-.----.--..- T .-..-.-.---~·-·-------··----------~------ "" \\.PACIFICCITIZE:'I;.OIU; Where is home? A Legend After His Time Dear Congressmember, 'mmigrants ore Americo's Sansei Art Nomura looks at Keriichi Zenimura, the 'father Ftunilies, WOfbrs and Neighbors An APA coalition launches a JAs who live in Japan in his of JA baseball' gets inducted picture postcard campaign - documentary 'Finding --~~~!:~-. ..... into Shrine of Eternals. =1E~=-;:~-:: for immigration awareness. Home: ~~~"':ct=~,,~~ SPORTS PAGE 7 NATIONAL NEWS PAGE 4 ENTERTAINMENT PAGE 9 fee Off with JACL Practice your swing for smce1929PACIFIC CITIZEN JACL.:s national golf tournament in October. CALENDAR PAGE 10 The National Publication of the Japanese American Citizens Le~gue mmEE~BDE ........... Exclusive: One on One With Ehren Watada Judge Orders Eddy Zheng's Removal The wait yielded an The 1st It has now been where he is currently 'No regrets. How could I regret making the unwanted decision for officially charged by the stationed and working moral choice? How could I regret refusing to Zheng's supporters - Yuri participate in something I believe is illegal?' U.S. Anny for his decision in an administrative Kochlyruha is among them to refuse deployment to position, Watada· - 1st Lt. Ehren Watada • speaks with the Pacific I'[i'ml"",r="".,.",...-...-..,......,------.........--.." - but the decision to Iraq. In an exclusive inter­ appeal rests on the man view with the Pacific Citizen. Although he now . faces three who spent the last 20 years Citizen, he reflects on his charges - missing in prison. decision and its impact troop m()vement, con­ both personally and on the duct unbecoming an By LYNDA LIN larger community. officer, and contempt Assistant Editor Zheng, who testified at his hear- . towards officials - he ing last year, faces deportation. By CAROLINE AOYAGI-STOM has no regrets. Eddy Zheng, a convict turned national security, said Zheng's Executive Editor Reflecting on the community youth educator and lawyer Zachary Nightingale. impact his decision caged . poet, will be deported if he Citing a 2002 removal proceed­ It's been just a little over a has had both personal­ does not appeal an immigration ings by the U.S: Department ' of month now since 1st Lt. Ehren ly and for · the larger judge's July 19 decision to deny his Justice, the judge also determined Watada followed through with his Japanese American cOIf\lIlunity, we announced your decision in application for relief. Zheng's removal from the country decision to refuse deployment get a rare glimpse into the reasons June? To date, he still has to decide would not inflict extraordinary orders to Iraq after offering to . behind Watada's controversial deci­ Ehren Watada: Just by reading whether to appeal the judge's ruling, hardship on his family beyond the serve in other areas of the world sion. a few of the comments, the said Zheng in a July 28 letter to the "normal" difficulties of family sepa­ and rendering his resignation. Now· Pacific Citizen: How has the response has been fairly polarized. Pacific Citizen. Weighing on his ration. the U.S. Anny has officially . response from the Japanese I didn't expect a large proportion mind are the legal fees and the "[Zheng] himself is young, charged him for his actions and he American community and the of Asian Americans or Japanese health of his elderly parents. hea).thy and educated. He will expe- will face a pre-trial hearing Aug. larger Asian Pacific American .Americans to rally to my side. To The judge would only stop the 17. community been since you deportation I if it were a matter of From Fort Lewis, Washington See WATADA/Page 6 See ZHENG/Page 12 )(n I d ent ity 'The Voting Rights Act has been critical in encour~ging Asian American and other language minority voters to become more engaged in our Shift nation s civic life.' - Margaret Fung, AALDEF Ellen Yamamoto not only discov­ By P.e. Staff and Associated Press are also celebrating the victory. ered she was adopted, her identi­ ''We applaud the actions taken by ty as a JA was shattered when Ellen Inae Yamamoto President Bush on July 27 signed Congress and President Bush to she learned she was actually (above) and at 1-years­ legislation extending for 25 years ensure that every American citizen the Voting Rights Aet, the historic will continue to have equal access to Korean American. old (left) with her adop­ tive father Francis. , 1965 law which opened polls to mil- . the vote. The Voting Rights Act has lions and outlawed racist voting been critical in encouraging Asian By CAROLINE AOYAGI-STOM practices. American and other language Executive Editor Francis and Nobu "Mari" Yamamoto had passed away years ago and could not answer her questions. But "Congress has reaffirmed its minority voters to become more belief that all men are created engaged in our nation's civic life," . Ellen Yamamoto, 59, was rummaging through some old soon, without too much prying, the truth about her birth and her real family were laid before h;r eyes, a truth equal," he declared. said Margaret Fung, executive photographs when she came across a black and white Bush signed the bill amid fanfare directOr of the Asian American photo of her sitting and smiling on her father's lap. Faded that had been kept secret by all of her relatives .. For the past 59 years, Ellen has lived her life as a and before a South Lawn audience Legal Defense and Education Fund and a bit yellowed now, she noticed the writing on the back that include? members of Congress, (AALDEF). of the photo didn't seem quite right. The original wording Sansei mother of three boys. But now at the age of 60 civil rights leaders and family mem­ The law.also strengthens the orig­ had been altered by her mother. she has discovered that she is adopted and not of bers of civil rights leaders of the inal Voting Rights Act by enforcing Curious, she dug out her birth certificate from Shizuoka, Japanese ancestry but is Korean American. recent past. It was one of a series of Section 203 - the language assis­ Japan. Soon she discovered even more discrepancies, rais­ "For 59 years I was Ellen Yamamoto. But now I dis­ per~nt high-profile ceremonies' the presi­ tance requirement that is so impor­ ing some serious questions about her birth. covered I'm not JA but 100 Korean," she said. "Everyone knew I was adopted. I was the only one who dent is holding to sign popular bills tant t6 the APA community - more In a search for answers she called up an old family into law. friend and confronted her relatives. Sadly, her parents See ADOPTIONlPage 5 . Asian Pacific American groups See VRAIPage 10 Under One Roof - .The Second Generation's Burden Deferring independence, . The Vo farriily · gives new mean­ young professional APAs BILLS, BILLS, BILLS: ing to the description of a full house. Nancy Vo is responsible are increasingly bearing This one was bought by siblings for utility bills and por­ ranging in age from 18-34, who fmancial responsibilities for tions of the mortgage at their parents. worked and saved just to buy a the home she helped . house for their parents, not so much buy with her siblings. BY LYNDA LIN as a gift but as a necessity. Assistant Editor "We were always moving around Kids buying homes for and my dad really wanted a perma­ their parents is a grow­ Imagine just getting out of col­ nent place," said Nancy, 27, who ing trend, according to remembers moving three times in lege and signing your name tb one national statistics. of the largest purchases of your life one year. Her parents worked in gar­ - a house on a suburban Los ment factories when they first immi­ six-figure debt and three decades - all meaning her immigrant par­ Angeles tree-lined street. Nancy grated from Vietnam, but when her confmed to fmancial shackles. ents, two brothers and two sisters, Vo's hands visibly shook as she dad fell ill over a decade ago the But at least the vanilla colored one of whom is married and living scrawled her name across pages of revenue stream steadily dwindled, house with the wrought iron fence with her husband> and two kids in legal documents binding her to a would be a place for all to call home the master bedroom. See ONE ROOFlPage 7 2 LETI'ERS PAGIFIC CITIZEN,AuG. 4-17, 2006 (7. PACIFI' CmZEN ~ 2005 WINNERI ~ NEW AMERICA VrMEDIA ~ ~ I. Awards In Writing I I I ties as some claim. The best way to houses of Congress in November. Readers Continue to Speak Out on Watada end casualties is to end this unpopu­ Most rational Americans today PACIFIC CITIZEN If all members of the U.S. mili­ I am relieved that the national lar war. Lt. Watada is helpirig to do agree that the invasion of Iraq was a 250 E. First Street, Ste. 301, tary had the right to refuse deploy­ JACL seems to be taking a cautious just that. mistake, so the issue is no longer Los Angeles, CA. 90012 ment, then the power to declare war approach in regard to the 1st Lt. whether or not the invasion was jus­ ~ Tel: 213/620-1767, · would be transferred from Capital Ehren Watada matter. While indi­ "1H4t4tV14 tified . .The issue today is how to 800/966-6157 Hill to· the Pentagon. Imagine this, vidual JACLers are entitled to voice Via e-mail extricate ourselves without aban­ Fax: 213/620-1768 Congress believes that it is in our their opinions, JACL as an organi­ o doning the Iraqi people to cope with E.mail: [email protected] the mess tliat we have created there.