WW2 Assembly Center Site Memorialized with Plaque
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aci ic citize11 National Publication of the Japanese American Citizens League Newsstand: 25¢ (60t Postpaid) # 2,432 Vol. 104, No. 12 ISSN: 0030-8579 941 East 3rd St. Suite 200, Los Angeles, CA 90013 (213) 626-6936 Friday, March 27,1987 'More Perfect Union' Date Set for Introduction Smithsonian of Bill; 6 Sponsors Added Gets Hate Mail WASHINGTON - Sen. Spark Matsunaga CD-Hawaii) will intro duce the Senate redress bill on March 26 with at least 60 of his colleagues as co- ponsors. on JA Exhibit As of March 23, Ole latest senators to add their names to the WASHINGTON - The Smithso list were Dennis DeConcini CD-Ariz.), Terry Sanford (D-N.G), nian Institution's upcoming ex David Boren (D-Okla), Jake Garn and OlTin Hatch (both R hibit, "A More Perfect Union: J a Utah), and Robert Stafford (R-Vl), according to Elma Hender panese Americans and the Unit son, Matsunaga's legislative aide. ed States Constitution," sched "All those who have been working on the redress issue for uled to open Oct 1, has already many years and who began to doubt whether there would be begun to generate letters of pro any real movement in Congres to SUppOlt the issue," said LEC test from veterans and others. executive director Grayce Uyehara, "need to look to Sen. Matsu "As you can imagine, this one naga as an example of a Que believer. He has given a great is warm," said Roger Kennedy, deal of personal time to talk with his colleagues by phone or eet organizers Toko Fujii (left) and Henry Taketa with Walerga marker. director of the Smithsonian's Na on the floor of the Senate. tional Museum of American His "I think he wants to show the Nikkei community that redress Walerga Park tory. " .. Hate letters are already can happen we put our mind to the work which needs to be if coming in to the Smithsonian be done by each one of us." WW2 Assembly Center Site cause we are treating people of Asian extraction like other Amer icans, as if that were a strange Memorialized With Plaque thing to do." Kawakami, Hawaii's House 'We've gotten letters from folks saying, 'My dad was on the SACRAMENTO - Under cloud departure of the last Japanese Bataan death march and 'Don't Speaker, Dies Suddenly at 56 less skies in northeastern Sacra American internees in late June, you realize that Manzanar wasn't mento, a crowd of more than 250 1~ After being taken over by Dachau?'" said exhibit curntor witnessed the dedication of a the Army Signal Corps, tlle camp's Tom Crouch. HONOLULU - House Speaker ter Commission. bronze marker and shade struc facilities greatly expanded to Richard Kawakami, 56, died Much of hi legislative career ture at Walerga Park site of a house and train military person Bicentennial Project March 8 of an apparent heart at was devoted to water and land WW2 assembly center, on Feb. 28. neL Camp Kohler became one of Although the musewn has tack while on a hunting trip in is ue . He erved for 12 years as A plaque mounted on a 6,<XX} the Corps' three principal train scheduled more traditional of Lanai. He had assumed the posi chair of the House Water, Lands lb. boulder bears the following ing centers during WW2. ferings-historical seminars, sym and Hawaiian Affairs Committee. tion of speaker on Jan. 21. in cription with the title "Lest "Dedicated by Japanese Ameri posiums and portrait exhibits of His death came as a surprise House Majority Leader Tom We Forget": can Community of Sacrnmento tlle founding fathers-"A More to his family, said his brother OkanlUrn recalled that Kawakami "Walerga Assembly Center was in cooperation with Sunrise Re Perfect Union" is its major effort Charles, because Kawakami had "pursued programs for the bet established by the United State creation and Park District" for the bicentennial of the Con "recently had a check-up and terment of Hawaii s public educa stitution. It also seems to be one at the outset ofWW2 to assemble JACL Participation came through quite well." tion system and public university. and tempornrily detain, without of the few events in the yearlong Services were held March 11 "His heart was with the work charge or b"ial, 4.739 Sacrnmento Sacrnmento JACL president celebrntion that will discuss the in Kawakami's native Waimea ing people of Hawaii, and he al r sidents solely becau e of tlleir Priscilla Ouchida was mistress of Constitution in a modem context Kawakami attended Universi ways sought programs that would Japanese ancestry. Approximate cel'emonie The program began Kennedy said that was inten ty of Hawaii and New York Uni preserve tlle dignity of employ ly 120,000 persons were uprooted with presentation of colors by tional, and that he wants the versity. earning degrees in retail ees while at the same time meet from their We tCoasthome and VFW Nis i Post 8985. After a si show to be provocative: 'The ing and business adminisQCltion. the needs of employers." interned in 10 War Relocation lent moment of remembrance a Constitution isn't a costume He was chairman ofBig Save, Inc., Ran Unopposed Center . Over two-thirds were reading on tlle Bill of Rights was drama of the past which the cur one of the largest companies in Despite popularity in hi home American citizen by birth. given by fifth-graders from in tain went down on in 1700. I re the state. The firm operntes super district-he ran unoppo ed in uGiv n the oppoltunity, many stluctor Robeli Newell' cla at gard this show as a celebration markets and other stores, and last year's election-Kawakami thou ands left tll 10 c nters to nearby Pioneer choo!. of the openness of the American manufactures such goods as the showed little interest in public work on farms and in war indus Former National JA L pre i system. The reason for doing this Kauai Kookie. office outside the House. He told trie or to erve with valor in tll dent J ell:Y Enomoto was keynote kind of show is to make it clear Served Since 1968 friends privately that he would armed force . Their acts and peaker. While redre for fOlmer that we don't alwa) get it right; He came from a prominent consider running for mayor of' deed gave living proof that Amer intemees i till pending in Con but we keep on trying .. Kauai family; his uncle Norito Kauai, but not against his long icani m i a matt r of mind and gre , he noted, tlle California "If this how stopped in 1945 served in the Legislature in 1959- time colleague Tony Kunimura. heart, not a matter of rac or an Legi lature and the Sacram nto with the terrible malfunction of 60 and was a magistrate. Kawa Kawakami was talked about as eeslly. May Olis memorial remind Counw Board ofSupervisol have justice, it would be a negative already tak n action b provid kami was ftrst elected to the state a challenger for the speak rship all American to be alert 0 that story. But it didn't That was the ing pa.,vments for Japane Amer House in 1968 after serving in against Henry Peters in 1984, but uch injustice nev r recur. beginning ofa proce ofredress ican state and county mployee that year's Constitutional Con eventually accepted tlle po t of "Camp Kohl rsucc eded Wal and painful learning. ., vention and on the Kauai Char- Continut'() on paj(1! 2 rga As embJy enter with th olltinued Oil page 3 ontinued on page 3 Congresswoman Saiki Is Three Minorities in One by J.K Yamamoto first-time congresswoman said Congress has had a Japanese she is also a minority at home, American Republican man-S.I. where a Japanese American Re Hayakawa-and a JA woman publican is "a strange animal." Patsy Takemoto Mink a Demo "I know of many J apancse crat-but not, until now, aJA Re American Republicans in Ha publican woman. As the first waii," she hastened to add. "It's member of Congress in this cate just that they're not organized and gory, Rep. Patricia Saiki de not willing to step forward and scribes herself as "a minority be counted, basically because group all by myself." Hawaii is a very, very Democrat Saiki, a 14-year veteran of the ic state." Hawaii Legislature and former There is potential for chan~ , state GOP chair for Hawaii, de she said, expressing her belief feated Democrat Mufi Hanne that GOP and JA values ov rlap. mann in the November race for "Basically, I think Japanese peo the 1st District congressional ple are Ropublicans; they just seat (urban Honolulu). don't know it yet ... Practically Speaking at a Japanese Amer all Orientals arc consCtvative in ican Republicans banquet last nature, but especially t.he .J apa month in Gardena, Calif., the nese. We believe in basic things. ('onUII\ll'CI Oil pIlI,'l' :! 2rACIFIC CInZEN / Friday, March 27,1987 No. 2,432 Allow 6 weeks advance notice to report address change with label on front PATRICIA SAIKI-------- Help Offered to If you are moving / Wish to subscribe, Continued !rom Front Page Write New Address below. Effecti ve date ............................................................... .. College-Bound Please send the Pacific Citizen for: state very well in the United by computer, but "because voters o l -Yr $20 o 2-Yrs $38 0 3-Yrs $56 States Senate, he retired ... the want to see yoU .. it means I have JA Students state has been without Republi to make more frequent trips." To: ....