The George Komure Elementary School High Schooler Emily Isakari Headed Back to Her Booth at the School’S Festival
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PAGE 4 Animeʼs uber populatiy. PAGE 9 Erika Fong the WHATʼS Pink Power Ranger IN A NAME? Emily Isakari wants the world to know about George Komure. PAGE 10 JACL youth in action PAGE 3 at youth summit. # 3169 VOL. 152, NO. 11 ISSN: 0030-8579 WWW.PACIFICCITIZEN.ORG June 17-30, 2011 2 june 17-30, 2011 LETTERS/COMMENTARY PACIFIC CITIZEN HOW TO REACH US E-mail: [email protected] LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Online: www.pacificcitizen.org Tel: (213) 620-1767 Food Issue: Yummy Fax: (213) 620-1768 Power of Words Resolution Connecting JACLers Mail: 250 E. First Street, Suite 301 The “Power of Words” handbook, which is being developed to Across the Country Great issue! Made me hungry Los Angeles, CA 90012 implement the Power of Words resolution passed at the 2010 Chicago just reading about the passion and StaFF JACL convention, was sent electronically to all JACL chapter Since the days when reverence these cooks have for Executive Editor Caroline Y. Aoyagi-Stom presidents recently. I would like all JACL members to take a close headquarters was in Utah and all food. How about another special look at this handbook, especially the section titled: “Which Words Are the folks involved in suffering issue (or column) featuring Assistant Editor Lynda Lin Problematic? … And Which Words Should We Promote?” during World War II, many of some of our members and their Who labeled these words as “problematic?” The words are them our personal friends, my interesting hobbies? Reporter euphemisms and we should not use them. There are words that can be wife Nellie and I have enjoyed and Keep up the wonderful work; I Nalea J. Ko used in place of the euphemisms, unlike what the handbook states. appreciated the friendships we’ve love the paper. Business Manager History shows that there have been different types of concentration made during our activities in the Staci Hisayasu camps all over the world. Some were from the Spanish American Snake River chapter, IDC and Anne Chilcott Ventura County JACL member Circulation War, Russian Gulag and Bosnia. The Nazi camps in Europe were not national conventions. Eva Lau-Ting concentration camps but were death or extermination camps. In 1998 We’re getting ready for Joe to The Pacific Citizen newspaper there was an agreement between the American Jewish Committee and turn 93 and Nellie 89 next week. Send signed letters with your (ISSN: 0030-8579) is published the Japanese American National Museum regarding their exhibit at It’s wonderful that your stories name and contact information semi-monthly (except once in De- Ellis Island, New York. connect us with those of JACL still to: [email protected] cember and January) by the Japa- or nese American Citizens League, We must use correct terminology to describe our history now. I am around. Pacific Citizen, a citizen and was born in the United States. Yet, I was removed to an Anyway, thank you all for Letters Pacific Citizen 250 E. 1st Street, Suite 301, Los Angeles, CA 90012 American concentration camp and denied my freedom. continuing a splendid job helping 250 E. First St. Periodical postage paid at L.A., CA the Pacific Citizen keep going. Suite # 301 POSTMASTER: send address Joyce Okazaki Los Angeles, CA, 90012 changes to National JACL, 1765 Imprisoned at Manzanar, April 1942 to August 1944 Sutter St., San Francisco, CA 94115 Joe and Nellie Saito Letters may be edited for length. Seal Beach, Calif. Ontario, OR JACL President: David Kawamoto National Director: Floyd Mori P.C. editorial BOARD NATIONAL CONVENTION Judith Aono, chairperson; Paul Niwa, EDC; Kevin Miyazaki, MDC; Bobbi Hanada, CCDC; vacant, NC- WNPDC; Hugh Burleson, PNWDC; Making New Waves Jeff Itami, IDC; Cindi Harbottle, By Gary Mayeda PSWDC; Sonya Kuki, Youth SuBSCRIBE Get a one-year subscription of the Hollywood, California is a Pacific Citizen newspaper at: perfect place for the first annual www.pacificcitizen.org or call convention for JACL. It is a city (800) 966-6157 full of energy, creativity and ADvertise To advertise in the Pacific Citizen, new ideas in the heart of Los call (800) 966-6157 or e-mail: Angeles. And when you come [email protected] to the convention, you are the LEGAL SEABROOK JACL: (L-r) Linda Ono, Sharon Yoshino, Floyd Mori and star. You make decisions for No part of this publication may be Lenore Wurtzel. reproduced without the express per- the organization. You vote on mission of the Pacific Citizen. resolutions and amendments to Editorials, news and the opinions ex- the policy of the JACL. You raise pressed by columnists other than the NATIONAL DIRECTor’s rePORT national JACL president or national di- awareness of our mission to do rector do not necessarily reflect JACL good things for all. policy. Events and products advertised The hotel is the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa and it is located in the Pacific Citizen do not carry the Lots of Activity for JACL implicit endorsement of the JACL or By Floyd Mori next to the Kodak Theater along the famed Hollywood Boulevard. this publication. We reserve the right to The area is filled with historical interests and there are reminders of edit articles. © 2011 Hollywood both past and present everywhere. Become a part of it as we Life continues to be extremely busy for the JACL staff with lots of Periodicals paid at Los Angeles, visit places like Madame Tussauds during our welcome reception. Be Calif and mailing office. issues and activities with which to be involved. The D.C. Digest was sure to bring your camera. You will not want to miss it. started to inform our members and others of the concerns and various This year JACL is working with the California Japanese American happenings around the nation’s capital and within JACL. Anyone who JACL MEMBERS Community Leadership Council, CJACLC to organize the quality does not receive the Digest is welcome to request the weekly email by Change of workshops. We are bringing in top-notch community leaders to engage writing to [email protected] with “sign up” in the subject line. Address in a variety of issues facing our communities all across the nation. Their The film “442: Live With Honor, Die With Dignity”, which chronicles expertise and your input and participation will make this a success. the experiences of the brave Japanese American soldiers of the World If you’ve moved, PSW has worked hard to bring the members an exciting venue but please send new War II era, is highly recommended viewing. I was invited by Donna Fuji- the heart of the convention is you, the participant. The delegates decide information to: moto Cole and the Houston JACL Chapter to introduce the film and do a the direction and policy of the organization. The members engage with National JACL Q&A at a showing in Houston last month. It was an honor to do so and to local and national elected leaders. And we bring them all together with 1765 Sutter St. have the opportunity to meet with JACL members in the area. the generous support of sponsors who share our interest and vision for a San Francisco, CA The JACL was pleased at the announcement by Acting Solicitor Gen- better community for all of us. Don’t miss out. 94115 eral Neal Katyal of the misconduct of his predecessor Charles Fahy when Allow 6 weeks for he hid a report from the Office of Naval Intelligence which concluded that address changes. the Japanese Americans did not pose a military threat and that there was SEE MAYEDA/PAGE 7 no evidence that they were disloyal. We have known for years that the in- To avoid interrup- carceration of JAs was unjustified, but the further validation is welcome. JULY 7-10 tions in delivery, This was reported in a JACL press release and various news articles. please notify your postmaster to Comcast has been one of the JACL’s corporate sponsors for several include periodicals years. Comcast has now merged with NBC/Universal and has commit- 3 in your change of ted itself to diversity. They have created an Asian American Advisory WEEKS address (uSPS Form 3575) SEE MORI/PAGE 16 WWW.JACL.ORG/CONVENTION PACIFIC CITIZEN IN-DEPTH JUNE 17-30, 2011 3 “I am really happy that I could do a project that helped teach others the story of the local Japanese American community,” said Emily Isakari, 14, about her project to teach people about Nisei veteran George Komure, who has a school named in his honor. She used to pick oranges at a farm owned by Komure’s son Dean but she never met the elder Komure. What’s in a Name? The George Komure Elementary School High schooler Emily Isakari headed back to her booth at the school’s festival. Komure was born in 1919 in Stockton, Calif. to Tei and elementary school this year to educate students “Emily had given us a budget of what she thought she’d Isetsuru, who moved often to find employment. They finally about George Y. Komure, the Japanese need to put this project together,” said French Camp JACLer settled in San Jose, Calif. to farm. American who was honored with a school in David Furukawa, who added that Emily fundraised for the After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Komure was drafted his name. chapter to earn the funds. “I think it’s very, very impressive. into the U.S. Army. While he was overseas, his family was That’s our future. I think she’s going to be a tremendous incarcerated in Tule Lake for about three years.