marri,age, which should be reserved process. more than 15 hours before the com- to couples of one male and one Senate leaders have said they rnittee vote at 3 a.m. Feb. 25. Two female. Nearly 70 percent of Hawaii intend to yank the measure from its Democrats joined the one voters approved a constitutional committee and force a vote before Republican on the committee to amendment in 1998 granting the the 25-member Senate, which is vote against it. The Legislature is state Legislature the power to allowed under a rarely used provi• more than 80 percent Democratic. reserve marriage for opposite-sex equality is a civil rights issue that The Hawaii Constitution allows a sion of the Hawaii Constitution if Hundreds of gay marriage and couples. should be settled based on principles bill to be recalled from a committee more than one-third of senators civil union opponents, wearing red "We have already made it clear rather than a dated majority vote. 20 days after it was referred to that approve. As many as 18 senators shirts in a show of unity, outnum- that we oppose same-sex marriage "It is plain old dirty nasty discrim• committee, so it couldn't be pulled to have said they, favor civil unions, bered gay rights advocates at the in Hawaii .... Our nVstake was when ination," said Kapolei resident the Senate floor until March 10 at the which has already passed the Capitol, with many overflowing we assumed our representatives Michael Golojuch Jr. soonest. • House. from the auditorium into the halls to would represent us," said testifier If it passes and Republican Gov. watch the testimony on TVs set up ' Lisa Poulos...... :..------, Linda Lingle doesn't veto it, Hawaii for the occasion. It was the largest "Do not try and Removal of Display on WWII's End Raises Question on would become the fifth state to have turnout for a Capitol hearing in sneak same-sex civil unions. Lingle is uncommitted years. marriages Balance Between Historical Accuracy and Racial Sensitivity on the issue. "In my Bible, God has not through the Only Massachusetts and changed and his words have not back door by The 1945 headline trumpeted the Connecticut allow gay marriage, changed," said Dennis Dutton, calling them end of war with a term now seen while Vennont, Connecticut, New assistant pastor of Calvary Chap,el civil unions." as derogatory to JAs. Jersey and New Hampshire allow West Oahu. ''This is about uphold• Civil union civil unions. Califomians voted in ing the first institution established proponents told By P.e. siaff and Associated Press November to overturn a court ruling by our Lord." lawmakers that An Indianapolis VA hospital's decision to remove a framed newspaper with the head• line "Japs Surrender" has sparked a nation• University of Colorado. wide letter-writing campaign among veter• ''If you think of them as humans, you can't ans, who say taking down the display do the things war compels you to do," amounts to an effort to whitewash history. Burgess said. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical In 1986, Congress passed a joint resolution Center director Tom Mattice said he removed 'calling the tenn "Jap" racially derogatory and the 1945 Indianapolis Times front page after offensive. receiving a complaint from a new employee Museums often strike a balance by pairing offended by the tenn "Japs," a common slur controversial displays with detailed explana• during World War IT. tions. The National World War IT Museum's But a group of retired Marines says the exhibit of propaganda posters, for example, action amounts to offering an apology that includes captions that put the images into isn't due, and they want the artifact put back context. on the wall where it hung next to other WWII "You would never want to put up an object memorabilia for a decade. without interpreting it," said Kacey Hill, a "We feel it's a slap in the face of the U.S. spokeswoman for the New Orleans museum. military. That newspaper is history, part of Mattice argues the VA hospital is a differ• United States history," Ronald "Bud" ent case and says he has contacted the VNs Albright, commandant of the local Marine national ethics office for a ruling on how to Corps League chapter and leader of the letter• proceed. writing campaign, told The Indianapolis Star. "We are not a museum," he said. "A muse• But U.S. history also includes dedicated um is where people go to understand the his• Japanese American military service, and the tory. We are a medical center." use of derogatory terms like "Jap" revives He said he has asked a staff member to find past racial discrimination, said Robert a different front page that carries the news of Nakamoto, president of the Japanese the war's end in more delicate tenns. American Veterans Association. "Something like 'Victory in the Pacific,'" "JAVA supports efforts to eliminate the use he said. "Or, 'Japanese Surrender.'" of racial epithets including the display of a John Gromosiak, an artist whose paintings past newspaPer headline that has a racial of American warships line the VNs hallway slur," he said. near where the newspaper used to hang, says Over 30,000 JAs served in the U.S. mili• the headline depicts life as it was in 1945. tary during WWII as a way to defeat the dis• ''The war's over, but if you're going to tell crimination at home, Nakamoto added. (800) 544-8828 • www.jacicu.com it like it is, then you tell it like it was, and The tenn "Jap" reflects the racial prejudice that's the way it was, just like that newspaper that was promoted during WWII. Such tenns sald it," said Gromosiak, a Korean War veter• National JACL are often part of an effort to dehumanize the an. "You cannot hide history, or you should• Credit Union enemy, said Guy Burgess, a co-director of the n't." • Conflict Research Consortium at the 6 MAR. 6-19, 2009 NATIONAL NEWS PACIFIC !I CmZEN Washington State House Passes Joint Memorial National Newsbytes Calling lor a Nisei Veterans Commemorative Stamp By Pacific Citizen Staff and Associated Press By Pacific Citizen Staff Washington State Senate Protesters Rally Against Philadelphia Casino For Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, for consider• PHILADELPHIA• heroism is worth a stamp. ation. Dozens of people Since her arrival to the o the r recently rallied-against Washington State Legislature a cities and a casino planned for decade ago, Santos has hosted an states have downtown Phila-del• annual Day of Remembrance in the also joined phia, saying it ~illiead Washington State House of the campaign to gambling problems Representatives to honor the to recognize and prey on those who Japanese American intemees and wwn Nisei can least afford it. World War IT veterans. veterans. The Foxwoods casi• This year, Santos sponsored The stamp no once slated for the South Philadelphia riverfront is now expected to be House Joint Memorial 4005, which committee• built at The Gallery mall near Chinatown. calls on President Barack Obama comprised of Opponents rallied outside the Bellevue building, where both Gov. Ed length of service in U.S. history. and Congress to urge the U.S. Postal volunteers - makes direct recom• Rendell and the mall's owner have offices. The protesters chanted "No Among the numerous awards, there Service to issue a stamp commemo• mendations to the U.S. Postal slots!" and held up anti-casino signs in English and Chinese. are 9,000 Purple Hearts and 21 rating the Nisei veterans. Service and can either reject a stamp APA groups have been vocally opposed to the development. And the Rev. Medals of Honor. Many of these The measure passed the state proposal, recommend it, or continue Ellis Washington, head of the 200-member Black Clergy of Philadelphia, men volunteered even though their House unanimously on Feb. 18. to keep the proposal under consider• says a casino at The Gallery is a bad idea. He says it will make gambling families were being held in intern• "Washington needs to be on ation. more accessible because the mall is also a hub for public transit. record because prior to the war, we mentcamps. Many stamp proposals never see were second - after California - Speaking from the House floor, .. the front side of an envelope. Construction Begins at Pearl Harbor Shipyard in the population of Japanese Santos said that the remaining Nisei To date, there has never been a HONOLULU-A $25.5 rnillion construction project has broken ground at veterans are now in their 80s and 90s Americans on the mainland," said stamp honoring the heroic JA wwn Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, the first of 30 projects in a major moderniza• -- their twilight years. Santos. . soldiers although a stamp honoring tion plan. The accomplishments of the Nisei "A commemorative stamp would Latino soldiers was issued in 1984 The Pentagon could spend up to $800 rnillion on modernizing the shipyard wwn veterans are legendary. The be a fitting tribute to the Nisei vets' and there was also a "Buffalo over the next three decades to meet the needs of the Pacific Fleet. Most of the 442nd RCTIlOOth Battalion is the years of service under the worst of Soldiers" stamp honoring African shipyard's structures were built between 1913 and 1945. most decorated unit for its size and conditions." Americans in 1994.• ,Sen. Daniel Inouye presided over the groundbreaking of the first project HJM 4005 now goes to the - permanent facilities for the distribution of water, compressed air, welding gases and other utilities to shipyard dry docks and piers. Obama Chooses Locke to Run Commerce Department Inouye said the modernization is important, "if we are to stay in the front lines" of the Asia-Pacific Region. AA groups, including and the 2010 Census. JACL, call for the swift Asian American groups, APA Communities Get Preservation Grants approval of Locke's nomi• including the JACL, called LOS ANGELES-Five APA communities will share in a $250,000 grant nation. for swift confrnnation of aimed at preserving their history. The city's Community Redevelopment Locke. Agency will nearly match the grant. By Associated Press and P.e. Staff "Thl? JACL is very The grant, to be shared by neighborhood groups in Little Tokyo pleased that Gary Locke has Chinatown, Filipinotown, Koreatown, and Thai Town, comes from the WASHINGTON-President been nominated to become National Park Service as part of a White House initiative. Barack Obama introduced former the Secretary of Commerce. It will be matched by. $211 ,327 in CRA funds, according to the city agency. Washington Gov. Gary Locke as his He is well qualified and will nominee for Commerce secretary be a great asset to the Study: Diabetes Risk Higher Among APA Children Feb. 24, trying a third time to ~ a President's Cabinet," said HONOLULU-A to-year diabetes study finds that APA children in the is committed to doing what it takes key Cabinet post for a country in Larry Oda, JACL national president. United States have higher rates of diabetes than children in many Asian coun• to keep the American dream alive. recession. "Gary Locke has been a great tries. "Gary will be a trusted voice in "I'm sure it's not lost on anyone example to the Asian Pacific The University of Hawaii's Dr. Beatriz Rodriguez says researchers found my Cabinet, a tireless advocate for that we've tried this a couple of American community. We endorse data indicating higher rates of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. our economic competitiveness and times. But I'm a big believer in his candidacy and encourage a swift Type 2 diabetes was expected to be more common in American children an influential ambassador to keeping at something until you get it approval for Gary Locke to fill the because the disease is closely linked to obesity. But the causes of type 1 dia• American industry who will help us right. And Gary is the right man for important position of the United betes, an autoimmune disorder involving the pancreas that requires patients do everything we can, especially this job," Obama said, standing with States Secretary of Commerce," to take insulin, are less clear. now, to promote our industry around the fellow Democrat in the Indian added Floyd Mori, JACL national Rodriguez suspects a combination of infections at bitth, toxins and early the globe," Obarna said. Treaty Room at the Eisenhower director. cessation of breast-feeding are responsible. In tum, Locke said he was com• Executive Office Buildillg near the Locke, 59, was the nation's first mitted to making the sprawling White House. Chinese American governor, serving Judge: Top Obama Officials agency an "active and integral part• The president's two top earlier two terms in Washington from 1997 Should Review Hmong Case ner" in advancing Obama's econom• choices for the post dropped out - to 2005. He currently works for the SACRAMENTO, Calif.-A federal judge has urged top Obama adminis• ic agenda, as the agency nurtures New Mexico Democratic Gov. Bill Seattle-based law firm Davis Wright . tration officials to decide whether to continue to pursue the case against 11 innovation, expands global markets, Richardson faced questions about a Tremaine on issues involving China, Vietnam War veterans accused of trying to overthrow the communist govern• protects ocean fisheries and fosters donor and Republican Sen. Judd energy and govemmental relations. ment of Laos. growth. Gregg of New HamI?shire had a "Over the years, I have traveled U.S. District Judge Frank C. Darnrell Jr. told prosecutors they should take '''The Department of Commerce change of heart about working for a extensively with Gary, visiting Asian the case "to the top" of the new administration before deciding whether to can and will help create the jobs and president from the opposite party - American communities around the keep prosecuting former Laotian General Yang Pao, former U.S. Army offi• the .economic vitality our nation well before the Senate had a chance country, and know that he has a cer Harrison Jack and nine other members of California's Hmong communi• needs," Locke said. to confirm them. nuanced understanding of ethnic, ty. If confirmed by the Senate, Locke Obarna praised Locke, a Chinese cultural, and linguistic diversity Jack and the Hmong community leaders were accused in June 2007 of would assume control of a large American, as a man who shares his within all our communities," said plotting to overthrow the communist Laotian govemment and face charges agency with a broad portfolio that vision for turning around the mori• Rep. Mike Honda, Congressional that include violating the federal Neutrality Act. • includes overseeing many aspects of bund economy, and as someone who Asian Pacific American Caucus It could be another four months before prosecutors decide what charges international trade, oceans policy chair. • they could face at trial .• PACIFIC. CmZEN NATIONAL NEWS MAR. 6-19, 2009 7 --A·····:·····_·_p···_> A- --~ Hawaii Takes Land Dispute to Supreme.Court ,! .;·/, .·.·.·.·.. S in the By ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON-A congres• News sional resolution apologizing for the By Pacific Citizen Staff overthrow of the Kingdom of .. Hawaii in 1893 does not strip the French Camp Chapter Awards state of its authority to sell or trans• Scholarship. Installs New Officers fer any of about 1.2 million acres of land, Hawaii Attorney General Mark Stephanie Kuwahara (pictured, left), an Bennett told the US. Supreme Court honors student at Tokay High School in Lodi, Feb. 25 . . was the winner of the French Camp JACL's Bennett and Kannon K. chapter scholarship' award. Kuwahara was pre• Sharunugam, representing the state's sented with the award at the chapter's annual Office of Hawaiian Affairs, argued New Year's and installation luncheon on Feb. agains each other in the state's 28. appeal of a Hawaii state Supreme At the same event, JACLNCWNP Gov. Alan Court ruling blocking any sale of Nishi installed the following slate of officers: land conveyed to the state as part of Dean Komure, president; Kent Higashiyama, the 1959 act that led to Hawaii Several justices voiced a reluctance Court stated that its decision was 1st vice president; David Morinaka, 2nd vice becoming the 50th state. to do so. "dictated by" the apology resolution. president; Fumiko Asano, treasurer; Jeannie After years of legal wrangling, the "Why is it necessary? Why isn't it Those representing Native Matsumoto, corresponding secretary; Katy state court last year halted sales of sufficient just to say that this resolu• Hawaiians in the legal battle were Komure, recording secretary; Kimi Morinaka, historian; and Hideo the "ceded lands" until Native tion has no substantive effect, peri• "treating it now as sort of window Morinaka, membership. Hawaiian claims to those lands are od," asked Justice Ruth Bader dressing, icing on the cake, really APALC Elects New Board Chair put to rest. Ginsburg. didn't matter." The state court's decision, rested The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Shanmugam replied it was more Attorney John Lim has been elected the new chair of the Asian Pacific in part on a joint congressional reso• sued the state to prevent it from sell• than window dressing. The resolu• American Legal Center's board of directors, making him the first Korean lution acknowledging and apologiz• ing some of the property in question. tion confirmed the factual predicate American in the position. ing for the role that the United States Speaking for the office, Shanmugam that lands were illegally taken away. Lim is a senior partner in the transactions group of Lim, Ruger & Kim LLP played in the overthrow of the discounted the apology resolution's But he said the original lawsuit only and specializes in real estate development and financing, representing devel• Kingdom of Hawaii on Jan. 17, effect on the state court's decision. focused on state law. opers, financial institutions and investment entities. 1893. He said that state law created the Ginsburg said she was concemed The longtime board member began working with APALC in 1992 to help Bennett stressed two points. First, fiduciary duty ensuring that interests that the state court used the federal Korean storeowners and families recover from the losses incurred during the the resolution marking the lOOth of Native Hawaiians were properly law as its basis for its decision, and Los Angeles riots. anniversary of the overthrow was an addressed. that it used the federal law as a apology that did not change who had The state court made clear that it crutch. "What that does is it removes 2 APAs Win Engineer of the Year Awards proper title to the lands in question. was relying on the apology resolu-' it from the Hawaii political process." Northrop Grumman Corporation employees Nora Lin and Harry Chen '1t was, as the sponsor said at the tion only for the acknowledgment Some legal analysts say a ruling were recently recognized for their contributions to science and engineering at time, a simple apology, and no that Native Hawaiians had unre• against the state of Hawaii could set the 2009 Asian American Engineer of the Year. more," Bennett said. solved claims, he said. a precedent for other native popula• The awards, presented by the Chinese Institute of Engineers-USA, are But he also urged the court to go a Ginsburg didn't seem to agree tions to make claims to lands they given to APA professionals in academia, public service and corporate entities step further and confmn the state's though. once inhabited. A decision in the for their personal achievements. sovereign authority over the land. She said the Hawaii Supreme case is not expected until June.• Lin is a manager of supportability engineering for Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems sector in Rolling Meadows, ill. Chen, .an integrated prod• uct team manager and technical fellow for the Aerospace Systems sector, has Court Reverses Ruling Bringing 17 Chinese Muslim Detainees toU.S. helped the company field some of the nation's most complex antenna sys• tems for space applications. By ASSOCIATED PRESS "Such sentiments, however high-minded, do not rep- • resent a legal basis for upsetting settled law and overrid• PostOffice is Named in Honor of Gordon N. Chan WASHlNGTON-A US. appeals court reversed a ing the prerogatives of the political branches," Judge A. A North San Jose post office has been named in ruling Feb. 18 that would have transferred 17 Raymond Randolph wrote. honor of Gordon N. Chan, a respected community Guantanamo Bay d~tainees, none of whom are labeled The decision has ramifications beyond the Uighurs. leader and agricultural pioneer who died in 2001. A enemy combatants, to the United States. The ruling casts The Supreme Court has . held that Guantanamo Bay plaque has been installed at the building on Lundy further uncertainty on the fate of the Turkic-speaking detainees can go to court to challenge their imprison• Avenue. Muslims from western China. ment. The ruling, however, says a judge can hear the case Chan, the first Chinese American president of the Because there is no evidence they plotted or fought but has no authority to actually free the detainees. . Santa Clara Farm Bureau, was a well-known mentor against the United States, the govemment has no author• In ordering the Uighurs released last year, Urbina to ~any APA community activists and politicians. He ity to hold them at Guantanamo Bay, but deciding what strongly rebuked the Bush administration for holding was on the board and served as executive director of to do with the men has been a diplomatic proble~ for men who were not enemy combatants indefmitely, with• the Asian Americans for Community Involvement years. out charge. (AACn, the county's largest and oldest nonprofit agency serving APAs. The military says the men have ties to a militant group The appeals court ruled that Urbina lacked the author• He was a member of the county planning commission and served on the that demands separation from China. The United States ity to right that wrong. county's redistricting commission. He was also the founder of the Chinese will not release the Uighurs to their home for fear they The court, made up of one Democratic and two will be tortured. Earlier this month, Beijing wamed other Historical and Cultural Project and Hee Shen Benevolent Association. Republican appointees, unanimously overturned countries not to accept the men, creating a potential Urbina's decision. But Judge Judith Rogers, who was NYU's Lee Wins Education Leadership Award diplomatic roadblock to President Barack Obama's plan appointed by former President Bill Clinton, wrote a sep• to close the facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within a Dr. Vivian S. Lee of New York University Langone Medical Center has arate opinion saying Urbina had the authority to release year. received the Asian Pacific Fund's 2009 Chang-Lin Tien Education the men but only after hearing from US. immigration US. District Judge Ricardo Urbina ruled in October Leadership Award, which honors the legacy of the first APA to head a major officials. that, since they are not enemy combatants, the Uighurs American research university. The U.S. released four Uighurs from Guantanamo must be released to the United States. But the US. Court As one of two recipients of this prestigious award, Lee received a $10,000 Bay in 2006, sending them to Albania because it was the of Appeals overturned that ruling. only country that would take them. A Swedish immigra• unrestricted grant in recognition of her exceptional record of accomplish- Only the executive branch, not the courts, can make tion court granted -asylum to one of those men on Feb. ments in higher education. . decisions about immigration, the appeals court said. That 18. Adil Hakimjan applied for asylum in Sweden Lee is the inaugural vice dean for science, senior vice-president and chief fact doesn't change, the court said, simply because the because his sister lives there . • scientific officer of NYU Langone Medical Center. • United States has held the men for years without charge. --;------8 MAR. 6-19, 2009 VOICES PACIFIC II CrnZEN

[ JOHN TATEISH! ] [ YUMI SAKUGAWA 1 FOR THE RECORD MEMOIRS OF A NON-GEISHA Honoring Fibber One Identity

My wife Carol and I visited Clovis recently to attend the Tri-District con• My roommate has gone through many identities in mother's funeral, her spontaneous decision to drop out ference hosted this year by the CCOC. It was a Day of Remembrance con• her lifetime. of college to move to New York. ference that featured the dedication of the Pinedale Assembly Center I first met her in December when I was looking for It would be an understatement to say that my room• Memorial, built 0Ii. the old fairgrounds site in then-rural Clovis. an.affordable living situation in Los Angeles. Out of all mate had lived a colorful life. She had ~n a Christian, After a day of plenary session panels on the experience of being incar• the potential roommates I met, the empty room in her a hippie, a daughter, a wife. A devout Obama supporter, . cerated at Pinedale, on the coram nobis effort, and Redress, the district two-bedroom apartment seemed the most inviting, and she had grown up in an era when her father's black hosted a tribute dinner to recognize the achievements of individuals who also the most affordable. Though she was 61 years old friend wasn't even allowed to step inside their white have contributed to the community. and I had never lived with a stranger who wasn't my family home. Once married to a black Buddhist artist, One of the recipients honored that evening was Satoshi "Fibber" age, I moved into her apartment the very next day. she was a mother to two grown biracial children, and a Hirayama, who was given the President's Medal of Distinction by Dr. John Fml11 our first meeting, I assumed she was a light• grandmother to a baby girl in Hawaii. Welty, president of CSU Fresno ..Hirayama was being recognized for an skinned woman with Middle-Eastem origins. It was Now at 61-years-old, my roommate was a peacemak• extraordinary career in athletics at Fresno State and his post-college career clear from the hijab that covered her hair and the copy er. These days, she spent nearly all of her free time in sports. of the Koran she had on her cof- . doing interfaith work - building Now get this; fee table that she was a devout bridges and organizing events A few years after the war, Fibber entered Fresno State on a football Muslim woman. It wasn't until 'Beneath her hijab between different religious groups in scholarship and played halfback, where he averaged five yards per carry after I moved in that I realized and conseNative Los Angeles. throughout his football career at Fresno (the great Jim Brown averaged 5.2 this assumption was completely Hearing the different transforma• yards over his career). As Welty put it, Fibber also decided to play baseball wrong. dress, my tions my roommate had undergone because the baseball season overlapped the beginning of football practice Beneath her hijab and conser• within her life makes me wonder and Fibber could thus escape the early summer workouts with the football vative dress, my roommate was a roommate was a what transformation awaited me, a team! Caucasian woman born in Caucasian woman second-generation Japanese He didn't just play baseball. He set records all over the place: 76 stolen Indiana, once raised in a funda• American woman, in this new chap• bases in one season, with 5 stolen in one game. (Neither Rickey Henderson mentalist Christian home. She born in Indiana, ter of my life. Though I still valued nor Lou Brock ever did that). He was twice All-Conference, and in 1950, officially converted to the Islamic my Japanese heritage, I no longer led the league with a .420 batting average. For those unfamiliar with batting faith 10 years ago, and now once raised in a felt as compelled to explore my averages, hitting .400 is so rare that it's beyond the stratosphere in baseball began her multiple daily prayers fundamentalist Asian American roots with the same terms. And baseball wasn't even Fibber's chosen sport! from the crack of dawn. She no fervor as I did when I was a college He was such an exceptional athlete that he was signed by the St. Louis longer went by her American Christian home. 1 student at UCLA. Browns and played for their Stockton farm team (where he hit .409) until legal name, and instead, signed What new identity would I discov• he was drafted into the Army. He played professional baseball in Japan for her e-mails and introduced herself er within myself next? And how 10 years and made the All-Star team twice. Fibber was profiled in the Aug. to people by the Muslim name given to her by her Sufi would I use this new identity to help others? 4, 1958, issue of Sports Illustrated. teacher. Last week, my roommate held a group meditation He's been described as, "pound-for-pound the greatest athlete to ever In the following weeks, a friendship grew between us session in our living room. Seven women sat in chairs come out of Fresno State." And that's quite an achievement when you con• as I leamed more and more about her life. This usually in a circle in the darkness of our apartment, lit only by a sider that Fresno State is often nationally ranked in both its football and , happened when I was preparing breakfast in the single candle and a lamp. baseball programs. kitchen, or enjoying a cup of tea after work. She would For an hour and a half, we meditated to our own The thing about Fibber is that he's a small guy. You'd think that the best wander into the common room, and Somehow our con• breathing, to my roommate's guided words, to the eerie halfback ever to come out of a really good football program like Fresno versation about the day would meander into stories and beautiful echo that vibrated from a metal singing State's would be some big, beefy no-neck guy with tree trunks for thighs. from the many lives she had lead within her lifetime. bowl. Though we were all of different ages, ethnic Not Hirayama. He was 5'3" and played at 140 pounds. Okay, granted that Some days, I listened to what it was like growing up backgrounds and religions, we were all sitting together . guys like Eddie LeBaron and Doak Walker, both also considered small of in a farm in Indiana. Another time, I listened to how she that evening for similar reasons. We wanted peace for stature, could play pro football in those days, but they were exceptions. once lived on a hippie commune with her hippie ourselves, our loved ones and the world. I grew up with twins Mike and Marlin McKeever, who were both two• friends, and unofficially adopted a neighborhood autis• For one brief evening, all of our individual and dif• year All Americans at USC and played linebacker for the L.A. Rams. tic boy until his emotionally abusive mother took him fering identities were besides the point. • Those guys were huge and would pulverize anyone who got in their way, back and disappeared from her life forever. I heard sto• even in sandlot football games. These are the kinds of guys Fibber ran ries about counseling Muslim women prisoners~ her . Yumi Sakugawa writes from Los Angeles. against. I always tried to make sure I was on Mike and Marlin's teams when we chose sides at the playground because small but fast isn't nearly good enough against guys who were as ferocious as they. t:M6ER, JANUARY, FEBRU MARCH \\tv\AD~ESS~' I had a chance to talk very briefly with Fibber after the dinner and told I him how impressed I was with his many achievements, especially with his .420 batting average. His response was, "Well, you know how they like to exaggerate those things." As I listened to Dr. Welty read off Fibber's many athletic feats and his other contributions to the Fresno community, I kept thinking of how fear• less someone his size had to be against the big bruisers whose one goal was to crush him. For me, it characterized something about the Nisei. I was reminded of the White House ceremony when President Clinton presented Medals of Honor to 21 Nisei vets. Clinton towered over each of the vets, and as their citations were read, I kept thinking about how these Nisei sum• moned up such enormous courage to do what they did and thinking that stature isn't measured in how big one is but by the size of one's courage and heart. The same can be said about Fibber. This humble and remarkable man has accomplished so much in his life . but is clearly self-conscious about being given the recognition he so deserves. Like so many people who truly achieve great things, he doesn't have to tell you about them. You have to like that about Fibber.•

John Tateishi is the immediate past JACL national director. PACIFIC =CmZEN

Days before the world premiere of "A Song for But it is to say that Tad doesn't make your par• boarded an airplane to Hawaii. Ourselves," Tad Nakamura's cell phone is blow• ents' kind of documentaries. And in more ways "He'd been sick for many years and he wasn't ing up. than one, it aligns the filmmaker with his "A Song getting better," said Tad. ''We wanted to get his His short documentary on the late singer and for Ourselves" subject. story on tape just in case." activist Chris Iijima has sold out at Little Tokyo's "He had the cool factor," said Tad about Chris, They asked him to talk about the early Asian Japanese American Cultural & Community a family friend. 'The Chris that 1 knew was intel• American movement. Tad was behind the camera Center. And friends who have waited to the last ligent and critical. He was always asking me about and his parents did the interview. minute to request tickets have been mostly greet• my views. He was always interested in young ''He gave a three-hour interview while hooked ed with Tad's automated voice message. peoples' perspective." up to an IV [line]. That was what impressed me ''I guess it's a good problem to have." In the 1970s when race was seen as purely a the most. It was one of the most vibrant interviews Something about "A Song for Ourselves," black and white issue, Chris and his band mem• I've ever done and he was dying." Tad's third in an impressive trilogy of short films bers injected Asian America into the dialogue with Footage from the interview was used at Chris' about the Japanese American community, has memorial service - the film grew from there. touched a ne~e. You could argue that it's the "A Song for Ourselves," marks the first time film's larger-than-life subject or the powerful Tad has made a biography. In the film, the lines What black and white images of Chris' face twist• are blurred between Chris' life and the Asian ed with emotions in front of a microphone. American movement, mainly because Chris was does war solvell Or you could say it's all the above factors in so embedded in it. "A Passage Through SEVEN the hands of a young filmmaker who's ''It's Chris' life you see in the movement." LIVES is a stunning and perceptive somehow managing to make history cool. The film also gives an inside look of Chris as a memoir/history of- Japanese culture "That's been the goal all along," said Tad, man, as evident by the people he left behind. Both and imperialism before and after the 28, whose previous workincludes)ast year's his young sons are musicians. World War II. "Pilgrimage," a critically acclaimed docu• "They had never seen some of the old photos of "Kyo Takahashi weaves a majestic mentary about the JA World War II intem• their dad. They knew their dad as the law profes• tapestry, using the history of Japan ment set to the unlikely music of Portis head. sor," said Tad. He showed them the film's final and bloody battlefields as the warp, "I can reintroduce these parts of history to cut. As soon as he pushed "play," Chris' voice and lives of people who were involved a younger audience that [other filmmakers] filled the room. in the war, as the weft. Every fact was can't." Tad (far right) and his dad Robert Nakamura filmed Chris 'They were excited to hear their dad's voice blended in carefully with artistic il• lustrations, creating a shocking and Highlights of the Feb. 28 premiere of "A lijima (left) six months before his passing. again," said Tad. ''The goal was to provide some• enlightening panorama. Song for Ourselves" included live perform• thing for them to help with the healing process." "This book is a valuable addition ances from Kiwi and Bambu, independent Asian politically conscious songs from their 1973 album He pauses to search for the next word. And then for those not familiar with Quaker Pacific American hip-hop artists whose names "A Grain of Sand." Along with the protests, rallies makes a statement that seems to signify the Friends' supportive actions for Japa• would likely draw puzzled looks from most Nisei and the fight for university-level Ethnic Studies exchange of batons from one former youth leader nese Americans who were sent to the and Sansei. programs, Chris was there seemingly every step to another up-and-coming one. internment camps." -from Reviews But a free mix tape of the hip hop artists' origi• of the way empowering his people with music. "I made these films for the community." • nal songs praising Chris' legacy obviously spoke His activism made him friends with Tad's par• A Passage Through to the core, new media-savvy audience. Since the ents, Robert Nakamura and Karen Ishizuka, who SEE IT SEVEN LIVES mix tape was made available online as an early are both filmmakers and community leaders in 'A Song for Ourselves' -The Pacific War Legacy• promotion for the film's premiere, it has been their own rights. Tad had listened to "A Grain of by KYO TAKAHASHI downloaded over 1,800 times. Sand" as a kid, but rediscovered it years later San Francisco Int'l Asian 6'x 9" paperback, 504 pages includes And in the historical documentary genre domi• when he was going through his own political American Film Festival over 250 illustrations, 25 maps, and charts. nated by college professors, Tad's penchant to be awakening in college at the University of March 15, 18 & 21 $23.99 photographed wearing "wifebeaters," (a slang for California, Los Angeles. 10% goes to the AFSC Peace Fund men's sleeveless undershirts) sets him a bit out• "By that time, 1 was hungry for it. There was a For screening times & * side of the norm. It's not to say the Yonsei la<;ks' whole new significance behind it." venues: available at Amazon.com scholarly chops - he has a Master's degree in In 2005, Chris, then a law professor at the http://festival.asianamericanmedia.org/2009/ Alibris.com social documentation from the University of University of Hawaii, a husband and father, was & BarnesAndNoble.com California, Santa Cruz and is now applying for losing the battle against a rare blood disease. Six For future screening dates: ISBN: 0981659802 film school in Los Angeles. months before his death, Tad and his parents http://asongforourselves.blogspot.coml 10 MAR. 6-1.9, 2009 SPORTS PACIFIC iii CmZEN Ultrarunner Gloria Takagishi to Celebrate 30-Year Milestone This April she will become the oruy With all her running "She's pretty. stubbom headed," chuckles runner to compete in each of the 30 commitments, Gloria Ken when asked about his wife's ability to American River 50-Mile Runs. At still fmds time for vol• compete in these tough ·races. But he quickly 63, she shows little sign of slowing unteering. She's a adds: "She's very dedicated. It's one of her down. treasurer for the Junior assets." League of Sacramento At 63, Gloria has no immediate plans to and for the past sever• slow down. In March she will also run in the By CAROLINE AOYAGI-STOM al years she's volun• Way Too Cool SO-K run, an event she has Executive Editor teered for The Westem competed in every year for the past 19 years. Gloria Takagishi, 63, has a way of making States 100-Mile Run "I think Gloria will continue to run as long others feel really lazy. Her idea of a weekend helping cook breakfast as her body allows," said Bridget Powers, a workout is to run 20 miles. As a challenge, she for 600 runners at "4 friend and ultrarunner. "I see that as a very long eqters ultramarathons, events with intimidat• a.m. Scrapbooking, time from now. She will be 80 and still run• ing distances of SO and 100 miles. knitting and puzzles ning. I hope to be running right along side her. This year Gloria will be celebrating a are some of her hob• "She is my inspiration and a hero to me for remarkable milestone. In April, she will bies and each year she all she has done." become the only ultrarunner to have run in makes sure she visits "This is a really awesome accomplish• each of the 30 American River SO-Mile Runs her grandkids in ment, that she can do this consistently year (ARSO), an event that has been held annually Florida a few times. after year, avoiding sickness or injury since 1980. 'Tm a pretty regi• enough to always finish," said Mark It's an accomplishment Gloria quietly but mented person. I'm a Tanaka, a fellow ultraunner who has com• proudly acknowledges. planner so I can usual- peted in the ARSO four times. "I've been running ultramarathons for only six years. If "Ultramarathoning, for people like me, you . Gloria Takagishi and her two grandkids Alexandra, 8, and Sabrina, 6, take ly plan my weeks and days out." I'm still able to finish these races 2S years get a sense of accomplishment that you can do in the Disney marathon in Orlando, Florida. something that is long and hard," said Gloria On April 4, Gloria from now, I'll be very happy." who is set to return' to the ARSO, an ultrama• will wake up before And you may still see Gloria running along York Marathon in 1998. Two years ago she ran rathon that will start in her hometown of the crack of dawn and place her sneakers on the trails 2S years from now. Not only are there a lS-K run at Disney World in Orlando where Sacramento and take her to Auburn, a distance the starting line at 6 a.m. with the goal of fin• a nurnber of fellow ultrarunners in their 60s her two grandkids Alexandra, 8, and Sabrina, most of us would consider long while driving ishing the ARSO. If successful, she will and 70s, one of her close friends is still doing 6, joined her in their own 1-K kids run. in our cars. become the only person to have finished the ultramarathons at the age of 86. At S feet 2 inches and 119 pounds, Gloria is ''I'm competing against myself, not against race in each of the 30 years of the event. 'The key is to go out there and not give up," far from your intimidating muscle bound ath• everyone else. I'm at peace when I'm out on As always, her husband Ken will be crewing she said. "You can do almost anything if you lete. But it's her drive and determination that the trails." her, meeting her at stops along the route to pro• set your mind to it." • keeps her going on those seemingly endless In addition to her weekend workouts, Gloria vide water, food and moral support. He'll also trails mile after mile. works out a few times a week, sometimes wak• be waiting for her at the finish line to celebrate For more infonnation: Although she has run a 3 hour, 36 minute ing up at 4 a.m. so she can get her run in before a notable milestone. www.runl00s.comlAR501 marathon in the past, nowa• heading off to her full-time job as a state days she goes at a slower ~ With so many places to shop for long-teim care employee with the Department of Technology. Japanese arnencan pace with the goal offmish• ~ CITiZenS LeaGUe coverage, how do you decide what's best for you? Twice a week, her husband Ken rides his bike ing, something she almost to join her in her early morning workout~. always manages to do . . "She's not very athletic but it's something Start shopping .from the "It's what you set your she could accomplish that not many others can Shopping for source you can trust. mind out to do before the do," said Ken, 62, who has supported his race. Your goal is to get it wife's interest in ultrarunningfrom the begin• Long-Term Care Call toll-free done. You know how far ning. "She's not fast but she has endurance." today. you need to go," she said. "I 1-800-358-3795 Gloria, a Sansei, first started running in 1978 see it as a challenge. I Insurance? Or visit as a way to get in better shape. She started run• wouldn't go out there if I www·iaclinsurance.com ning around her neighborhood and soon joined wasn't positive about it." a group of local women runners on regular As a JACL member, you don't have to worry. But as Gloria tries to runs. Don't know That's because you can trust JACL and JACL's . explain the drive of an She started off with slower distances and in Long-Term Care Call Center. It's availabte to ultrarunner, she acknowl• 1979 she entered her firsr marathon (26.2 you, your spouse, your parents and your edges that only her fellow whom to trust? parents-in-law. miles). But by 1980 a friend had convinced her ultramarathoners can truly to try her first ultramarathon, the ARSO, and When you call the JACL Long-Term Care understand where she is she was hooked. Call Center at 1-800-358-3795, you'll get the coming from. Now 30 years later Gloria has run in close to first-rate service you deserve from salaried, So it's no surprise that 130 ultramarathons. licensed agents. many of her closest friends "When my mother started running, I think Your Long-Term Care Agent will ... are also ultrarunners and my dad and I thought it was just going to be a training partners. ./ Provide personalized one-on-one service fad for her and that she would soon try some• "I think Gloria is a very thing else," said son Curtis, 43, a clinical psy• ./ Offer needs-based analysis based on your goal oriented person, as chologist in Tampa, Florida who has attended personal situation and budget most ultrarunners are. I some of his mom's SO and 100-mile runs. ./ Help guide you through the long-term care think she takes great pride :Thirty years later I am amazed that she is still buying process in her ability to run the running such long distances." ultras and to finish them," ./ Custom-tailor a plan for you He adds, "I am always impressed because said Nancy March, 62, an sometimes I do not even like driving SO or 100 What's more, you'll never be pressured to ultrarunner who has known miles and she spends her time running that buy, and you're never under any obligation. Gloria for 30 years. "She is same distance." not one of the faster run• Administered by: For Gloria, ultramarathons have provided ners, but she certainly has a MARSH the perfect opportunity to see parts of the coun• AfiinityGroupSeorYKoell very dedicated personality llSC1Vlce or Seabury &: Smith try she may never have had the chance to see. which is necessary in order She's run a SO-miler in Chicago, three SO-mil• d/b/a in CA Seabury & Smith Insurance Program Management to complete them." ers in Vermont and she competed in the New 40436/41008/41010/40281/41017/41019 ©Seabury & Smith, Inc. 2009 PACIFlC~ CmZEN COMMUNIlY NEWS MAR. 6-19,200911 DOR Events Commemorate Unjust WWII Internment By Associated Press and P.C. Staff by President Franklin D. Roosevelt accol!P-table and remaining vigilant," on Feb. 19, 1942, giving the govem• said Gordon Aoyagi, aboard mem• PHILAD ELPHIA - Kris tine ment power to uproot entire innocent ber of the National Japanese Minami was in college before she cornmunities due to fears of "sabo• American Memorial Foundation, learned that her father, grandmother tage and espionage." which held a panel discussion in and uncle had been essentially jailed In 1988, President Ronald Reagan Washington, D.C. on Feb. 19 to by the U.S. government for the signed a law that apologized and mark the occasion. crime of being Japanese American. paid $20,000 to each survivor. The Califomia State Legislature The detention of 120,000 'We have this shared history," recognized the Day of Americans of Japanese ancestry dur• said Bonnie Clark, an assistant pro• Remembrance with the passage of ing World War II was not discussed fessor of anthropology at the Assembly Concurrent Resolution in Minami's household. She learned University of Denver who is exca• (ACR) 21 on Feb. 23, presented by about it in the 1980s through the vating materials from a fonner Assemblymembers Mariko Yamada, More than 120,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry were interned at various National Day of Remembrance, D-Davis, and Warren Furutani, D• internment camp. The artifacts were internment camps during WWII, including Topaz (above). which was observed around displayed during the university's Long Beach. America on Feb. 19. remembrance program. "By carrying this resolution, we Murakami still has the photo. in the U.S. Army?' Her brother The discovery led Minami to 'The internment is very much a revisit the implications of the sus• FanIilies were told to take only answered ''yes'' and was drafted out greater understanding of her culture Japanese American story, but it's all pension of constitutional rights and what they could carry. The of the detention camp. - and herself. Many hope the Day of our stories," Clark said. "It's about work towards the goal of a more just Murakamis and other fanIilies stored After three years of confinement, of Remembrance will also iead to the decisions we have to make as a society for all," said Yamada in a their belongings in their church, but Murakami's fanIily was released. greater understanding that populace, holding our politicians statement. thieves soon broke the door down They were given $25 each to start Americans come in all types of responsible for their behavior, under• For Mary Murakami, who spent and ransacked the storage room. over. packages. standing that w~ all come to the table three years in a detention camp, the Murakami lived with her fanIily Today, Murakami shows little bit• "It got me more interested in my with these different traditions and day represents something simple. behind barbed wire at a camp on a terness over this history, just a deter• history and my roots," said Minami, trying to balance out a vision for our• ''It shows that it did happen," said dry Utah lake bed. Instead of sharing mination that it not be forgotten. who grew up in Maryland with a selves." Murakami, now 82. fanIily meals, they ate in a mess hall. "We don't want it to happen ever Japanese father and white mother, The remembrance also serves as a Murakami was 14 when she saw a Toilet stalls faced each other and had again," she said. and says her Asian American her• sort of conscience, a reminder of the notice posted on a telephone pole no doors. She slept on an Army cot, Minami calls the internment saga itage is not immediately apparent. balance between security and civil outside her San Francisco home say• the fanIily's single room warmed by "a really powerful -story about "I learned about being Japanese," rights in the era of global terrorism, ing that all Japanese fanIilies would a potbellied stove. democracy." said Minami, 40, who ended up writ• Guantanamo Bay and expanded be "evacuated" and taken to camps. In 1943 the government decided ''It's an ugly part of American his• ing her senior thesis about the effects government wiretapping. Her parents, fearful that they to test the loyalty of the detainees tory, but it's important for people to of the internment. "It led me down "It shows the fragile nature of our would be separated from their chil• with a questionnaire, Murakami know," she said. "Because of that the path to my identity." civil and constitutional rights, and dren, took a portrait of themselves remembers. One of the questions ugly chapter, we had a renewal of the Executive Order 9066 was signed the importance of holding people and gave a copy to each child. was, 'Would you be willing to serve American democracy." •

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It can reduce committee and the director of estate and asset services www.azmoves.com Beaverton, OR • (503) 643·4512 taxes, generate income, and provide crucial support for with the American Cancer Society, Inc. 12 MAR. 6-19, 2009 COMMUNIlY NEWS PACIFIC iiIi CrnZEN "No-nos" and Those Who Renounced Encouraged VFW Reunion ·Brings to Tell Their Stories at Tule Lake Pilgrimage Together Nisei Veterans Attendees will also celebrate the designa• tion of the Tole Lake Segregation Center as a National Monument during the July 2-5 pilgrimage.

"No-nos" and those who renounced their U.S. citizen• ship during World War II are being encouraged to attend this year's Tule Lake Pilgrimage so they can share their stories of courage and be heard by those who may still be unfamiliar with their legacy. This year's July 2 to 5 pilgrimage will vary with tradi• tion and take place during an odd year. It will also be a time for attendees to celebrate the Tule Lake Segregation Center's recent designation as a National Monument. roots civil disobedience were shunned in favor of stories 'The people who protested their incarceration and that enhanced an image of Japanese American loyalty were segregated at Tule Lake are the core of what the Vietnam war veteran Judge Vincent Okamoto (left) and MOH winner and cooperation," h~ said. "Sadly, the 'disloyal' stigma Tule Lake Segregation Center was all about," said pil• Hershey Miyamura catch up with each other at the reunion. remains so pervasive that the Nisei who refused to coop• grimage chair Hiroshi Shimizu. "We want to know why erate with the government's demand to prove loyalty they. took the risk of protesting the loyalty questions, War heroes, their friends, and family members recently rendezvoused at a don't want to talk about it." especially because these stories have not been heard or Holiday Inn. They swapped stories and caught up with old friends during the Added Shimizu, "Now that Tule Lake Segregation validated much." 59th Annual Nisei Veterans of Foreign Wars Reunion held Feb. 13-15 in La Center is a National Monument, perhaps it's time to start As always, former Tule Lake internees 80 years and Mirada, Calif. talking openly about what happened to the 12,000 coura• older will be offered free registration to the pilgrimage. Two Medal of Honor recipients George "Joe" Sakato, E Company, 442nd, geous Japanese Americans who responded to the injus• Mamoru "Mori" Tanimoto, age 88, plans to be there. and Hiroshi "Hershey" Miyamura, H Company, 7th Regiment, 3rd Division, tice of mass incarceration with protest and resistance." • Tanimoto hopes to see the Civilian Conservation Corps greeted friends and autographed books. camp where he was imprisoned, before segregation, with The Hon. Vmcent H. Okamoto, considered the most highly decorated 2009 Tole Lake Pilgrimage over 100 others who protested the flawed loyalty ques• Nisei in the Vietnam War, was on hand to sell and autograph'his new book, Date: July 2 to 5 tions that the Army used to distinguish the "loyal" from ''Wolfhound Samurai." Registration: $395 per person; $325 for students and the "disloyal." The reunion allowed aging World War IT veterans the opportunity to those on fixed incomes (Registration fees waived for for• "I would do it again. Guess I'm just hardheaded. I'd be recount stories of heroism. mer Tule Lake internees 80 and older) more hard-headed next time because I know what the The general chairman of the reunion was Robert M. Wada of the Kazuo Deadline: May 15; afterwards-registration goes up to rules are on that," he said, referring to the fact they were Masuda Memorial VFW Post 3670. Others posts which jointly hosted the $450 . never charged with a crime. "We were protesting reunion were: Gardena Nisei Memorial VFW Post 1961, San Fernando Registration forms: www.tule1ake.org [because] we weren't being treated like American citi• Valley VFW Post 4140, East Los Angeles Nisei Memorial VFW Post 9902 For more information: Hiroshi Shi-':Uizu, zens." and Los Angeles Memorial VFW Post 9938. hshirnizu@p~cbell.net, 415/566-2279 (S.F.); Jirni For the six decades since WWII, Tule Lake has been JACL National Director Floyd Mori, who is a former U.S. Army reservist Yamaichi, [email protected], 408/269-9458 (San Jose); stigmatized as the camp for "troublemakers" and "bad" during peacetime, said it was an honor to be among heroes. Grace Kajita,' [email protected], 916/392-5416 and "disloyal" people, a carryover of the govemment's 'The entire Japanese American community owes these brave individual a (Sacramento); Stan Shikuma, sktaiko 1 @mac.com, loyal/disloyal paradigm forced on Japanese Americans. . debt of gratitude for all they did to,make life better for all of us. The courage, 206/919-1465 (Seattle); Soji Kashiwagi, That stigma contributed to a post-war suppression of sto• sacrifice, and loyalty they exhibited during extremely difficult times of war [email protected], 626/351-1073" (Los Angeles); ries of protest in the camps, said Shimizu. are exemplary and admirable," said Mori .• Sachiko Takita, [email protected], 045n87- "Stories about legitimate and courageous acts of grass- 2099 (Japan) Polaris Tours Presents: 2009 Escorted Tours & Cruises Amache Reunion Set For Las Vegas Mar. 30- Spring Japan "Cherry Blossoms & Fuji-san" Apr. 8 It could be the last chance to catch up with old May 6-17 Spain & Portugal friends who lived a few barracks over. The Amache May 21- 4th Bikkuri Japan "Hidden Surprises of Japan" Historical Society is hosting its final large reunion of June 2 former camp internees from May 4 to 6 in Las Vegas. .June 16-18 Las Vegas Getaway Shows: The Blue Man Group & The three-day and two-night reunion will be held at Phantom of the Opera Downtown Las Vegas' Golden Nugget Hotel and July 6-16 Summer Japan "Fun for the whole family" Casino. For $125 each, participants will enjoy buffet July 20- Alaska Cruise & Land Tour "Diamond Princess" dinners and other activities. Room rates are $45 per Aug. 1 night. Aug. 18-31 Gems of Malaysia & Singapore Sept.7-18 Northern Japan "Hokkaido & Tohoku" At the event, a designated hospitality room, filled Sept. 15-28 Greek Isles Cruise "Celebrity Solstice" (Almost Sold Out) with exhibits and memorabilia of Amache, will be Oct.3-16 Exotic China (New Tour Date) open for old friends to get together. Oct. 9-22 Korea Highlights & DramaIMovie Tour (New Tour Date) When Amache closed its doors in 1945, families Oct. 22- Autumn Japan "Fall Highlights" moved and resettled all over the country. Over the Nov. 1 years, the reunion has provided for many a rare oppor• internees and was the 10th-largest community in Nov. 3-13 The Best of Kyushu tunity to share both good and bad memories of their lives Colorado.• Nov.8-16 Train Adventure through Copper Canyon (New Tour) behind barbed wire. Dec. 1-3 Christmas in Las Vegas: Shows: TBA A charter bus has been contracted to pick up partici• Dec.5-14 South America Escape "Rio de .laneiro, Iguassu Falls, '09 Amache Reunion Buenos Aires" pants from three locations in the Los Angeles area: the May 4-6 We will be glad to send you a detailed brochure! Venice Japanese Community Center, the San Fernando Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Downtown Las Valley Japanese American Community Center, and the We also sell: Vegas International & Domestic Air Tickets including ANA, JAL, UAL San Gabriel Japanese Cultural and Community Center. $125 and $45 per night room rate Japan & Euro Rail Pass, Hotels, Car Rental, and Cruises Amache was one of 10 camps built by the War Space is limited! Relocation Authority to incarcerate Japanese Americans For more information: Irene Furuya 626n91-0547 or Polaris Tours and Japanese immigrants, most from California, during [email protected]; Min Tonai 818/591-1269 or 4415 Cowell Road, Suite 110, Concord, CA 94518 World War II. At its peak, Amache held more than 7,500 [email protected]. Tel: (925) 687-4995, Calif. Toll Free 1-800-858-2882 PACIFIC iI CmZEN COMMUNITY NEWS/COMMENTARY MAR. 6-19, 200913 Topaz Museum Hires Architectural Firm . Scholarships Honor WWII Vet Eiro Yamada College-bound high school seniors, under• graduate and graduate students who are descendants of World War II Japanese American veterans are invited to apply for the Eiro Yamada Memorial Scholarship, it was announced recently by the Go For Broke National Education Center. The application deadline is April 6. Established by the Yamada-Scott Family who are once removed, such as a grandniece or Foundation, the program honors the memory grandnephew, are also eligible to apply if the of the late Eiro Yamada, who was attending the qualifying military personnel was killed in University of Hawaii when WWII erupted. action. Yamada went on to serve with distinction in the Although there is no residency or grade 442nd Regimental Combat Team in Europe point requirement, students will be asked to (L-r) Shah Kawasaki associate Michael Britt, Topaz Board members Steve Koga and Scott Bassett, Mayor and was subsequently transferred to serve with submit an essay on a topic relative to the JA Gayle Bunker, architect Alan Kawasaki, and Topaz Museum Board members Jane Beckwith, Susan the Military Intelligence Service in the Pacific. wartime experience. Previous scholarship Stefanoff, and Lorilei Draper recentiy discussed the design of the Museum Complex. After the war, he devoted his life to his family recipients and applicants are eligible to re• and to helping others. apply. Scholarship amounts range from $500 Applicants must be direct descendants of to $1,000. The Topaz Museum Board has hired the firm Shah Kawasaki Architects of Oakland to design those JAs who served during WWII in any mil• Applications and scholarship information its museum, with Alan Kawasaki as lead designer. itary unit. In addition, direct descendents of are available online at www.goforbroke.org or Kawasaki will design a museum complex which will be located on Main Street in Delta, non-JAs who served in the 100th Infantry may be obtained by emailing cayleen@gofor• Utah, 16 miles from the Topaz site. The construction of the museum will proceed in phases Battalion Separate, 442nd RCT, MIS and broke.org or by phone to Julia Tominaga at beginning with the preliminary design of the building. 1399th Engineers may apply. Descendants 310/222-5710.• Kawasaki's mother's family, the Hayashidas, lived on Topaz Block 7 during the internment. The Topaz site was named a National Historic Landmark in 2007. The Museum Board, which owns 626 acres of the 640 acre site, will begin working with the National Park Service to write MORI Medal of Distinction Award to Satoshi (Fibber) a management plan that will guide the board in how to protect and interpret the site. - (Continued from page 2) Hirayama, who was a star athlete in football This coming spring, The Topaz Museum Board plans to sponsor informational meetings to and baseball at Fresno State College, setting show the museum plans and talk about the three phases of the plan. Yokota, Kamal Abu-Sharnsieh and Joanne records which have stood for more than 40 In addition to the architect, the board will hire another Oakland firm, West Office Exhibition Kagiwada. Another panel about the internment years. Design, Andy Kramer, principal, as the exhibit interpretive designer. Lisa Ferrier and Julie Min was moderated by Dr. Lane Hirabayashi with The Spirit of Pinedale Award was presented will also be part of the design team. panel members Dr. James Hirabayashi, Kiyo to Ambassador Phillip V. Sanchez, and the 'TWo other museums in the Delta area will have space in the museum complex: the Great Sato, Rev. Saburo Masada and Marielle Spirit of Education Award was presented to Dr. Basin Museum and the Daughters of Utah Pioneers. Delta City will also partner with the Topaz Tsukamoto. Peter G. Mehas. The Spirit of Justice Award Museum in building the complex. Jeanette Ishii served as emcee for the was given to Dale Minami, Don Tamaki, Saturday evening dinner at which a number of Professor Lorraine Bannai, Karen Kai and people were honored. Her husband, Judge Robert Rusky. The Spirit of Public Service Tony Ishii, escorted the honorable Mineta to Award was presented to Sen. Daniel K. Inouye the various events. Many local dignitaries were and accepted by Mineta, who received the present including C;ongressman Jim Costa. award last year. John Tagami, a member of the Washington, It was wet and cold through the dedication D.C. chapter, came from VIrginia to speak ceremonies for the Pinedale Remembrance about the role of the WWII veterans. His broth• Plaza on Monday morning, but the rain sub• er, Randy, drove up from Riverside. Their sided just in time for the ribbon cutting cere• father, who is featured 'on one of the story• mony. Mineta gave an eloquent keynote boards at the Pinedale Memorial, was a mem• speech. ber of the Military Intelligence Service an.d It is very gratifying to see so many dedi-. was a translator for General Douglas cated members of the JACL who are work• MacArthur. He was born in Selma which is just ing for the good of the JACL and theirfel• south of Fresno, but this was the first visit to low men. The JACL is an important organi• the area for his two sons. zation which has accomplished great things Dr. John Welty, President of Califomia State and deserves to continue on way into the University, Fresno, presented the J;>resident's future . •

KURODA with full battle gear while under fIre was (Continued from page 2) incomprehensible. I'm proud that six decades later I could carry a Hawaiian flag to the peak different side of the Middle East - one of of Monte Cassino in his honor. peace and prosperity. It gave me hope of what As I emerge from the darkness of subter• Iraq could become. It was also during my tour ranean Naples, I return to the present day in Bahrain that I had the opportunity to assist where the city is alive and explodes with a type our office in Naples. My time in Italy allowed of passion that can only be found in Naples. me to leam more about my granduncle. Since Thanks to the efforts of brave men like my my arrival, I've been pouring over books and granduncle and the countless others who land• movies that chronicle life in Italy during ed ashore in Southern Italy, I am able to expe- WWII. . rience the paradox that is everyday life in The culmination of my research came dur• Naples. ing a recent trip to Monte Cassino. It was here I am humbled by the sacrifice of the vet• (800) 544-8828 • www.jaclcu.com in January 1944 that my granduncle gave his erans who have served before me and am life in hopes of driving out the Germans proud to be part of their legacy of military entrenched behind the ancient walls of the service . • ~~!~~~n~:;l Abbey of Monte Cassino. Approaching the mountain, I was amazed to see just how steep l1. Janelle Kuroda is a member of the U.S. e it was. The thought of scaling the mountain Navy's Judge Advocate General's Corps. 14 MAR. 6-19, 2009 CALENDAR PACIFIC iii CmzEN

Calendar NEW & IMPROVED! East Sign into the 'My p.e.' section PHILADELPIllA with your JACL membership Sat., Mar. 28--Philadelphia JACL number and get connected. Installation and Graduate Recognition Luncheon; noon; Maggiano's, 205 Mall Blvd., King www.pacificcitizen.org of Prussia; speaker is Prof. Eric Muller, author of "American Inquisition: the Hunt for JA REVERSE MORTGAGE Disloyalty in WWII; RSVP by Mar. iJ~lormation 22; $40/members, $45/non-mem• Call for a ,frg,g, package bers, $20/children. Info: Toshi Abe, 609/683-9489 or Scott Nakamura, See photographer Emily Momohara's 'DeserLSands' exhibit at the Oregon If you are 62 or older and own your house, 610/878-2237. Nikkei Legacy Center. a Reverse Mortgage may benefit WASHINGTON, D.C. YOU!. • Turn Home Equity into Tax Free Cash ... Thu., Sept. 17-JACL Gala SACRAMENTO Sat., Mar. 14--Symposium, "Asian • You keep title to your home . . ., . ' .... . Dinner; focus will be on the JA Sat., Mar. 28--Workshop, "Lost American Artists in California"; 9-1 • No Monthly Mortgage Payments •...... veterans from World War IT and and Found ... Connecting with your p.m.; Armand Hammer Museum, • Safe FHA Program Designed for Seniors beyond. Info: www.jacl.org or Japanese Roots"; 2 p.m.; Asian 10899 Wilshire Blvd.; examines the "[ pledge to provide excellent customer service 202/223-1240. Community Center, 7375 Park City lives and work of artists past and with the highest standard of ethics" Dr.; speaker Leo Goto has traced his present and offers insights into PJldwest 25+ Years Experience as a Financial Professional family history back 36 generations; issues of cultural hybridity, race, David C. Miyagawa Chee MINNEAPOLIS $5 donation. Information: Leo· social climate and transnationalism; Certified Public Accountant 1-800-967-3575 Sat., Mar. 28:-Performance, Goto, 916/395-2589 or free; RSVP is requested. Info and CA Dept. of Real Estate - Real Estate Broker #01391106 "Baseball Saved Us"; 7 p.m.; [email protected]. RSVP: 310/825-2974. Mixed Blood Theater, 1501 S. 4th SAN FRANCISCO Wed., April 8---Staged reading of St.; based on the book by Ken Mar. 25-27-Asian and Pacific ''The Last Resort" a new play by Mochizuki; $10.50 for children Islanders in Higher Education Velina Hasu Houston; 6 p.m.; KOKUSAI... PACIF1CA and adults before Mar. 11. Tickets: APAHE Conference, "Passing the Performance Cafe, USc. Joanne Kumagai, joannekuma• Torch: The Next Generation of APA RIVERSIDE 2009-2010 TOURS gai@comcastnet. Leaders"; Hotel Kabuki, 1625 Post Sat., Mar. 14--Riverside JACL hterl11OU1tain St.; registration fees begin at $270; Installation Luncheon; noon; rooms availabe at Hotel Kabuki for Riverside Golf Club, 1011 North DENVER May30 NCt-British Isles Cruise - 15 Days Sun., April S-Mile-Hi Chapter $ 169/night, 800/533-4567 (must Orange Street; WT. WlllPY Hiroto Window $4,246 - REDUCED TO $3104 Installation; noon; Renaissance mention APAHE). is the guest speaker; $20/person; Balcony $5.116 - REDUCED TO $3624 Hotel, 3801 Quebec; featuring SAN JOSE RSVP by Feb. 28. Info: Meiko London.l.c Havre, France -Falmouth. England -Cork, Dublin & Belfast. Ireland -Glassgow, Inverness & Edinburgh, Scotland - Amsterdam -Brugge. Adam Schrager, author of ''The Sun., April 26-32nd Annual Inaba, 9511682-8116, imeiko@ Principled Politician: The Ralph Nikkei Matsuri; 9:30-4 p.m.; San earthlink.net or Dolly Ogata, Jun 29 Summer Japan Family Tour - 10 Days Carr Story." Info: Charmaine Jose Japantown; · featuring arts, 9511684-7962. $359S-child $3295 - Tokyo - Nasu - Nikko - BuJletTrain- Kyoto Inland Sea Cruise -Shodo Island- Miyajima --Hiroshima-Osaka. Palmer, 303/449-8526. crafts, food booths, culural displays, SAN DIEGO entertainment, children's activities Sat., Mar. 7-UtSD Nikkei Aug 1 NCL - ScandinaviaIRussia Cruise - 14 Days PaciTlC Northwest and a health fair. Info: Student Union's Culture Show Window $3,783 - REDUCED TO $3,389 - SOLDOUT PORTLAND www.nikkeimatsuri.org. 2009: The Price of Progress; 7 Balcony $4,133 - Reduction $464 - REDUCED TO $3,669 Through Mar. IS-Exhibit, London-Copenhagen-Wamemunde, Germny-Tallinn, Estonia• Sat., May 16--"Talking Story: All p.m.; Price Center East Ballroom, St. Petersburg, Russia-Helsinki, Finland-Stockholm, Swedcb. "Desert Sands: Photographs by Intimate Conversation with Asian UC San Diego; play follows the Aug22 NCL -West Meditenanean Cruise-i5 Days Emily Hanako Momohara"; Oregon American Authors"; 1-5 p.m.; campaign of a young JA who is Window $3219 - Reduction $170 - REDUCE.D TO 53,049 Nikkei Legacy Center, 121 NW 2nd Northside Community Center, 488 hoping to become the first APA Balconv $3769 - Reduction $170 - REDUCED TO S3.598 Ave.; exhibit hours Tues.-Sat., 11-3 N. 6th St.; featuring: Jeanne governor of California; free. Info: London:-Lisbon, Pormgal-Vigo, Seville, Granada, Spain.Gibraltar p.m. and Sun., noon-3 p.m.; $3 . Wakatsuki Houston, Janice www.ucsdnsu.com. Sardinia.Naples·Rome-Livomo, Italy-Cannes,France-Barcelona. admission, free for center members. Mirikitani, Delphine Hirasuna, Oct t2 HokkaidolTohoku - 11 Days Info: www.oregonnikkei.org or Marlene Shigekawa and Gail Nevada $1195 -Sapporo-Sahoro·· Ainu - Lake Toya- Hakodate LAS VEGAS 503/224-1458. Tsukiyama; $20 before April 30, $25 AomorL- Hachimantai - Matsushima - Sandai - Tokyo. May 4-6--Amache Reunion; SEATTLE after and at the door, $15 for seniors Oct 19 Uranihon"Otherside of Japan" ~ll Days Golden Nugget Hotel; relatives and Sat., Mar. 21--64th Annual Nisei (65+) and students with ID. Info: $4095 - Tokyo-Japan Sea-Sado fsle-:-Kanazawa-Amano• friends are invited. Info: Irene Veterans Committee Installation Phyllis Osaki, 925/596-1770, posa• hashidate-I

younger brothers Jack in 1994 and Henry in 2008. ·REUABLE. COMPASSIONA.TE, PERSONAl..JZED· Shunzo Nakayama, 82, of Rose enjoyed ikebana flower arranging, kamakura bori wood carving, and 707 East Temple Street Lakewood, Colo. passed away golf. She appreciated many compliments on her neatly manicured Japanese Gerald Fukui 91 I VENICE BOULEVARD Dec. 20, 2008. He is survived by Los Angeles, CA 90012 President Los ANGELES, CAUFORNIA 900 15 garden. TEL (2 13) 749-1449 his wife Sandie; son, Stanley She requested no service, and will be inurned next to her husband at Golden Ph. 2131626-0441 FAX(213)7~265 (paula); daughter Donna (Randy) !l *M "'(. - "'t7il ~ ~1!m~tt '{ ~' k6'n' . 1'. Nakayama-Hiraki; 2 gc.; and Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, Calif. and Ogden City Cemetery in Fax 2131617-2781 Ogden, Utah. www.kubotanlkkeimortuary.com brother, Yosh. 16 MAR. 6-19, 2009 ADVERTISING PACIFIC iiiI CrnZEN CJmerican HOlidQ~1fQve( 2009 Tour Schedule KOREA DRAMA SPRING HOLIDAY TOUR WAITUST MAR 27-APR 8 Seoul, Cheju Island, Busan, Daegu, Daejon, ChuncheonlNamiseom Island. JAPAN SPRING COUNTRYSIDE TOUR APR 15·25 Tokyo, Tendo Onsen, Akita, Hirosaki, Lake Towada, Morioka, Matsushima, Higashiyama Onsen. EASTERN CANADA HOLIDAYTOUR MAY 3-11 Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto, Niagara Falls. GRANDPARENTS/GRANDCHILDREN JAPAN TOUR I (SOLD OU1) JUN 28-JUL 7 Tokyo, Hakone, Atami, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara. GRANDPARENTS/GRANDCHILDREN JAPAN TOUR II WAITLIST JUL 7-1.6 Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Atami, Hakone, Tokyo. ALASKA HOLIDAY CRUISE JUL26-AUG 2 Seattle, Glacier Bay, Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, Victoria City. HOLLAND AMERICA Westerdam Ship. JAPAN OBON FESTIVAL TOUR AUG 5-16 Tokyo (Tsukiji Obon Festival), Gujo Hachiman (Summer Odori Festival), Kyoto, Jozankei Onsen Sapporo, Kitami (Tsubetsu Obon Festival). EASTERN MEDITERRANEANIGREECE HOLIDAY CRUISE AUG 22-SEPT 4 Venice, Croatia, Athens, Istanbul, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Santorini, Olympia. HOlLAND AMERICA Oosterdam Ship. PANA CONVENTION SOUTH AMERICA TOUR SEPT PANA Convention - Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil. Option to Peru. NEW ENGLAND HOLIDAY TOUR NEW DATES OCT 2-9 Boston, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire. Day trips on historic trains: Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, Conway Scenic Railroad, Green Mountain Flyer Railroad, Essex Steam Train. OKINAWA·KYUSHU HOLIDAYTOUR OCT 11-23 Naha, Kagoshimallbusuki, Miyazaki, Nobeoka, Takachiho, MI. Aso, Beppu, Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Fukuoka. CANYONLAND GETAWAY HOLIDAY NOV 8-13 Laughlin, Grand Canyon, Valley of Fire Park, Mesqu~e, Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon, Las Vegas. We can also assist you with: ·Health Plans for California Low-cost airfares to Japan, Japan Individual Tour arrangements, Japan Railpass, Hotels, Cars, Cruises, Hawaii arrangements, Individual Tour Packages, Organizations/Clubs/Family group tours and cruises. JACL Members For information and reservations, please write or call to: Call the JACL Health Benefits Administrators at AMERICAN HOLIDAY TRAVEL 312 E. 1ST ST., #510, Los Angeles, CA 90012 1.800.400.6633 Tel: (213) 625-2232; Fax: (213) 625-4347 CST #2000326-10 or visit www.jaclheaHh.org [email protected] ~~~_t;: ":r.a , :c,,~ r : :!''':1·'I.{~~ : .~ Ernest & Carol Hida